Happy "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Release Day!

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I can see that I suppose, but doing absolutely nothing in Potions, all freakin' year? I guess you could say that he learned a lot from the HBP notes, but still...

I would have totally learned the HBP's way of doing things. I don't see a difference between learning the book way or learning a better way from another student who was probably better at potions than the person who wrote the textbook. There are potions makers and potions inventors, after all. If you came across a food recipe in a book, and next to it were some notes on additional spices, etc. that would make the meal even better, wouldn't you make the meal with the spices? You may not be the chef, but you can still be a good cook.

Some people are just naturally good at following directions, while others are brilliant and can come up with an entirely new way to go about something. Not all scientists are inventors. Some are just lab techs.

Spoiler:

Hermione made some good points. I wouldn't disagree with that. But she was also pretty jealous, I think. And frustrated that she wasn't coming up with ways to improve upon the potions. In some ways Snape is totally right to criticizing her for quoting books word-for-word. That may be learning, but it's not necessarily thinking.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Eliza Hodgkins 1812

Spoiler:

Hermione made some good points. I wouldn't disagree with that. But she was also pretty jealous, I think. And frustrated that she wasn't coming up with ways to improve upon the potions. In some ways Snape is totally right to criticizing her for quoting books word-for-word. That may be learning, but it's not necessarily thinking.

Now I'm unsure what to put in tags and what not to, so I'll just use tags.

Spoiler:

Right. I guess what gets me is when Harry got credit for the HBP's potions, as if Harry had come up with them himself (or inherited his talent from his mother etc).

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Now I'm unsure what to put in tags and what not to, so I'll just use tags.

Spoiler:

Right. I guess what gets me is when Harry got credit for the HBP's potions, as if Harry had come up with them himself (or inherited his talent from his mother etc).

Spoiler:

Yeah, I suppose he was taking too much credit for another person's work. I suppose he could have at least said, "Well, actually, it's this book I've got here." Still, it seemed like a teenaged thing to do. It's probably what I would have done. Let the teacher think what he must, my friends would know I was just copying from instructions.

I also found it rather odd/funny that Snape didn't make more of a fuss when Slughorn told Snape, in front of Harry, that Harry might even be better than eh (Snape) was when he was 16. You'd think Snape's eyebrow would have immediatly shot up at that. I mean, he taught Harry for 5 years. He'd certainly know there was no way Harry was that good. Then again, it was a comment made by the star ****er of Potions Teachers, so Snape probably figured that Slughorn was just sucking up to Harry.

Oh, I just LOVE how much I read into these books. I'm even irritating myself at this point, and yet I cannot stop.

[wendybeth]

Didn't anyone think it rather odd that:

Spoiler:

Harry's mother was so good at potions? Was it because she had a study-buddy? Or perhaps Snape is good at them because of Lily? Either way, Slughorn's revelation caught my eye in a major way. Yet another oh so slight tie with the Snapester...

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

Didn't anyone think it rather odd that:

Spoiler:

Harry's mother was so good at potions? Was it because she had a study-buddy? Or perhaps Snape is good at them because of Lily? Either way, Slughorn's revelation caught my eye in a major way. Yet another oh so slight tie with the Snapester...

And now it's time to play - Wild Pointless Theories!

Spoiler:

Severus lost his virginity to Lily.

[DisneyFan25863]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Spoiler:

Severus lost his virginity to Lily.

Spoiler:

Before Lupin gave him the eternal love potion. Now he's constantly obsessing over Peeves.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

And now it's time to play - Wild Pointless Theories!

Spoiler:

Severus lost his virginity to Lily.

Lol! My, Harry Potter is really not just fer kids, eh?

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

And now it's time to play - Wild Pointless Theories!

Spoiler:

Severus lost his virginity to Lily.

Spoiler:

I think Severus has yet to lose his virginity. Poor bastard. I do think he and Lily had some kind of connection, though she probably admired his intellect and thought him tolerable lab partner. Maybe she even liked him a little. More likely he was in luvre with her and wanted to be her teh hot sexxor!

[Nephythys]

Originally Posted by Eliza Hodgkins 1812

Spoiler:

Oh, I loved Dumbledore vs. the Dursleys. I wonder what he meant about what they had done to Dudley, though. Hmmmm.

Spoiler:

They have damaged Dudley by spoiling him, they have allowed him to become a bully and a brat. They have been permissive and taught him to treat others badly by their example with Harry. They have indulged him to the point where he can not function in the real world. Harry was not damaged in such a way, he still has empathy and care for others.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Nephythys

Spoiler:

They have damaged Dudley by spoiling him, they have allowed him to become a bully and a brat. They have been permissive and taught him to treat others badly by their example with Harry. They have indulged him to the point where he can not function in the real world. Harry was not damaged in such a way, he still has empathy and care for others.

Spoiler:

I get that. But Heidi points out that Dudley had a severe reaction to the Dementors, which usually happens to people who have experienced severe trauma, so we wonder if maybe there's more to it than being spoiled. I think they've ruined him for a happy adulthood, regardless. But I did wonder if there was more to it than that.