[HPforGrownups] Re: Adolescent Development in OOTP

[Barb Roberts]

No: HPFGUIDX 102013


On Jun 18, 2004, at 10:22 AM, Geoff Bannister wrote:

> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Peter Shea <harp66 at y...> wrote:
>
>  Peter:
>  > For example, are we supposed to believe than Ron Weasley, as a
>  healthy, ordinary teenage male, has not yet consciously become aware
>  of his attraction for Hermione Granger or indeed any young woman? Is
>  Hermione supposed to be so unaffected by her "coming out" at the Yule
>  Ball that she completely retreats into her academic studies...  > 
> Comments?
>
>  Geoff:
>
>
>  ...To be quite frank, at that age I was probably Ron Weasley Mk.II and
>  would have come within that delightful category defined by Hermione
>  (?) as having the emotional range of a teaspoon!
>

It's the norm for girls to develop a little faster than boys, and so 
it's common for young teenage girls to be dating boys a couple of years 
older.  They certainly did when I was in school.  Now it's less common 
for an older girl to date a boy who is a couple of years younger than 
her. Thus we find Hermione going to the Yule ball with Krum, and most 
of the major Harry's ship contenders (Luna and Ginny) are a year 
younger than he is.  As far as Hermione goes, she's doesn't seem 
completely immersed in studies to me. She goes to Quiditch matches and 
Hogmead Saturdays.  And she spends a lot of time knitting to “help” 
house elves. (I don't think I would have wasted so much time on such a 
project at her age.)  Anyway she likes Ron who is still clueless, so 
she might as well spend her time studying. 

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