PS/SS: Hermione's lie about the troll, p.o.v. problem

[Grey Wolf]

No: HPFGUIDX 58000

"jwilliams44118" wrote:
> I'm new to the group... but I did try searching the archive to see if 
> this came up before.  I am re-reading the books in anticipation of 
> OoP.  In chapter 10 of PS/SS, Hermione's lie does not make sense 
> based on what she should have known.
> 
> She was not in the great hall when Quirrel ran in.  All she knew was 
> that the troll came out of nowhere and attacked her in the bathroom.  
> Then Ron and Harry came in and saved her.
> 
> So... when the teachers came, it would have made more sense (based on 
> what she knew) for her to simply say, "The troll was going to kill me 
> and they saved me."  Her statement in the book, "I went looking for 
> the troll..." makes sense to people who knew about the troll, but is 
> not a lie that should reasonably have occurred to Hermione since she 
> herself lacked the background knowledge.
> 
> "jwilliams44118"

It does make sense from a certain perspective. Let me explain: let's go 
through what Hermione might be thinking. She's very unhappily in the 
bathroom (not unlike moaning myrtle was) and suddenly a troll barges 
in, closely followed by Ron and Harry. Now, examine the circunstance: 
what is she going to think their motives are? coming to rescue her? 
unlikely, from her perspective. Remember what is the last thing she 
heard: *Ron* of all people sayin "No wonder everyone hates her".

What has she been thinking for the last several hours? That people must 
indeed hate her. And if not everyone, certainly Ron and Harry. 
particularly Ron, who said it out loud when she was eithin earshot. So 
They are not there for her (she doesn't know Harry's good heart yet, 
after all), so what *are* they doing? Well, hunting troll, trying to 
demonstrate their foolhardiness or whatever. But that sort of thing 
could get them expelled, and after a bonding session with the troll 
("There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each 
other, and knocking out a 12-foot mountain troll is one of them"), the 
teachers arrive, angry, and she decides that, since she owes them, she 
might as well take the blame herself, just in case the teachers start 
laying blame.

Remember that teachers, from the perspective of an eleven year old, do 
that. They're scared, and Hermione knows that there is no excuse for 
facing a troll. Except coming to save a live, so she tells them that 
they did. And now she has to explain what *she* was doing in the 
bathroom, but that is the sort of private thing she doesn't want to 
reveal, and since she already has the idea of hunting trolls in her 
mind (and the teachers might guess just as she did that if she was 
there crying, the boys couldn't have been trying to save her since 
they're not suposed to know and besides are heartless idiots), she uses 
it to take the blame, and thus, in a way, take it fully so none of it 
splashes on his new found friends.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf