NEWT students: discussion

[alt_savitha]

So, my dears. I thought that first session of Salazar's Rules went rather well. I'd like each of you to think about your performance today, and the performance of your friends and classmates, and share an observation or two.

What could you have done better?
What could those around you have done better?
What mistakes did you see?

You may share your observations by journal, or by scroll if you must (turned into my office sometime before our next meeting on Friday).

Speaking of Friday -- sixth years, on Friday you'll have your first session with Salazar's Rules. I would encourage you to read what the seventh years have to say about their experience and LEARN from it.

Comments

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_sally_anne]

Well not until next year, actually.

But yeah, next year. Arista would've started next year, too, except she's at Moddey.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_ron]

Yeah, Arista. Well, if she could come to school next year, she'd be way ahead, wouldn't she? I expect that for basic stuff, they're really getting a better start out there than we do here. Mind you, they don't have all the coverage we get, but I'd put Colin up against anybody in his year for core subjects, don't you think? I mean, maybe they don't cover things the way they turn up on the written OWLs, but the practical side's solid.

Arista's going to be sad, though, when next autumn comes and she's not starting here. She really wanted to come to Hogwarts.

I expect I should write her. Before she forgets who I am and decides it's really Malfoy who hung the moon.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_sally_anne]

That would certainly get your attention!

Anyway, yeah. Actually it probably varies by subject. I think Hogwarts is a bit better for Transfiguration (now that Brutka's teaching it and not Carrow) but it's pretty slight. We definitely do better with Creatures, just because Professor Grubbly-Plank can arrange for us to see and even handle some rather rare beasts that Moddey wouldn't have access to. If you want to learn Divination, there's no one at Moddey who can cover that, but why would you ever bother, Divination's rubbish. Arithmancy -- Professor Vector's better at Arithmancy than anyone at Moddey but I expect the Moddey teachers are better at explaining things. Runes -- Moddey wins, because it has people who've relied on Runes as their main form of magic for years at a time, all those people like Terry and my Mum who were denied wands. Charms, Moddey wins. Defence, Moddey probably wins. Dark Arts, well, they don't teach that there, officially anyway, so Hogwarts wins there. Potions, Moddey wins. I can't even imagine getting to learn Potions from Mr Snape all the time, it makes me too jealous. Professor Slughorn was fine, but in terms of teaching you how to do things by feel so you can make the really complicated potions without muffing them, if you lack the natural ability that Pansy and Draco have -- there's no way I'd have gotten the O on my Potions OWL without Mr Snape. Herbology -- I'd say Moddey, in part because no one's peering over their shoulder and they can talk about things like how to grow fluxweed.

Astronomy, it's Hogwarts because there's no one quite like Professor Sinistra at Moddey. History, it's Moddey because there's no one quite like Binns ANYWHERE ELSE for which we can all be thankful (and I'm sure the new professor is teaching nothing but official lies.)

Anyway one way or another if Colin could come take OWLs -- okay from what I've seen he'd get Os on Charms and Defence for sure, and O or E in Herbology, Transfiguration, and Potions. I expect he could even manage an E or A in Dark Arts.

Hermione, on the other hand, could've gotten an O in absolutely everything. If they'd let her take OWLs. She could probably get an O in every NEWT right now.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_ron]

Defence? You think so, really? I'm not saying they're not getting good training. Only, you think we're behind them? No way. I can totally take any of them.

And I dunno about Mr Snape. I mean, he's not very good with those of us who aren't already brilliant at Potions. I don't think I'd've gone on if he'd been the one to say who could go for the NEWT. I mean, he sort of has favourites and only really cares about them. And, well, he may be brilliant with just the three or four of you in his lab, but when we were having those OWL reviews, he was sort of tense with all of us at once. Imagine if he had two Houses worth of firsties to teach at a time. And then two Houses of second years... Yeah, I'm not seeing it.

Say what you will about old Sluggy, he was good at explaining things and calm about pretty much everything, even the surprises.

D'you remember the time the Boil Cure potion went up? And Patil got splattered? And Brockelhurst told her it looked like she had a map of Poland on her cheek! That was a great day in Potions!

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh yeah you and Justin between you could probably put the lot of them on the ground, blindfolded and with your wand hand hexed.

But here's the thing neither of you has had just Defence classes in school, you've had those, AND CCF, AND you had your summer programme with the Aurors and Justin trained with Dolohov, AND you've had the chance to work with the Order adults.

In terms of comparing first years, a first year at Moddey is probably a little better than a first year at Hogwarts -- well, although I wonder if Mrs Longbottom is stricter about people hexing each other, honestly we learn more here by breaking the rules than we ever do in class. Hexing people in the corridors like we're not supposed to.

Re: Order Only: Private message to Ron

[alt_sally_anne]

Oh, and I reckon you're right about Mr Snape! It's hard to know what he'd actually be like in a classroom. And he likes me -- I mean, I'm not HERMIONE, but I'm the sort of student he likes to teach.

I don't even want to think about how he'd react to something like that boil cure explosion. It wouldn't have been pretty.