[HPforGrownups] Re: CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 13 (Detention with Dolores)

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 91882

Penny:
 > 8.  Were you convinced by Hermione's explanation that maybe it
 > was coincidence that Harry's scar hurt when Umbridge touched him?
 > Is Hermione right so often in OoP that it might be a red herring in
 > later books?

Personally, I feel like Hermione is 'right' no more frequently than in 
any of the other books.  However, during my first read-through of OotP, 
I did think in was strangely coincidental that she correctly *guessed* 
that Voldemort didn't actually have Sirius at the MoM (during 
subsequent readings, however, it seemed more and more plausible that 
she would have taken Dumbledore's insistence that Harry learn 
Occulmency and put two and two together).

Of course, it is quite standard in literature for the supporting cast 
to disbelieve the Hero's visions out of hand -- it's just that, most of 
the time, they're *wrong*. ^_^

Ali:
 > I felt rather frustrated with OoP's Hermione - she was almost too
 > perfect and too mature. She is analytical enough for her to
 > correctly think that the scar hurting might be caused by something
 > else. I was far less convinced by her sudden ability to analyse how
 > other girls felt. She seems to have changed enormously from the girl
 > unable to show compassion to Lavender when her rabbit was killed in
 > PoA. In a way, I hope Hermione gets it wrong soon, she will feel all
 > the more real because of it.

Actually, Hermione has been trying to educate Ron and Harry about girls 
ever since GoF.  I think her keenly analytical nature actually *helps* 
her figure out what going on in other girls' heads.  People like 
Hermione (and myself and my roommate, for example) are *great* at 
figuring out *logically* why other people behave the way they do -- we 
just aren't so good at applying that information in a sensitive, humane 
way.

Furthermore, I just don't share the (prevalent, IMO) view of Hermione 
as cold, calculating, and entirely logical.  Often, she's far more 
emotional/emotionally sensitive than the boys (yeah, I know, that's not 
exactly hard).  She's the only character we know of to be consistently 
kind, encouraging, and respectful of Neville, for instance (well, 
except for that time when she petrified him ^_~).  She's one of the few 
characters to give Harry a hug when he really needs it.  In fact, she 
is *constantly* doing things to help Harry out emotionally and mentally 
(e.g. the DA, the interview with Rita Skeeter, going to retrieve him 
from his self-imposed exile at Grimmauld Place).  Her heart really *is* 
in the right place with SPEW, even if she looking at it/going about it 
all the wrong way.  I think her mind *can* be rather one-track, which 
*does* lead her to be insensitive at times -- it wasn't that she didn't 
care that Lavender's bunny was dead, she just couldn't look past the 
fact that Lavender was *ridiculously* eating up Trelawney's hogwash.

As for Hermione being too "perfect" in OotP, I strenuously object.  For 
me, OotP really brought her biggest flaws to the foreground.  Let's 
have a list, shall we?

1) Her inability to behave properly in a fight.  While I disagree with 
those who say that Hermione's knowledge is entirely theoretical and 
that she's useless in stressful situations, I think she's definitely 
got a long way to go.  I mean, the girl stopped to *congratulate* Harry 
in the heat of battle.  Honestly, Hermione.

  2) I don't really know how to put this succinctly, but her reaction to 
the whole Grawp thing unsettled me.  Sure, not everyone can stand down 
a giant, mad . . . uh, giant . . . the way Harry can.  But . . . she 
didn't only panic -- she actually suggested that perhaps Umbridge 
*ought* to fire Hagrid.  This was a sign of how upset and scared she 
was, I'm sure, and she apologized right away (Harry gave her quite the 
*look*, if I recall properly), but still . . . I'll have to go back and 
see how badly Ron reacted to the spiders in CoS -- perhaps this, like 
that, was only to emphasize Harry's unique and courageous 
(coughcrazycough) reaction to mortal peril.

3) Now, this is actually something that I *love* about Hermione, but 
she is actually incredibly ruthless at times.  Petrifying Neville, the 
polyjuice potion affair, and her capture of Rita Skeeter are just a few 
examples.  When she led Umbridge to the centaurs, I was cheering her 
all the way (does that make me a horrible person?), but I'm worried 
that this trait will come back to bite her in the bum someday.  
(Although JKR's defiant defense of the treatment Malfoy and Co. got on 
the train at the end of GoF seems to suggest that author doesn't think 
a little ruthlessness is a bad thing).

Whew.  I didn't intend to write anything so  long.  *grins sheepishly* 
Uh...G'night, then.

Laura (who fell off a galloping beast (i.e. cantering pony) today and 
is expecting to wake up to a lovely giant bruise on her left hip 
tomorrow morning.)