What about Hermione?

[kumainpink]

All in all, book six is awful. It made everyone, (minus Draco), into complete tools. -.-

[Kitty279]

Yeah, there's a reason why I think it is the worst of the whole series. Still have to read it properly a second time - after the first reading just after publishing, I've never touched it again. The closest I came to reading it were the RtB stories - and there, I skimmed mostly over the original text.

[Silvertongue]

I do that with RtBs. Especially for PS and DH ones where I practically know word for word.

[physicssquid]

In my opinion, Hermione started off as the most annoying little girl in the entire book, but then after Harry and Ron saved her from the troll (which was Ron's fault in the first place), she did mellow out a little, though she still worshipped authority figures as if they could do no wrong.
She was a little annoying with her know-it-all tendencies, and her tendency to be a bit arrogant, but she tried to tone it down after becoming friends with Harry and Ron.
I didn't like the fact that she went behind Harry's back about the broom, and think she should have spoken to him about it first, so I don't blame him for being angry at her. Ron, I just don't understand why he was angry, it wasn't his broom, and therefore wasn't really his decision to make.
I loved it when she punched Draco, even if it didn't knock some sense into the blond ponce.
I couldn't find anything to dislike in book 4, because she helped Harry with his preparations for the tournament, but in book 5, she seemed to have her head up Dumbledore's arse, and couldn't seem to see that she was actually hurting Harry by not telling him anything.
When I got to book 6, she irritated me, being that upset because Harry was doing better than her in Potions, just because he was using different instructions; there are so many other things to be upset about.
Book 7, there was nothing that I could dislike about her, she was planning ahead, learning protection spells so they were safe when they were camping, and she was trying to make sure that any plans they made, were at least a little foolproof. That's a good thing in my opinion.

[dracosfairmaiden]

She had some good and bad points. I loved her courage and her loyalty to Harry. Unlike Ron, she never walked out on him when he needed her. She did fight with him, but she knew he needed her.

Her bad points were her trust of authority figures. I do understand why she was such a know-it all at first. I also think she was a bit judgmental especially when it came to Luna and Fleur. That's why I like her reading OOP and HBP-she sees how judgmental she really is.

[melodypottersnape]

The thing that just pissed me off with her was how easy she made learning occlumency out to be. she was always ready to put blame on Harry and found it inconcievable for Snape to be a bad teacher. Her getting pissed at Harry in the 7th book when he had a vision made me want to slap some sense into her.

[dracosfairmaiden]

I remember that. She did keep trying to get Harry to close his mind and to tell him to stop letting Voldemort in. I think she was just concerned about her friend. I do think she went a little overboard, but she was worried Harry was getting false visions again.

[physicssquid]

Fear can make people do stupid things. I understand Hermione's reaction in that book.

[Kitty279]

Jul 2, 2012 19:41:43 GMT -5 melodypottersnape said:

The thing that just pissed me off with her was how easy she made learning occlumency out to be. she was always ready to put blame on Harry and found it inconcievable for Snape to be a bad teacher.

Which was even more strange as she has been in pretty much every Potions class with Harry and should know that Snape treated him like dirt from day one. That she still thought he could do no wrong just because Dumbledore trusted him - without explaining why - left me shaking my head in disbelief. Even more so as I personally could not have worked with the bit of explanation Snape gave Harry.

[ykickamoocow]

I don't think this gets mentioned much but i think it was a bit odd of Hermione in regards to what she did in her change in attitude towards Ron in the middle books.

I think in books one and two Hermione wanted Ron to treat her as "one of the guys" and him to treat her exactly the same as he would treat Harry but i think some time in 3rd year her feelings changed and she wanted Ron to see her as a girl but the problem is that she did not tell Ron about this change.

A example of this is Ron's rather insensitive comment prior to the Yule Ball. Now it was insensitive but despite Harry, Seamus and a few others being around Hermione was the only one who got offended and she got offended because she was a girl and the others around were guys. Hermione wanted Ron to ask her to the Yule Ball but she had never given him any hints that she liked him and then when he didn't ask her to the Yule Ball she seemed to get angry at him that he did not get it.

[Kitty279]

It's exactly like with Slughorn's party in the sixt book, isn't it? Hermione was always complaining how thick Ron is, but then is offended when he doesn't do what she wants because she didn't give him a clear sign what exactly she is expecting. I think her social skills, which were horrible in the first book, haven't improved that much in this regard.

[ykickamoocow]

Jul 3, 2012 4:05:57 GMT -5 Kitty279 said:

It's exactly like with Slughorn's party in the sixt book, isn't it? Hermione was always complaining how thick Ron is, but then is offended when he doesn't do what she wants because she didn't give him a clear sign what exactly she is expecting. I think her social skills, which were horrible in the first book, haven't improved that much in this regard.

