Hermione's popularity

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 41699

You know, I've noticed an assumption on-list for a while now.  Basically,
because _we_ almost all love Hermione, we assume that her classmates do, as
well.  But do we have any proof that, other than the Trio, she really has
many friends?

Firstly---she comes across at first as a know-it-all and a show-off in
class.  Whether rightly or wrongly, most children don't care for this sort
of behavior in their peers.  It makes them look less good, and sets up
expectations for _their_ performance that they often don't feel that they
can meet.  Being conspicuously better than your classmates at schoolwork is
not exactly something that will make them love or admire you---the kid scale
of values is, if anything, the opposite of the adult scale on this point.
Academic talent is much less valued than sports talent, or rule-breaking
talent.

Secondly---she has not only threatened to go to the school authorities about
rulebreaking, but has actually gone to them about Harry's new broom.  Again,
like it or not, the average child's view of "tattle-tales" is extremely
negative; the usual POV on them is akin to prisoners' views of snitches, and
some of the same dynamic applies.  If she has done this vis-a-vis the other
girls' little rule-breakings, even if she's since repented and changed her
ways since becoming one-third of the Trio, she'd have a long, slow road to
travel before her girl classmates trusted her.  Most children are extremely
down on any of their number that involve the adult authorities or tell them
_anything_ unless it's a really serious situation.

Thirdly---AFAICR, she doesn't seem to have girlfriends, much.  Admittedly,
she is seen almost entirely through Harry's eyes, but I can't remember a
time when Harry ran into Hermioine giggling and exchanging confidences with,
say, Parvati and Lavender about something that they wouldn't explain to him.

Hermione may really have no other friends in Hogwarts than the other members
of the Trio.