Harry potter... do you ever wonder??? - Page 6

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by DanelleB

I just finished Deathly Hallows last night and there's one question that's been bugging me. Now, I do read fast so I might have missed it, but DD couldn't answer it for me either. Where does Neville get the Sword of Gryffindor to kill Nagili? Didn't the goblin get it back at Gringotts? If they had it, then why would Ron & Hermione have to go and get basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets?

They talked about this at Bill and Fleur's house. The Goblins all thinks that wizards steal from them, because even though they buy things of the Goblins (that are Goblin made) the Goblins think that it should return to the Goblins possesion after the owner's dead or whatever. That they only own it for a certain time.
However, Neville did the bravest thing, by standing up for everyone else to Voldemort, and by doing that he proved to be a true Gryffindor. And so, Gryffindor as the owner of the sword could pass it too him through the Sorting Hat that was also his. Showing the true owner of the sword too.

Originally Posted by 1littlebit

another thing i wondered about the deathly hallows and half blood prince is why lucius and narcissa didn't run to dumbledore and beg him to hide them after voldemort asked draco to kill dumbledore.. (..)

Why would they do that?

[1littlebit]

oo ok now i remember. at the end of the deathly hallows when they are evacuating the underage kids from hogwarts harry says that no one will notice who is disapparating from the hogshead. ok l i get that.... but most of them are underage so they can't apparate.. how on earth are they supposed to get home from the hogshead?

o and whats the difference between apparating and disapparating?

[1littlebit]

they were so scared for draco... they knew it was punishment for lucius's failures... and then in book seven all they wanted was to get to their son.

[pixiekisses]

Originally Posted by 1littlebit

they were so scared for draco... they knew it was punishment for lucius's failures... and then in book seven all they wanted was to get to their son.

Yeah, but you know, they are on Voldys side, so they wont let The Dark Lord down like that. They know he would kill them then, and they would never be able to do anything but hide, and he would likely find them anyway. And they are not very fond of Dumbledore are they, they don't trust him.

Oh, and disapparating is when they disappear from the spot they are in, and apparating is when they appear at whereever they appear. Hence the names.

[DanelleB]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

However, Neville did the bravest thing, by standing up for everyone else to Voldemort, and by doing that he proved to be a true Gryffindor. And so, Gryffindor as the owner of the sword could pass it too him through the Sorting Hat that was also his. Showing the true owner of the sword too.

The Sorting hat! I totally forgot about the Sorting hat! Thank you! You wouldn't believe how much that was bugging me--I almost woke DD up last night to ask her.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

Sure, that makes sense, except that if someone fails 8th grade English, they don't take 9th grade the following year. They take 8th grade again. Mind you, nobody ever said that Neville failed Potions at any point. But, he never did anything that could have resulted in passing, either. The whole thing just confuses me.

Neville isn't a main character though, so we aren't going to know how well he does at any given point in school. It could very well be that he did pass just not with flying colours.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

Neville isn't a main character though, so we aren't going to know how well he does at any given point in school. It could very well be that he did pass just not with flying colours.

Honestly, if Neville passed potions, they may as well close Hogwarts and send everyone home. That's what started my comments on this in the first place. I can't think of a single occasion where Neville didn't screw up his potion, usually in a spectacular way. He was no good at it. Now, it's possible that he may have done better on his OWL, because his nervousness about Snape wouldn't have been there. But, I'm talking about his progress toward even taking his OWL. And...I can't figure out why Crabbe and Goyle were moving ahead, either. Not everybody is going to pass - and Crabbe, Goyle & Neville were among the most likely candidates to fail, for various reasons (Neville, mostly due to nerves...Crabbe & Goyle, because they really weren't very bright).

Sure - Neville's not a main character. (He's not a minor character, either, though.) But, the portrayal of the school is still one where screwing up everything you touch is still a pass.

[MusicianDad]

Yeah but how often does Rowling focus on Neville in postions? Or crabbe and goyle? And I'm guessing there is more to potions then actually making potions. Like science class, you do the labs, but it's not all about labs. We know from Harry, Hermione and Ron's homework that they had essays and such to do for potions, so clearly the applied work is only a portion of the final grade.

Your assuming that he's screwed up everything he touched in potions, but for all we know he could have a very good handle on the theory and be able to do the homework and written work very well.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

Your assuming that he's screwed up everything he touched in potions, but for all we know he could have a very good handle on the theory and be able to do the homework and written work very well.

Yes, that is what will save us all from the evil that is Voldemort.. a wizard that is strong... in theory.

