That is what Dad has to say about Hermione. "If I were them," he said, "I think I'd bop her in the nose!" Of course, this was before he got to the troll confrontation; I'm not sure what he thinks of her now. But I assured him she mellows out. I recall thinking that too as I was re-reading it, and I got a chuckle out of how Harry "couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering." Interestingly, almost the same wording is used at the end, when Hermione, upon witnessing Vernon's greeting, is shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant. She is a very decent person; she's just sort of a "perfect person", particularly in the beginning. But without her initiative, a lot of important things would not have happened, and her walking encyclopedia nature has saved the day on many occasions.
One thing I love about Hermione is her devotion to Hagrid. She spends hours of her third year working on Buckbeak's appeal despite the fact that she's incredibly overscheduled. In the fourth year, she is the one who insists they go to Hagrid and talk him out of resigning; in the fifth, she's the one who alerts Ron and Harry to his return, and in their sixth year, she smooths things over with him by offering to help with his latest dangerous creature crisis. It seems that she is just as close to Hagrid as Harry is. I also really like the concern she shows for Neville, from helping him find Trevor way back in the beginning to worrying about his response to Moody's demonstration. And of course, the ongoing crusade for the House Elves. Maybe one of these days she will even inspire a little change of heart in Kreacher...
I remember reading something about how Rowling really had to fight for the troll scene because the editor thought it didn't advance the plot much; she said she felt Hermione was so hard to deal with in the beginning, there had to be a dramatic event to bring her, Harry and Ron together. It certainly did!
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Hee! I think one of the moments in Sorcerer's Stone that gave me the best chuckle this time around, was Ron's fervent hope that Hermione would end up being in any house but his. Very ironic, especially considering that we can't help but think (and hope) that these two will one day end up living in the same "house" permanently. Can't you just picture them as an old married couple, bickering happily away?
Hermione comes across as a major know-it-all, and yet I've never found her unsympathetic. Maybe because I've always related to her need to figure things out from books. It always makes me giggle a bit when we see Hermione get frustrated when the library fails to turn up the answer to a puzzle.
It strikes me, however, having just re-read all the books, that Hermione's wisdom goes deeper than mere book knowledge...she's often right, or at least on the right track, when it comes to understanding people and what makes them tick. Harry and Ron would do well to listen to her more often!
I love the troll scene. I'm so glad Rowling got her way with that one!
Hehe, have you ever seen that Dairy Queen commercial where the elderly couple are talking about celebrating their anniversary with an ice cream cake? I just got a flash of them while picturing Ron and Hermione years into the future, cheerfully sniping at one another...
Hermione really does catch on to things very quickly, and most of her ideas are very good ones. Definitely somebody worth listening to!
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