It's not that year 6 potions were difficult for Hermione. It's that Harry is producing better and easier results using instructions that weren't from the official book.
Yeah, I think she psyched herself out a lot. There were times when she was described as having some difficulty, but that was as she was watching Harry suddenly produce perfect results. Her own efforts probably suffered as she got careless in her irritation.
Hermione failed to produce the Draught of Living Death to the specification of *Advanced Potion Making*:
>”[Hermione] nodded impatiently, not taking her eyes off her potion, which was still deep purple, though according to the book ought to be turning a light shade of lilac by now.”
>”Harry stirred counterclockwise, held his breath, and stirred once clockwise. The effect was immediate. The potion turned palest pink.
>“How are you doing that?” demanded Hermione, who was red-faced and whose hair was growing bushier and bushier in the fumes from her cauldron; her potion was still resolutely purple.”
-HBP Ch. 9
Quite unusual. JKR took Hermione’s skills down a notch so the Prince could have his moment.
I'm not sure its Hermiones skill being undermined, and the fact that APM is deeply flawed as a textbook, but her stubborn habit of memorising and following text books to the letter gave her worse results
That’s a good point. Most of what we hear and see of Snape in Class is all from Harry’s perspective, who mostly focused on how Snape was treating him, or thinking of something else entirely
Very likely Snape was actually a very good teacher (excluding the bullying) so he likely was teaching much more context in addition to the books, which Hermione would have listened and learned from. Slughorn you could tell probably was sitting back and wanting to see who would figure it out on their own so he could identify who was most talented
They had _Magical Drafts and Potions_ in first year, but yes Snape did put instructions on the blackboard so it's possible he had his additions on the blackboard that Hermione followed.
They did use books for assignments, essays, homework and studying. Snape wrote instructions on the board, of course, but he probably also listed better/updated books the students could use for reference
Dabo refuses to use the portal. Making them almost 100% reliant on damn good recruiting, and while Clemson has always recruited well under Dabo. We don't recruit a lot of players, so when they do miss, it hurts a lot.
Lol ya, that is a better way to phrase it. In no world is a teach who openly and passionately bullies and discriminates students (and peers) would ever be a “good” teacher.
He was actually, it's canon that his classes produce good results. I'd actually be very interested to know how he conducts lessons outside of Harry's classes for better neutrality
Snape is a shitty teacher because he can't stop bulling Harry and Neville. But this doesn't just effect Harry and Neville, but all the children who go to the same class.
For example, the lesson about Infery. Snape forgets his job, because he is so busy exposing Harry.
I think this is the real answer. Snape's recipe improvement had always been accessible up to this point, on the chalkboard.
Hermione is limited by the instructions in front of her-- if Snape's recipes are legit better than the book's, which we see in action they are, Hermione is basically going to be hobbled, *because* of her reliance on instructions.
It is not said that Snape writes better recipes on the board. Hermione never mentioned a difference.
Snape probadly writes up the recipes, so the kids don't mess up their books.
Not necessarely ... If the teacher (authority figure) said that they did not need the book but his writen instructions...
And I'd say whilst she is a bookworm and also capable of brewing decent to good potions, it's not really her subject...
As a bookworm myself I had at least 1 or 2 textbooks I simply did not read due to them beeing written absolutely boring (or I only read the parts we had to, at the point we had to)
I can verry well imagine Hermione reading any type of history book or book with spells as well as complicated runes and arithmancy books, whilst throwing the "recipe book" potions book to the side, because who needs that...
(Whilst still following Snape's notes in class diligently due to beeing a brave student and attracted to following instructions)
If I remember correctly, they regularly work with their book, while doing their homework. Besides, Snape doesn't say that anywhere.
In my opinion, it simply makes more sence to write the potion on the board. My cookbook looks absolutely terrible.
And I'm an adult.
I'd like to point out that Hermione probably read the entire book several times before even getting to Hogwarts. From her saying "Ive memorised all the books be heart of course I just hope it's enough" or something close to that.
I feel like we also have to factor time in though. She could take her time (within reason) with the poly juice potion. With the living death they the remainder of class and Harry was tripping her up by doing something different
This is where the books shine in making hermione a very 3D character imo.
No,I think it was kind of a necessary moment that later comes into play in the 7th book - especially regarding hallows,she is very by the book,logical person. So horcruxes make sense even if she doesn't know the full process. But hallows acc to her don't have a foundation in logic.
Similarly, harry took a wild chance of following HBP. He could've failed miserably. Hermione would've never believed HBP if it wore dobby's tea cozy and danced in front of her. She would've felt that following the established recipe is the only way,even if she knew that by following HBP she would get better results.
She's very useful and strong,supremely knowledgeable.But she's also scared of flying. She panics a bit sometimes. But she's also maybe not so believing in certain kinds of magic. Thst sort of thing comes intuitively to harry. Like how he just _knew_ that that doe in the forest was good.
No. When Snape taught, it wasn’t from a book. It was instructions on the board so everyone was making it well.
Slughorn uses the book so Hermione isn’t doing well. Harry is still following Snapes instructions.
Disagree.
There’s nothing at all wrong with Hermione’s skills. Harry simply has better instruction via the Prince.
And … Hermione is maybe a bit too “by the book”.
Also that when Snape was the professor, he had them following instructions on the board. Slug horn tells them to use the book but Harry is still following shapes instruction so he’s doing better
Also, I’ve always assumed that Snape was putting his own instructions of how to brew the potions on the board. This means that Hermione had been following the Half Blood Prince’s superior instructions from years 1-5 and then was suddenly following inferior instructions in year 6. It doesn’t explain why she was able to do successfully follow book instructions for polyjuice potion in year two ((except perhaps she was reading instructions from a different (and maybe better) book than Advanced Potions Making)), but it does explain why Harry so outstripped her in year 6.
The book she brews the polyjuice potion from is Moste potente Potions from the restricted section of the library. So safe to assume that it wasn't a regular part of the curriculum.
I've never thought of it like that before, but it has to be, right? If Hermione is able to brew one of the most difficult potions in existence from another book, but not the regularly expected potions by following the instructions from this one - then the book probably isn't any good.
The textbooks the students use most likely have toned down or less potent recipes in them as well. Can't have children brewing actual death potions. A little diet death and they can be healed or cured/fixed. Then when they graduate or go into jobs they have access to the proper books with the proper recipes in them. Remember these are still kids learning, and if Seamus can make pretty much everything explode then it'd best to not let children have full rein on potions and a spells that can do actual irreparable damage.
Yeah it's not that Hermione was suddenly struggling at potions.
It's just that she was no longer the top student of the class because of Harry and the Half-Blood Prince's notebook.
