The Sneak Mark (was "Slytherin" Hermione?)

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 112960

David:
> > On some of the wider arguments presented in this thread, I 
> feel that  whether, as a technical legal matter Hermione had the 
> right to 'punish' Marietta is somewhat beside the point.  <
> 
Pippin:

> To me, it's exactly the point. Hermione is very sensitive about 
> lack of due process, lack of informed consent, cruel and 
> unusual punishments, unrepresentative government and being 
> nasty to toerags in general, but it's a case of being able to see 
> the speck in your neighbor's eye better than the two by four in 
> your own.

Agreed.  But I felt that perhaps people were being tempted into 
thinking 'if I can get her off on a technicality, I can go back to 
liking her in peace'.  On the one hand, getting off on a 
technicality doesn't make one back into the pristine character of 
former reader innocence; on the other, discovering flaws in even the 
most identified-with and pedestal-placed character can be a 
pleasurable reader experience.
 
> Pippin:
> 
> But that's the proverbial wisdom of Scotland!

I won't trouble with the logical flaw here as I'm sure you're well 
aware of it.  But you do tangentially raise an interesting issue: 
that, while I find it very hard to seize on much specific, my sense 
of JKR's culture is overwhelmingly English, not Scottish.  The best 
I can do is the rather feeble point that Hogwarts reflects English, 
not Scottish practice in regard to examinations and the start of the 
school year.  Of course, she was born and brought up in England, but 
even if I didn't know that, I think I would have surmised it anyway.

What do Scottish list members think?

David