Hermione Granger is Ever So Evil? was:(Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: Skeeter)

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 45427


>
> "Yes, I said I'd let her go free when we got back to London," said
Hermione
> with a smile Harry didn't much like, looking with satisfaction at the big
> beetle buzzing around the room, "but that was _all_ I said, wasn't it?  I
> never, ever mentioned Memory Charms.  Well, in _Hogwarts, a History,_ it
> mentions in one of the footnotes that if you hit a transformed Animaga
with
> a Memory Charm while in Animagus form, that person will forget that he or
> she was ever anything but an animal."
>
> "You mean---?"  said Harry.  A cold chill went down his back.  Hermione
> smiled at him, rather patronizingly, he thought, and patted his knee.
>
> "Yes.  When I opened the jar, I had my wand at the ready, and a quick
> 'Obliviate!' made sure that Miss Rita Skeeter'll never know she was ever
> anything but a beetle.  She doesn't remember being a human, she doesn't
know
> how to turn back into a human.  Even if someone did the reverse-Animagism
> charm on her...that is, if anybody but we three knew she was an
> Animagus...she'd still be a drooling idiot, not fit for her former job, or
> for any job."  Her evil smile suddenly changed to a gamine grin.  "Or any
> job save Minister of Magic, and we already have one of _those!_"
>
> Seriously, though, I would not be surprised to find that Hermione is a
> pretty steely, ruthless character under that "good girl, gets good grades"
> exterior.  When she wants something, she'll do what she has to to get it,
> and consequences can take care of themselves.  She wanted to take
absolutely
> maximum advantage of her time at Hogwarts, to the point of nearly breaking
> her health with over-use of the Time-Turner.  She stood up to Ron over
> Crookshanks, instead of getting rid of him when he tried to attack
> Scabbers/Pettigrew.  She stood up to the rest of the school and received
> opinion of the Wizard World over house-elves, even when her _two best
> friends in the whole world_ were trying to discourage her.
>
> In fact...the books can be interpreted in a way that allows Hermione
Granger
> to be Ever So Evil.  Evil, after all, does _not_ have to equate to sending
> Valentines to Voldemort---I would say one of the evil-er people in the
canon
> so far was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, who is _not_ a DE.  Hermione
> could easily reconcile being Ever So Evil and Harry Potter's Best Pal And
> Right-Hand Woman---if she wants to be ruler of the Wizard World, she can't
> allow Voldemort to try for the same job, can she?  She works against the
> DEs, but then, the DEs are out to get her just because of who her parents
> were, and they work for the guy who wants to rule the WW instead of her.
> She wants to liberate the house-elves---who have powerful magic and whom
we
> know to be very willing to serve and to be grateful to those who do them
> favors.  She could come forth as the leader of the wizards and witches who
> are tired of the corrupt, inept rule of the "old wizarding families" like
> the Malfoys---and the Weasleys.  I'm sure that there are Muggle-borns
who're
> tired of the attitude the Malfoys have, and we don't know how common being
> Muggle-born is, do we?
>
> (NB:  I would be gobsmacked if Hermione _did_ turn out to be Ever So
> Evil---but then, I wasn't expecting Scabbers to be anything but a rat, and
> JKR has been known to surprise us.)

In honor of my nifty new theory, I've come up with a couple of neat acronyms
for it (Apologies if there already _are_ acronyms for this idea, but I
couldn't resist):

HIDDEN DEPTHS: Hermione Inwardly Deeply Desires Evil Nastiness; Deferring
Effective Putsches Till Hermione Strikes

HIDDEN DANGER:  Hermione Inwardly Deeply Desires Extremely Nasty Deeds;
Acting Nice Gains Ephemeral Respect