On the trivial and the profound/Dumbledore's attitude

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 165489

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Magpie" <belviso at ...> wrote:

> Valky (prviously):
> "For the Last Time" said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse
> whisper after three quarters of an hour silence, "I am not giving
> back this book, I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than
> Snape or Slughorn have taught me in -"
> **Harry is cut off by Hermione**
> --Ch 15 HBP--
>
> Which clearly demonstrates Harry's concious intent to learn, not
> merely copy for the sake of academic credit, from the notes in the
> book.

> Magpie:
> I think everyone acknowledges that Harry wants the book to learn
> from--

Valky:
So why draw the line at acknoweldging that this is why he hides the 
book and covers up the reason why he is doing so well at potions ? 
Rather than assuming that he is doing it for the purpose of protecting 
his reputation.


> Magpie:
> he's just not interested in learning Potions theory from it.

If that's true then why is he comparing it to his *Potions* teachers?



Magpie:
> He's learning lots of spells and other things. The book is very
> valuable. Harry's experience in Potions class is just a side-effect
> of that.

I'm not sure about that, by the read of the above quote it does seem
to be that as far as Harry is concerned he *has* _learned_ things
about Potions, retained the information from HBP's notes and possibly
even independently applied it in study and that at least some of his
performance in Potions class is a direct effect of his effort in
studying the Snape's margins. Of course if that's true I don't think
we see a precise canon example, I am speculating. That said, I don't
see this flat out contradicted in canon either, and In Chapter 11 we
are told that the HRH are "studying as though they had exams every day".




> Valky:
> Another benefit of Harry using the HBP's notes which hasn't been
> noted before is that it prevented Draco the only major contender
> besides Hermione, from winning the Felix elicis at his first Potions
> lesson, imbibing the lot and managing to kill Dumbledore before
> Harry had even heard of Merope Gaunt, let alone a Horcrux. FWIW.
>
> Magpie:
> Ah, but who's to say that wouldn't have been better for Draco if he
> won it? "Luck" would not necessarily have led him to killing
> Dumbledore, especially since his heart wasn't in the task.


Valky:
In the end when he faced Dumbledore one on one, yes, his heart wasn't
in doing the task in cold blood, but he *was* up to sending the Opal
necklace, Poisoning the drink, fixing the wardrobe to allow the DE's
into Hogwarts. These were all things he might have applied Luck to
while his heart *was* in saving his parents lives however he could;
using unforgivables, putting the deadly necklace into unsuspecting
hands; Don't forget how much Harry likened himself to Voldemort when
he was using the FF to get a memory from Slughorn, surely that shows
that Luck doesn't care if your steps are morally justified, it
wouldn't have changed the things Draco was willing to do.

Valky