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Nightfall: at dusk - Prologue: Night monsters

Ao3 link: Nightfall : at dusk - Chapter 1 - Austenpoppy - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14301937/1/Nightfall-At-Dusk

Summary:

2001. Ron and Harry are working hard at the Auror Academy to become full-fledged Aurors, while Hermione is trying to find her place in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and Ginny is training with the Holyhead Harpies. Everybody is trying to overcome what happened in the war to focus on building a better future, and life seems easier than it has ever been. However, darkness is looming on the horizon as Muggleborn and Half-Blood wizards and witches disappear before being found out weeks later, their dead bodies having been experimented upon. Meanwhile, Ron has more and more trouble dealing with the aftermath of what happened with the locket...

I can't believe I'm actually starting to post this. This is going to be the first fanfiction I publish, but it is a gigantic project that I have started years ago, when I was barely out of high school - and it's very close to my heart. It all began in a rather boring geography class in 2017 (I'm sorry, Mr. D, I can't say I care about mussel culture in Thailand) where I had let my imagination wander, doing one of my favourite hobbies: inventing stories with one of my favourite characters of all time (in case that was not clear, I'm talking about Ron). I was thinking about one scene from one of my favourite childhood movies (the fantastic "Azur and Asmar" by Michel Ocelot) and I was replacing the characters from the animation film with Harry and Ron, imagining how they could have ended up in that situation and what could happen after.

The entire universe of Nightfall was born from this one scene alone.

If you start this journey with me, my fellow Internet friend, this is going to be a long, very long ride. The story is so huge I divided it into three parts, each of which have their own "arcs" so to speak. The good thing is that I know exactly where I'm going, and I can assure you that considering there are already six years of work put into this project I am not likely to ever abandon it. You should rather feel sorry for my dear friend and beta Vivithefolle who not only had to hear me talk about this project for years, but also had to read some chapters in complete disorder, with some notes from me to explain the context or background information. Thank you so much, Vivi, you motivated me to write at a time you were my only reader and I had this crazy idea I would write all the chapters before publishing them (no this did not work out, but no one can accuse me of being impatient... six freaking years of work...).

However I want to be clear and honest to my potential readers: this is not going to be a happy-go-lucky story by any stretch of the imagination. I am going to write about mature and sometimes very dark subjects, even though if you know me, you may have guessed I rather like humour and am not really fond of cynical and hopeless works. I, however, am a sadist, as you will have the displeasure to discover once you see how I treat Ron (I'm joking, I'm joking...or am I ?). I don't want to say too much, but let's just say people who came here for a feel-good story without any angst will be thoroughly disappointed.

As a side note, I consider this work to be canon-compliant, given that I only consider the seven original books as canon and take what J. K. Rowling wrote on Pottermore with a grain of salt; but "Nightfall" is not my headcanon of what happened after the war either. Consider it more like an evil twin of my actual headcanon.

Now let me introduce you to the world of "Nightfall", or the story that has been living rent free in my head nearly everyday for the past few years. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and I'm proud and extremely touched to present you with my first published fanfiction (I also feel very self-conscious, but I guess that was to be expected).

Disclaimer: All characters and events depicted in the original book series belong to J.K. Rowling. Most unfortunately.

Trigger warnings for this chapter: graphic depictions of violence, disturbing imagery

(See the end of the work for more notes).

Prologue : Night monsters

Sunday 7th January, 2001 - 2 am.

It was a very cold night. Thaddeus gripped the pants of his cloak tighter against himself, trying to warm himself up as best as he could. As he exhaled loudly, his breath came out in a silvery steam before disappearing. His lips were chapped, and he could feel the cracks on them that would probably end up bleeding.

He found himself thinking wistfully of the warm bed in which his wife was waiting for him at home. Images of himself with his head going deep into his soft pillow, pulling back his fluffy blankets over his body, and kissing Magdalene goodnight before going to sleep with a contented smile on his face flooded his mind. He fidgeted, feeling irritation slowly rising inside him. How long would he have to wait?

Magdalene was certainly trying to fight off sleep until he came back, though she was most likely too groggy to last long – Calder, who had turned three in November, was in his oppositional phase and was exhausting them both. Thaddeus had been in the Auror Task Force for more than twenty years, and Magdalene had been his wife for well over fifteen years now, but she still worried almost as much as she did back when they started dating.

She worried even more those days considering what had been happening lately. Eight wizards and witches had vanished in the last month and a half in mysterious circumstances; two of them had ended up dead, their corpses dropped in random places all over the United Kingdom. And to top it off, all of the missing people had either been Muggleborn or Half-Blood, something that the media had been quick to point out.

Of course, worried whispers had emerged ever since Fidvi Khokhar, the second victim, had disappeared, and those whispers had grown louder and louder every time another person had gone missing. A collective shiver had taken over the wizarding community, that was paralyzed with fear at the idea that somehow, You-Know-Who had managed to come back from the dead yet again.

About two weeks earlier, when Conri Hartnett's body had been found five hundred miles away from the place he had last been seen, stupor had seized Aurors and civils alike. Of course, everyone had felt very sorry for his family, though nobody had ever doubted that the former Unspeakable had been killed - there was even a strange relief that had gone hand in hand with the discovery of the corpse, since victims of Death Eater who had disappeared were very rarely found.

