Potions, the Book, and a New/Old Perspective

[eviljunglechicken]

No: HPFGUIDX 165295

-Steve:
> This is why Herione infuriates me so. She knew there were
> better formulas, yet doggedly sticks with formulas she
> knows are bad. That's not the 'run to the Library'
> Hermione that I know and love. If she hadn't been so
> stubbornly /against/ that book. She would have gone to
> the Library and found a real authorized official book to
> help her rather than relying on some dodgy notes written
> in the margins of some old book.

Maybe, I'm missing something here, but do we know that none of the
other students went to the library.  I find it rather hard to believe
that the Ravenclaw students in this class didn't do so.  Really hard
to believe.  Harry has a standard text with the addition of Snape's
own improvements to its methods.  What's to say that there is any
source material generally available to all the students which contains
the same?


Steve:
>
> Harry on the other hand, does pursue the subject beyond
> the classroom. It's just that he doesn't really have to
> go very far or work very hard to achieve his advantage.
> Students do this all the time. The straight 'A' student
> are so, because they study hard and seek references
> beyond the textbook, so that they understand the subject,
> and always get top grades.

I'm not sure I get what you mean by Harry pursuing this outside the
classroom.  The book with the better answers falls into his lap.  Does
he read through it outside of class...sure.  But I imagine Hermione
has her book memorized (probably before the year started)and takes it
to bed with her at night.


Steve:
>
> As to the classroom Bezoar incident. It doesn't matter
> how or why Harry did what he did. What matters is the
> teachers evaluation of his result. Slughorn seemed
> very please with Harry's results, and unless my memory
> evades me, he even awardes some House Points. The
> assignment wasn't follow these rules, it was get this
> result. Now certainly Hermione, the other students,
> and the teacher saw that Harry hadn't done the work,
> but he has achieve the desired result and did so with
> available potion ingredients. What more can anyone
> ask.

I'd ask for a different teacher.

>Steve:
> Maybe now that I've rambled on for paragraphs, I can
> briefly touch on Harry's broom. If you take an idiot
> and put him in the fasted car, and take a racing
> genius and put him in a moderately crappy race car,
> it is likely that the racing genius will win the race.
> No car is ever faster that the driver who is driving it.

I'm thinking the other Quidditch players have some skill as they are a
select group representing their houses rather than the Nevilles and
Hermiones.
If a person of comparable skill to another is put in a crappy race
car, he would be at a disadvantage to his opponent in the faster car.
If you are suggesting Harry so far outclasses everyone else, they have
no hope to win, why (I ask you why JKR???) did the readers have to
suffer through the then ridiculous drama of the Gryffindors worrying
about winning games every book.  *yawns*

Steve:
> That is true of brooms too. Harry's broom, though I'm
> not sure which one, is capable of Zero to 150 in 10
> seconds. That doesn't mean 150 is the top speed, it's
> just the speed after 10 seconds of acceleration. The
> Quidditch pitch is pretty darn big, huge by most
> standards, but it is not 0 to 150 in 10 second of
> /dynamic free flight/ big. You can't make abrupt
> manuvers at 150 miles an hour clinging to the back of
> a stick. So, instinctive judgement, the ability of the
> rider to know his limits and to safely push himself near
> them are far more important than the absolute limits of
> the broom itself. Skill in the confined space of the
> Quidditch Pitch is far more important that raw speed
> or acceleration. So, NO, having a faster broom is
> of no advantage unless you have the skill to fly and
> control it.

Oh, I definitely agree Harry needs and has the skill to fly and
control it.   I read sistermagpie's post as being more about how many
readers cry foul at the better brooms for the Slytherins and suddenly
become silent when Harry receives his faster broom.  In other words,
how can a better broom be an advantage to a Slytherin and not be one
to Harry unless Harry is the idiot example you offered.

hee...as for your edifying comments above, the problem is I don't
trust the author to know the same (difficulties with simple addition
and subtraction evidenced more than once), although I apologize to her
if she has mentioned this.

Actually, after thinking this over, I reminded myself the brooms fly
by magic. If players can cling to these sticks in the first place, why
can't they make abrupt movements at 150 miles an hour?

Which magical law are we breaking?

eviljunglechicken