That is perfect example. In the chapter that Hermione asked Ron to Slughorn's party a few days earlier Hermione gave Ron a look of contempt when she was complimenting Harry and telling him all his great qualities while completely ignoring Ron's very obvious attempts to get her to give him at least one compliment.

Really after that i am not surprised Ron did not believe Hermione had feelings for him.

------------------------------------------
"But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."

"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.

"Everyone knows you've been telling the truth now, don't they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they're calling you 'the Chosen One' — well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?"

Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy.

"And you've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway…"

"You can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Ministry, look," said Ron, shaking back his sleeves.

"And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer either," Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.

"I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially.
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How could Hermione expect Ron to get that she was interested in him when she does stuff like that.

[Kitty279]

Indeed. She's contributing to his inferiority complex, not showing that she cares for him and even wants more. One of the reasons why I have trouble seeing that pairing work.

[G. Novella]

I think it works, its just they're both awkward. They really just needed to talk to each other more about their feelings, and neither wanted to in fear that they'd be rejected. I'm surprised Harry never just pushed the two in a broom closet while they were arguing and said work it out. I would have done that long ago. Then they'd calm down and relax a lot more around each other.

[Kitty279]

Maybe Harry should have done it, but I suspect it would rather be the twins. Harry has not the best frame of reference when it comes to relationships, I often wonder what he thought about these two and their behaviour. I mean, the adults he really gets to watch were the Dursleys, and they aren't the best example ever.

[G. Novella]

But the Dursleys were a lovey-dovey sort of couple that forced their relationship to the public to fit their perfect image. I think Harry would be more comfortable seeing Ron and Hermione's bickering as a more natural thing than the Dursley reference. Though, after he realized they liked each other. Before.. I get the feeling he just saw them as argumentative.

[Kitty279]

lol, I have to admit that I find it hard to see Petunia and Vernon anywhere near lovey-dovey. So doesn't fit a walrus and a horse-giraffe!

[G. Novella]

I don't mean lovey-dovey like kisses and stuff. I mean, things like, 'Dearest' and other cutesy pet names. Getting each other presents, always agreeing with each other. Acting like one of those perfect fifties families, you know?

[Kitty279]

Yeah, I understand. Though from them, it seems so ... false and artificial? More a mask than real. Admittedly, they seemed to get along well from the bit we saw, but then, arguing and divorce and all that wouldn't be their normal, ideal little world, so you have to wonder how much of it was an act.

[G. Novella]

Exactly. I think that's what made Petunia even more bitter. The idea that her perfect world had cracks in it and she was putting on a show.

[Kitty279]

Very possible, yes. It's really ironic how she was so obsessed with normality and in truth was anything but normal.

[Silvertongue]

I always wondered how they thought they were perfectly normal in the way they were treating their nephew. Wouldn't they have been considered much moe normal by their neighbours if their nephew was a good child along with their son. Why invite put-downs from the fact that they can't control their nephew (him being an Incurably Criminal Boy) and their son (him being a bully and neighbourhood gang leader)? They have very little logic when it comes to Harry.

[G. Novella]

I think they wanted to garner pity for having dealt with such a trouble child. Plus it made Dudley look better in their eyes. Not to mention they could never deal with Harry and what he was to make him a part of their normal family life. It would be too weird for them.

[ykickamoocow]

Jul 3, 2012 4:56:01 GMT -5 G. Novella said:

I think it works, its just they're both awkward. They really just needed to talk to each other more about their feelings, and neither wanted to in fear that they'd be rejected. I'm surprised Harry never just pushed the two in a broom closet while they were arguing and said work it out. I would have done that long ago. Then they'd calm down and relax a lot more around each other.

Harry didn't really want Ron and Hermione together as he was concerned they would stop paying attention to him. In that way Harry is very selfish as Hermione happily helped Harry get together with Ginny (and there was evidence that Ron kind of wanted Harry and Ginny to get together at the end of OotP) but Harry did not want Ron and Hermione together even though it was obvious that not being together was almost torture for Ron and Hermione (and nearly destroyed their friendship).

[Kitty279]

Jul 3, 2012 6:33:59 GMT -5 Silvertongue said:

I always wondered how they thought they were perfectly normal in the way they were treating their nephew. Wouldn't they have been considered much moe normal by their neighbours if their nephew was a good child along with their son. Why invite put-downs from the fact that they can't control their nephew (him being an Incurably Criminal Boy) and their son (him being a bully and neighbourhood gang leader)? They have very little logic when it comes to Harry.

So true. Though they absolutely denied that anything was wrong with Dudley anyway, he was the innocent angel, so I guess they thought if they blamed everything on Harry it would make Duddykins look better.
Of course, knowing the details, they are as far from normal as is possible, seeing how they kept a small child in a cupboard and all that. I always wanted the neighbours to know how these oh so great, normal people treated their nephew and who was the true culprit. The uproar in the neighbourhood would have destroyed their name, and that would have been the perfect punishment.

