The Issues of a Post-DH Hermione
Lately, I've been struggling with wrapping my head around how to write a post-DH Hermione, and not only because of the canon-rape in the book. I can work with what JKR did to the character, as long as we close our eyes and imagine that she was going through some sort of prolonged PMS... and some delusions regarding Ron. Now that we've got the crying and the awful relationship decision explained away, I want to blab about my thoughts on her professional life and her parenting, because once we neatly eliminate Ron from the picture (death, divorce, permanently holidaying in Antarctica-the nasty and irrevocable result of dealing with Auror trainees) so that she can run off with the dashing character of your choice, those are the two areas of her life that will remain permanent fixtures.
The Hermione in my mind was, is, and shall always remain, to a certain extent, something of a control freak. The scene that I find the most telling about her was in PoA, when the Boggart-McGonagall told her that she failed everything; backing this up, there are myriads of plans, constant studying, and has a tendency to lash out when things don't quite go her way (Slughorn's party, anyone?). So how does this translate into her family life? What happens when Hugo says his first word and Mummy isn't there to hear it or Rose skins her knee and won't stop bawling? (Or, perhaps more pertinently, how does she react when Ron decides to name the children as she is napping post-labour?) As per JKR, when we see her in the epilogue, her career is flourishing, but I've long since come to the conclusion that JKR exists in her own little idealistic land, where people can go on maternity leave and not suffer as a result, and working while trying to take on the full responsibility of raising children and running a household doesn't leave one completely burnt out. Personally, I can't see Ron taking on any household responsibilities (unless Hermione hexes him into it), so this is a very real possibility... I'm vaguely reminded of a House episode where a woman is on Ritalin to avoid having to admit to her husband that she is doing too much (I don't recall if she actually is taking it or they assume she is taking it), but what if it becomes too much? We've seen Hermione break down from taking on too many responsibilities in the books (namely the Time-turner fiasco), which suggests a certain level of stubbornness or inability to admit to making a mistake. Besides affecting her relationship with Ron, it makes me wonder what sorts of demands she will place on her children as a result of her high expectations for herself and to what extent it will impair her ability to be a 'good' parent.
Taking it a step further, what will be required for her to learn to strike a balance and how will it impact any future relationships that she might have i.e. will they have to accept that they live with a high-strung workaholic or will compromises have to be made?
Or, getting off at the next station and boarding a completely new train of thought, if Hermione has perfectly healthy relationships with her children up to the point of the epilogue (and even beyond), what impact would the breakdown of her marriage have on them? There must be some level of guilt, I imagine, on her part, not to mention the explanation of, "Mummy and Daddy love you very much, they just don't love each other anymore," only goes so far.
Not to mention that I already see myself falling into the trap of only mentioning Rose and Hugo in the same breath (much as prick-like Harry and Ron have been to fandom), as they merrily bond with the children in their mother's new love interest's life.
So, not only did the man who knocked the mirror off my car fail at hit-and-run, but he also appears to have been dropped on his head during infancy, before his skull finished hardening, as per the phone conversation that I finally had with him today (two weeks after the fact). We'll call him Hezekiah, just for funsies.
Me: So, erm, hi. You hit my car and I'd really really liked to get it fixed sometime. Before the horsemen of the apocalypse and Doomsday and all that.
Hezekiah: Oh, right, that... Well, why didn't you phone me?
Me: I've been trying for the last two weeks. Except, well, I WORK IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING AND YOU DON'T HAVE VOICEMAIL.
Hezekiah: You know, I didn't really mean to try and do a hit and run there, but you see I was just driving by-
Me: That's nice.
Hezekiah: -and I live just around the corner from you, you know, but anyway, I had to assemble this exercise bike that I picked up from that industrial park you live next to and I looked around and couldn't see anyone anywhere-
Me: Look, can I just-
Hezekiah: -but anyway, I really don't want to go through insurance, because it seems such a waste to do that on such small damages...
(Insert thirty minute ramble here, punctuated my my failed attempts at interruption, and then me trying to explain his insurance policy to him.)
Hezekiah: Well, I'm so glad we've got that all sorted out. Now tell me about that condo complex you live in...