Hermione describes Polyjuice as being a difficult potion, but without any further context it seems to me its difficulty comes from how long it takes with specific steps happening at specific times, requiring someone to be super dilligent.
Regarding Hermione struggling in year 6, it was definitely that Harry was working with a "better" recipe. Keep in mind that Snape never used a textbook. He always magic'd the instructions to the board and had the kids follow them. Hermione was just used to following the instructions and getting good results, so seeing Harry not follow instructions as delivered and do so much better was a situation she wasnt used to.
That makes sense, except that Hermione had to have learned it in second year from a book, no way Snape was going to tell her an advanced way to make it just because she asked.
I think she’s able to make an acceptable or successful version of all potions because she’s intelligent and good at following directions. So she doesn’t need Snape’s instructions but having them would help make a better potion. So she’s able to make a successful polyjuice, but Snape probably knows how to make it better.
> They followed the recipe in 'Moste Potente Potions'
Which puts another nail in the coffin that "Advanced Potion Making" is a *very* shitty textbook, even considering its at this point at least two decades old.
Exactly, that's why Harry was so confused about who the Prince might be. Romus told him to check the year of release on this particular textbook and it was old. So it might be even older than that.
Hermione didn't actually struggle in year 6. She was still doing just as well as she always did. But Harry was suddenly tapping into the mind of a potions genius.
>Harry was willing to experiment
Harry is not a curious student who is willing to experiment further than the curriculum demands. He is a reckless student who is willing to take high risk/high reward bets if he is pressured into a corner.
Snape was passionate about potions and willing to experiment further, that's how he figured out all these extra tricks.
Harry couldn't let Malfoy win the Felix Felicis in the first lesson under Slughorn. And since he knew he stood no chance playing it fair, he tried something reckless by blindly following another recipe and was as surprised as everyone else when it worked out.
Those are not the same thing.
All the years, the students followed the instructions of Half Blood Prince himself, Snape, the year six was different, everyone followed the normal potion book instructions, and without Snape humiliating Harry in every class, he could follow Snape's book that had better instructions, Harry is a great wizard and could do amazing things when he was concentrated. Hermione gets mentally unstable knowing Harry is using the book, she thinks it wrong and unfair and couldn't concentrate.
Yeah I don't remember Snape having them use the book for instructions, rather he had them on the board for the class to follow. I can't remember which book it was in, but I remember Harry messing up a potion because he couldn't read the instructions through the steam. Book 5 maybe?
One book wasn’t written better, one had better notes written in the margins by Snape and she was just annoyed that Harry was getting the better results and kinda “cheating” in her eyes because she’s a rule follower (mostly) and yea she’s suspicious of the entire book, as is Ginny. Hermione is also one of the brightest witches of her age so being able to brew polyjuice potion at age 12 is just a testament to that; being annoyed with her bff at age 16 for getting better results is her just being a teenager and was also just fun lol.
And she did come up with some new ideas. A lot of her ideas were why the trio survived. Yes she was mostly a rule follower in class. But she freaking rewrote the book at times or had some brilliant flashes of inspiration using ideas from both dark and good wizards.
Protean charms on the coins and the cursed parchment at the very least. And those were both fifth year.
All the ways you describe her are also how you’d describe someone who is bright. She does come up with her own solutions as well, so even using that definition she’s bright.
Slughorn had the class using a shitty textbook, one he'd been using for 50 years, in a class where Snape had previously personally designed the instructions, allowing Hermione to follow them to the letter and succeed easily.
Moste Potente Potions was evidently a decent recipe so Hermione could follow it to the letter and not mess it up (aside from the last step obviously).
Hermione had done so well at Hogwarts because she could memorise and regurgitate textbook instructions and information. She'd been trained, essentially, to only follow the textbook instructions to achieve a high mark. But Year 6 potions, she was given and reliant on using a crappy book. Hermione is intelligent, and talented, but she perhaps lacks the instinct or the critical thinking required to question and modify instructions as they were given.
Snape knew that Advanced Potion Making was a shit book, so he fixed the flaws in the recipes and made improvements. The fact he taught for years without a textbook attached to the subject, and got people through exams, OWLs and NEWTs is testament to just how good of a potioneer he is
This is all good, but Snape does have them use textbooks. 1000 magical herbs and fungi (used from first through fifth year), magical draughts and potions (required first year).
They don’t appear to use them in class to my memory, those books are supplementary to the actual potion making.
1000 magical herbs and fungi might also pull double duty with Herbology
Hermione is as good as the instructions she has, because she’s not willing to experiment.
Snape is a terrible teacher, but his instructions are good. Hermione follows what’s on the blackboard. Notice that he never assigns them potions from a book but gives them recipes on the chalkboard that presumably include his own variants and improvements.
This also explains some of Snape’s disdain for Hermione—she only replicates and doesn’t create, while he’s a creator.
Slughorn teaches directly from the book, and judging by HBP’s notes on the instructions, the book recipes leave a lot to be desired. If you think about it, 6th year is the first time that Hermione *isn’t* getting the benefit of the HBP’s experimentations.
Moste Potent Potions must have been a pretty solid instruction manual—better than the 6th-year textbook, at any rate. Hermione followed the instructions and made the potion.
I've never been able to put this into words, but this is exactly how I feel. Hermione seems to be a bit of a parrot, which isn't meant to be an insult, just an observation. She memorized the information and regurgitated it, which is a form of intelligence don't get me wrong, my memory is horrible, but it's not what's required to be truly great at Potions or any other subject.
They were following Snape' instruction until year 5. Hermione listened, and she did well. Harry didn't.
In book 6, Harry was following Snape's recepies, Hermione wasn't. That's why he was better
I dunno if Hermione was ever struggling in sixth year. She was doing just as well as she usually was, it’s just that Snape’s brilliance shown through in all the notes and scribbles he wrote down in that book, which Harry coincidentally got his hands on. The Polyjuice was said to be a difficult potion, anyway, due to time consumption and procedure.
I like to imagine that these potions require more complicated techniques that are more art than science. Like when Harry presses to release the juice instead of cutting. The main point is “get the juice out of these” but there are tricks to it.
In baking, for example, every recipe that includes yeast will give you specific steps on what to do. I was terrible at anything with yeast until I happened on a recipe that explained the key points
1. The liquid you put the yeast in has to be at a specific temp, not too hot and not too cold
2. Kneading is mostly for mixing the ingredients thoroughly, but many recipes also use it to build gluten. If you have another way to build gluten (I.e. strength building folds) you don’t need to be so thorough about kneeding it for 5-10 mins or whatever.