Yet, despite this small relief, horror and fright had quickly made their way into everybody's hearts at the knowledge that Hartnett's body had been experimented upon. Thaddeus had not seen the body himself, and photographs of the corpse had been forbidden despite outcries from scoops-hungry journalists, but he had heard other Aurors shiver while recounting the tale in the common room.

The picture those Aurors had painted was the kind that you only saw in the most terrible nightmares. Hartnett's fingers, hands, arms, legs and foot had apparently disappeared, replaced instead with translucid tentacles reminiscent of a jellyfish. Meanwhile, his head had taken up a more cubic-shaped form, while his hair had completely fallen off. Furthermore, the rest of his body had been covered with a bad rash. The Aurors who were at the crime scene had said you could barely make out the place the human body ended and the jellyfish started, as if the two were one and the same.

Really Thaddeus couldn't imagine much more terrible fate. The Auror department had not even allowed Hartnett's family to see the body, let alone get it back for a proper funeral. As of now the scientific team was still trying to figure out what had happened to Hartnett exactly. So far the only things they were sure about were that the kind of jellyfish Hartnett had been merged with was a species of the family Oceaniidae, and that dark magic had been involved in the twisted process of Transfiguration.

Two days after Hartnett, another body had been found in Cardiff. This one, too, had been awfully disfigured. After a bit of investigation, it had turned out to be Donovan Kovalenko, a British Ukrainian citizen who had worked as a secretary in the Ukrainian embassy until his disappearance, and the last person to have disappeared.

Unlike Bartnett, he had not been blended with a jellyfish, but with a bowhead whale. His face had been completely unrecognizable, and it was only because of a very specific birthmark that the scientific team had been able to identify the body.

Just like with Bartnett, Kovalenko's transfigured corpse had been found very far away from the place he had last been seen, since the Ukrainian embassy was based in London. What was more, he had also been found in a completely different region than Bartnett, whose body had been discovered in a little town in Scotland, Tobermory.

All in all, Thaddeus thought with a shudder, there was something really dark going on, but no one could tell whether this was the work of a serial killer, of Pureblood fanatics, of a human trafficking ring, or something else entirely.

Thaddeus didn't think Magdalene had any reason to fret today, though. If the situation he'd been required to deal with had been dangerous, he wouldn't be hanging around waiting for the Hit wizard on duty to come and let him know what was going on. It was probably some kind of drunk wizard who'd destroyed public property thinking Trolls were attacking him. Two months ago he'd arrested a man who had been bothering a neighbourhood in London, believing himself to be Celestina Warbeck. The fella had sung all night with a croaky falsetto voice that seemed immune to the most powerful Silencios.

Merlin, he hated being the reserve Auror at night, but he needed the extra money.

Just as his mind was going to go down a rather dark route he was nonetheless accustomed to, he noticed a familiar figure coming right toward him, looking grim. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Harvey?" he asked as they showed each other their Auror badges and checked each other's identity. "What're you doing here?"

"Nasty business, Thaddeus", Harvey replied sombrely, shaking his head, while Thaddeus followed him. "A young witch who was on her way home after a party stumbled upon the body of Lucinda Backstreet. Lynn's team is already on the crime scene."

Immediately, Thaddeus felt his shoulders slump, and his heart constricted. It was going to be a long night. Magdalene's eyes would give up the fight against sleep well before he would be able to go home, and the first thing he would do when he did go back to his house wouldn't be to kiss his children or wife but take a huge glass of Firewhisky.

Lucinda Backstreet was one of the eight people who had disappeared in the last weeks. A young girl from Bristol, enthusiastic and passionate about the protection of magical animals. One day she had left her home to go to the weekly meeting of her club dedicated to the defense of the rights of magical creatures, and then nobody had ever seen her again. Her disappearance had really caused a stir nationwide. Not only was she the youngest victim, but her father, Cyneric Backstreet, was a well-known businessman who had made a fortune selling transportable strongboxes that were charmed to repel most common spells.

Walking toward her corpse reminded Thaddeus as to why some days he thought that he should find another job.

Neither Harvey nor he were speaking, and the only sounds that could be heard were that of their boots on gravel. After a few minutes spent in silence, they finally approached the crime scene. Thaddeus noticed that a few members of the scientific team were already there, looking for evidence and preparing the body for transport, including the Team Leader of the scientific team herself, Auror Lynn Oliver. Thaddeus gave a nod in her direction, which she answered grimly.

Thaddeus looked around for familiar faces, and he saw Monica and Griffiths acknowledge his presence with a small wave, though they quickly got back to what they were doing, both of their faces incredibly serious.

When Thaddeus finally laid eyes on Lucinda's body, he felt himself repress a gag and he had to quickly avert his eyes. The young girl was spread out on the pavement, her face turned toward the starry night. Her expression would give Thaddeus nightmares for months. Her mouth was contorted in pain, her cheeks were tear-stained, and her glassy eyes were wide open in terror, telling a story of terrible suffering.

Though her face and chest had remained human, her stretched-out arms had been turned into something else, just like the previous victims. This time, as far as Thaddeus could tell, the monsters responsible for the murders had tried to turn Lucinda into some sort of part-Phoenix creature. While the shape of her arms was visible, they had been saddled with very big wings, covered in those unmistakable red feathers typical of Phoenixes. Some of them had seemingly burnt, as they had turned black and were emitting a dark smoke that Thaddeus instinctively backed away from.

