Hermione must be stopped, ...-Hermione's Crimes

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 149388

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

> bboyminn:
> 
> So, by your way of thinking, it wasn't Harry's place to go after the
> Stone in the first book, neither was it his place to go to the 
> Chamber of Secrets and rescue Ginny in the second, nor to help Ron 
> escape from Sirius Black in the third, etc.... If Harry took your 
> attitude, ..., pretty much ALL would be lost.
> 
> Magpie:
> There's an important difference in the things Ceridwen is talking 
> about and what you're describing here--something different enough 
> that JKR never puts Harry in this situation, imo.  Harry, in all 
> these scenes, is saving someone.  He's worried a person is in danger 
> or the world is in danger so throws himself into danger to stop it. 
> He's risking himself. In the Hermione scenes Ceridwen is talking 
> about she's being judge and jury and meting out punishment to 
> others.  It's not that Hermione ought to let adults handle it--it's 
> not up to any random adult to do these things either.  It's her 
> thinking she has the right to decide what justice is and administer 
> it.
> 
> ...
> 
> -m
>

bboyminn:

I can't help but notice that you are very selectively missing the
point. This is about 'right' and 'wrong'. 

If Hermione did the 'right' thing in turning Rita over to the adult
authorities, then the effects would have been crushingly devestating
to Rita. It would have been prison and the ruin of her career. That is
no small thing.

So, what Hermione did was 'wrong' technically, but it was infinitely
more merciful that the consequences of doing the 'right' thing. Again,
I suggest you ask Rita whether she would prefer that Hermione do the
'wrong' thing or the 'right' thing. I can't imagine that Rita would
prefer 'right' over 'wrong'. 

Further, Hermione isn't backmailing Rita for personal gain. She is
trying to stop Rita from telling lies. That's hardly blackmail in the
traditional sense; 'be a good moral person, or go to prison'. Isn't
that the same 'blackmail' that all laws put on all citizens? 

Now to Harry -

Let's use the example of the Philosopher's Stone. What Harry did was
'wrong'. McGonagall specifically told him to go to bed and let the
adults handle it. If Harry did the 'right' thing, he would have
obeyed. He would have been snug in his bed being an obedient little
boy, and the Stone would like have been lost. 

In all cases, if Harry had done the 'right' thing, told the adults
what he knew, then snuggled up in his bed and let them deal with it,
it would have been a disaster in very case. The Stone would be lost,
Ginny would be dead, Sirius would be dead, and in all likelihood, in
GoF, Harry would be dead. 

But Harry does the 'wrong' thing. He disobeys his Head of House, he
meddles in things that, according to the adults, don't concern him. He
violates curfew. He puts himself and others in danger; I'm sure the
adults don't approve of students doing that. 

Any moral absolutest position is flawed. In the real world, and even
more so in the fictional world, true morals dictate that sometime the
'wrong' thing is the infinitely RIGHT thing to do. It is not enough to
simply obey the rules and laws of society because they are sometimes
corrupt, and sometimes in specific cases, are wrong. A truly moral
person uses the rules as a guideline, but ultimately answers to a
higher authority; whether God or conscience. 

If you want to raise morally sound children, then I suggest that you
make that distinction clear to them. Heroes are those who do what is
morally right by conscience even when it goes against the rules.

Back to Hermione, I don't see how anyone can say that Hermione wasn't
merciful in her actions regarding Rita. The consequences of Hermione
doing 'wrong' are infinitely less than that consequences of her doing
'right'. And, I have to believe that Rita has enough intelligence to
see that.

"In a corrupt Fascist society, the people fear the government. In a
free open democratic society, the government must always fear it's
people."

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn