On Moral Compasses (was:Re: Snape as Neville's teacher...)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 168607

> >>Dana:
> <snip>
> I wouldn't even be surprised that he treats Hermione bad because    
> she is a muggleborn, because essentially Hermione is the same kind 
> of student Snape was (but with a moral compass working properly    
> while that of Snape has always pointed in all direction but the    
> right one), she wants to be the best in everything she does and so 
> does Snape.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I have three issues with the above statement.  Two are kind of 
smallish.  (1) Snape hasn't been shown to target muggleborns, and in 
fact has more one on one intereaction with the pureblooded Neville.  
(2) We don't see Young!Snape in a classroom setting, but I'm betting 
he wasn't at the edge of his seat, hand in the air, begging to be 
called on.  I see him more as sitting in the back, scribbling notes 
that may or may not be related to the class going on around him 
depending on expertise (in Young!Snape's mind) of the teacher.

The third one is a bit bigger, I think.  (3) I'm not all that 
enamored of Hermione's moral compass.  In fact, I'm a bit worried 
it's broken, or maybe just incorrectly (or not fully?) installed.

A caveat: I strongly dislike Hermione as of HBP.  In fact, she 
actually repulses me.  I'm not rereading the series until *after* DH 
with the hope she gets some sense shaken into her and I can reread 
her younger years with a lighter and more forgiving heart.  So 
understand there may be some slight, erm, bias in my reading of 
things. <g>

Now, obviously Young!Snape joining the Death Eaters (and I do believe 
he joined them willingingly, not as Dumbledore's sleeper) shows a 
moral bump in Snape's principles.  And obviously, Hermione hasn't 
chosen anything so outwardly wrong.  But then again, she's not been 
given a choice has she?

I mean, Hermione is muggleborn.  She's *never* going to be recruited 
by the series baddies.  Plus, all of her friends actively work 
*against* the Death Eaters.  So is it fair to compare Snape joining 
the Death Eaters to Hermione not joining them?  I don't think it is.  
But does Hermione show a level of unforgiving ruthlessness and 
elitism to suggest that if she could have she may well have joined 
the Death Eaters?  I think so.

Hermione is *all over* the Slugclub.  Does it bother her that Ron 
isn't included in this club?  Not that I've seen.  Hermione's a tad 
bit uncomfortable discussing said club in front of Ron but not so 
uncomfortable she doesn't *go*.  And Hermione actively supports 
Slughorn's efforts to recruit Harry into the Slugclub, but doesn't 
seem to try and get Ron included.  Which suggests to me that, when 
she's in the in, Hermione is perfectly comfortable with exclusions.  
Even if some pretty decent people (I'm assuming Hermione thinks Ron 
is decent) are excluded. 

Hermione's reactions to house elves have been discussed a great deal 
on this list.  And while I would give her a bit of credit for 
correctly identifying something not quite right in the WW, Hermione's 
weirdly stubborn refusal to *talk* with the House Elves and get their 
take on things is bothersome, IMO.  Taken with her comfort in calling 
Firenze a horse (a rather ugly slur as per Centaur's we have met) it 
suggests a certain elitism on Hermione's part.

And then there is Marietta.  It really *really* bothers me that 
Hermione is so *not* bothered by Marietta's continuing mark.  There's 
a callous disregard of other people *as* people being expressed here, 
IMO.  I honestly get the sense that Hermione sees the world as those 
that are real people (a *very* small and exclusive group that I'm not 
sure include her parents) and those that just do not count.  And this 
sort of brutal ruthlessness is very like the Death Eaters.  Perhaps a 
bit more subtle than their usual MO, but even more cruel in its 
subtleness.

Of course, we don't get to see inside Hermione's head.  Perhaps she's 
shocked that Marietta's mark still hasn't gone away and is either 
defensively ignoring it or secretly working on a cure.  But based on 
what we have seen, I would not credit Hermione with a strong sense of 
morals.  I'd rather look to the current Professor Snape, who's faced 
his demons (IMO) and come out the other side, than Hermione "sees 
what she wants to see" Granger for answers to any sort of moral 
dilemma.

So yeah, when it comes to moral compasses, I think Snape's is better. 
<g>

Betsy Hp