Why I Think Hermione Was Wrong – Anniversary of Through the Trapdoor
Today marks the anniversary of the trio going through the trapdoor in the Sorcerer’s Stone, and it got me reminiscing. After rewatching the trio beat the trials to get to the Stone, I found myself getting annoyed.
As Hermione Granger goes over to help Ron Weasley with Harry Potter, she says,
Harry – you’re a great wizard, you know.”
“I’m not as good as you,” said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
“Me!” said Hermione. “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery and – oh Harry – be careful!”
Now, don’t get me wrong – friendship and bravery are important. But Hermione brushing away her talent and cleverness is not okay. Hermione, the brightest witch of her age who achieves incredible marks on her exams and assignments. I know she is trying to instill some confidence in Harry, but that doesn’t mean she needs to downgrade her talents. One of the many things Harry Potter has taught me has been to embrace who I am and to stay true to who I am. It’s our quirks and individuality that make us who we are, and it fills me with sadness that Hermione feels that she is less of a person than Harry.
It also reminded me of a comment made by Ron in Deathly Hallows (Part 1 in the films):
We wouldn’t last two days without her. Don’t tell her I said that.
It seems that even Harry and Ron know that they need Hermione’s talents. Yes, she may be a bit overzealous at times with her knowledge, but it is something to be proud of. Since I am also a student at the moment, I wish I had the cleverness and ability to absorb information like Hermione does! The fact that Hermione thinks that her talents are nothing compared to Harry’s bravery frustrates me.
Bravery only gets you so far, and we all know Harry has made some dumb decisions when being “brave”! He always gets himself into the worst situations. I’m pretty sure without the help of Hermione and Ron, he wouldn’t have survived Hogwarts classes let alone the battles later on in his school year!
It might seem contradictory for me to say that Hermione was wrong, but it’s true! There is a place for bravery, and friendship is important, but she is brave as well as intelligent and logical! Nowadays, being a geek is cool. Maybe it’s time we step away from this preconception that you can’t be brainy and proud.
I’d love to hear what you think of this, too. Is Hermione wrong to downplay her talent? Or do you think I’ve missed the point?