Hermione's placement

[jferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 43243

uncmark:"Your little vignette was interesting, but a little too Harry-
centric for my choice. I think you overlook a lot of examples in the 
CofS of Hermione's sheer bravery. 

Here is a TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL who finds herself the most obvious 
target of an ancient unknown monster and what did she do? (What would 
any reader do at age 12? Personally I would have faked an illness and 
gone home, hiding under my bed!) Hermione applies her 
formidable 'books and cleverness' and concocts a potion that was 
probably above NEWT level in her second year! This  was at the risk 
of expulsion if discovered and resulted in a cat  transformation of 
several weeks!"

You cited more examples of Hermione's smarts and bravery.

Very true, and no slighting of Hermione was intended - quite the 
opposite. Hermione has grown amazingly in her time at Hogwarts, as 
much as Harry himself has or even more.  If she'd gone to Ravenclaw, 
she might have been the same little busybody at 14 she was at 11. Not 
now!

I plead length considerations for not listing all the ways Hermione 
showed her bravery and smarts. It would be a long list.

In the course of Hermione's conversation with Dumbledore, he did give 
her full credit for all the things she's done, even if he didn't 
enumerate them all. He calls her a champion (in the chivalric sense) 
of the school and the wizard world at large, and says, "among the 
great you are" and will be.

Having said all that, Harry's going to get more glory than she will. 
It's the "man of action" who gets the fame. Fair, it's not, but it 
happens. Hermione is brave as well as smart, but she will always be 
known for brains first.

"Mankind honors the wise but elevates the brave."

BTW, amen about the "if we ever get them" (Books 5-7) part.