Responses to Marietta (was: Misc. responses, some quite old)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 169346

>
> 
> bboyminn:

> I'm not saying this is true, I am saying since we 
> don't know the nature of Marietta's memory 
> modification, that modification come open to
> speculation. My version of speculated memory 
> modification is just as valid as your version, and
> both are consistent with known cannon.

Pippin:
If  I am  to take a speculation seriously,
then it has to be more than consistent with known
canon. It has to not open up more plot holes than
it plugs, especially at this stage of the game. If
memory charms were capable of making Mr.
Roberts forget his motive for being interested in
wizard-related things, he would only need to
have been charmed once instead of repeatedly. 

If Crouch Jr. could have been made to forget his 
motive for joining Voldemort, he wouldn't have 
needed to be kept under the Imperius curse. And 
so forth. So while your speculation is creative 
and entertaining, I don't think it will prove
fruitful. Not that it needs to be of course, and 
speculations undertaken with no expectation that
they will be fruitful in the sense of approximating
future canon can sometimes yield unexpected
insights and even turn out to be fruitful after all.

BBoy:
> I do however understand and share, to some extent,
> people dislike for Hermione's actions. But we judge
> this from the perspective of older, wiser, more
> rational human beings. Hermione's judgment is from
> a normally irrational short-sighted impulsive 
> teenager. Teenager's are crazy; completely irrational
> and illogical creatures who are easy to take offense, 
> and just as easy to forget offense.

Pippin:
Yes indeed. I just wish that Hermione would have
taken that into account before visiting such a drastic
punishment on one of her schoolmates, and that
readers would take that into account before deciding
that Marietta was evil and deserved not only the
punishment she received but an even worse one. 

I think many people do not want to see Hermione suffer
the consequences of  a ruthless and unjust
action. Hence, perhaps, all this speculation that the curse 
will turn out to be milder or less lasting than it appears, 
or that future developments will show that  even more
ruthless action would have been justified.

But I think, regardless of what happens to Marietta herself,
that Hermione is already suffering the consequences. 
Remember what happened with the House Elf hats? 
Hermione hid them, hoping that the Elves would pick them
up by accident and free themselves. Ron exposed the
hats with these words: "They should at least see what
they're picking up." 

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to see a parallel
with the DA. Rather than take the trouble to find out
what would motivate the Elves to seek their freedom,
Hermione assumed they would want freedom if they
knew what was good for them, and tried to trick them
into accepting it. Rather than take the trouble to
find out what would motivate the DA members to 
be loyal, Hermione assumed they'd be loyal if they
knew what was good for them and tricked them into
letting her punish anyone who disagreed. 

The House Elves were so offended by her tactics that
they not only didn't accept their freedom, they stopped
cleaning Gryffindor Tower. As for the DA, haven't we
seen  that despite all the curiosity about Harry and all
the neat spells he obviously knows, no one but Neville
and Luna has paid any attention to the summons of the
coins since Hermione's trick was exposed?

I think Cho is not the only one who was offended by what
Hermione did. If Hermione plans to help unite the Houses, I
think she's going to find she has some fence mending to do,
whether Marietta is recovering on her own or not.

Pippin