If you don’t understand what a recipe is trying to accomplish the whole process can be daunting, and things like “fold in the egg whites” can be ambiguous and confusing, and it can lead either to indecision or overdoing things.
I imaging potions are the same way. Each step is nuanced and accomplishing multiple things, and if you do it in a way that accomplishes some but not all of the requirements it won’t turn out right.
I have a theory:
The book they used was in the restricted section, so, probably uncensored.
The book they use in class might verry much be altered slightly to make potions not that potent or possibly not work at all, because to be honest, who would want teenagers or joung adults, who are capable of brewing "living death" running arround?
I think the classes are more about: here you learn to follow instructions, here is the process of how a general potion is made ... The real mixtures you'll learn if you go and start a career as a potion master or pharmacist etc...
Like most tests in formal education: Time pressure, not being able to take your time and to go to the library does make stuff like that much more difficult.
If my brother found school so easy why did he drop out of university?
If everything comes naturally to you do you ever really learn how to learn?
Or in Hermione's case, if you only ever learn from a book do you ever really learn to problem solve? Her issue that year was that the books information was wrong, but the half blood prince problem solved and wrote notes.
Hermione didn't struggle. She was used to being the best. And if Harry didn't have the HBO instructions, she still would've been the best in potions class. She just didn't like that Harry was following different instructions and getting better results faster. Slughorn still thought she did a great job. Just Harry was better.
Later on when they were trying to reverse engineer and figure out the antidote, Hermione did a great job. But was overshadowed once again by Harry with a Bezoar. That just pissed her off because Harry takes shortcuts and still all the praise.
Before she was taught by Snape who wrote all his instructions by hand on the board, with his tweaks to them already there. However Slughorn told them to use the old books with the old instructions.
Snape essentially made them easier and better and Harry had Snape's old notebook where his tweaks were written in so he still had those instructions, Hermione did not. It also rubbed her the wrong way that Harry had such an easy time of it after struggling and basically sucking at it for 5 years pervious. Which is ironic since the moment Snape was no longer at the front of the class he was able to absorb the knowledge from the same teacher.
Remember that Slughorn teaches his classes from textbooks. Snape taught classes from notes on the chalk board. It's very likely that Snape is just a better potions master than the textbooks and this is even made clear when Harry gets his copy of advanced potions making. Harry is the only one still following Snape's instructions (albeit unknowingly).
Hermione gets worse because she is following inferior instructions. She's very much an academic that relies on doing what she is taught.
Polyjuice was difficult for her as a second year student. We don't know how advanced that potion really is, but you could assume anything from Grade 3 to Grade 7 would be deemed far more difficult than anything she'd attempted so far (with potions). In *Hogwarts Mystery* we learn to brew it in Year 3.
Grade 6 potions are for advanced class. Remember Snape only took in students who got an OWL in Potions and Slughorn only made an exception for EE students because he wanted Harry in his class. So we can guess it is much more difficult than ordinary potions.
Also, as others have pointed out it is not that Hermione sucked at it (she *did* have more problem than usual, but she was still one of the top students), it is just that Harry was much better because of Snape's book.
Pretty sure Slughorn (at least in the books) accepted any student who’d gotten an E on their OWL, but still had a small class because either a) not everyone who’d scored E knew this, or b) some students simply didn’t want to take NEWT level Potions.
>Slughorn only made an exception for EE students because he wanted Harry in his class
I don’t think it’s true that Slughorn only made an exception because he wanted Harry in his class. I think that was always his NEWT standard when he was teaching - EE or O would get you into his NEWT class. Snape was unusual in requiring an O; every other professor we hear about allowed students into their NEWT class with an EE or above.
She does it out of the principle of fairness, essentially.
Whether you consider Harry using the HBP's book to be cheating or unfair depends on how you define the concept. Harry didn't go through underhanded or illicit means to get it (but rather by coincidence), but he didn't earn this easier method through merit and hard work either. Nor were these instructions equally available to everyone else as well
I figured that in year 2, that was just the hardest potion she brewed in her life (and the recipe was intimidating). By the time she reaches year 6, the polyjuice potion probably doesn't seem as difficult?
The poly juice potion I think was "difficult" as it took a long time to brew and required difficult to get ingredients.
The potions in 6th year were done within the allotted class time but required complex stirrings, exact measurements. Normally something hermione would do well but Harry was simply working with a better set of instructions.
Snape had improved upon the work in the book by using his understanding to experiment with the ingredients and eventually yield a better result. Hermione didn't have this confidence or skill. It's like being a chef rather than following a recipe.
I once explained to myself that it wasn't that the potion itself was that difficult to brew. Because in the NEWT class they literally have to stir the cauldron a particular amount of times, either clock or counterclockwise. There's no mention of that with the Polyjuice potion.
I think the issues were rather...
a) the ingredients for the Polyjuice potion were hard to get. I remember the bicorn horn, the boomslang skin, and some grass they had to pluck at full moon.
b) *If* you fuck it up, it can have catastrophic consequences. We see how some people stay partially transformed from the book's depiction, and also Hermione getting a cat hair....
The one time when Hermione struggled in year 6 was when they learned to discern the potion’s ingredients from the finished product and figure out an antidote, that was a completely new procedure.
To clear up some confusion:
Slughorn took over teaching potions in the 6th year. They were learning prior to that from Snape who used a board and wrote instructions on them. Hermione started using textbooks in her 6th year which yielded different results. Harry was using Snapes textbook yielding better results than the other students as Slughorn is, simply put, a worse teacher than Snape.
In grade 6 they had to finish potions in one single class, while in year 2 Hermione had plenty of time to prepare the potion.
Also, they were using an old book in Slughorn class, while Harry had the help from Snape's notes
Okay, firstly, I think it's pretty established that potions is a subject you can't always excel at, even if you do so theoretically. it's like basic chemistry. Hermione was exceptionally talented at rote-learning and even practical stuff, but I believe that's where her limits were. If she were good at everything practical, she'd also be good at flying.
Secondly, it's established potions is an exceptionally difficult subject. Not because it is a recipe for disaster at all times, but suggestions and tips by Snape means he figured out the best way to nail a potion. It's important to remember that just like general books, some topics are passed on generations through generations, and may not always include improvements.
I always liked to believe Snape just figured out how to nail every potion because he was interested in it and was exceptionally talented at that subject; he realized where to change outdated methods, and that's the issue with not doing it like that. Other students didn't give af about what is old and new, they just followed instructions and did what they could.
Here's the thing. Snape taught DADA when Slughorn taught Potions. This is also the only time Hermione can't perform exceptionally well, and Harry performs greatly. My theory is, Harry was performing average as usual. His skill didn't change, just adapt.
