The Bull's Eye on Hermione's Back

[mitchbailey82]

No: HPFGUIDX 46228

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Cindy C." <cindysphinx at c...> wrote:
> I wrote:
> 
> > "She hasn't been shown to fly."
> 
> 
> Susan wrote:
> 
>  
> > Um, don't I remember that she (and Ron, along with Harry) mounted 
> > brooms in the flying key sequence of Book 1? I remember being 
> > impressed when I read it because there had been no discussion of 
> >how she learned.
> 
> And then several folks correctly pointed out that Hermione was in 
> Madam Hooch's  flying lessons, just like all the other Gryffindors.
> 
> And this is where we get to see how inartful phrasing and poor 
> writing cause chaos.
> 
> See, I said "She hasn't been shown to fly."  Which could logically 
> be read to mean she hasn't been *taught* to fly.  Actually, I 
> meant "The readers haven't been shown in the books that Hermione 
can 
> fly well or proficiently."  And we haven't been shown that Hermione 
> is good with a broom.  We are told Ron plays pick-up Quiddich, and 
> he takes a turn on the Firebolt.  Hermione seems much less 
> interested in flying and brooms, generally.  
> 
> So I wasn't *wrong* or anything.  No, no, no.
> 
> I was just kinda sloppy.  ;-)
> 
> Cindy -- who now expects everyone to promptly change their "Who 
will 
> die?" votes to Hermione

The only time I can remember Hermione making a reaction to flying is 
not on a broom but on Buckbeak in POA and as I recall she didn't like 
it one bit (she kept mettering 'I don't like this' or something 
similar) - I remember wondering at the time if she was bit afraid on 
heights but I could be way of base. 

Michelle