Hermione cheating over Trevor?

[Sherry Gomes]

No: HPFGUIDX 129537

Oh my.  I usually purposely stay out of Snape debates, because I feel kind
of mixed feelings about him.  I see him from the perspective of the
objective reader, but I also see him from the objective of the kids.  I'm
not sure what child centered education is, as was mentioned in this debate
several times, but then, I graduated high school in the 70's.  However, I
wanted to discuss the idea that Hermione was cheating by helping Neville in
the Trevor incident.

Sometimes, I'm amazed at the amount of people who will fiercely defend
Snape, even over this incident or the time with Hermione's accidental hex
and her teeth, and yet expect the children to rise to the level of mature
adult behavior and logic about Snape.  In the Trevor potion incident, it has
been said that Hermione was cheating by helping Neville.  But let's put
ourselves in her place.  These were kids, Hermione just 14, the others
somewhere between 13 and 14.  All they know of Snape's behavior toward them
is that he is routinely nasty and unfair to Gryffindor students and lets
Slytherin get away with anything.  Again, I'm trying to think from the kids
point of view.  Remember, at this point, they have no idea that Snape may be
working for the order, a spy for Dumbledore.  Voldemort has not returned to
his body yet.  They don't know about the order yet.  They are kids.

So, here we are in class, and our classmate who is struggling in all his
classes, but who has a particularly difficult time with Snape has just had
Snape threaten to poison his pet.  His PET!  I reach down to my guide dog as
I write this and wonder where my cat is.  I can't imagine that any kind
hearted student wouldn't have also tried to help, if he or she knew how and
was close enough.  If I was in a chemistry class, in which students brought
small pets, and the teacher threatened to poison someone's pet, I don't
think I'd stop to wonder if helping would be cheating.  All I'd think of
would be helping that student so the pet wouldn't become sick or die.
That's all I think Hermione was doing.  I don't see it as a matter of
cheating; I see it as an example of Hermione's compassion.  Maybe, it wasn't
the right way, but it was her heart that was engaged.  She had no way of
knowing if Snape would or would not have followed through on his threat.  In
fact, we, the readers, have no way of knowing.  Children of that age just
don't think logically enough to consider that he might have been bluffing.
In fact, I don't know that anyone could be that sure, when it is someone's
living breathing beloved pet.  I think I'd test the potion before I'd let it
be given to my animals!

I don't think Snape is a bad man, and I have defended his loyalty to
Dumbledore, but he certainly has created an atmosphere and allowed an image
of himself in classes that would cause kids to believe he would do exactly
what he threatened.  Would he make the same threat to Crabbe or Goyle?  I
highly doubt it.  Hermione's action in helping was a caring gesture.  She's
not always the best at compassion, but I think this is one of her
compassionate moments.  i give her points for that.  

Sherry