Marietta and the DA- Hermione's Mistake

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 121605


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eggplant9998"
<eggplant9998 at y...> wrote:
> 
> Eric Oppen wrote:
> 
> > Hermione probably should have sussed
> > out her lack of enthusiasm and gently
> > eased her out of the Hog's Head. 

 
> Well of course she should have done that, but is it reasonable to 
> expect her to actually do so under those circumstances? Several 
> students demonstrated a lack of enthusiasm and a few did so quite 
> vocally, but unlike some others Marietta never said anything nasty, 
> she just frowned a few times. What do you expect Hermione to do, 
> say "Marietta you frowned, I hear by banish you! Be Gone !" 
> Be honest now, when you first read about the meeting in the 
> Hog's Head did you immediately think Marietta was the most
> dishonest of the bunch? I didn't.
> 
> Eggplant


bboyminn:

First, these are kids; all of 15 years old. Kids this age are not know
for the depth and breadth of their thinking. So, lack of detailed
planning and forethought on Hermione's part is not that great a surprise.

In hindsight, here is where I see Hermione's mistake. At the point
where everyone present agreed to join, but before they signed the
paper, Hermione should have given them the option to bow out. 

She should have made it plain to them that they must understand what
they are getting into and agree to follow through on that
understanding. At that point, she should have told them that this was
the time do decide if they were all the way in and committed, or if
they had reservation and uncertainty, then they were all the way out;
no half-way or half-hearted joiners. If they weren't fully committed,
then now was the time to walk away and never look back; no hard feelings.

Hermione need to create a 'now or never', 'all or nothing' point in
the discussion. Once she gave people an out, and had the remaining
people fully committed, that was the time to have them sign the
enchanted parchment. 

That would have forced Marietta to make a choice. If she stayed, in
her own mind, and to the group, she would have been making a sound and
firm, conscious and direct commitment to the group. If she had
reservations, she could have walked away that that point with no
consequences to herself or the group. 

Hermione gave the potential members the option to join, but she didn't
 specifically give them the option to walk away at that point. 

If that had been done, and if Marietta had been able to assert her own
desires over the immdiate peer pressure, then everything would have
been OK.

Of course, JKR needed Marietta in the group, so that she could later
betray the group. Things may not have gone as Hermione planned, but
they were right on target with regard to JKR's plan.

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)