[journeymom]

Holy crap! How did I miss this thread???? And here I have to get off the computer and go make dinner. Where are my house elves?! : Probably drinking butter beer and snoozing by the kitchen fire.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

Yes, that is what will save us all from the evil that is Voldemort.. a wizard that is strong... in theory.

Theory is the basis for everything. Being good at the theory doesn't mean your good "in theory" it means you have an understanding of how and why things work.

We know the Neville is good at herbology, a lot of the theory that goes into herbology is very likely a part of potions since potions involves knowing the ingredients and what they do. That means there is a likelihood that Neville does understand potions theory.

Neville did help save the world too.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Holy crap! How did I miss this thread???? And here I have to get off the computer and go make dinner. Where are my house elves?! : Probably drinking butter beer and snoozing by the kitchen fire.

and secretly fermented pumpkin juice.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

Theory is the basis for everything. Being good at the theory doesn't mean your good "in theory" it means you have an understanding of how and why things work.

We know the Neville is good at herbology, a lot of the theory that goes into herbology is very likely a part of potions since potions involves knowing the ingredients and what they do. That means there is a likelihood that Neville does understand potions theory.

Neville did help save the world too.

Some people just LOVE to destroy my play on words.. sigh..

My brain is not operating as quickly as it once did, please let me just enjoy my little pleasures, please? hmmm?

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by 1littlebit

they have some classes with other houses.. it took me awhile to figure out that 'double potions with slytherin' didn't mean potions for twice as long with slytherins.. it meant double as gryffindors plus slytherins... i think some of their classes are just their house but some of them are with others. like herbology with hufflepuffs... for some reason they have no classes with ravenclaw and atleast 2 with slytherins... which just seems like asking for trouble IMO

o and why did dumbledore make malfoy a prefect? and i thought that someone like dean may have been a better choice for prefect then ron yk?

Double potions would mean two class periods together. So if a regular class was 40 minutes, double potions would be 80 minutes.

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

So then there is a class of just seventh years that didn't pass their exams only if there are three of them?

I'm not sure I understand the question.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Irishmommy

I'm not sure I understand the question.

My question was, what if only 3 students (that happen to be 7th year students) don't pass their exams? Do they become a class of just three students (someone mentioned previously that different year students did not join in classes together- for example first years would not be with fourth years, etc) so what happens when someone doesn't pass their exams but still wants to?

If someone wants to be an auror (forgive my spelling) they have to have so many OWLS and so many NEWTS in different specific areas, right? ( I don't recall their makeup exactly, but that was the gist of what I got) so what happens if a wizard gets all the requirements except say 1 of them? They can retest in that area, right? Wouldn't they need academic support to help them improve in that area? Couldn't that then have the end result of 3 7th years in a class by themselves?

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

But I thought there was a difference between failing a class and failing an OWL or NEWT though. One could pass a class and still fail the OWL, couldn't they?



There are a lot of factors to consider in this, the class, the end of the year exams, and then the OWL and NEWT exams. At some point, Neville would have needed assistance.

There is a difference. And if you fail an OWL, you probably aren't going to be doing that subject for NEWT, and if it's a core subject (ie., mandatory), then you still go on. I'm basing this on the education system I grew up with, which is very similar to the UK system.

I don't ever remember it being said that Neville failed any classes, or failed his OWLs.

[Irishmommy]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

My question was, what if only 3 students (that happen to be 7th year students) don't pass their exams? Do they become a class of just three students (someone mentioned previously that different year students did not join in classes together- for example first years would not be with fourth years, etc) so what happens when someone doesn't pass their exams but still wants to?

If someone wants to be an auror (forgive my spelling) they have to have so many OWLS and so many NEWTS in different specific areas, right? ( I don't recall their makeup exactly, but that was the gist of what I got) so what happens if a wizard gets all the requirements except say 1 of them? They can retest in that area, right? Wouldn't they need academic support to help them improve in that area? Couldn't that then have the end result of 3 7th years in a class by themselves?

But you can fail OWLs and it won't matter for getting into Auror training as long as you pass your NEWTs in the same subject. OWLs would only matter if you left school after doing them, and they were the only qualifications you had.

[1littlebit]

i always thought that maybe dumbledore intervened on behalf of neville and harry in regards to their potions grades. neville really only did so bad b/c he was petrified of snape and snape failed harry on everything just for the heck of it. but of course neville didn't get EE or higher on his potions OWL so

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by 1littlebit

i always thought that maybe dumbledore intervened on behalf of neville and harry in regards to their potions grades.

Now my faith in the universe is totally blown.