Being Good and Evil /Hermione , Marietta etc/ DD trust in Snape LONG

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 154791

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>

> 
> 
> Alla:
> 

>> > >
> > > Just wanted to briefly comment that I have not noticed that
> being
> > > fifteen diminishes the seriousness of other characters actions
> in
> > > Potterverse.
> 
> Irene:
> > Oh, of course not. Never, ever. Unless your name is James. ;-))))
> >
> > I don't care to count how many times the argument "We can't define
> a
> > man's whole life by his one moment of stupidity when he was 15"
> came up.
> > But it is a popular one, I think you would agree.
> >
> > And yet people are perfectly happy to define Marietta's life by
> this one
> > moment.
> 

Renee:
As Marietta's age has been mentioned repeatedly in this thread, I'd
like to point out that she's not fifteen. Like Cho, she's in sixth
year, which means she's at least sixteen and, depending on her
birthday, possibly seventeen - which would make her an adult in the
eyes of the wizarding world.  

Not that this means she deserves to be disfigured for life, but then,
we've still got one book to go. Perhaps it will occur to Marietta that
asking forgiveness for what she's done might result in the removal of
the pustules. Or it might occur to Hermione that Marietta has been
punished enough and she'll remove them. Though if Marietta doesn't
show any signs of being sorry and having learned her lesson, it would
be very magnanimous of her.

As for the comparison with James, being a bully at fifteen or being a
traitor at sixteen, possibly seventeen, are not really the same things
in my book. Yet, seen in the light of JKR's habit of meting out carmic
punishment, getting killed is worse than being disfigured the way
Marietta is. 

Renee