[HPforGrownups] Re: Bathroom Scene - A Different Perspective.

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 165240


> "colebiancardi" <muellem at ...> wrote:
>
>> everyone who was sitting in Slughorn's
>> 6th year Potions classroom got "O"'s
>> with the exception of Ron & Harry.

Eggplant:
> Then "O" is a more common grade than "E",and something is SERIOUSLY wrong!

Magpie:
Not everyone who gets an E had to take Potions. The students in the class do 
not prove O was the most common grade. It's only the most common grade in 
the NEWT Potions class, which isn't unusual, I'll bet.

Eggplant:
> Draco's family has money to burn and aren't afraid to pull stings, I'm
> sure they could get the wizard equivalent of Federal Express ship a
> brand spanking new potions book from Flourish and Blots to Hogwarts
> overnight. And from the evidence of the preceding 5 books nothing
> would even hint that Draco could ever get a lofty grade like an "O" in
> potions, not in his wildest dreams. Even a "E" would be pushing the
> envelope for Draco.

Magpie:
Draco does not have to have pulled any strings for Federal Express (why on 
earth go to the trouble of making that up? Why would only Draco need this 
kind of fanwank?), nor is getting an E pushing an envelope. The character's 
always been shown to do fine in Potions, and there's nothing out of the 
ordinary in his getting outstanding on the test.  After five books of Draco 
being the Potions teacher's favorite I'm surprised his being an A student 
would be a shock. Draco has never been associated with bad grades from 
Harry's pov. His dad's demanding, we can be pretty sure he got a higher 
grade than Harry on his Practice OWL in fifth year and we know he got at 
least an E in Transfigurations.

Just because Harry got an E doesn't mean an O is out of reach for other 
students.  Many probably thought Harry and Ron were complete dunces in 
Potions and they got Es (proving them wrong too).

Ronin:
But, I believe that it's got Harry thinking
about things and it may just take time to sink in. They are pretty advanced 
theories and I think, like apparation, he'll make his splinches before it
finally gets through.

Magpie:
Even without the Potions stuff he does learn a lot of spells.

Ronin:
On the matter of Harry taking credit for the theories, I can see that some 
people might consider this poor behavior. Personally, I don't. I think he 
made an attempt, but it was brushed off by Slughorn. Why press the issue?

Magpie:
Yes, I don't think it's such an awful thing. Harry is always aware that 
Slughorn's descriptions of him are inaccurate, but it doesn't seem to go 
much beyond Slughorn in class. If I had that situation I can imagine years 
later laughing over it and telling stories about it, how I had this one 
teacher who was convinced I was good at certain aspects of a class when I 
had no clue. But of course Harry is also very aware of the lie he's living, 
even if it's a small one.

Alla:

I already said that I agree with you on that, yes, I just don't agree that 
Harry is a mediocre student, but that has nothing to do with cheating.

Magpie:
Did I call him mediocre? (Honestly don't remember!) I think by definition 
*no one* in the Potions class is mediocre. They all had to have gotten at 
least an E on their OWLS, and that's above average. And Harry's never been 
bad at Potions, that I remember. In this class he probably is starting out 
near the bottom with an E instead of an O, but I don't think that's enough 
to make him mediocre. It's a hard class for everyone.

-m