Hermione (WasSHIP: JKR Interview (what she said and what she didn't say)

[finwitch <finwitch@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52363

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jim Ferer <jferer at y...>" 
<jferer at y...> wrote:
> 
> She is also caring, and maturing enough to get energized and
> passionate over concern for others, but that's beside the point.  Is
> Hermione's defining characteristic being "bossy and argumentative"
> anymore?  Does that characteristic run her life or has she gotten 
some
> measure of control over it? I believe she is no longer defined as a
> busybody and she has some smarts about herself she didn't have in 
Year 1.
> 

Oh, she has changed in some ways.
In Book #3: Her Boggart is McGonagall telling her she's totally 
failed in every course. - Also, she's afraid of _failure_.
Trelawney's predictions of her note that:
'You can only learn so much from books', 'you don't have the sight' 
and 'you'll leave before..'

She's taking 2-3 times as many courses as any other.
It takes whole book for her to realise that she, too, has _limits_ - 
she can't take too many courses without getting all crumpy and 
exhausted!
Also, she failed to reach her ambitious goal. (But she passed).
And she has learned that she doesn't have to succeed in *everything*. 
At least she gives up much studying to help Harry prepare for his 
third task.

However, her reaction is not (yet) acceptance. It's anger. Any 
suggestion that she might be 'wrong' makes her angry. Such like her 
reaction to Divination - first time she's spoken her mind at a 
teacher (also her growing, I guess) - she can't succeed in it, she 
dropped it, and her defence on the notion of her failure in that -
'it's crap!' - when Harry & Ron try to tell her of _real_ prediction 
she made, and Harry's _true_ vision in the Crystal Ball.

Then there's SPEW - she's taken it as slavery, and she won't accept 
anyone telling her otherwise - not even the house-elves 'brainwashed' 
as she says. She's still running off to library without telling 
Harry&Ron about her thoughts (about Rita Skeeter).

And - just for her sake (because yes, we do love her anyway) - she 
just shouldn't dwell on books and forget to live.

She may end up with a dangerous book to read: a Potions book 
including a potion she makes and drinks because it didn't tell her of 
the price such as: Unicorn blood=immortality? Think of all the things 
you could learn-but she doesn't know of the terrible price, and at 
the state she's in, she won't listen if Hagrid/Harry/Ron/Dobby tries 
to warn her...) but she might still obey the rules and not go into 
Forbidden Forest, but she knows how to call a Unicorn to her...; a 
book made of skin with blood-stains on it (is this the one? Does it 
tell why Bloody Baron has blood-stains?); the screaming book(why did 
Harry pick it? is it important?); a book that imprisons anyone 
reading it inside; 'deathbook of dead' - anyone finishing it will 
die - and the person reading can't stop unless someone stops her... 
(or any other book in Restricted Section Harry didn't like to even 
touch)

-- Finwitch