[HPforGrownups] Hermione's Hex ...

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 160712

>>Pippin
> <snip>
>>If she wants justice, then she needs not only to be as critical
> of  her friends as she is of her enemies, (she's got that part!)
> she has to be as  forgiving of her enemies as she is of her
> friends. Nothing less. Of course  that's not as much fun as
> beating the snot out of bad guys. Maybe that's why  no matter
> how many bad guys get the snot beat out of them, justice still
> seems so very far away?
> <snip>
>
> Nikkalmati:
>
> Not exactly.  Neither Rita or Marietta were going to be punished by  the
> authorities for the terrible things they did.  I object to the scenario 
> where
> evil people can get away with things because good people are too righteous 
> to
> oppose them.  Everyone has to be aware that you can't go about sowing 
> havoc and
> assume no one will ever get back at you. Someday you'll get  nailed.

Magpie:
Which is why so many of us think Hermione needs a wake up call.  She's the 
character who loves to sow havoc and assumes no one will ever get back at 
her.  At this point she's heading for JR Ewing territory--if she turned up 
dead 20 years from now I wouldn't be surprised if there were a whole crowd 
of possible suspects.

>>montims:
>> I recently reread this book, and was horrified at the actions  of
> Ministry-sanctioned Umbridge, which were so much worse than I had 
> remembered
> - there are strong parallels to the rise of Naziism in Germany,  for 
> example,
> particularly with the continuous new decrees prohibiting and  limiting
> student actions.  Just what the Nazis did in Europe with the  Jews - 
> decree
> by decree limiting their movements and rights...
>
> Nikkalmati:
>
> Absolutely, I think the pattern is clearly there in JKR's writing.   Step 
> by
> step, the decrees, the official backing, the brown shirts etc.   Nobody 
> does
> anything out of fear of retribution and then comes the spying, the 
> betrayal.
> It  fits.

Magpie:
Yes, except Umbridge is putting more restrictions on students at the school 
where she is headmistress.  She's not taking away anyone's rights as 
citizens (nor is she targetting an ethnic group).  As students they already 
lack rights they have on the outside.   So imo she's a bit more Dean Wormer 
than Der Fuhrer.  On a smaller scale, of course, we see the parallels to a 
tyrranical leader and we also see the result--not nobody doing anything out 
of fear of retribution and betrayal, but chaos.  Everyone refuses to do 
anything and there's no discipline at all. Umbridge has no control.  The 
real person we see it's unwise to act against for fear of retribution is, as 
usual, Hermione Granger.  Don't disobey her even if she's tricked you into 
signing up for something you didn't agree to up front is Hermione. 
Ironically, she also feels she should get to control what gets put in the 
newspaper.

Nikki:>
> Nikkalmati (hurray for the twins, who did not desert the DA, but  carried 
> the
> battle to new heights and new  territory)

Magpie:
Didn't they just drop out and start their business to make money for 
themselves?  I don't see that as exactly carrying the battle to new heights 
and territory.  The next year they were actively working against Hogwart's 
defenses.

-m