HP Plot Ponderings
Jun. 19th, 2003 10:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thistlechaserI wish there weren't limits on what JKR would do in the Potter series. Since she's admitted that Hermione is a stand-in for herself, I believe that the character loses a lot of potential. I just finished reading a short fic, Footnotes
by Jennifer-Oksana. While I'm not adding it to my recs page (mostly because her Snape's voice is off), it brings up a highly interesting point.
"I do, but I think there's more to it," he said. "You're hungry for something, Granger. I know because when I was your age, I was the same way. Of course, at your age, I hadn't settled for being a footnote yet."
Hermione was genuinely confused about what Snape had just said, and the misunderstanding was clear on her face.
"Excuse me?" she asked. "A footnote?"
"You've read enough magical histories to know what I'm talking about," Snape said. "Most magical history reads like biography--and are about a single great sorcerer and perhaps his closest male associate or his mentor. The rest of the people in his life--people who might have had at least as much responsibility for what really happened as the hero--are relegated to footnotes and minor histories for creaky scholars of magical history."
She suddenly understood exactly what Snape meant and it didn't cheer her up at all.
"You think that we're going to be--footnotes?"
"I already know I'm doomed to perpetual obscurity," he said. "And I've accepted it for my own reasons. But I'm not so sure about you, Miss Granger. You're clearly the most talented witch of your generation, and you're also just as clearly going to be overshadowed by Potter."
She'd never heard anyone put it like that, and she knew that he wasn't wrong about it, either. The idea actually put a bit of a twinge in her stomach and the twinge made her feel ill. Was she jealous of Harry? Did she resent that he got all the fame and she was merely the plucky female sidekick? No. The whole idea was absurd.
"That's not a bad thing," she said. "He's going to defeat You-Know-Who and if I can help, that's enough for me. If that means I'll only be a footnote in magical history, that's plenty of honor for me. I'm not out for glory."
"Very noble of you," Snape said blandly.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked. "What are you DOING here, anyway?"
"I needed a cuppa," Snape said. "I've been rather busy lately and the house-elves are extremely accommodating, as I'm sure you've noticed. And as I've said before, I'm curious about why you're hiding in the kitchens. I personally don't think it's because you're a slave to scholarly devotion, which is the general consensus."
Hermione was suddenly so angry that she forgot that Snape was a teacher--and for all she knew, a teacher about to take fifty points from Gryffindor for her audacious behavior. How dare he?
"What do you think, Professor Snape? That I'm plotting to betray Harry? That I'm studying the Dark Arts in my spare time?"
Snape looked at her, lifting an eyebrow.
"You'd be a far more interesting--and less dangerous--young woman if you were," he said coolly. "But I hardly think so."
"So what, then?" Hermione said, quite frustrated. "You don't think I'm plotting, you don't think I'm studying--and this isn't really your business anyway, as I'm not a Slytherin. What do you mean?"
"It means this," Snape said. "We're involved in a desperate battle here, Miss Granger, and the Dark Lord doesn't play fair. He's not going to come at Potter through a frontal assault. He'll look for weaknesses in his friends--and you're the weakest link."
"I am not!" Hermione said, springing up. "How could you--I'm one of his best friends!"
"And you're also insufferable, short-tempered, proud, and a Mudblood outsider who feels rather sensitive about your considerable abilities," Snape pointed out with devastating honesty. "Loyalty can turn to resentment fairly quickly under the right circumstances--ones the other side can certainly contrive."
Hermione, reminded of Wormtail, could do nothing but nod...
(End cut.)
I'd love to see a much longer story based on that idea: Hermione being drawn to the other side (for selfish but human reasons), and ending up betraying the others. I very, very seriously doubt that JKR would ever even consider doing such a thing with her, but it seems like a believable idea.
by Jennifer-Oksana. While I'm not adding it to my recs page (mostly because her Snape's voice is off), it brings up a highly interesting point.
"I do, but I think there's more to it," he said. "You're hungry for something, Granger. I know because when I was your age, I was the same way. Of course, at your age, I hadn't settled for being a footnote yet."
Hermione was genuinely confused about what Snape had just said, and the misunderstanding was clear on her face.
"Excuse me?" she asked. "A footnote?"
"You've read enough magical histories to know what I'm talking about," Snape said. "Most magical history reads like biography--and are about a single great sorcerer and perhaps his closest male associate or his mentor. The rest of the people in his life--people who might have had at least as much responsibility for what really happened as the hero--are relegated to footnotes and minor histories for creaky scholars of magical history."
She suddenly understood exactly what Snape meant and it didn't cheer her up at all.
"You think that we're going to be--footnotes?"
"I already know I'm doomed to perpetual obscurity," he said. "And I've accepted it for my own reasons. But I'm not so sure about you, Miss Granger. You're clearly the most talented witch of your generation, and you're also just as clearly going to be overshadowed by Potter."