Lucinda's hands were still present, but her fingers had elongated, and were contracted, as if she had had a seizure. Her legs, too, had been partially Transfigured. Thaddeus could see feathers coming out from under her pants, that had clearly been buttoned up hastily, and her feet had been turned into sharp talons, onto which no shoe could be put, though her shoes had still been put beside her body.

"I can't believe I'll have to be the one who'll tell Cyneric Backstreet that his daughter is dead, and that her death was clearly not a quick, painless one", sighed Harvey next to Thaddeus.

"Is that why you arrived at the crime scene before me?" Thaddeus asked, his voice laced with sympathy as he looked up at Harvey. "The emergency code for the missing persons' case?"

"Yeah, I was the one from my squad on duty tonight", Harvey replied, his breath turning into vapor as he exhaled. "The witness fortunately remembered it, and I received the signal thirty minutes ago. Right now Gallaway is taking her deposition."

Harvey jutted his chin toward a young woman, who couldn't be older than twenty-five and was in a clear state of great agitation. She was standing a few feet away from the crime scene, and was talking to a black-haired Auror in uniform that Thaddeus had only met a few times.

Thaddeus crouched down to look at Lucinda. He could not imagine the horrors she must have been through, and he shuddered as he thought of her father, who had openly wept in the Aurors' Office when he had been told there were few chances that Lucinda was alive after the first two bodies had been found.

As a father himself, Thaddeus could barely bear to think about that happening to his own children. Lucinda's face was so youthful that it was just plain wrong to imagine her doing anything other than laughing with her friends, complaining that she had too much homework, or giving animated speeches about endangered species.

Feeling dejected, Thaddeus turned his face toward Harvey and declared quietly: "Poor girl. She wasn't even seventeen."

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He was stuck on a chair in the tent and felt dirty. He looked down at his hands. He had been so sure he had cleaned them several times before, yet they looked filthy, dusty - all those adjectives finishing with a - y that applied to him because he was such a terrible person.

"Nothing will ever wipe your hands off your betrayal. It's too late. But has there been a time when you were at their level? Has there ever been a time when you were worth their brightness? No, and you know it. You're a dark creature, Ron Weasley, with even darker and hideous thoughts. I have seen your heart, and it is black. You have tried to keep your jealousy and your mediocrity hidden, you have tried to ignore the calls of your inner nature, but hear me out - you have failed."

"Do you see them? They are outside, in the sun, in the light. They shine very brightly, don't they, Ron? Their skins glow, their eyes sparkle, their smiles warm up everything around them. Do you see how much happier the world seems to be with them in it? Birds sing again, flowers are blooming, and Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are the stars the sky was waiting for."

“You are in the dark, and you will remain in the dark. You are seated in dust because you are nothing more than dust yourself. Actually, to be perfectly honest, your surroundings were welcoming and comfortable until you showed up and sat down in this chair. Crazy how you spoil everything around you. See, here, the tissue the tent is made of is quickly falling into pieces. Your mere presence is enough to destroy what is around you... Unless the objects you are surrounded by somehow feel how evil you are, and they'd rather turn to dust than stay with you any longer. Choose which hypothesis you prefer."

"Aaaah, they're coming your way. I will never understand why they decided to keep you with them, despite your darkness. But I will never understand real kindness either, so I will drop the subject. It was your redemption, Ronald. They were your redemption. You could have atoned for your sins. You could have let them crush you so they would climb higher and finally reach the sky where they belong. You could have done something useful for a change. Yet you spoiled your only opportunity. You spoiled everything, as usual."

"Now you're not even worthy enough to be a footboard for them to climb. You are just dust on their shoes. Dust, dust, dust. They will be so happy to wipe this dirt off their shoes. Even coming near you dampens their spirits. Their smiles are less warm, their eyes are less bright, their skins a lot paler. So are you going to spoil them, Ronald, like you did with the tent, or will they finally beat you and turn you into dust? Given how furious they look, I bet it's the latter."

He felt cold. Harry and Hermione were looking at him with a freezing glare and a scornful snarl at their lips. He shivered. And swallowed. He knew he had fucked everything up. He knew he deserved their anger and more. He just didn't want them to be upset over this, over him and his stupidity. And if he was honest with himself, it was also terrifying to be on the receiving end of their hatred.

"Listen", he choked, "I-I can't say how sorry I am, because no word will ever be enough. I am also...I am also so happy that you accepted to take me back to help you. I promise I won't be a bother. Don't mind me. I'll just do what you need me to do and disappear from your lives forever after if-if that's what you want. Please don't throw me out !"

But Harry and Hermione were not listening to him. Their freezing glare had turned into a flaming and scalding hot look and they were burning him. He was very hot. He was sweating. He felt drops falling on his face. The locket was weighing on his chest. It was so heavy. It hurt. He felt like he was melting.

He looked down at his hands again. He was actually melting. The skin of his fingers was going brown and was softening; small drops began to fall on the floor of the tent. Ploc, Ploc. They were forming a puddle and it looked like mud. In fact, he was sure it was mud. He wanted to yell, but he couldn't. His face was already melting, joining the puddle on the floor.

Ron woke up with a start and sat up, gasping for air. It had been a nightmare. Just a fucking nightmare. He ran a hand across his face, shivering from head to toe, and felt wetness on his cheeks. Fuck it, he had once again been crying in his sleep. It was the fourth time in seven days. Even as a child Ron hadn't been that much of a wuss, even though George liked to remind him that he'd kept taking refuge into one of his brothers' beds (or Ginny's) whenever he was scared, and that until he was eight.

