[HPforGrownups] Re: "A Little Romance"

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 127822

Susanne:
> I can't recall anything about the "Hermione-voice" being
> connected to feelings of romance, and frankly, I'm sometimes
> annoyed with the way Harry thinks of Hermione.
>
> For example, when he sees the fountain he thinks of her
> reaction to the way the house-elf statue looks at the
> wizard, while he pours his money in.
>
> To me it always felt like making fun of her feelings
> regarding the house elves, but hiding this when he speaks to
> her about the matter in person (for example coming up with a
> lame excuse when she invites him to knit house elf clothes,
> instead of telling her that he is just not interested).

Hi, Susanne!  I guess I am going to have to go with a big "Huh?" here 
in reaction to your reading of that scene.  To me, Harry's noticing of 
the way the statues were portrayed (including the subservient 
house-elf, but also including the handsome, but blandly wizard and the 
witch with the "vapid smile like a beauty contest") symbolized his 
disenfranchisement with the Wizarding World and its cultural knowledge 
and conventions (in this case he would be *aligning* himself more with 
Hermione's thinking, if anything).

See, when Harry first arrives at the Ministry, he is awed by the 
grandeur and importance of the place, but most of all he is scared 
witless that he will be expelled.  When he sees the fountain, he 
desperately promises that if he gets off he will donate all the money 
he has with him to a good cause (Mungo's) by dumping it into the 
fountain.  After facing the Wizengamot, he makes good on his promise 
and, taking a closer look at the fountain, essentially realizes its 
societal implications and assumptions, which is just what Hermione has 
been urging him and Ron to do all along!  I'm actually quite impressed 
with him in this scene, and I think Hermione would be too.

I'd be interested to hear what made you think his behavior in this 
scene made a mockery of Hermione's beliefs.

Laura