OotP Chapter 32 - Out of the Fire
Harry rushes out of the exam to the infirmary, looking for professor McGonagall, but she's been trasferred to St. Mungos. The next step is to grab Ron and Hermione, inform them of Sirius alleged capture, override any attempts at rational thought or common sense on their parts, and start planning
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Hermione really messes up with her 'saving-people-thing' comment - which must seem like a betrayal to Harry - because her real point is valid: that Voldemort is tricking Harry, that V. knows if Harry thinks Sirius is in danger he'll come to help him. Lucius and Bellatrix actually confirm this later in the DoM. Hermione's comment made me gasp the first time I read OotP, but it kind of seemed realistic, just the sort of clumsy thing someone would say in the stress of the moment. At the same time, as others have said already, it does show the gap between Harry's experience and that of his friends. That the thought could be in Hermione's head, that she could pass judgement on Harry in this way, at this moment!
I wonder if Voldemort wondered how Harry was going to manage the 500 mile or so journey from Hogwarts to London!
Harry tells Prof Tofty he's had a nightmare and he's alright now, but really it's as though his vision in the exam room has opened a door into a continuing nightmare where he is continually forced away from his objective, and where everything he tries to do goes wrong.
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Oh yeah, that part is definitely valid. Hermione, and she doesn't have good track record on this type of thing, just manages to stuff her foot in her mouth. Although, given the way she says it, I'm not sure her original point was so simple. I think that point is in there, but I think she's got all these other confused ideas about Harry's motivation that she tries to voice at the worst possible moment, as well.
That the thought could be in Hermione's head, that she could pass judgement on Harry in this way, at this moment!
I'm almost on her side, actually. For all that I don't think anyone could really be rational in Harry's situation, and that I don't think Hermione would stand a chance if it was one of her parents, that doesn't mean rationality isn't worth anything in such a situation. Having someone who doesn't know what it's like, who's utterly on the outside can be very, very useful. It's just that Hermione almost totally blows it, imho.
but really it's as though his vision in the exam room has opened a door into a continuing nightmare where he is continually forced away from his objective, and where everything he tries to do goes wrong.
Oh, well put! Yeah, it's really terrible, although I enjoy how terrible it is. I don't think I could have forgiven JKR if she made the situation easy to figure out, and Harry messed up because he's blindly arrogant. It's just not the character, and it makes so much more sense for his mistakes to be honest ones -- actions made in good faith, but unfortunately also while totally in the dark.
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It made sense to me, and I'm inclined to agree with her. Granted, most of the adults in the series treat Harry like a fragile child, but how many times throughout the books could he have made his life easier it he'd 1) asked for help, 2) done what he was told, or 3) confided in someone? Sometimes he needs to just react, but a lot of the time, Harry needs to think first.
Harry, being rather brave and noble, tends to think that he is the only one who understands and the only one who can do the job.
Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it just makes things worse. A little logic and reason would serve Harry (and The Cause) better, rather than rushing in with wand blazing. We've had hints that this has occured to Harry in HBP.
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how many times throughout the books could he have made his life easier it he'd 1) asked for help, 2) done what he was told, or 3) confided in someone?
Almost none. He tried to get help in PS/SS, CoS, and here -- there was no help to be had. Confiding in someone is more what Lupin should have done in PoA, rather than Harry. There was no time to go for help when Sirius took Ron, and his time turner mission was Dumbledore-sponsored. GoF was another teacher-sponsored disaster. Which brings us to Harry confiding in Dumbledore in OotP, and I think the problem is (again) a teacher not confiding, rather than Harry. He could have done what he was told, true, but why should he? No one ever gives him a good reason to, or lets him evaluate possible consequences. Since he's not actually under the Order's authority, there's no reason for him to follow orders. I for one would find him pretty pathetic if he blindly did whatever he was told just because an adult said to.
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I would disagree. He's about to run off to do something foolish - again. It's the perfect time to mention that he tends to leap before he looks.
Almost none. He tried to get help in PS/SS, CoS, and here -- there was no help to be had.
You're correct in that there have been many times when the kids (esp. Harry) were meant to handle things on their own. But there were also many times when Harry could have confided in DD, Sirius, Hermione, etc. Harry's upbringing has led him to hold his feeling in, so he ends up torturing himself needlessly - for 5 books now. :)
A natural extension of that is the feeling that 'if he doesn't act, no one else will.' This is wrong and dangerous. It's no coincidence that Harry's 'saving people thing' got Sirius killed and his friends injured. While I try not to argue authorial intent, we've been told that Harry grows up a lot in HBP. Part of that would hopefully include thinking before he acts (that, and holding his temper - esp. around teachers).
Respectfully, I don't think you can argue that Hermione was wrong even though she turned out to be right. Granted, it may have been the last thing Harry wanted to hear, but I think it was what he needed to hear.
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But there were also many times when Harry could have confided in DD, Sirius, Hermione, etc. Harry's upbringing has led him to hold his feeling in, so he ends up torturing himself needlessly - for 5 books now. :)
I disagree. Harry doesn't trust people, but they haven't proven themselves trustworthy, and there are very few instances where going to them would have produced results.
A natural extension of that is the feeling that 'if he doesn't act, no one else will.' This is wrong and dangerous.
Well, except that Harry has been proven correct 99% of the time. It's obviously dangerous. But, again, my point is that Hermione is approaching it from the wrong angle merely by calling it a "saving-people-thing", as a opposed to calling it a "paranoid-don't-trust-the-world-thing".
Respectfully, I don't think you can argue that Hermione was wrong even though she turned out to be right. Granted, it may have been the last thing Harry wanted to hear, but I think it was what he needed to hear.
And I don't think you can argue that she was right even though she was wrong. Someone who says we landed on the moon to harvest cheese is just as wrong as someone who says we didn't land on the moon at all. She had a good motive, but nearly every single thing she says to Harry to convince him is inaccurate. The fact that they shouldn't have gone doesn't make her reasons for not going any more valid. She said that Voldemort couldn't possibly get in -- he did. She said it didn't make sense -- they don't have enough information to judge that, nor do Voldemort's plans frequently even make sense. She said it could just be a dream -- it was definitely a vision. She manages to skirt any useful argument, only coming up to the edges before going off in the wrong direction.
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