Hermione, a spy? Not a chance you say? Well there seems to be many instances throughout the series that could point to this assumption, especially in book 5. I am not suggesting that she is spying for Voldemort, but for Dumbledore instead. As Dumbledore stated on pages 838 and 839 of the American hardcover version of OotP: "Is there a defense? I defy anyone who has watched you as I have -- and I have watched you more closely than you can have imagined." I am sure there are a few ways he has kept an eye on Harry, but Hermione may be his biggest weapon.

The first instance that came to me as I reviewed the earlier books was Harry’s flight from the Dursley’s at the beginning of book 2. The only one who knew besides Fred, George, and Ron that they were going to bust Harry free was Hermione, though Dumbledore seemed to know at once, since his Hogwarts letter was delivered to the Weasley house. The only other people who could have reported this other than Hermione would be Petunia Dursley or Mrs. Figg. As it was the dead of night, I doubt it was Mrs. Figg, and I doubt Petunia would have bothered.

The rest of the examples I noticed were from book 5:

The meeting in the Hog’s Head, during Chapter 16, stands out due to the fact that Mundungus was already there, waiting for the trio in his witch disguise, showing that Dumbledore knew of the meeting beforehand, and had Mundungus waiting. As the rest of the DA seemed to be afraid of Umbridge’s wrath, it’s doubtful that any of them said anything that would have gotten to Dumbledore’s ears since they wanted to attend the meeting.

During Chapter 23, Harry feels that he may be a danger to others and decides to flee Grimmauld Place only to be stopped by a message from Dumbledore through Phineas Nigellus. What does Dumbledore do next? He sends Hermione, who has barely seen her parents since before the Quiddich World Cup in book 4, to make sure Harry does not decide to flee. The interesting thing here is how Hermione arrived covered in snow, when no snow had been mentioned during the trip Harry, Moody, Tonks, and the Weasleys took through London to see Mr. Weasley in St. Mungo’s, though I can’t quite place the importance of this description from Rowling. Obviously she was sent for damage control.

In Chapter 37, Dumbledore stated that he was aware of the vision/dream Harry had, where he saw Voldemort learning from Rookwood that Bode couldn't remove the prophecy for them from the DoM. The only people who knew of this were Ron and Hermione. As Ron would never betray his best friend's confidence, even for his own good, it stands to reason that Hermione went to Dumbledore with this information. Now Snape did see part of this during Occlumency class, though it didn’t seem as if he was privy to the contents of the conversation, just the setting.

In her mind, she did this to protect him. Now imagine what would happen if Hermione was asked by Dumbledore himself at the end of book 1 to keep an eye on Harry for him since he might still be in danger, and to report anything that may prove dangerous. As a teacher's pet, she would feel honored that she had been asked for such a task. And as an overprotective friend, she would feel as though it was “for his own good.”

In addition, if Dumbledore thinks it’s a good idea, so does Hermione. Her objection to using the Room of Requirement changed dramatically after she heard that Dumbledore had previously mentioned it to Harry. She has also tried to be extremely controlling as far as Harry is concerned. Look at her reactions to the news that Harry sent a letter to Sirius and the dream he had concerning Voldemort/Bode during book 5. In the first instance she was angry that Harry hadn’t mentioned that he wrote to Sirius. As if he had to get her permission just to go to the bathroom. Then she got angry that Harry had seen the dream, and told him to try harder at Occlumency. Both instances show Hermione attempting to enforce Dumbledore’s wishes.

Though none of these observations prove without a doubt that Hermione is a spy, her attitude fits this assumption, especially in OoTP. Hermione’s attitude that Dumbledore is perfect may lead to some tension. In the light that Harry no longer views Dumbledore as infallible, it will be interesting to see the consequences if this theory turns out to be accurate.

4/29/05

Posted by: Sara