It wouldn't matter as much if he had been crying for anything else. Not that he preferred the other nightmares, mind you, but he just felt pathetic for turning into a sobbing mess all because he'd been too weak to resist an effing necklace. Harry was particularly affected by Dementors. Nothing less than Bellatrix Lestrange could make Hermione truly terrified. Ginny, who had been possessed by a diary, didn't flinch at the mere presence of a book.

But him ? Ron could already imagine George making grand gestures wherever he went: "Alas, my dear Sirs, gentlemen, thou shall make place for the delicate Ronniekins in his worn-out PJs, for he fainted when the dreaded locket came into his dainty view. Please bring the smelling salts while we're fanning his pasty white and freckled face and he's letting out little whines of distress. He's the king of wimps, thou see, and he can't bear the sight of lockets, less he be crying like a famished baby !"

Yeah. George'd be the kind of asshole who'd offer him a pacifier if he knew what kind of nightmares was making Ron cry in his sleep.

Ron looked down at his hands, the real ones this time. Goddammit, they were still shaking. Bloody frickity freakering fuck, he thought as he closed his eyes in frustration, why did he have no control over his own body? Why did he have to act like he was a ninety-something-old buffer who needed help to take a piss?

Why did he have to ask himself stupid questions that nobody would answer?

Even though the bedroom was completely silent at this hour of the night, Ron could still hear his heart thumping madly in his ears, and despite himself he couldn't help but feel like the locket was still whistling behind him, making his skin crawl. Sweat was running down his back and had already soaked his armpits, and yet for some reason he was cold, goosebumps erupting all over his flesh.

And he still had this impression of someone hissing near him, and the room was closing on him, and his pyjama top was glued to his skin, and he didn't like the way the sheets were trapping his legs, preventing him from moving... Unable to bear the situation any longer and feeling like he was suffocating, Ron yanked the sheets off his part of the bed and got up quickly, before pulling his sticky pyjama top over his head and throwing it on the ground.

He took his wand and started walking toward the door, though he couldn't help himself and stopped to throw a glance at Hermione once he was in the doorframe. She was sleeping peacefully, her wild brown curls framing her head like some kind of fairy tale princess. The moonlight was lighting up her beautiful face, and she had a contented smile that almost made him want to go back to bed to kiss it.

Leaving the bedroom, Ron crossed the corridor and went into the small kitchen of the flat, and immediately put water into the kettle to make himself tea. He cast a heating charm on the kettle, took his favourite mug, and put a teabag in it. Waiting for the water to boil, he put his outstretched arms on the counter and sighed, his head lowered toward the sink.

It was the third time in a week that he'd had a nightmare about the locket. It wasn't surprising per say, because it was January and it was always around this time of the year that Ron had the most vivid nightmares in regard to the locket, but it still sucked. Especially because it'd been three years already, and some part of Ron had - foolishly - hoped that the nightmares and his locket-related terror would have subsided by now.

But nope, he mused as he stared at the happy light brown dog on the mug running around and chasing a butterfly. He still had dreams in which he could feel the heavy weight of the locket on his chest, preventing him from breathing. In which he was trapped in an endless stream of dark thoughts echoed by the locket's whispers, reminding him of all the times he had felt worthless. In which he kept leaving the tent as Harry's scornful stares and Hermione's cries followed him even after he woke up.

At the same time, he knew the nightmares were the last thing he deserved for ever having walked out on Harry and Hermione. He'd never been good enough for them in the first place, but deserting them when they needed him most was irredeemable, something that the locket, whether it be through his nightmares or flashes, kept reminding him of.

At this moment a whistling sound made Ron's heart do a somersault before he realized that it was only the kettle boiling. He poured the hot water into his mug, added two and a half sugar cubes to his drink, steeped the teabags in the water, and as he adopted the same waiting position as before his thoughts went back to the place he had among his two best friends.

He was thankful Harry and Hermione still wanted him in their lives, and somehow he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, when they'd wake up and realize he'd been nothing but a cock-up all this time. Truth be told, part of Ron had to pinch himself every morning when he was reminded that Hermione wanted to be with him, of all people, and that he got to be an Auror Trainee with Harry, who still thought Ron had his back.

So he'd keep trying to enjoy every moment while it lasted. It was not always easy, because every little thing seemed to remind him of a memory in which he'd fucked up or that showed how insignificant he was. Yet Ron had learned to cast the memories aside in order to focus on more important things, like his family, Harry, Hermione, his other friends, or his studies. The hardest part in all this was to not let his useless feelings get in the way of things.

Ron could say with some pride that he'd grown way better at dismissing his gross feelings of jealousy and insecurity compared to when he was a teenager. Sure, sometimes he slipped up because he was still a moron, he pondered as he turned a spoon inside his mug. But all in all, so far he had managed to keep his selfish desires in check - mostly.

He kept making efforts to show others, and more particularly Harry and Hermione, that he had changed. For that he needed to make sure they didn't notice he still had the same old feelings, or at least he needed to let them know that those feelings would never be a burden to them again. Of course sometimes they couldn't help but notice a few things, like this time Ron had casually let slip that he thought Hermione often favoured Harry over him and it had ended up in a huge row with Hermione as she yelled he was just being a possessive jealous sod trying to stifle her. Or this time he had jokingly told Harry he was Mum's favourite and Harry, disturbed, had replied that however important Mrs. Weasley was in his life, she was not his mother. Harry had been weird for days after that, all because of Ron, his stupid mouth and his stupid brain.

That was the reason why he made sure no one knew the extent of the mess he had in his head. While he had never been a great liar, he tried not to be too specific if someone asked him what was wrong, he tried to take their attention away from whatever face he was making, he tried to dismiss his reactions whenever they were related to this pathetic sticky, stinky magma of insecurity inside him.

And it was somewhat working, but for how long would it last?

Right as his mood was turning as bitter as the tea he had brewed, considering he had let the teabag steep for more than ten minutes, he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He didn't bother to take his wand or even turn around. Ron would recognize Hermione's light but determined steps anywhere.

She entered the kitchen and stopped in the hallway for a few seconds, before walking toward him and enveloping him from behind. Even though she had wrapped a warm nightgown around her, her hands were still cold on his chest. Yet he didn't mind. The contact of her skin on his, the touch of her curls and cheek on his back made everything better, and despite himself he closed his eyes for a brief instant, savouring the moment.

"A nightmare again ?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yeah..." Ron admitted with a sigh. "I didn't want to wake you up, but I needed to get up."

"It's okay", Hermione replied in a reassuring tone. "But I'm starting to get worried. You've had many nightmares in the last three weeks and haven't been able to sleep properly even though you have exams coming up. Perhaps you should see a healer to get a Sleeping potion ?" she added anxiously.

"Not until I really have to", he retorted firmly. "We've already had far too many problems with Sleeping potions, I don't want to risk it. Besides, I'd have to tell the Auror Academy's specialist Healer about it and I'd like to avoid it if I can."

"I know", Hermione sighed. "I'm just worried about you. You always seem to get so stressed out before your exams at the Auror Academy, even worse than I've ever been at Hogwarts. I wished you would stop doubting yourself so much."

Ron did not reply, but he squeezed Hermione's hands that were still clasped on his chest, right next to his heart. It was strange how the people around him seemed to know him so well while at the same time not knowing anything about the exact reasons that were making him upset.

"What can I say ?" He finally acknowledged after a few moments of silence, though he hoped his tone appeared casual. "You can't change old habits with a wave of your wand. I guess it's hard for me to think I won't fuck up somewhere. But you shouldn't worry about me", he added gently. Go back to sleep."

"I woke up because you were not beside me in the bed, I'm not going back in there without you", she retorted assertively.

"I'm gonna lose the debate if I try to argue, won't I ?" Ron snorted.

"Of course you would lose, I'm more stubborn than you", she said confidently, and Ron could feel that she was sporting a small smile.

"Even if that were true, which remains to be seen, that's nothing to boast about, Miss Granger", he tutted in a fake formal voice. "I've been told that I'm more stubborn than a brooding mule having been raised by Harry, so imagine what could be worse than that... Apart from Harry himself, of course."

Ron felt Hermione shake behind him as she laughed heartily. He could not help but feel a surge of pride at having made her laugh after having made her worry for no good reason. Being able to make Hermione laugh as much as possible was one of his goals in life, and the sound of her laughter was one of the things he cherished most.

"I love you", she said fondly, as if it was the only logical answer to his antics.

At that, Ron turned around, and it was his turn to envelop Hermione in his arms, her smaller body fitting perfectly with his own. He kissed the top of her head, her brown curls tickling his face, before putting his chin on top of the mass of her unruly hair.

"I love you too", he whispered, and he hoped she could not detect how emotional he was.

He was glad that she could not see his face in the dark kitchen that was only lit up by the moonbeams that went through the main window. If she had, she would have seen in his eyes, of which Hermione always said they could never lie, the one thing that kept playing on a loop in his head but that was stuck in his throat.

I don't deserve you.

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Notes:

I suppose I should add a bit of information concerning my own vision of the Wizarding World that may seem surprising in future chapters:

1. I rather like to think the wizarding community is not small. I consider that there are hundreds of thousands, or even millions of wizards and witches in the United Kingdom, scattered in many different cities and villages.

2. For the same reason, I do not think Hogwarts is the sole magical school of the entire United Kingdom. It is the most reputed one, but I imagine there are thousands of smaller schools everywhere, allowing for people who do not want their children to go to a boarding school to learn magic and to learn how to control their powers nonetheless.

3. Only old wizards and witches actually dress in robes the way one would picture a typical wizard robe. I have my own ideas of what wizarding fashion is.

#hp #hp fanfiction #ron weasley #hermione granger #angst #mystery #psychological trauma #look this is my first published fanfiction #i feel like a young child showing their bizarre drawing to adults

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austenpoppy · 5 months

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Why I love Ron - the little things that no one notices (11)

A long, looming shadow quivered in front of him for a moment; he blinked and Ron Weasley came into focus, grinning down at him. "All right?" "Never been better," said Harry, rubbing the top of his head and slumping back onto his pillows. "You?" "Not bad," said Ron, pulling over a cardboard box and sitting on it. "When did you get here? Mum's only just told us!" "About one o'clock this morning." "Were the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?" "Same as usual," said Harry, as Hermione perched herself on the edge of his bed, "they didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way. How're you, Hermione?"

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K.Rowling

One of the first things Ron did while seeing Harry again was to make sure the Dursleys had not been too horrible to him, because he knew first-hand how badly they had treated Harry in the past.

Ron is hyper-aware of Harry's situation and emotional state and worries constantly for his well-being.

