Apropos of nothing - a random HP thought.

[ridicully]

Where does half the fandom get the impression that Harry is cheating by using a book with notes in it?

They are allowed to use their book while brewing and are supposed to have read up on the potion they are preparing in class.
And in written tests, I doubt they are allowed to use their books anyway, so the notes won't be any help to him there.
The only difference I see between Harry and a Ravenclaw (in this instance) is that the Ravenclaw would have made the notes himself - and probably not in the book, but on a spare bit of paper.

Having better reference material is rarely considered cheating. No matter how much of an advantage it gives you.

Comments

[ridicully]

Don't ask me to believe that's not cheating :)
I won't ;) But I'm still not convinced myself.

I guess what it really comes down to is [as someone else said somewhere down the page], that from what we get to see of potions lessons in canon, it's a very weird subject and everyone has different ideas what it involves.
And depending on these ideas(and of course about a 1000 additional personal factors) he's either cheating or not.

For example I don't see potions as a trial and error lesson. They are supposed to get it right the first time by following their recipe. So a better recipe might make it easier, but shouldn't really make much of a difference.

I still see Harry not telling Slughorn that he had no idea what he was doing as wrong - but as you said before, it's an understandable reaction. And of course Slughorn *wants* it to be true. Otherwise he'd definitely have called Harry on the Bezoar trick.