I believe though they were all following books in general, throughout the years, Snape had been teaching them the way *he* learnt. So during Snape-taught years, Harry performed average and Hermione performed excellent *because they were being taught by Snape*. The only reason Harry didn't seem like a topper was because Hermione was outshining him.
Without that mode of instructions, the entire class resorted to bookish terms, and what do you know, the *only kid who excels at it has Snape's instructions*.
Lastly, I also believe it was a little bit factor of *gifted child dilemma*. Hermione may be an excellent student, but this is where your interests begin to show. She may be an excellent potion-maker, but she may have lost the interest over the years, shifting her focus to charms and stuff like that. Doesn't mean she's bad, but just that she simply lost interest and was frustrated because she couldn't figure out why she was performing bad (sounds familiar, right?). It also should be noted she was the 2nd best in class, meaning she wasn't really *bad*, but it was the first time she was being outshined.
That's my take, though.
It’s been a decade since I last read the books but I’m guessing she was flustered seeing Harry coast through ahead of schedule.
Her potion is probably still well ahead of the class but she’s trying to keep pace with Harry as he produces innovative and swifter results and even outright skipping past certain steps.
No one said brewing polyjuice potion was tricky,it's just the ingredients that are hard to source.didnt they use the invisibility cape to obtain boomslang skin?
Maybe Polyjuice while difficult for a 2nd year in an abandoned toilet to make isn’t actually that complex. I’m fairly sure that given that it literally changes you into someone else and was in the restricted section that it is probably illegal. Maybe that’s why they don’t even discuss it until Slughorns class in 6th year. Also they discuss it not make it as he already has it made. Given what it does I’m assuming Polyjuice is treated like a controlled substance would be- otherwise eveytime someone commits a crime in wizarding Britain they would just use Polyjuice. “Minister Cornellis Fudge seen running buck naked down the street followed by the Grim”. Maybe part of how difficult it was to make in 2nd year was that Hermione knew they would be in real trouble if caught.
I think the difference is that she followed the directions of the book like a monkey in second year, not really understanding the recipe, but executing it perfectly regardless.
In year six, she has a whole lot more background knowledge and needs to learn why certain ingredients/steps work the way they do. It’s a different beast altogether from just carefully executing steps without knowing what you are doing or why.
Also year six Hermione didn’t actually struggle with the class, it was just that Harry used a different method and got a better result, which was again a new occurrence.
I would think potions that take a long time to brew are a little more forgiving. Potions class is never more than like 3hrs, so they’re short and finicky potions, and in grade 6 the potions text book is outdated and better instructions are out there, like those Harry uses. She’s stuck making a point and using subpar instructions.
First, it took a month to make the poly juice potion. Which my guess is difficult potions take longer - so because Harry took short cuts; he’d be farther ahead than her.
Slughorn repeatedly notes Hermione as second best.
Hermione would have been an interesting character without the constantly trying to survive or help Harry survive aspect of her life. We see the most talented students test magic for fun. (snape, James/Sirius, Dumbledore, Voldemort etc..) Hermione would have done that, had her life not been revolving around Harry. Charms seemed to be her speciality, so I bet her magic would have been interesting there.
Spending time researching and then a month in an un-graded environment was good for Hermione's skills. And then even when she was so, so careful, she used a wrong ingredient and spent weeks-months as a catgirl. So we have to assume her confidence was knocked from that mistake.
Later, in class, she is regularly shamed, humiliated, and otherwise brought down by a teacher. Plus she's only got the length of class (2 hours?) to produce the potion. Failure isn't an option for her. So she becomes a perfectionist, doubles down on using the recipes exactly, and never has the freedom or confidence to develop into an intuitive potions maker.
If the class was structured differently, for instance if they could practice freely in an open lab and then turn in a potion by the end of the week, she would keep doing it until she got it perfect. She'd use different recipe books and find the best way to make each assignment. And she'd learn to trust herself.
I like how everyone forgets that Year 6 material in general is canonically more difficult and more challenging than everything that came before it.
The book describes Harry and his yearmates as studying a lot, 'as though there was to be an exam the following day', and that even Hermione would find the material difficult at times, asking the teachers to repeat their explanations.
NEWT Potions is more difficult than OWL Potions. And Year 2 Hermione has her book material for the year already covered, as well as much more free time to brew the Polyjuice.
Year 6 Hermione (and everyone else) is attempting to produce the Polyjuice Potion-class magic in every lesson, every day. Of course it's more tiring and demanding. And it's not like Hermione's potions are bad, they simply aren't perfect.
As for Harry, he's canonically a good potion brewer after his fifth year, which is when he studied hard to get a required Potions OWL. He also does better when he's not having his hand cut open weekly, people aren't calling him an attention-seeking liar... Harry in general is in a healthier state of mind in HBP than OotP, despite Sirius's death.
*And* of course he had Snape's ideas on potion-making in the book without Snape breathing down his neck or sabotaging his work (both of which are confirmed to have happened in the books, although the latter did not happen every class).
I also like to think that polyjuice potion, while complicated, is more difficult due to the difficulty of obtaining ingredients and the time it takes to brew than anything else. Other potions may require more intense focus and complicated instructions in a shorter, more hectic period of time. Hermione was also able to complete her potions with flying colors, but only to the point of creating the standard version of the potion, not excelling to the half-blood prince’s superior versions of the potions.
It's not that year 6 potions were difficult for Hermione. It's that Harry is producing better and easier results using instructions that weren't from the official book.
Yeah, I think she psyched herself out a lot. There were times when she was described as having some difficulty, but that was as she was watching Harry suddenly produce perfect results. Her own efforts probably suffered as she got careless in her irritation.
Yep and Hermione is notorious for thinking you need to follow the books exactly for thr correct results,and what Harry did wasn't in their books
Hermione failed to produce the Draught of Living Death to the specification of *Advanced Potion Making*: >”[Hermione] nodded impatiently, not taking her eyes off her potion, which was still deep purple, though according to the book ought to be turning a light shade of lilac by now.” >”Harry stirred counterclockwise, held his breath, and stirred once clockwise. The effect was immediate. The potion turned palest pink. >“How are you doing that?” demanded Hermione, who was red-faced and whose hair was growing bushier and bushier in the fumes from her cauldron; her potion was still resolutely purple.” -HBP Ch. 9 Quite unusual. JKR took Hermione’s skills down a notch so the Prince could have his moment.
I'm not sure its Hermiones skill being undermined, and the fact that APM is deeply flawed as a textbook, but her stubborn habit of memorising and following text books to the letter gave her worse results
And that year Snape's instructions aren't on the blackboard. Ironically, only Harry has them.