She'd never heard anyone put it like that, and she knew that he wasn't wrong about it, either. The idea actually put a bit of a twinge in her stomach and the twinge made her feel ill. Was she jealous of Harry? Did she resent that he got all the fame and she was merely the plucky female sidekick? No. The whole idea was absurd.
"That's not a bad thing," she said. "He's going to defeat You-Know-Who and if I can help, that's enough for me. If that means I'll only be a footnote in magical history, that's plenty of honor for me. I'm not out for glory."
"Very noble of you," Snape said blandly.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked. "What are you DOING here, anyway?"
"I needed a cuppa," Snape said. "I've been rather busy lately and the house-elves are extremely accommodating, as I'm sure you've noticed. And as I've said before, I'm curious about why you're hiding in the kitchens. I personally don't think it's because you're a slave to scholarly devotion, which is the general consensus."
Hermione was suddenly so angry that she forgot that Snape was a teacher--and for all she knew, a teacher about to take fifty points from Gryffindor for her audacious behavior. How dare he?
"What do you think, Professor Snape? That I'm plotting to betray Harry? That I'm studying the Dark Arts in my spare time?"
Snape looked at her, lifting an eyebrow.
"You'd be a far more interesting--and less dangerous--young woman if you were," he said coolly. "But I hardly think so."
"So what, then?" Hermione said, quite frustrated. "You don't think I'm plotting, you don't think I'm studying--and this isn't really your business anyway, as I'm not a Slytherin. What do you mean?"
"It means this," Snape said. "We're involved in a desperate battle here, Miss Granger, and the Dark Lord doesn't play fair. He's not going to come at Potter through a frontal assault. He'll look for weaknesses in his friends--and you're the weakest link."
"I am not!" Hermione said, springing up. "How could you--I'm one of his best friends!"
"And you're also insufferable, short-tempered, proud, and a Mudblood outsider who feels rather sensitive about your considerable abilities," Snape pointed out with devastating honesty. "Loyalty can turn to resentment fairly quickly under the right circumstances--ones the other side can certainly contrive."
Hermione, reminded of Wormtail, could do nothing but nod...
(End cut.)
I'd love to see a much longer story based on that idea: Hermione being drawn to the other side (for selfish but human reasons), and ending up betraying the others. I very, very seriously doubt that JKR would ever even consider doing such a thing with her, but it seems like a believable idea.
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no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 10:33 am (UTC)It's an interesting idea, what you posed, but I also don't quite like the author's take on Hermione.
And you're also insufferable, short-tempered, proud, and a Mudblood outsider who feels rather sensitive about your considerable abilities
She is only insufferable to those who are jealous of her abilities.
I think she is remarkably even-tempered, having put up with Ron and Harry not speaking to each other for several months. I think the few times she has gone off on either one of them, it was after some time and with good reason.
I don't think she's extremely sensitive about being a Mudblood, or random insults. Witness her ignoring of all the talk, keeping herself above it, when Rita Skeeter had decided to go after her in Goblet of Fire. It was Harry who was getting annoyed and wanting to lash out at the talkers; she was telling him to ignore it because it wasn't true.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 10:51 am (UTC)Agreed. I'm pretty "eh" about the whole story, other than that basic idea the author had.
I would *love* to see Ron and Harry have to deal with a betrayal from so close to them, to see the affect it would have on them (especially on Harry).
no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 10:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:06 am (UTC)Ahem.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:18 am (UTC)I don't think I'd like JKR as a person
Date: 2003-06-19 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:25 am (UTC)Though I'm sure that JKR won't go there...I do think that a deft writer could make a Dark!Hermione quite plausible. She's clearly got a lust for knowledge (and a willingness to ignore school rules in order to pursue it; i.e. creating the Polyjuice potion). She's also demonstrated a willingness to disregard societal rules when she believes that the ends justify the means (witness her kidnapping and imprisonment of Rita Skeeter in GoF). And finally she's used to her motives/plans being unintelligible by her closest friends--people who might bring up moral/ethical objections. She's also used to acting on her own moral authority, rather than consulting others. All of those characteristics add up to the possibility for Hermione to "slip into shadow" (cue spooky music), especially if the author were to imperil someone (or something) very near and dear to her (i.e. her parents, Harry or Ron, or some important intellectual/magical artifact).
There is an interesting parallel in the novel, "The Fire's Stone" by Tanya Huff, in which a precocious young female wizard know-it-all (rather like Hermione) is confronted with a similar moral dilemma: What are (and where are) the limits of knowledge?
no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 11:32 am (UTC)I get the sense that, when all is said and done, Harry will be "alone" (or believe himself to be alone) when he has to confront Voldemort for the final time.
Re: I don't think I'd like JKR as a person
Date: 2003-06-19 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-19 01:17 pm (UTC)Re: I don't think I'd like JKR as a person
Date: 2003-06-19 02:36 pm (UTC)All authors do this to one extent or another. At least, authors of original worlds.