Jul 3, 2012 6:43:29 GMT -5 ykickamoocow said:

Harry didn't really want Ron and Hermione together as he was concerned they would stop paying attention to him. In that way Harry is very selfish as Hermione happily helped Harry get together with Ginny (and there was evidence that Ron kind of wanted Harry and Ginny to get together at the end of OotP) but Harry did not want Ron and Hermione together even though it was obvious that not being together was almost torture for Ron and Hermione (and nearly destroyed their friendship).

To be honest, I have never noticed anything of that. Either it was in HBP and I skipped it altogether, or it's up to interpretation.

[ykickamoocow]

Jul 3, 2012 7:02:04 GMT -5 Kitty279 said:

To be honest, I have never noticed anything of that. Either it was in HBP and I skipped it altogether, or it's up to interpretation.

Well here is one of the scenes

---------------------------------
"'Slug Club,'" repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy.

"It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug —"

"We're allowed to bring guests," said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, "and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"

Harry suddenly wished the pod had flown a little farther, so that he need not have been sitting here with the pair of them. Unnoticed by either, he seized the bowl that contained the pod and began to try and open it by the noisiest and most energetic means he could think of; unfortunately, he could still hear every word of their conversation.

"You were going to ask me?" asked Ron, in a completely different voice.

"Yes," said Hermione angrily. "But obviously if you'd rather I hooked up with McLaggen…"

There was a pause while Harry continued to pound the resilient pod with a trowel.

"'No, I wouldn't,'" said Ron, in a very quiet voice.

Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it.

"Reparo," he said hastily, poking the pieces with his wand, and the bowl sprang back together again. The crash, however, appeared to have awoken Ron and Hermione to Harry's presence. Hermione looked flustered and immediately started fussing about for her copy of Flesh-Eating Trees of the World to find out the correct way to juice Snargaluff pods; Ron, on the other hand, looked sheepish but also rather pleased with himself.

"Hand that over, Harry," said Hermione hurriedly. "It says we're supposed to puncture them with something sharp…"

Harry passed her the pod in the bowl; he and Ron both snapped their goggles back over their eyes and dived, once more, for the stump. It was not as though he was really surprised, thought Harry, as he wrestled with a thorny vine intent upon throttling him; he had had an inkling that this might happen sooner or later. But he was not sure how he felt about it…

He and Cho were now too embarrassed to look at each other, let alone talk to each other; what if Ron and Hermione started going out together, then split up? Could their friendship survive it?

Harry remembered the few weeks when they had not been talking to each other in the third year; he had not enjoyed trying to bridge the distance between them.

And then, what if they didn't split up? What if they became like Bill and Fleur, and it became excruciatingly embarrassing to be in their presence, so that he was shut out for good?
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So not only did Harry not want Ron and Hermione to become a couple but even the thought of Ron and Hermione becoming a couple make him uncomfortable.

and then there was this scene

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As for the fact that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle appeared to be going their different ways when they were usually inseparable, these things happened as people got older — Ron and Hermione, Harry reflected sadly, were living proof.
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which seems to indicate Harry has no idea why Ron and Hermione were not talking to each other. He seems to believe it is because they are naturally growing apart when in reality them not talking to each other had nothing to do with that.

[werewulfking]

Well in my opinion Harry accepts the idea of Harry and Hermione being together shortly after your first quote. And in the second quote, well being jealous and in love with each other but not telling the other is also a part of growing older.

The exact quote is: "Although Harry watched his two friends more closely over the next few days, Ron and Hermione did not seem any different except that they were a little politer to each other than usual. Harry supposed he would just have to wait to see what happened under the influence of butterbeer in Slughorn's dimly lit room on the night of the party."

[Kitty279]

To be honest, to me that doesn't sound so much like him wanting the attention for himself than rather him fearing to sit between all chairs if they break up and then are at each others throats all the time. For which I can't blame him. Frankly, the way Ron and Hermione have a go at each other all the time would drive me up the wall. I'd have yelled at them years ago to stop all that endless arguing about every little thing, because it's annoying the hell out of me.

[ykickamoocow]

Jul 3, 2012 7:33:00 GMT -5 Kitty279 said:

To be honest, to me that doesn't sound so much like him wanting the attention for himself than rather him fearing to sit between all chairs if they break up and then are at each others throats all the time. For which I can't blame him. Frankly, the way Ron and Hermione have a go at each other all the time would drive me up the wall. I'd have yelled at them years ago to stop all that endless arguing about every little thing, because it's annoying the hell out of me.

Harry did yell at Ron and Hermione to stop arguing in OotP and Ron and Hermione get offended at Harry as they were enjoying the argument.

Also i think based on the earlier quote Harry was really worred Ron and Hermione would get together and would pay less attention to him.

[werewulfking]

No he is worried that the friendship between the three of them will break apart if Hermione and Ron start going out and it doesn't work out.