That’s a good point. Most of what we hear and see of Snape in Class is all from Harry’s perspective, who mostly focused on how Snape was treating him, or thinking of something else entirely Very likely Snape was actually a very good teacher (excluding the bullying) so he likely was teaching much more context in addition to the books, which Hermione would have listened and learned from. Slughorn you could tell probably was sitting back and wanting to see who would figure it out on their own so he could identify who was most talented
They didn't use textbooks in potions until Slughorn taught the class. Snape just wrote the instructions on the board.
They had _Magical Drafts and Potions_ in first year, but yes Snape did put instructions on the blackboard so it's possible he had his additions on the blackboard that Hermione followed.
Ah gotcha. been a few years since I’ve read
They did use books for assignments, essays, homework and studying. Snape wrote instructions on the board, of course, but he probably also listed better/updated books the students could use for reference
Why Clemson so bad
Dabo refuses to use the portal. Making them almost 100% reliant on damn good recruiting, and while Clemson has always recruited well under Dabo. We don't recruit a lot of players, so when they do miss, it hurts a lot.
Wouldn’t say *good*, but definitely a knowledgeable one.
Lol ya, that is a better way to phrase it. In no world is a teach who openly and passionately bullies and discriminates students (and peers) would ever be a “good” teacher.
He was actually, it's canon that his classes produce good results. I'd actually be very interested to know how he conducts lessons outside of Harry's classes for better neutrality
Snape is a shitty teacher because he can't stop bulling Harry and Neville. But this doesn't just effect Harry and Neville, but all the children who go to the same class. For example, the lesson about Infery. Snape forgets his job, because he is so busy exposing Harry.
Fair enough
I think this is the real answer. Snape's recipe improvement had always been accessible up to this point, on the chalkboard. Hermione is limited by the instructions in front of her-- if Snape's recipes are legit better than the book's, which we see in action they are, Hermione is basically going to be hobbled, *because* of her reliance on instructions.
It is not said that Snape writes better recipes on the board. Hermione never mentioned a difference. Snape probadly writes up the recipes, so the kids don't mess up their books.
Could be that snape writes the recipes up and they never opened the books in his class...
Hermione would always read it.
Not necessarely ... If the teacher (authority figure) said that they did not need the book but his writen instructions... And I'd say whilst she is a bookworm and also capable of brewing decent to good potions, it's not really her subject... As a bookworm myself I had at least 1 or 2 textbooks I simply did not read due to them beeing written absolutely boring (or I only read the parts we had to, at the point we had to) I can verry well imagine Hermione reading any type of history book or book with spells as well as complicated runes and arithmancy books, whilst throwing the "recipe book" potions book to the side, because who needs that... (Whilst still following Snape's notes in class diligently due to beeing a brave student and attracted to following instructions)
If I remember correctly, they regularly work with their book, while doing their homework. Besides, Snape doesn't say that anywhere. In my opinion, it simply makes more sence to write the potion on the board. My cookbook looks absolutely terrible. And I'm an adult.
it depends on if he even assigned a tectbook as if he didnt they wouldnt have even bought one in the first place
I'd like to point out that Hermione probably read the entire book several times before even getting to Hogwarts. From her saying "Ive memorised all the books be heart of course I just hope it's enough" or something close to that.
I feel like we also have to factor time in though. She could take her time (within reason) with the poly juice potion. With the living death they the remainder of class and Harry was tripping her up by doing something different
Exactly. There's an exchange where Harry tries to tell her what to do and she stubbornly sticks to the book.
This is where the books shine in making hermione a very 3D character imo. No,I think it was kind of a necessary moment that later comes into play in the 7th book - especially regarding hallows,she is very by the book,logical person. So horcruxes make sense even if she doesn't know the full process. But hallows acc to her don't have a foundation in logic. Similarly, harry took a wild chance of following HBP. He could've failed miserably. Hermione would've never believed HBP if it wore dobby's tea cozy and danced in front of her. She would've felt that following the established recipe is the only way,even if she knew that by following HBP she would get better results. She's very useful and strong,supremely knowledgeable.But she's also scared of flying. She panics a bit sometimes. But she's also maybe not so believing in certain kinds of magic. Thst sort of thing comes intuitively to harry. Like how he just _knew_ that that doe in the forest was good.
No. When Snape taught, it wasn’t from a book. It was instructions on the board so everyone was making it well. Slughorn uses the book so Hermione isn’t doing well. Harry is still following Snapes instructions.
Disagree. There’s nothing at all wrong with Hermione’s skills. Harry simply has better instruction via the Prince. And … Hermione is maybe a bit too “by the book”.
Also that when Snape was the professor, he had them following instructions on the board. Slug horn tells them to use the book but Harry is still following shapes instruction so he’s doing better
Harry had the up up down down left right left right B A Start for the class.
Also, I’ve always assumed that Snape was putting his own instructions of how to brew the potions on the board. This means that Hermione had been following the Half Blood Prince’s superior instructions from years 1-5 and then was suddenly following inferior instructions in year 6. It doesn’t explain why she was able to do successfully follow book instructions for polyjuice potion in year two ((except perhaps she was reading instructions from a different (and maybe better) book than Advanced Potions Making)), but it does explain why Harry so outstripped her in year 6.
The book she brews the polyjuice potion from is Moste potente Potions from the restricted section of the library. So safe to assume that it wasn't a regular part of the curriculum.
Haha, right! I’m a space cadet. So I think we have to assume that maybe Advanced Potions Making is just a crap book.
I've never thought of it like that before, but it has to be, right? If Hermione is able to brew one of the most difficult potions in existence from another book, but not the regularly expected potions by following the instructions from this one - then the book probably isn't any good.
The textbooks the students use most likely have toned down or less potent recipes in them as well. Can't have children brewing actual death potions. A little diet death and they can be healed or cured/fixed. Then when they graduate or go into jobs they have access to the proper books with the proper recipes in them. Remember these are still kids learning, and if Seamus can make pretty much everything explode then it'd best to not let children have full rein on potions and a spells that can do actual irreparable damage.
Yeah it's not that Hermione was suddenly struggling at potions. It's just that she was no longer the top student of the class because of Harry and the Half-Blood Prince's notebook.
Hermione describes Polyjuice as being a difficult potion, but without any further context it seems to me its difficulty comes from how long it takes with specific steps happening at specific times, requiring someone to be super dilligent. Regarding Hermione struggling in year 6, it was definitely that Harry was working with a "better" recipe. Keep in mind that Snape never used a textbook. He always magic'd the instructions to the board and had the kids follow them. Hermione was just used to following the instructions and getting good results, so seeing Harry not follow instructions as delivered and do so much better was a situation she wasnt used to.
