Being Good and Evil (was:Re: Harry's arrogance (was Evil ...

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 154944

> >>Rebecca:
> > I find it interesting that some wish to hold Hermione, as a 15   
> > year old girl, to the same standard of ethical perfection as an 
> > adult. 
> > <snip>
> > IMO, it's all about growing up and learning, isn't it?

> >>Gerry
> I totally agree. 
> <snip>
> Yet allowances should be made because she [Marietta] is a         
> fifteen/sixteen year old girl, the same age as Hermione is but     
> somehow those allowances are not made for evil!Hermione. If age   
> does matter, that certainly does for Hermione too. If it does not, 
> than evil!Marietta will not get a chance to become as evil as her 
> adult counterpart because people are warned about her.

Betsy Hp:
Actually, my entire point has been that Hermione needs to learn (and 
I imagine *will* learn) that she cannot disregard basic good 
behavior because she's decided that her side is right.  Rather than 
expect adult behavior of Hermione, I feel like she's behaved 
*exactly* like a child (with all the cruel ruthlessness a child can 
bring to bare) and needs to develop more wisdom.

So I am giving Hermione allowance.  I haven't written her off 
completely.  I *do* expect she will learn to take a better path when 
working to support Harry.  But in order for Hermione to learn she 
needs to recognize where she's made mistakes.

It was a mistake for Hermione to secretly cast a hex on that 
parchment.  It was a mistake for her to lie about the purpose of the 
DA club, and it was a major mistake for her to leave a fellow 
student disfigured for such a long period of time, no matter how 
badly that other student behaved.

The *problem* I have with Hermione at the moment, is that while 
she's *very* quick to point out other peoples' mistakes, she is 
unable to recognize her own.  When Hermione believes she is in the 
right, it's damn the torpedoes and any other view point, full speed 
ahead.  This is not an example of either cleverness or wisdom.  And 
it explains, I think, why so many of Hermione's projects end in such 
failure. (eg. Draco, not helping the Heir; House elves, not free; 
DA, disbanded; Ron, not jealous over Christmas party date)

So it does Hermione no favors, I think, to whitewash her behavior.  
A child learns from their mistakes only when they realize they've 
made mistakes.  I'm not as worried about Marietta's progress as I am 
about Hermione's.  So I hold Hermione to a higher standard.  I 
critique, because I care. <g>  

Betsy Hp (reaching back to this post because I think Marietta is a 
red herring)