Lily, Snape and Potions: Who was the real potions master? |
 Feb 1 2008, 07:13 PM
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Butterbeer Connoisseur  Posts: 1,502 Joined: 4:37pm February 6, 2007 Location: The Room of Requirement  |
Upon reading HBP again, something struck me. If it's already been discussed forgive me. Slughorn says Lily was really good at potions and we know that Snape was really good too. In the HP series we see that Gryffindor and Slytherin have potions classes together. I was wondering if maybe Harry wasn't the only Potter to benefit form the HBP's potions notes and maybe that's how Lily got so good, or was it the other way around? Were those notes made in Snapes old potions book his ideas, or were those Lily's and he wrote the notes in the margins? I myself wonder who really taught who or if they were both just good at potions. Any ideas anyone?
--------------------   My beautiful Harry/Ginny avatar is compliments of jilly_wood. My awesome Weasley avatars are courtesy of theonlysong. |
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Feb 1 2008, 07:16 PM
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer Posts: 107 Joined: 6:36pm January 16, 2006 Location: Assisting in the triumph of the Dark Lords glorious return!  |
I'd say they were both good at it....becuase Snape had a facination not only in the Dark Arts but in potions as well....so it could possibly be that Lily copied him but i doubt she would...but they were friends maybe she did for a while but they didnt stay friends for long so she would have to have her own skills at it...
-------------------- "Join me and live forever"-Lord Voldemort
"Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies" - Lord Voldemort "Dont Analyze My Beliefs And I Wont Pick Out The Flaws In Yours" Thorin "Sometimes "The Majority" Only Means All The Fools Are On The Same Side" Thorin "It Takes A Single Voice To Start A Revolution" Thorin |
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Feb 1 2008, 07:21 PM
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Leaky Lounge Over Achiever  Posts: 9,327 Joined: 4:57am January 28, 2005 Location: near Muggleswick, UK |
QUOTE(George Weasley's Girlfriend @ Feb 2 2008, 12:13 AM)  In the HP series we see that Gryffindor and Slytherin have potions classes together. Actually, that isn't true. We know that Harry's year does, but there is no reason to think other years do. Indeed it is likely to vary from year to year as for example the Gryffindors have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs in Harry's year, but in Ginny's year they are with the Ravenclaws.
--------------------  W.L.Y.J. We love you Jo |
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Feb 1 2008, 07:33 PM
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Stocking Snitches at Quality Quidditch Supplies Posts: 673 Joined: 6:25am December 9, 2007 Location: Canada |
"I was wondering if maybe Harry wasn't the only Potter to benefit form the HBP's potions notes and maybe that's how Lily got so good, or was it the other way around? Were those notes made in Snapes old potions book his ideas, or were those Lily's and he wrote the notes in the margins?" - George Weasley's Girlfriend
There's another point. Even if Gryffindors and Slytherins took Potions together in Sev and Lily's day - and we don't know that they did -, the Potions book belonging to the Half Blood Prince was sixth year. As we're told in DH, at the end of their fifth year during OWL exams, Lily Evans broke off her friendship with Snape. I siriusly doubt if she would be partners with him in sixth year Potions - even if she had been for their first five. Sorry. Laura This post has been edited by Laura W: Feb 1 2008, 07:37 PM |
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Feb 1 2008, 09:15 PM
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Butterbeer Connoisseur Posts: 1,502 Joined: 4:37pm February 6, 2007 Location: The Room of Requirement |
But I just find it interesting that we have a Muggle-born witch and a half blood wizard who were once friends and are both apparently incredibly good at the same subject. I just wonder if Lily got her talents from being friends with someone who was very talented at potions themselves. Even if they were no longer friends by the end of their O.W.L. year that still leaves 5 years of potions. They may have not been in the same potions class together, but I have not read anywhere that they weren't either. We see one of Snapes books, who's to say he didn't do the same things to his other books as well. I just find it very interesting that, given their background, that they were both so remarkable at potions. Seems like quite a bit of coincidence if you ask me. If Snape tutored Lily that may explain quite a bit.
-------------------- My beautiful Harry/Ginny avatar is compliments of jilly_wood. My awesome Weasley avatars are courtesy of theonlysong. |
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Feb 2 2008, 12:13 AM
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Diagon Alley Watchwizard Posts: 2,284 Joined: 5:11pm May 4, 2007 Location: Texas |
QUOTE(George Weasley's Girlfriend @ Feb 1 2008, 10:15 PM) But I just find it interesting that we have a Muggle-born witch and a half blood wizard who were once friends and are both apparently incredibly good at the same subject. I just wonder if Lily got her talents from being friends with someone who was very talented at potions themselves. Even if they were no longer friends by the end of their O.W.L. year that still leaves 5 years of potions. They may have not been in the same potions class together, but I have not read anywhere that they weren't either. We see one of Snapes books, who's to say he didn't do the same things to his other books as well. I just find it very interesting that, given their background, that they were both so remarkable at potions. Seems like quite a bit of coincidence if you ask me. If Snape tutored Lily that may explain quite a bit. Why do you assume he was better than her? It could just as easily been the other way around. Don't leave out the possibility that Lily tutored Snape in Potions. Or they might just have been both good at it, independently. -------------------- "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
-Albus Dumbledore |
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Feb 2 2008, 08:38 AM
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Dumbledore's Personal Secretary  Posts: 4,977 Joined: 10:28am December 31, 2006 Location: At a violin concert with my boss. |
Both, Lily and Snape could have had an aptitude for potions. They could have helped each other out with ideas if the Gryffindors and Slytherins had had their classes together. Like Dumbledore and Grindelwald, I feel, they would have been equals in their class. Slughorn is good at recognising talent if at nothing else, and he was of the opinion Lily was really good. I'm inclined to believe him on that. She must have been a natural for Slughorn to go on about her like he did. And we know for certain that Snape was indeed very good at potions too. He whipped up the wolfsbane potion for Remus and made a golden potion for Dumbledore when he came back half dead from the Gaunt shack.  --------------------  L O V E |
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 Feb 2 2008, 03:23 PM
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer Posts: 102 Joined: 5:05pm June 29, 2007 Location: looking for Spinners's End |
I say that Snape wrote the notes and put some of Lily's tips in it too. But Lily didn't know about the Half-Blood prince part or the sectumsempra part.
 
-------------------- "..suddenly Harry's mind was teeming with memories that were not his: a hood-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-hairedboy cried in a corner... A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies...A girl was laughing as a scrawney boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick -"
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Feb 2 2008, 04:49 PM
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Professional Diagon Alley Window Shopper Posts: 60 Joined: 4:58am January 16, 2007 Location: UK |
That's an interesting idea. However, it does not necessarily mean that the Gryffindors and Slytherins ever had potions together when Snape and Lilly were at Hogwarts. And I just can't imagine Lilly ever copying. So perhaps she could have accepted a bit of help, but not too much. I don't think that Snape would have copied from her, either. I'd think that they could have helped each other, but in small ways, rather than copying or having extended help.
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Feb 2 2008, 08:56 PM
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Junior Dishwasher at The Leaky Cauldron Posts: 615 Joined: 12:38pm January 26, 2007 Location: Sacsahuamán's Magical Academy |
Gellert went to Dürmstrang, he was no partner with Albus.
I think Severus was very good a potions, but he let Lily take the spot. |
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