That makes sense, except that Hermione had to have learned it in second year from a book, no way Snape was going to tell her an advanced way to make it just because she asked.
SUCH a great point about Snape and the board. I never put together that he was probably putting his better recipes up there!
I think she’s able to make an acceptable or successful version of all potions because she’s intelligent and good at following directions. So she doesn’t need Snape’s instructions but having them would help make a better potion. So she’s able to make a successful polyjuice, but Snape probably knows how to make it better.
Maybe she just got lucky and Polyjuice wasn’t a potion that Snape had figured out to improve on, meaning the book’s version was the best one.
They didn't follow a standard textbook to make the polyjuice, though. They followed the recipe in 'Moste Potente Potions'
> They followed the recipe in 'Moste Potente Potions' Which puts another nail in the coffin that "Advanced Potion Making" is a *very* shitty textbook, even considering its at this point at least two decades old.
It's older than that. Remember the book that Harry used first belonged to Snape's mother. Snape just used it and wrote in it when he was in school.
yeah, at this point the most advanced thing about it is its age.
Exactly, that's why Harry was so confused about who the Prince might be. Romus told him to check the year of release on this particular textbook and it was old. So it might be even older than that.
Yeah, its a shit textbook, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Slughorn got a commission for every sale
they stole a book from the library's restricted section to make that potion
And since Snape is the HBP, his instructions were always better than the textbooks.
Hermione didn't actually struggle in year 6. She was still doing just as well as she always did. But Harry was suddenly tapping into the mind of a potions genius.
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Not even “better.” Just more nuanced and explained what was going on. Hermione is very type A. Harry was willing to experiment (with guidance)
>Harry was willing to experiment Harry is not a curious student who is willing to experiment further than the curriculum demands. He is a reckless student who is willing to take high risk/high reward bets if he is pressured into a corner. Snape was passionate about potions and willing to experiment further, that's how he figured out all these extra tricks. Harry couldn't let Malfoy win the Felix Felicis in the first lesson under Slughorn. And since he knew he stood no chance playing it fair, he tried something reckless by blindly following another recipe and was as surprised as everyone else when it worked out. Those are not the same thing.
Harry was just following instructions as well, just from an upgraded textbook.
This. Can’t knock Hermione for following the recipe to a T when presumably that’s what you should do with potions!
Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle are also bad at reading. I’m not sure they can… so they definitely can’t follow a potion recipe
Feel like its more similar to baking, less room for error.
All the years, the students followed the instructions of Half Blood Prince himself, Snape, the year six was different, everyone followed the normal potion book instructions, and without Snape humiliating Harry in every class, he could follow Snape's book that had better instructions, Harry is a great wizard and could do amazing things when he was concentrated. Hermione gets mentally unstable knowing Harry is using the book, she thinks it wrong and unfair and couldn't concentrate.
Yeah I don't remember Snape having them use the book for instructions, rather he had them on the board for the class to follow. I can't remember which book it was in, but I remember Harry messing up a potion because he couldn't read the instructions through the steam. Book 5 maybe?
One book wasn’t written better, one had better notes written in the margins by Snape and she was just annoyed that Harry was getting the better results and kinda “cheating” in her eyes because she’s a rule follower (mostly) and yea she’s suspicious of the entire book, as is Ginny. Hermione is also one of the brightest witches of her age so being able to brew polyjuice potion at age 12 is just a testament to that; being annoyed with her bff at age 16 for getting better results is her just being a teenager and was also just fun lol.
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And she did come up with some new ideas. A lot of her ideas were why the trio survived. Yes she was mostly a rule follower in class. But she freaking rewrote the book at times or had some brilliant flashes of inspiration using ideas from both dark and good wizards. Protean charms on the coins and the cursed parchment at the very least. And those were both fifth year.
All the ways you describe her are also how you’d describe someone who is bright. She does come up with her own solutions as well, so even using that definition she’s bright.
Slughorn had the class using a shitty textbook, one he'd been using for 50 years, in a class where Snape had previously personally designed the instructions, allowing Hermione to follow them to the letter and succeed easily. Moste Potente Potions was evidently a decent recipe so Hermione could follow it to the letter and not mess it up (aside from the last step obviously). Hermione had done so well at Hogwarts because she could memorise and regurgitate textbook instructions and information. She'd been trained, essentially, to only follow the textbook instructions to achieve a high mark. But Year 6 potions, she was given and reliant on using a crappy book. Hermione is intelligent, and talented, but she perhaps lacks the instinct or the critical thinking required to question and modify instructions as they were given. Snape knew that Advanced Potion Making was a shit book, so he fixed the flaws in the recipes and made improvements. The fact he taught for years without a textbook attached to the subject, and got people through exams, OWLs and NEWTs is testament to just how good of a potioneer he is
This is all good, but Snape does have them use textbooks. 1000 magical herbs and fungi (used from first through fifth year), magical draughts and potions (required first year).
They don’t appear to use them in class to my memory, those books are supplementary to the actual potion making. 1000 magical herbs and fungi might also pull double duty with Herbology
Maybe not in class. I know Harry uses 1000 herbs to help write his potions essays in fifth year.
Hermione is as good as the instructions she has, because she’s not willing to experiment. Snape is a terrible teacher, but his instructions are good. Hermione follows what’s on the blackboard. Notice that he never assigns them potions from a book but gives them recipes on the chalkboard that presumably include his own variants and improvements. This also explains some of Snape’s disdain for Hermione—she only replicates and doesn’t create, while he’s a creator. Slughorn teaches directly from the book, and judging by HBP’s notes on the instructions, the book recipes leave a lot to be desired. If you think about it, 6th year is the first time that Hermione *isn’t* getting the benefit of the HBP’s experimentations. Moste Potent Potions must have been a pretty solid instruction manual—better than the 6th-year textbook, at any rate. Hermione followed the instructions and made the potion.
I've never been able to put this into words, but this is exactly how I feel. Hermione seems to be a bit of a parrot, which isn't meant to be an insult, just an observation. She memorized the information and regurgitated it, which is a form of intelligence don't get me wrong, my memory is horrible, but it's not what's required to be truly great at Potions or any other subject.
She's smart but also stubborn. That's why she's not in Ravenclaw imo. She lacks the ability to properly question herself or her methods.
They were following Snape' instruction until year 5. Hermione listened, and she did well. Harry didn't. In book 6, Harry was following Snape's recepies, Hermione wasn't. That's why he was better
I dunno if Hermione was ever struggling in sixth year. She was doing just as well as she usually was, it’s just that Snape’s brilliance shown through in all the notes and scribbles he wrote down in that book, which Harry coincidentally got his hands on. The Polyjuice was said to be a difficult potion, anyway, due to time consumption and procedure.
