Hermione's memory

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 114061

Tina wrote:
There is something up with Hermione's memory.  
I've generally considered her very intelligent and able to 
comprehend and retain what she has read but now I'm wondering if 
there is more to it than that.  
In OotP Professor Umbridge pp.223 Am pb, Hermione *quotes* DD's 
end of year speech from GoF and Ron wonders how she is able to do 
that.  
She shortly comments that she *listens* and moves on but Ron is 
still flummexed.  

Hannah replied: I agree that Hermione has a very good memory, but I 
think this is just a natural ability of hers, with nothing more 
complex about it than that.  
<snip>

Tina replied:
Through my first 5+ readings I thought, just as you do, that she has 
a very good or possibly photographic memory.  
<snip>
"We do try,"  said Ron.  "We just haven't got your brains or your 
memory or your concentration - you're just cleverer than we are...."

This last bit had the desired effect of mollifying Hermione but I 
can't help but wonder over the *second reference* to her memory in 
one single chapter.  

Now Dungrollin:
Being able to remember things like that is a product of 
concentration and understanding.  You have to be listening to be 
able to remember something in the first place, and if you understand 
what's being said it's an awful lot easier to remember.

The bits from Umbridge's speech that she recites are not really
very 
long, and they *are* the bits that one who was concentrating on the 
speech and understanding it *would* remember:
`How about: "progress for progress's sake must be
discouraged"? How 
about: "pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be 
prohibited"?'  That's all.  Not a huge feat of memorising.

And honestly, those phrases aren't complicated, if Ron was
trying, 
he'd have understood it and remembered it too, but Umbridge is
not a 
very interesting speaker, it was late in the evening and the 
students just wanted to go to bed after a lovely feast, so only 
Hermione was concentrating.

And I agree with Sherry, who said:
"In fact, it would kind of take away from Hermione, as she's been 
developed, to have that all be some sort of charm or spell in the 
end."

Remember Occam's razor from another thread?  Why posit magical 
complexities where none are necessary?  Hermione's a bright girl
who 
listens and learns; I don't see the need for supposing there
might 
be something behind it.

Though of course, you have every right to disagree :-).

Dungrollin.
(Who should still be writing her thesis, and not this)