Me: WTF?
Moral of the story: when you try to do a hit and run on my car, I do not want to hold hands and be friends with you.
Although he did seem like a nice man, if you ignored the extreme levels of idiocy. Personally, I'm just relieved that I shall be able to fix my car sometime in the near future at no expense to myself.
The Hermione in my mind was, is, and shall always remain, to a certain extent, something of a control freak. The scene that I find the most telling about her was in PoA, when the Boggart-McGonagall told her that she failed everything; backing this up, there are myriads of plans, constant studying, and has a tendency to lash out when things don't quite go her way (Slughorn's party, anyone?). So how does this translate into her family life? What happens when Hugo says his first word and Mummy isn't there to hear it or Rose skins her knee and won't stop bawling? (Or, perhaps more pertinently, how does she react when Ron decides to name the children as she is napping post-labour?) As per JKR, when we see her in the epilogue, her career is flourishing, but I've long since come to the conclusion that JKR exists in her own little idealistic land, where people can go on maternity leave and not suffer as a result, and working while trying to take on the full responsibility of raising children and running a household doesn't leave one completely burnt out. Personally, I can't see Ron taking on any household responsibilities (unless Hermione hexes him into it), so this is a very real possibility... I'm vaguely reminded of a House episode where a woman is on Ritalin to avoid having to admit to her husband that she is doing too much (I don't recall if she actually is taking it or they assume she is taking it), but what if it becomes too much? We've seen Hermione break down from taking on too many responsibilities in the books (namely the Time-turner fiasco), which suggests a certain level of stubbornness or inability to admit to making a mistake. Besides affecting her relationship with Ron, it makes me wonder what sorts of demands she will place on her children as a result of her high expectations for herself and to what extent it will impair her ability to be a 'good' parent.
Taking it a step further, what will be required for her to learn to strike a balance and how will it impact any future relationships that she might have i.e. will they have to accept that they live with a high-strung workaholic or will compromises have to be made?
Or, getting off at the next station and boarding a completely new train of thought, if Hermione has perfectly healthy relationships with her children up to the point of the epilogue (and even beyond), what impact would the breakdown of her marriage have on them? There must be some level of guilt, I imagine, on her part, not to mention the explanation of, "Mummy and Daddy love you very much, they just don't love each other anymore," only goes so far.
Not to mention that I already see myself falling into the trap of only mentioning Rose and Hugo in the same breath (much as prick-like Harry and Ron have been to fandom), as they merrily bond with the children in their mother's new love interest's life.
So, not only did the man who knocked the mirror off my car fail at hit-and-run, but he also appears to have been dropped on his head during infancy, before his skull finished hardening, as per the phone conversation that I finally had with him today (two weeks after the fact). We'll call him Hezekiah, just for funsies.
Me: So, erm, hi. You hit my car and I'd really really liked to get it fixed sometime. Before the horsemen of the apocalypse and Doomsday and all that.
Hezekiah: Oh, right, that... Well, why didn't you phone me?
Me: I've been trying for the last two weeks. Except, well, I WORK IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING AND YOU DON'T HAVE VOICEMAIL.
Hezekiah: You know, I didn't really mean to try and do a hit and run there, but you see I was just driving by-
Me: That's nice.
Hezekiah: -and I live just around the corner from you, you know, but anyway, I had to assemble this exercise bike that I picked up from that industrial park you live next to and I looked around and couldn't see anyone anywhere-
Me: Look, can I just-
Hezekiah: -but anyway, I really don't want to go through insurance, because it seems such a waste to do that on such small damages...
(Insert thirty minute ramble here, punctuated my my failed attempts at interruption, and then me trying to explain his insurance policy to him.)
Hezekiah: Well, I'm so glad we've got that all sorted out. Now tell me about that condo complex you live in...
Me: WTF?
Moral of the story: when you try to do a hit and run on my car, I do not want to hold hands and be friends with you.
Although he did seem like a nice man, if you ignored the extreme levels of idiocy. Personally, I'm just relieved that I shall be able to fix my car sometime in the near future at no expense to myself.