Hermione's social skills (was: poor Grangers)

[hettiebe]

No: HPFGUIDX 130724

> Hermione has actually done quite well for a profoundly gifted child. 
> She's learned how to read other people fairly well, as evidenced by
> her understanding of Cho's complex emotions.  She's remarkably patient
> with Harry's emotional outbursts and with putting up with teasing and
> taunting, perhaps through long practice.  I can't help but expect her
> to have an academic understanding of psychology, but not necessarily
> be able to apply that understanding to herself; she'll still act like
> a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old in book 6.
>  
> - Perdita Granger

I agree but would go further. I think Hermione exhibits a high degree 
of emotional intelligence, not just in comparison to Harry and Ron, 
which might be expected, but also in comparison to other girls her age. 
The sheer embarrassment and confusion that is the daily lot of 
teenagers that age tends to make them pretty self-obsessed. Hermione by 
comparison demonstrates remarkable thoughtfulness and awareness of 
others. I'm thinking here particularly of her role of go between for 
Harry and Ron during Goblet of Fire and, as Perdita mentioned, the way 
she handles Harry's temper in OoTP. 

She's more than just book smarts. No matter clever she was I doubt 
Viktor Krum, her 'older man', would have been half so attracted to her 
if she'd been as silly and giggly as the other girls in the run-up to 
the Yule Ball. 

Hettiebe