#hp #ron weasley #why i love ron the little things that no one notices #i love him a normal amount

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austenpoppy · 5 months

Text

The spell Ron got hit with at the Department of Mysteries did not just make him "giddy"

There is this common misconception that somehow, the only thing the spell Death Eaters hit Ron with at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries simply made him "giddy", "loopy", "not in his right mind", "delirious", etc. It's so common that even wizarding world.com does it (though is it really that surprising I don't know, they're not the biggest fans of Ron and I saw them directly say things which are just false canon-wise), and the Harry Potter fandom Wikipedia does it too:

"This was another stomach churning and gross moment. Having been hit by a spell that had made him giddy and not in his right mind, Ron decided to use a Summoning Charm in the room full of brains to take a closer look at one of them."

Important moments from the Battle of the Department of Mysteries | Wizarding World

"Ron had been hit by a curse that made him highly inebriated [...]."

My only guess is that they missed those parts of the text:

Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes [...] [...] A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling

So Ron was "very white", there was "something dark" (very likely blood, but it could also be another effect of the spell) trickling from the corner of his mouth, his knees "gave way", then "a bubble of blood grew at the corner of [his] mouth", and somehow all you remembered was him "being loopy" ?

Like, okay, let's play Devil's Advocate: let's say that him being "very white" and him falling to his knees were caused by his "inebriated state", because if we make a parallel with drunk people drunk people can indeed not be very well physically due to their intoxicated state.

Let's even say the blood/liquid trickling from the corner of his mouth was the effect of another spell that was akin to blunt force trauma.

How do you explain the "bubble of blood" growing at the corner of his mouth after ? Unless someone contradicts all knowledge I know about blunt force trauma, I've never seen or heard about anything quite like that. I even Googled the Internet to be sure, but found nothing apart from information on "blood blisters" and this definitely does not correspond to what was being depicted.

Here are the only conclusions possible :

The spell Ron got hit with was far more dangerous than what is being let on by words such as "giddy"

Ron was hit with another spell on top of the one that made him act so strangely and this one had worrying effects to his physical health.

Either case, we've been let down by Harry Potter websites. Again.

#hp #ron weasley #wizarding world failed us yet again

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austenpoppy · 5 months

Note

Hello! Do you think you would post the Ron-Lavender meta on AO3? It would be very sad if the post got lost over time on here :)

Done ;).

And thank you for your interest in my essay :) !

#hp #ron weasley #ron and lavender's relationship

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austenpoppy · 5 months

Text

Comparison of Ron and Hermione's contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I will willingly admit this post was written out of pure spite, tired that I was of seeing people claim Ron had barely contributed to anything in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or at least way less so than Hermione.

So you know me, what do I do in this sort of case ? I decided to analyse closely what exactly Ron and Hermione did in the book, on different levels and in different ways to completely understand what went on.

Edit: I changed some scores slightly by adding or removing points, and had to recalculate everything, though it didn't change anything to my conclusions; changes are highlighted in bold

List of Ron and Hermione's accomplishments/contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So of course, to begin my analysis, I needed to list all of their concrete contributions and accomplishments. To be absolutely fair to either of them, I did not take into account feats of bravery that did not ultimately directly help or save anyone (so I did not count Ron begging Bellatrix to torture him instead of Hermione), but I did count elements in which one or the other protected, helped, or saved someone else.

I also listed any Duelling Feat or any fight Ron and Hermione had with Snatchers/Death Eaters/others that had to do with fighting against dark forces or people (I therefore did not include the fact that Ron punched Draco Malfoy during the Battle of Hogwarts).

Anything that helped Harry in the Horcrux Hunt or in getting Voldemort down was taken into account, however small, even if it was just knowledge regarding the Trace (this bit of knowledge allowed the trio to dispel the theory that Death Eaters had found them because Harry still had the Trace) or the location of the Lovegoods, or conjuring up a flask to get Snape's tears. I however omitted intelligent remarks that didn't move the plot forward directly (so for example, I did not include Ron's shrewd comment after he read Mundungus Fletcher's mind).

As Ron and Hermione's feats had to be concrete, I also omitted moments during which Ron was the buffer between Harry and Hermione, or during which one or the other recomforted/or tried to recomfort Harry/the other. I however judged that Ron leading the Horcrux Hunt for months was worthy of being listed, because he took on a major responsibility that helped the trio as they tried to move forward with the Hunt.

To make you understand how I proceeded, each point listed is a thematic element; so several actions from the same event can be listed as separate elements. The chapter in which the element listed happened/was referred to is mentioned after each element.

Ron

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”)

2. stunned a Death Eater right in the head from a flying broom (“Fallen Warrior”)

3. saved Hermione in the Tottenham Court Road Café when she didn’t notice that Rowle and Dolohov were going to attack the trio by lunging across the table and pushing her sideways (“A place to hide”)

4. cleared up the café on Tottenham Court Road with Harry after the fight, at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

5. gave information to Harry and Hermione regarding the Trace (“A place to hide”)

6. rugby-tackled Mundungus Fletcher when he tried to dive for the stairs (“The bribe”)

7. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard that only the most senior Ministry members could connect their homes to the Floo network (“Magic is Might”)

8. convinced Harry and Hermione that Stunning three Ministry officials was not a good idea because a pile of unconscious bodies would be suspicious, and therefore suggested to use Fred and George’s products (“Magic is Might”)

9. snatched Red Cattermole’s bag without the latter noticing it before Reg Cattermole went back home (“Magic is Might”)

