focus on Hermione

[scoutmom21113]

No: HPFGUIDX 110085

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jjpandy" <jjpandy at y...> wrote:
> If you haven't read the theories about Hermione at
> http://www.hermionegranger.us/pages/hermepower.htm   
> then you MUST read then now!  Besides making a great argument for 
> proving Hermione's age, there is a very interesting theory that 
> Hermione is the one mentioned in the prophecy!
> 
> JJPandy - who would be heart-broken if Lupin turns out evil!

I have to admit that being told I MUST do something usually gets my 
back up. But just for the fun of it, I read the article you linked. 
Unfortunately, I found the arguments to be illogical.

<<Karin L Robinson (Question63): When is Ron's Birthday?
And J. K. Rowling answered: First of March, in case you're thinking 
of sending him a card and Hermione is the nineteenth of September.>>

It is only natural to expect the next question to be about 
Hermione's birthday – JKR just anticipated that and answered
it.  If an author has to use interviews or a website to add 
important clues to what is written in the books, he/she has failed.  
The books must stand on their own. 

<< [Quoted from JKR's website] "In the dim and distant past 
Hermione's surname was 'Puckle', but it didn't suit her at all and 
was quickly changed for something a little bit less frivolous.">>

Notice the phrase "less frivolous", not "more
symbolic".  The relationship of quicksilver/mercury to the 
discussion of whether she was born in 1979 or 1980 doesn't matter
if the initials HG aren't important.

<< In the Q&A at the National Press Club, October 20, 1999, Jo 
Rowling stated, in regard to Hermione's name, that it came from a 
character in Shakespeare's play A Winter's Tale, although Jo says 
that the characters are not at all similar. Jo thought it made sense 
for a couple of professional dentists to name their only daughter 
something like that to show how clever they were.>>

Clever, as in pretentious, as in `look how well-read we are'.

<< If you remember her second prophecy, which occurred in The 
Prisoner of Azkaban, that prophecy was fulfilled less than 12 hours 
later. If this is any indicator as far as prophecies go, then it may 
imply that the one approaching will be born in a very short time.>>

As you said, it *may imply* that it does.  Then again, it may not.  
Using one example to predict another isn't a reliable indicator.
We know nothing about how prophecies work.

<< One can see the relationship now between Ron Weasley's
birthday and that of Hermione.  Ron's birthday was originally the 
first day of the year.  In general, the Roman calendar was built 
around the phases of the moon or the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle 
begins with the New Moon, hits the midway point of its cycle when 
the moon waxes to Full, and then wanes (or dies) until the New Moon 
is again reached.

September 19th is a day in the seventh month, which historically 
occurred during the waning or "dying" of the moon.  More 
specifically, the word "month" comes from the old English 
word "moonth" which means "lunar cycle". If one counts from March 
1st of 1979 and proceeds to September of 1979, they will find that 
the SEVENTH MOONTH or Lunar Cycle of 1979 DIED on September 20th!! 
The New Moon, in September 1979, occurred on September 21st thus 
beginning the next lunar cycle..>>

This is partially correct.  The Roman calendar was a lunar calendar. 
But your logic doesn't hold up.

First, the Roman calendar started on the vernal equinox, not March 
1st.  (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar.)  Are you 
counting from the full moon, new moon, or the phase of the moon that 
occurred on the equinox?  To say that the moon is 
"historically" waning on September 19th is inaccurate.  It
was waning in 1979; it was waxing in 1980.  It was waning in 2003; 
it will be waxing in 2004.

Second, there were originally only ten months. Then the Romans 
started adding days and months.  Then they changed to the Julian 
calendar, but the priests miscalculated the leap days and added too 
many before Augustus Caesar took leap days away to adjust.  Finally, 
Pope Gregory XIII removed 10 days each year to correct the 
calendar.  So the calendar we use today has little resemblance to 
the calendars used by the Romans.  

Third, if you are counting seven months from Ron's birthday you
get – September 19, 1980.  Why not count from March 1972? Counting 
from March 1979 is purely arbitrary.

<< Traditionally, or "in the old days", when referring to a non-
gender specific noun, the personal pronoun "him" was employed to 
make that non-gender specific reference.>>

We aren't in the "old days", fortunately.  JKR has said
she (and Trelawney) worded the prophecy very carefully.  IMO, if she 
were trying to hide the gender of the One she would have written 
something like: "but [the One] will have power the Dark Lord
knows not ..."  She didn't – she specifically said
"he".  More importantly, if Hermione is the One, why are the
books about Harry?

Ravenclaw Bookworm