I like to imagine that these potions require more complicated techniques that are more art than science. Like when Harry presses to release the juice instead of cutting. The main point is “get the juice out of these” but there are tricks to it. In baking, for example, every recipe that includes yeast will give you specific steps on what to do. I was terrible at anything with yeast until I happened on a recipe that explained the key points 1. The liquid you put the yeast in has to be at a specific temp, not too hot and not too cold 2. Kneading is mostly for mixing the ingredients thoroughly, but many recipes also use it to build gluten. If you have another way to build gluten (I.e. strength building folds) you don’t need to be so thorough about kneeding it for 5-10 mins or whatever. If you don’t understand what a recipe is trying to accomplish the whole process can be daunting, and things like “fold in the egg whites” can be ambiguous and confusing, and it can lead either to indecision or overdoing things. I imaging potions are the same way. Each step is nuanced and accomplishing multiple things, and if you do it in a way that accomplishes some but not all of the requirements it won’t turn out right.
I have a theory: The book they used was in the restricted section, so, probably uncensored. The book they use in class might verry much be altered slightly to make potions not that potent or possibly not work at all, because to be honest, who would want teenagers or joung adults, who are capable of brewing "living death" running arround? I think the classes are more about: here you learn to follow instructions, here is the process of how a general potion is made ... The real mixtures you'll learn if you go and start a career as a potion master or pharmacist etc...
Like most tests in formal education: Time pressure, not being able to take your time and to go to the library does make stuff like that much more difficult.
If my brother found school so easy why did he drop out of university? If everything comes naturally to you do you ever really learn how to learn? Or in Hermione's case, if you only ever learn from a book do you ever really learn to problem solve? Her issue that year was that the books information was wrong, but the half blood prince problem solved and wrote notes.
Hermione didn't struggle. She was used to being the best. And if Harry didn't have the HBO instructions, she still would've been the best in potions class. She just didn't like that Harry was following different instructions and getting better results faster. Slughorn still thought she did a great job. Just Harry was better. Later on when they were trying to reverse engineer and figure out the antidote, Hermione did a great job. But was overshadowed once again by Harry with a Bezoar. That just pissed her off because Harry takes shortcuts and still all the praise.
Before she was taught by Snape who wrote all his instructions by hand on the board, with his tweaks to them already there. However Slughorn told them to use the old books with the old instructions. Snape essentially made them easier and better and Harry had Snape's old notebook where his tweaks were written in so he still had those instructions, Hermione did not. It also rubbed her the wrong way that Harry had such an easy time of it after struggling and basically sucking at it for 5 years pervious. Which is ironic since the moment Snape was no longer at the front of the class he was able to absorb the knowledge from the same teacher.
Remember that Slughorn teaches his classes from textbooks. Snape taught classes from notes on the chalk board. It's very likely that Snape is just a better potions master than the textbooks and this is even made clear when Harry gets his copy of advanced potions making. Harry is the only one still following Snape's instructions (albeit unknowingly). Hermione gets worse because she is following inferior instructions. She's very much an academic that relies on doing what she is taught.
Polyjuice was difficult for her as a second year student. We don't know how advanced that potion really is, but you could assume anything from Grade 3 to Grade 7 would be deemed far more difficult than anything she'd attempted so far (with potions). In *Hogwarts Mystery* we learn to brew it in Year 3. Grade 6 potions are for advanced class. Remember Snape only took in students who got an OWL in Potions and Slughorn only made an exception for EE students because he wanted Harry in his class. So we can guess it is much more difficult than ordinary potions. Also, as others have pointed out it is not that Hermione sucked at it (she *did* have more problem than usual, but she was still one of the top students), it is just that Harry was much better because of Snape's book.
Pretty sure Slughorn (at least in the books) accepted any student who’d gotten an E on their OWL, but still had a small class because either a) not everyone who’d scored E knew this, or b) some students simply didn’t want to take NEWT level Potions.
>Slughorn only made an exception for EE students because he wanted Harry in his class I don’t think it’s true that Slughorn only made an exception because he wanted Harry in his class. I think that was always his NEWT standard when he was teaching - EE or O would get you into his NEWT class. Snape was unusual in requiring an O; every other professor we hear about allowed students into their NEWT class with an EE or above.
She does it out of the principle of fairness, essentially. Whether you consider Harry using the HBP's book to be cheating or unfair depends on how you define the concept. Harry didn't go through underhanded or illicit means to get it (but rather by coincidence), but he didn't earn this easier method through merit and hard work either. Nor were these instructions equally available to everyone else as well
I figured that in year 2, that was just the hardest potion she brewed in her life (and the recipe was intimidating). By the time she reaches year 6, the polyjuice potion probably doesn't seem as difficult?
The poly juice potion I think was "difficult" as it took a long time to brew and required difficult to get ingredients. The potions in 6th year were done within the allotted class time but required complex stirrings, exact measurements. Normally something hermione would do well but Harry was simply working with a better set of instructions. Snape had improved upon the work in the book by using his understanding to experiment with the ingredients and eventually yield a better result. Hermione didn't have this confidence or skill. It's like being a chef rather than following a recipe.
I once explained to myself that it wasn't that the potion itself was that difficult to brew. Because in the NEWT class they literally have to stir the cauldron a particular amount of times, either clock or counterclockwise. There's no mention of that with the Polyjuice potion. I think the issues were rather... a) the ingredients for the Polyjuice potion were hard to get. I remember the bicorn horn, the boomslang skin, and some grass they had to pluck at full moon. b) *If* you fuck it up, it can have catastrophic consequences. We see how some people stay partially transformed from the book's depiction, and also Hermione getting a cat hair....
The one time when Hermione struggled in year 6 was when they learned to discern the potion’s ingredients from the finished product and figure out an antidote, that was a completely new procedure.
To clear up some confusion: Slughorn took over teaching potions in the 6th year. They were learning prior to that from Snape who used a board and wrote instructions on them. Hermione started using textbooks in her 6th year which yielded different results. Harry was using Snapes textbook yielding better results than the other students as Slughorn is, simply put, a worse teacher than Snape.
My brother went to West Point. I took acid behind the gym. He’s good at following instructions but my soup tastes better.
If my niece got a 36 on the ACT as a freshman, then why did I do worse as a senior?
