"Constant as the Northern Star"

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 114690


Kneasy wrote:
<snip> 
Hermione just *is*. An adjunct to the story, a useful device whereby 
the author can impart background information to  the reader.
<snip>
> Some will  disagree and claim that  she is much more to the story 
than the authors mouthpiece. But consider, this site is awash with 
habitual and incorrigible theorisers; how many of the theories 
inflicted on the long-suffering members envisage Hermione as having 
a key role in the final showdown or even as a pivotal figure in her 
own right as opposed to being an adjunct to Harry? She'll be in 
there somewhere doing something, without doubt - but she's not 
automatically on the list of suspects for employment in one of JKR's 
twisty plot devices. Ginny, or even Luna rate higher. Apart from 
SHIPping (plus my transmogrification of her into WHIPLASH), 
consciously or unconsciously the members seem to have no great 
expectations of her rising above or sinking below her current role. 
In the HP equation Hermione is a constant, not a potential variable.
> 
> Could you envisage, for example, Hermione being killed off in the 
next two books? Readers can and have postulated Harry, Ron, Neville, 
DD, old Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all, but never Hermione, biting the 
dust. Why not? Is it so unthinkable? What's so special about 
Hermione that her survival is guaranteed? (Though I did once 
wistfully imagine her being torn limb from limb by a rampaging mob 
of pissed off House Elves finally goaded beyond  endurance by her 
patronising presumption that the how and why of their place in 
society should be arranged so as to comply with the dictates of her 
personal social prejudices.)
<snip>
> One thing to remember when considering Hermione is that the  
character in the  books (particularly the first one) is nowhere near 
as pleasant as the one depicted in the medium-that-must-not-be-
named. She's a bossy, bumptious, shrewish know-it-all who if it 
weren't for the episode with the troll that brought the  Trio 
together could well have attended Hogwarts for seven years without 
making a single friend. She is not likeable; shades of Myrtle - or 
Bertha.
<big snip>
> Otherwise I've nothing to offer. Like most I'm near-as-dammit 
certain that she'll  be a survivor and although not a SHIPper I 
think she'll cast her beady eye on Ron and nail the poor 
unsuspecting bugger to the 
> floor. And after that he won't have a life he can call his own.
> 
> Run, Ron! Run!

Hannah: I'm enjoying these posts Kneasy :-)  I'd never really 
stopped to consider how minor a role Hermione seems to play in all 
our theorising.  There does seem to be a consensus that she's going 
to get her come-uppance in future books, either over the house-elf 
thing, or over her treatment of Rita, or through some other act of 
taking the law into her own hands.  

I'm not particularly interested in 'shipping' myself (not when there 
are so many more interesting mysteries out there than which 
teenagers have a crush on each other), but I do think that Hermione 
and Ron will get together.  The thing that does interest me about 
possible Harry/Hermione or Ron/Hermione 'ships is how the third 
member of the trio is going to feel.  Very left out, I'd think.  

For Harry it would be yet another blow, he may see it as 'losing' 
the two people he cares about most, and it would push him closer to 
other characters, such as Neville, Ginny, and maybe Luna.  For Ron, 
I think he would feel very resentful, and it might be enough to push 
him into becoming rather dangerous to his former friends.

I've just realised that even in this bit of theorising Hermione 
serves no other purpose than a convenient female to come between 
Harry and Ron.  I suppose Kneasy summed up my opinion correctly; 
Hermione will be around for the final battle, no doubt doing 
something useful.  But I don't see us getting any great surprises 
about her and her character.  Of course, when she's revealed as the 
half-blood prince, fails all of her OWLs, and turns out to be ESE! I 
will eat my words :-)

Hannah, who hopes Kneasy will do Ron in the next 'deconstructing our 
favourite characters' post