Join hosts Ev, Irvin, and Sophia and guest Sam Ommen as they discuss the titular chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Hogwarts pretends to be a school.
In this episode:
- McGonagall is dropping mics all over Neville and Augusta
- The ins and outs of Hogwarts class scheduling
- How authentic is Lavender’s interest in Ron?
- Katie Bell is a savage!
- Snape is eating crackers…
- The million-galleon idea of an Amortentia perfume
- A cozy little slice of life
- The Three Broomsticks of Errors
- Snape vs Slughorn’s teaching styles
- Is the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook cheating?
Pub’s Jukebox:
Amortentia by Swish and Flick
I wonder if – like at high-schools here – someone could take a couple of NEWT classes, but maybe pick up one of the electives (aiming to finish your OWL in that at the end of your seventh year).
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The wizarding world doesn’t seem to have grasped the dewey decimal system, so I imagine they’d view SEO as something Quibbler-worthy.
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Like the analysis of Harry growing up and standing up to bullies. I also think part of it is that they’re on Harry’s turf now (he too is a DADA teacher, after all) which puts him on the same level as Snape.
While I agree with Ev’s point, it’s fair to say that Harry is also a “cracker-eating b****” for Snape (doesn’t he famously take points for “breathing too loud”?). This is not by way of being generous to Snape – as noted, Harry is being a total brat, and “he started it” is not a valid excuse for such behaviour.
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Snape:
“I’d be a fantastic teacher if it wasn’t for all these darn kids! Also, ‘black in front of black’? How dare you! My robes are clearly ‘ebony’, whereas that wall-hanging is ‘midnight’!”
(shades of the business card scene from American Psycho…)
A hearty LOL to most of your points! Though it’s not Snape trying to punish students for “breathing too loudly.” After Mrs. Norris is petrified in CoS, Filch is trying to put students in detention for things like “breathing loudly” or “looking happy.” (CS146) But the overall point still stands, they are each other’s cracker-eating bitches!
I am duly corrected. On reflection, it does sound more like an “upset Filch lashing out” punishment. Snape would find some way to justify it as being for “cheek”.
Snape and Slughorn have the same goal with their first-potions-class questions (emphasising how much more they know than the students), but for different reasons.
Slughorn puts a positive spin on it (“you’re okay, but I’m amazing”) in order to establish his bone fides as a teacher (and potential mentor, should any of them have family connections to makers of candied pineapple).
In contrast, Snape has a negative focus (“you are all dunderheads!”) to create justification for his pre-existing biases. I like the take that he is someone that “just does it”, and is unable or unwilling to explain it to anyone else. So, he’s just as bad a teacher as Trelawney (in that regard, at least – though constantly predicting someone’s death could be considered bullying).
Yeah, good point. Look at their contrasting reaction to when Hermione does know the answers to their oh-so-hard questions: Slughorn is impressed and rewards it, Snape ignores it because she’s ruining his point.
Exactly! Slughorn’s trying to encourage them up to his level, Snape’s trying to discourage them so that he doesn’t have to, you know, teach.
Regarding amortentia (NB: for me, probably something like cinnamon/mixed spice, but I can’t think what the others would be), people do have subtly individual odours. Researchers reckon that people (particularly women) subconsciously recognise some sort of genetic compatibility through smell.
I agree that amortentia perfume is just as sus as dosing someone with it (though I also like the aromatherapy idea). And wearing a scent that you like seems good advice in general – why walk around all day disliking your own smell in the hopes of attracting someone who likes something you find unpleasant?
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There’s other quirk about Harry not citing his sources. Just like with the recipe analogy, even with better instructions, he’s still got to do the actual brewing of the potion. If his measuring, stirring, timing, etc were poor, he would still get a poor outcome.
As a teacher – you do need to be flexible, but given the amount of Prep teachers are doing at Hogwarts, it’s beyond unprofessional to have your rosters not even the day before classes start!
It appears Dumbledore becomes a bit Michael Scott-ish this summer and starts avoiding signing off on schedules, with Minerva running around Britain with him trying to get him to sign on.