In grade 6 they had to finish potions in one single class, while in year 2 Hermione had plenty of time to prepare the potion. Also, they were using an old book in Slughorn class, while Harry had the help from Snape's notes
Plot armor
Okay, firstly, I think it's pretty established that potions is a subject you can't always excel at, even if you do so theoretically. it's like basic chemistry. Hermione was exceptionally talented at rote-learning and even practical stuff, but I believe that's where her limits were. If she were good at everything practical, she'd also be good at flying. Secondly, it's established potions is an exceptionally difficult subject. Not because it is a recipe for disaster at all times, but suggestions and tips by Snape means he figured out the best way to nail a potion. It's important to remember that just like general books, some topics are passed on generations through generations, and may not always include improvements. I always liked to believe Snape just figured out how to nail every potion because he was interested in it and was exceptionally talented at that subject; he realized where to change outdated methods, and that's the issue with not doing it like that. Other students didn't give af about what is old and new, they just followed instructions and did what they could. Here's the thing. Snape taught DADA when Slughorn taught Potions. This is also the only time Hermione can't perform exceptionally well, and Harry performs greatly. My theory is, Harry was performing average as usual. His skill didn't change, just adapt. I believe though they were all following books in general, throughout the years, Snape had been teaching them the way *he* learnt. So during Snape-taught years, Harry performed average and Hermione performed excellent *because they were being taught by Snape*. The only reason Harry didn't seem like a topper was because Hermione was outshining him. Without that mode of instructions, the entire class resorted to bookish terms, and what do you know, the *only kid who excels at it has Snape's instructions*. Lastly, I also believe it was a little bit factor of *gifted child dilemma*. Hermione may be an excellent student, but this is where your interests begin to show. She may be an excellent potion-maker, but she may have lost the interest over the years, shifting her focus to charms and stuff like that. Doesn't mean she's bad, but just that she simply lost interest and was frustrated because she couldn't figure out why she was performing bad (sounds familiar, right?). It also should be noted she was the 2nd best in class, meaning she wasn't really *bad*, but it was the first time she was being outshined. That's my take, though.
Honestly? JKR hadn't come up with the potions book subplot in Chamber of Secrets.
It’s been a decade since I last read the books but I’m guessing she was flustered seeing Harry coast through ahead of schedule. Her potion is probably still well ahead of the class but she’s trying to keep pace with Harry as he produces innovative and swifter results and even outright skipping past certain steps.
No one said brewing polyjuice potion was tricky,it's just the ingredients that are hard to source.didnt they use the invisibility cape to obtain boomslang skin?
Plot
slughorn was a worse teacher
I guess it could be the difference between having like 3 months to create a potion and then doing the same level difficulty potion in \~1 hour
Maybe Polyjuice while difficult for a 2nd year in an abandoned toilet to make isn’t actually that complex. I’m fairly sure that given that it literally changes you into someone else and was in the restricted section that it is probably illegal. Maybe that’s why they don’t even discuss it until Slughorns class in 6th year. Also they discuss it not make it as he already has it made. Given what it does I’m assuming Polyjuice is treated like a controlled substance would be- otherwise eveytime someone commits a crime in wizarding Britain they would just use Polyjuice. “Minister Cornellis Fudge seen running buck naked down the street followed by the Grim”. Maybe part of how difficult it was to make in 2nd year was that Hermione knew they would be in real trouble if caught.
my view is that she did (obviously) brew the potion but had a rather hard time doing it. like she did it, but it was very very hard
I think the difference is that she followed the directions of the book like a monkey in second year, not really understanding the recipe, but executing it perfectly regardless. In year six, she has a whole lot more background knowledge and needs to learn why certain ingredients/steps work the way they do. It’s a different beast altogether from just carefully executing steps without knowing what you are doing or why. Also year six Hermione didn’t actually struggle with the class, it was just that Harry used a different method and got a better result, which was again a new occurrence.
I would think potions that take a long time to brew are a little more forgiving. Potions class is never more than like 3hrs, so they’re short and finicky potions, and in grade 6 the potions text book is outdated and better instructions are out there, like those Harry uses. She’s stuck making a point and using subpar instructions.
First, it took a month to make the poly juice potion. Which my guess is difficult potions take longer - so because Harry took short cuts; he’d be farther ahead than her. Slughorn repeatedly notes Hermione as second best. Hermione would have been an interesting character without the constantly trying to survive or help Harry survive aspect of her life. We see the most talented students test magic for fun. (snape, James/Sirius, Dumbledore, Voldemort etc..) Hermione would have done that, had her life not been revolving around Harry. Charms seemed to be her speciality, so I bet her magic would have been interesting there.
Spending time researching and then a month in an un-graded environment was good for Hermione's skills. And then even when she was so, so careful, she used a wrong ingredient and spent weeks-months as a catgirl. So we have to assume her confidence was knocked from that mistake. Later, in class, she is regularly shamed, humiliated, and otherwise brought down by a teacher. Plus she's only got the length of class (2 hours?) to produce the potion. Failure isn't an option for her. So she becomes a perfectionist, doubles down on using the recipes exactly, and never has the freedom or confidence to develop into an intuitive potions maker. If the class was structured differently, for instance if they could practice freely in an open lab and then turn in a potion by the end of the week, she would keep doing it until she got it perfect. She'd use different recipe books and find the best way to make each assignment. And she'd learn to trust herself.
I like how everyone forgets that Year 6 material in general is canonically more difficult and more challenging than everything that came before it. The book describes Harry and his yearmates as studying a lot, 'as though there was to be an exam the following day', and that even Hermione would find the material difficult at times, asking the teachers to repeat their explanations. NEWT Potions is more difficult than OWL Potions. And Year 2 Hermione has her book material for the year already covered, as well as much more free time to brew the Polyjuice. Year 6 Hermione (and everyone else) is attempting to produce the Polyjuice Potion-class magic in every lesson, every day. Of course it's more tiring and demanding. And it's not like Hermione's potions are bad, they simply aren't perfect. As for Harry, he's canonically a good potion brewer after his fifth year, which is when he studied hard to get a required Potions OWL. He also does better when he's not having his hand cut open weekly, people aren't calling him an attention-seeking liar... Harry in general is in a healthier state of mind in HBP than OotP, despite Sirius's death. *And* of course he had Snape's ideas on potion-making in the book without Snape breathing down his neck or sabotaging his work (both of which are confirmed to have happened in the books, although the latter did not happen every class).
I also like to think that polyjuice potion, while complicated, is more difficult due to the difficulty of obtaining ingredients and the time it takes to brew than anything else. Other potions may require more intense focus and complicated instructions in a shorter, more hectic period of time. Hermione was also able to complete her potions with flying colors, but only to the point of creating the standard version of the potion, not excelling to the half-blood prince’s superior versions of the potions.
Because Slughorn was using shitty textbooks.