Hermione's perfections (was CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 9)

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 88680

Jo wrote:
  
> Hermione isn't *always* right (although OOP tempts the reader to 
> believe she is), and I expect there will be a day of reckoning in 
> book 6 or 7 when everyone will realize it.  Personally, I truly 
> can't wait for that to happen since "little Miss Perfect" rather 
got 
> on my nerves in OOP <vbg>! 

I agree with this, the first sentence at any rate.

I'm pretty sure that Hermione's ability to be right is a piece of 
misdirection: JKR is setting her up for a fall.  Indeed, she almost 
has a nasty fall in OOP, in her encounter with the centaurs with 
Umbridge (a brilliant piece of cross-cultural confusion, BTW, where 
Hermione's manipulativeness, which has been generally acceptable in 
Hogwarts, hits a different value system).

I think the likely occasion for that fall will be her use of the 
name 'Voldemort' in conversation.

I believe that the evidence of OOP is most easily understood as 
implying that there is a genuine reason for taking care about when 
you use Voldemort's name.  This has been perverted by the bulk of 
the Wizarding World into an unreasoning superstition (literally 
unreasoning: in all his reactions, Ron never once says why one 
shouldn't say the name).  Dumbledore and the other members of the 
Order presumably understand the nature of the danger, and presumably 
also consider that Harry, who has special protection, can safely say 
the name.

In the context of Occlumency lessons, however, that may not be 
true.  Snape is opening Harry's mind, so Harry, linked as he is to 
Voldemort, may be peculiarly exposed at these times.  Or Snape, 
through the Legilimency link, may be vulnerable though Harry is not.

Dumbledore would therefore be right to, for example, upbraid 
McGonagall for giving in to superstition because she can be assumed 
to know what the conditions for safely saying 'Voldemort' are, while 
Snape would be right to caution Harry in a different situation.

What might be the nature of the danger?  That's hard to say, but it 
occurs to me that 'Voldemort' may double as a spell (and the 
pronunciation of the final 't' may therefore be a plot point, cf 
Wingardium Leviosa' and other spells).  As for what such a spell 
might do, any suggestions?

David