SHIP: What did Hermione Know and When did she Know It?

[serenadust <jmmears@comcast.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52093

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Sarmi <princess_tx at y...> wrote:

> 
> First off, you are correct that she didn't want to skip a class.  
I don't know how long each class is, nor if they had any other class 
that day.  If they didn't, then they would have had plenty of time 
to practice the Summoning Charm.  There would be no need to skip one 
class.


Now me:
If Hermione put Harry's interests ahead of her own in this case, 
there was every reason to skip one Arithmancy class.

>From GoF Chap. 20

He forced down some dinner after Divination, then returned to the 
empty classroom with Hermione, using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid 
the teachers.  They kept practicing until past midnight.  They would 
have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think 
that Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs 
across the room.  Harry and hermione left in a hurry before the 
noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, 
which was now mercifully empty.

At *two o'clock in the morning*, Harry stood near the fireplace, 
surrounded by heaps of objects <snip objects>. Only in the last hour 
had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm.

Clearly there wasn't "plenty of time" to practice the charm. Harry 
would have been better served to have mastered the charm earlier, 
given that he now has to face the dragon on far less than a good 
night's sleep.  I'm not saying Hermione doesn't help him a great 
deal in this task, but only after taking care of her own interests.  


> Jo Serenadust:
> Also, when Harry needs to practice his Stunning Spell, who 
> volunteers to be the target?  Hermione?  Not bloody likely ;--). 
It's Ron (now who's got loyalty issues?).  In fact, when Hermione 
criticises Ron for missing the cushions she's so thoughtfully laid 
out for him to land on after he's been stunned, he suggests that she 
take a turn since he's "aching all over."  Does she gladly take 
over?  No, she decides that "Harry's got it now, anyway."  She's 
obviously not willing to suffer any discomfort for Harry's benefit 
in this case.

Sarmi again:
> I don't recall any volunteering on anyone's part, if I'm wrong 
please correct me.  I'm a work at the moment and my books are no 
where near me.  I've always found this scene amusing because it 
seems like Hermione is "getting back" at Ron for something, either 
being mean to her or questioning Harry's loyalty earlier in the 
year.  Another thing, look at who has helped Harry more throughout 
the year?  Hermione.  It seemed like it was Ron's turn.

Me again:
Well, I doubt that Harry "ordered" Ron to submit to his stunning 
practice, so if Ron didn't volunteer we have to assume that Harry 
began to stun him repeatedly against his will.  That doesn't sound 
like Harry, does it ;-)?  I don't see Hermione "getting back" at Ron 
in this scene either.  Whatever for?  All Hermione is doing in this 
scene is bossing both boys around, without having to experience any 
personal discomfort (my kind of woman, BTW :->).


Sarmi again:
> As for suffering discomfort, Hermione has shown she will do such a 
thing.  Flying Buckbeak.  Hermione's greatest fear is flying or 
heights.  Anyone who's afraid of either one would flat out refuse to 
do anything involving one or the other.  But yet Hermione 
*willingly* climbs onto Buckbeak's back.

 
Me again:
But she's not doing any of this for Harry, which I thought was your 
original point.  She's doing this for Sirius and Buckbeak.  I don't 
recall anything in canon saying that her greatest fear is flying.  I 
thought her greatest fear (according to her boggart encounter in 
PoA) was getting a failing grade.  True, she doesn't seem to enjoy 
riding Buckbeak, but she really doesn't have much choice if she's 
going to complete the job Dumbledore has entrusted them with.  She 
would never want to disappoint Dumbledore (or any of her other 
teachers), and she really wants to help save Sirius and Buckbeak.  
That's the only motivation she has in this scene (IMO, of course).



> Jo Serenadust:
> As for wanting to make Ron jealous, I think that it's perfectly 
clear that Hermione isn't above being manipulative to achieve her 
goals.  In CoS she scams Lockhart into signing a note for the 
library by flattering him, playing on his vanity, and lying to him 
about the book she wants from the Restricted Section.  And at this 
point in the story, she *really* likes Lockhart.  Since "resorting 
to jealousy" is just another form of manipulative behaviour, it 
wouldn't be at all OOC for Hermione to use it to her advantage.  
After all, she's a smart girl and it's clearly working ;-).

Sarmi again: 
> Whoa!  If I recall correctly, Hermione wasn't the one to do the 
scamming.  She wanted to get the book, they knew they needed a 
professor's signature to get into the restricted section.  It was 
Ron (and Harry?) who offered Lockhart because they knew he wouldn't 
question it.  Hermione's crush at the time was convient and true.  
Wasn't it the boys idea to get Hermione to do such a thing?  Again, 
if I'm wrong, please correct me.

No, this polyjuice escapade was Hermione's doing start to finish.  I 
believe that Susanne addressed this fully before I had the chance to 
respond to your post.

BTW, are you also Sara?  I hope I'm responding to the same person 
who wrote the original post on this topic. If you are Sara as well 
as Sarmi, which do you prefer?

Jo Serenadust, bad with names and easily confused by aliases