The Bull's Eye on Hermione's Back (WAS Doomed, they're doomed! [)

[fun_n_games_2663]

No: HPFGUIDX 46200

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "amberhillcrest" <amberhillcrest at y...> 
wrote:
> But where would she have learned to fly?  In SS, the only flying 
lesson is the one in which Neville gets hurt and Harry is caught 
flying and made the new Seeker.  After that, there are no more flying 
lessons.  Please correct me if I am wrong, but that is the only 
flying lesson in the whole series (and it is interrupted, no less!)  
Ron knows how to fly because he plays pick-up games of Quidditch with 
his brothers, but Hermione does not appear interested in athletic 
pursuits.  It seems rather incredulous that Hermione would 
instinctively know how to fly even if she was feeling a burst of 
adrenaline when she flies in SS.  
> 
> -Maureen Amber

Now me:

Wait, wait, wait.  If I remember (I don't have my books with me)she 
actually flew in the flying keys sequence (the book, not the 
MTMNBN).  We have to remember that not everything that occurs at 
Hogwarts is written in the books.  We don't see every herbology class 
or charms class either, but we can assume that the trio are learning 
about plants and charms we don't know about nevertheless.  I believe 
we can safely assume that Hermione has learned to fly--the classes 
simply weren't important to the storyline.

While I'm at it, I have to take a pragmatic view of the "who will 
die" debate.  JKR is still writing for a much broader audience than 
us adults who have become entranced by them.  Young, impressionable 
kids are reading them.  Further, these books are still in the heroic 
venture genre.  The heroes don't die--they win over evil, even though 
great loss may have been suffered.  I would not expect any of the 
trio to die, even in book seven.  The one to die in book five will be 
someone we will get to know in book five or one we obtain newfound 
respect for (such as Draco coming over to the good side, but getting 
killed, or Snape who, although pretending to hate Harry and be evil 
has fought all along against the dark side, is found out as a traitor 
to V and is killed).  In short, I don't think JKR is really going to 
reach down and rip out kids' hearts.  She will build someone up so we 
have compassion, and then kill them, but she won't take away one of 
the truly lovable characters--at least until book 7.

fun_n_games