[HPforGrownups] In Defense of Hermione

[Rowena Grunnion-Ffitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 26523



--- Ebony <ebonyink at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Well, it seems to me that as she gets older Hermione
> is getting 
> better at not being so bossy.

   A little better. But take her House-Elves rights
campaign, she's going strong at it for months before
she even bothers to talke to some House-elves and find
out what *they* think. 
   I believe Hermione is guilty of projecting human
needs and aspirations on non-humans. Maybe House-elves
are brainwashed, or maybe they really do have very
different emotional needs. I suggest Hermione find out
which it is before she starts her crusade.

  And if she believes
> she knows the 
> answers, why shouldn't she raise her hand?  Often in
> the narrative no 
> one else does. 

   What's the point, Hermione Granger will get in
first anyway. ;(
 
> I don't think Hermione shows off in the beginning
> because her ego is 
> big.  I think she is a bit insecure and feels as if
> she needs to 
> showcase her knowledge to prove her worth in this
> new world she's 
> found herself in.  

   I agree she's a bit insecure, what eleven year old
wouldn't be going off to a totally unknown enviroment
for the first time? But being a know-it-all is not the
way to gain friends and one would think she'd know
that.
 
> As far as the love life issue is concerned, I have
> the sneaking 
> suspicion that JKR is only setting her up for angst.
>  Sure, she gets 
> to whisk into the ball on the arm of a celeb and the
> wrong best 
> friend is mooning over her. 

   'Wrong best friend'? who says Hermione wants Harry,
or Ron either for that matter, as anything but a
friend? At this point I think all she really wants
from either of them is to be recognized as a girl and
not taken for granted. 
   The fact that Viktor Krum, a celebrity with girls
literally swooning at his feet, finds her terribly
attractive must be a tremendous boost to her self
confidence - even if she's not sure she returns his
feelings.

 This doesn't mean that
> it's going to be 
> a cakewalk for her in the romance department from
> now on.  Let's not 
> forget that poor Neville seems to be harboring a
small crush,

    I agree that could be a problem. The last thing
Hermione, or any decent girl, would want to do is hurt
poor Neville's feelings. Of course there's every
possibility he'll transfer his interest to Ginny - and
she might find that very agreeable after years of an
unrequited crush on Harry. Neville *is* rather sweet
and if Ginny takes after her mother she might discover
she likes a boy who needs looking after very much.
    As for Harry and Ron, they have a *lot* to learn
about how to treat a girl on a date - those poor Patil
sisters! Parvati at least got to make a grand entrance
on the arm of a Champion and open the dancing but Ron
completely ignored poor Padma. 
   
> See?  Hermione deserves our sympathy too!  :-)

    No question she has her problems, just like
everybody else in the Wizarding World. And like
everybody else her problems are going to get a lot worse....

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