Views of Hermione

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 160379

Jenni:
> As you said, Marietta had betrayed a great students. Many of them, 
her
> friends. She went to Draco, his gang and Umbridge, who 'are' Dark. 
So
> Marietta turned her back on her friends and sided with the enemy.
> 
> I feel that what happened to Marietta was quite appropriate! True, 
as
> far as we know, Hermione never removed the hex. But I'm sure that
> Dumbledore, McGonagall or Mdm. Pomfrey was able to do so.

Magpie:
No, in HBP the marks are still there, which is why for many of us 
Hermione's revenge hex crosses the line into more of a problem with 
Hermione's character than it is for Marietta's.  

Jenni:
> He had the wounds in his hands where Umbridge had cut them into 
him,
> little by little, deeper and deeper. It was torture for Harry. 
Really
> hurt him. I'm sure the members of the DA were aware of what 
Umbridge
> was doing to Harry, so Marietta knew too. Yet she still betrayed 
them.

Magpie:
Harry hid the marks on his hands.  Nobody knew except a few people, 
certainly not Marietta. However wrong her actions are, they make 
sense to me from her pov without her intentionally trying to do what 
Harry sees from his pov. 

Jenni: 
> Marietta didn't suffer all the physical 'and' emotional pain like
> Harry did. Harry almost lost his own life to Voldemort and saw 
Cedric
> lose his life right before his eyes. He suffered the ultimate 
terror,
> knowing he was utterly alone to face the ultimate evil.

Magpie:
That's really here nor there, though. What Harry suffers has nothing 
to do with Hermione's hex plan, just as Marietta's actions are not 
what Harry is dealing with earlier when he's trying to tell people 
the truth. Comparing their suffering is kind of beside the point. 
(Though I would say that I suspect the author would never make Harry 
suffer from this kind of hex.)

Jenni: 
> Marietta's pain was only one of humiliation, shame and guilt! 
Hermione
> didn't target Marietta personally. Marietta's betrayal activated 
that
> hex. So, she unwittingly brought this on herself. If no one ever
> betrayed the DA, then no one would be 'marked' as traitor. So, 
really,
> Marietta brought that on herself.

Magpie:
Actually, Hermione brought it on her quite deliberately. It wasn't 
the universe that made her face break out, it was a hex Hermione 
Granger put on the parchment. I get that a lot of people think this 
was a satisfying punishment and well-earned, but if Hermione's going 
to get comfortable in the role of Punisher of the Universe as She 
Sees Fit (which is the problem Betsy brought up) she can't also have 
no responsibility for her own actions. Taking Hermione out of the 
equation is disturbing to me.

Jenni: 
> As far as Hermione leading Umbridge into the forest to the 
centaurs,
> well, you saw Umbridge's reaction to what she considered 'half-
breeds'
> and 'inferior'. She talked down to them, showed no kindness or 
respect
> for them, and therefore brought much of what she suffered on 
herself
> also.

Magpie:
As would Hermione have, if Grawp hadn't come to the rescue. If 
Hermione had been trampled and killed by the centaurs for her 
insults to them I'd still consider the centaurs responsible and say 
they overreacted. Even seeing that Hermione had insulted them, I 
wouldn't consider her responsible for other people deciding to 
attack her.
 
Jenni:
Hermione maybe shouldn't have let Umbridge into the forest. But
> Umbridge had already threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry
> and admitted that she had sent the dementors after Harry that 
summer.
> Umbridge had proven that she was 'dark' so Hermione felt no qualms
> whatsoever about leading Umbridge into danger. (See pgs. 746 & 747 
in
> OOTP, US Ed.)

Magpie:
Well, yeah. That's the problem. Hermione considers someone dark and 
therefore feels no qualms about leading them into danger. That's not 
an attitude everyone's comfortable with--Harry didn't like it much 
when James took that attitude with Snape either. That's why Hermione 
doesn't seem like a great role-model to me in all ways. She's an 
interesting character, but I don't think kids particularly need to 
get better at justifying actions that hurt other people.

Jenni:> 
> As far as her stealing the Polyjuice potion items, she was just 
trying
> to help Harry and Ron find out who the Heir of Slytherin was so 
they
> could stop the attacks.

Magpie:
Yes, but Hermione always thinks whatever she's trying to do is 
justification for whatever she wants to do--even if she'd turn 
around and scold or punish someone else for something similar. In 
the case of CoS she steals Potions, encourages the boys to cause 
havoc in class, knocks out two students, steals their bodies and 
invades their privacy...and they're all innocent of the crime she's 
using to justify doing these things to learn if they're guilty. It's 
not that I don't get Hermione's thinking there, but she's imo rarely 
truly logical when she tries to argue philosphically or ethically. 
So while I can forgive her for her actions in CoS (and it's a fun 
little spy mission even if it wouldn't produce evidence that could 
hold up in many courts) I still think it's important to point out 
where she's wrong in her thinking and not come away saying that 
considering someone Dark immediately makes anything okay when 
dealing with them.

Jenni:
> Her heart and intentions are always in the right place and good. 
All
> she is doing is defending her friends and protecting them and 
herself.

Magpie:
Heart and intentions being in the right place can easily lead to 
evil, however. I don't think Hermione is evil, but it's easy for me 
to imagine her crossing the line with this attitude, even if I don't 
think it's going to happen in canon. To truly think about right and 
wrong, imo, you have to think beyond what your own intentions are.

-m