Discrepancy of skills

[susanbones2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 147745

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "allies426" <AllieS426 at ...> 
wrote:
>
> Two topics in the area of magical skill do not add up for me.
> 
> 1.  Hermione Granger, most talented witch of her age, able to 
> perform well on both written and practical exams, able to master 
> complicated spells in a single lesson, able to produce a Patronus 
in 
> one D.A. session... achieves only an E on her DADA Owl????  I 
> realize that JKR wrote the OWL grades to highlight that Harry is 
> exceptionally talented at DADA, but it's not realistic for me that 
> Hermione wouldn't have achieved the same grade.  I know JKR 
planted 
> the seed way back in PoA.  It's not like the subject is difficult 
> for Hermione - she masters those spells in the same way as 
anything 
> else.  So what gives?


Jen here,
My take on this discrepency you've seen is two part as well.

1. Hermione is a wonderful student. Give her a book, she'll read it 
front to back and memorize it mostly. She performs to standard and 
her standards are high so she'll always get good grades. But she 
needs the security of studies to be successful. DADA requires as she 
says, bravery and quick-thinking but it also seems to require an 
innate ability that Harry possesses but she does not. She can be 
unnerved and Harry, as bad as the circumstances get, he just doesn't 
lose his nerve. I can think of so many instances of this. Would you 
like me to innumerate them? Harry trusts his instincts and Hermione 
seems to need to see something in print in order to believe it. It's 
a very smudgy line, how to know when to trust your gut and when to 
look for outside confirmation. And I think that's one thing JKR is 
demonstrating, that there are more than a few ways to be be smart. 
Harry's got one way, Hermione another.

> 
> 2.  Harry Potter is the son of Lily Evans and James Potter.  James 
> Potter was a Quidditch star, but he was also Head Boy and very 
> smart.  Lily, we know, was very talented in Charms and Potions.  
We 
> know that Harry VERY MUCH takes after his parents - he looks 
exactly 
> like James, is a Quidditch star himself, and he has Lily's eyes 
and 
> her cheek.  Despite being JUST LIKE his parents, Harry is, by most 
> standards, a slightly above average wizard with an aptitude for 
one 
> subject.  He works very hard a lot of the time for even the basic 
> skills.  By rights, Harry really ought to have a little more 
> **natural** magical talent than he's written.  
> 
> Allie

Jen here again:
I really like the way that JKR has made Harry not the best of 
students. You see all the time he can do the work, but most of the 
time he doesn't give things like charms or transfiguration his whole 
attention and therefore, looks mediocre. A typical student. But I 
did see him get much more serious after his career discussion with 
McGonnagal. He worked much harder, knowing what he'd need in order 
to shoot for his goal. I think he has a great deal of natural 
talent, just wasn't always interested in applying himself.
Jen D>