10. pretended to be Reg Cattermole with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

11. warned Harry and Hermione that Ministry officials knew there were intruders in the Ministry and that the trio had five minutes at most to leave the place (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

12. made the most of an uproar cause by the colleagues of some balding wizard to size Mrs. Cattermole and get her out of the Ministry through the fireplace, saving her and getting her away from the real Reg Cattermole – trying to deter other Ministry officials from scrutinizing the situation (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

13. prevented Harry and Hermione from saying the Taboo (Voldemort’s name) many times, after noticing that it felt like a jinx (“The thief”, “The Goblin’s Revenge”)

14. escaped from a gang of five Snatchers after being captured by them by hitting the one holding him in the stomach and grabbing his wand before Disarming the one who has his wand and Disapparating (“The Silver Doe”)

15. managed to steal a wand from Snatchers and brought the spare wand with him when he came back, which ended up replacing the one broken by Hermione (“The Silver Doe”)

16. saved Harry’s life by jumping into icy water to retrieve Harry who was drowning and by cutting the Horcrux to stop it from strangling Harry; also retrieved the sword of Gryffindor from the icy pond (“The Silver Doe”)

17. faced mental torture at the hands of Voldemort but won against Voldemort’s taunts, resisted possession and destroyed the locket (“The Silver Doe”)

18. learned about the existence of the Taboo during his time away and alerted Harry and Hermione that there was one (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

19. knew approximatively where the Lovegoods lived (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

20. led the Horcrux hunt for months while Harry obsessed over the Hallows, not only to search for the Horcruxes but also to gather the team’s spirit (“The Deathly Hallows”)

21. subdued Wormtail with the help of Harry, and took his wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

22. imitated Wormtail to reassure Lucius Malfoy that nothing particular was happening (“Malfoy Manor”)

23. Disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange with Wormtail’s wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

24. saved Hermione by pulling her from under the wreckage caused by the collapse of the chandelier detached from the ceiling by Dobby, and Disapparating after catching a wand thrown at him by Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

25. was the one who suggested the trio should double-cross Griphook by swapping the real sword of Gryffindor with the fake and give the fake to Griphook to buy enough time for the trio to escape (“Shell Cottage”)

26. pretended to be Dragomir Despard during the trio’s break-out at Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

27. stunned a wizard who was lunging for Hermione’s throat (believing her to be Bellatrix) (“Gringotts”)

28. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Hermione (“Gringotts”)

29. helped Harry cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts, after they observed Hermione do it (“Gringotts”)

30. was the one who suggested that the students who were in the Room of Requirement could help them find the other Horcruxes (“The lost diadem”)

31. designed a plan to destroy the cup of Hufflepuff, by remembering the Chamber of Secrets had Basilisk fangs; told Hermione that she should destroy the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

32. managed to imitate Harry saying the word “open” in Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

33. saved Gregory Goyle’s life by hoisting him on Hermione and he’s broom when the Fiendfyre conjured up by Vincent Crabbe engulfed the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

34. grabbed Hermione with Harry to put her to the floor so she wouldn’t be hit with spells (“The Elder Wand”)

35. threw spells that collided with Harry’s and were cast to repel an Acromentula trying to get inside Hogwarts (“The Elder Wand”)

36. told Harry and Hermione to get back so they wouldn’t be hit by the galloping desks of Minerva McGonagall (“The Elder Wand”)

37. prevented Hermione from casting a spell on Grawp; had she done so Grawp would have crushed “half the castle” (“The Elder Wand”)

38. cast “Wingardium Leviosa” on a twig and waved it into the air to stop the Whomping Willow from moving around; he was spurred on by Hermione’s remark (“The Elder Wand”)

39. broke Voldemort’s Silencing Charm by standing up to him and yelling “He beat you!” (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

40. took down Greyback with Neville (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

Hermione

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”) (note: I did not consider that Hermione fought off Death Eaters - or managed to - during that operation because in my opinion, Kingsley Shacklebolt was clearly referring to his own actions when he reported what happened)

2. stole books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore’s study and told Ron and Harry what she had learned about Horcruxes from reading them (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

3. packed elements that could be useful for the Hunt, including a batch of Polyjuice Potion that she stole from Mad-Eye Moody, clothes, the Invisibility Cloak, Essence of Dittany, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Norgat, Decoy Detonators, Muggle money, and the tent (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

4. Apparated the trio to Tottenham Court Road (“A place to hide”)

5. Stunned Dolohov while she was underneath a table and out of Dolohov’s sight (“A place to hide”)

6. Obliviated Rowle and Dolohov at Harry’s suggestion (“A place to hide”)

7. cast “Diffindo” to free Ron from the ropes holding him, though she left a deep cut (“A place to hide”)

8. dragged the waitress from the café on Tottenham Court Road’s body out of sight of the windows at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

9. cast an “Hominum Revelio” at 12, Grimmauld Place to check whether the trio was really alone or not (“A place to hide”)

10. remembered that the locket was in the cabinet in the drawing room of 12, Grimmauld Place when the Order was cleaning the house (“Kreacher’s Tale”)

11. Disarmed Mundungus Fletchers at 12, Grimmauld Place (“The Bribe”)

12. put Phineas Nigellus’ portrait inside her bag as she remembered he could travel from Grimmauld Place to Hogwarts (“Magic is Might”); later cast a black blindfold with the spell “Obscura” on him to prevent him from seeing inside the tent (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

13. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard information that indicated where Umbridge’s office might be (“Magic is Might”)

14. Stunned Mafalda Hopkirk using a non-verbal spell (“Magic is Might”)

15. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Reg Cattermole to take a Puking Pastille, before yanking hair from his head when he started throwing up (“Magic is Might”)

16. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

17. duplicated the locket with a “Gemino” spell so that Umbridge wouldn’t notice the locket was gone (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

18. cast a Patronus, though with difficulty, to help Harry deter Dementors from coming near the group comprised of Harry, Hermione and Muggle-Borns (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

19. Apparated the trio in a forest after casting a Revulsion Jinx on Yaxley because Yaxley had got hold of her and Hermione had unwillingly get Yaxley in the Fidelius Charm cast on 12, Grimmauld Place (“The thief”)

20. saved Ron’s life with Essence of Dittany after having Splinched him (“The thief”)

21. was the first to cast protective enchantments around the tent (“The thief”)

22. noticed that the locket was having a negative influence on Harry (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

23. figured out with Harry that the sword of Gryffindor could destroy Horcruxes because it was Goblin-made and Goblin-made swords imbibe only that which strengthens them, in this case Basilisk venom, and that Dumbledore had made a fake sword of Gryffindor because he knew the Ministry wouldn’t let Harry have the sword if he put it in his will (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

24. saved Harry’s life after Hermione cast a spell on Nagini to force the snake to get away from Harry; dived aside to avoid it from striking her and one of her spells smashed the windows; cast a Blasting Curse charm that “flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling”, though it also broke Harry’s wand (“Bathilda’s secret”, (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

25. took care of Harry by getting the locket, stuck to Harry’s chest, away with a Severing Charm; she also cleaned the wound caused by Nagini and put some dittany on it (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

26. understood that the symbol of the Deathly Hallows was important after seeing it around Xenophilius Lovegood’s neck at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, on Ignotus Peverell’s headstone at Godric’s Hollows and in The Tales of Beedle the Bard (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

27. designed a plan so that the Death Eaters who were at Xenophilius Lovegood’s house could see he was not lying about Harry’s presence: she got Ron to put on the Invisibility Cloak so that his presence wouldn’t be known, waited for Xenophilius to appear at the top of the stairs before Obliviating him and destroying the floor so that the Death Eaters could see the trio right before Hermione Apparated them away (“The Tale of the Three Brothers”)

28. cursed Harry’s face to make it unrecognizable so that the Snatchers wouldn’t see it was Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

29. lied under torture done at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange that the sword of Gryffindor was fake (“Malfoy Manor”)

30. cast Glamour Charms on Ron to modify his appearance so he wouldn’t be recognized during their break-in Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

31. pretended to be Bellatrix with the help of Polyjuice Potion (“Gringotts”)

32. had to do most of the talking in trying to convince Travers and in trying to get the different Goblins to let the trio access Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

33. cast a Cushioning Charm to soften the fall of the trio after they were thrown off the cart (“Gringotts”)

34. cast a Shield Charm to slower the people trying to catch the trio (“Gringotts”)

35. used “Levicorpus” to help Harry get the cup of Hufflepuff (“Gringotts”)

36. cast “Impervius” to protect Ron, Harry, the goblins and herself from being too badly burned after spells were cast on objects in Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

37. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Ron (“Gringotts”)

38. was the first to cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

39. destroyed the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

40. Stunned Gregory Goyle in the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

41. cast “Glisseo” so the trio would escape two masked Death Eaters (“The Elder Wand”)

42. cast “Duro” on a tapestry so the two masked Death Eaters pursuing the trio would face a wall (“The Elder Wand”)

43. cast a spell to blast Fenrir Greyback away from Lavender Brown (“The Elder Wand”)

44. conjured a flask and gave it to Harry so Harry could retrieve Snape’s tears (“The Elder Wand”)

Conclusions

From this you can see that in terms of sheer numbers, Ron and Hermione's contributions are roughly equal (40 for Ron, 44 for Hermione). Considering that depending on the way I managed the two lists I could have added some elements for Ron (e.g., telling Dobby to bring Dean, Luna and Mr. Ollivander at Shell Cottage in "Malfoy Manor") or removed items for Hermione (e.g., casting the "Diffindo" spell on Ron at the Tottenham Court Road café), I consider a 4-point difference to be negligible. For reference, I would consider a point difference above 8 (1/5 of Ron's contributions) significant.

Weighting-analysis of Ron and Hermione's contributions

Of course simply listing their feats and contributions was not enough, since all of them are not as impressive, were not as important, had unwanted consequences, or were the result of negligence, a mistake, or something else. So I also had to weigh on each of the items listed. To be fair to Hermione, I also added two "mistakes" for Ron that were not part of his contributions.

My point system is of course very subjective, but I think most will consider it fair. I calculated Ron and Hermione's points separately and only did the total in the end to try to be as unbiased as possible (though I did check that the number of points I would grant to one was equal to the number of points I would grant to the other for a contribution of similar nature).

Point system

+ 0.25 = small contribution

+ 0.5 = medium contribution; small duelling feat; small or medium element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

+ 1 or + 2 = important contribution; duelling feat; important element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

Bonus points

+ 0.5, + 1, + 2, or +3 for skill or particular display of intelligence or creativity (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 1, +2 or +3 if the situation is risky and/or required particular bravery (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 2 or + 3 if the element listed had to do with saving someone’s life, protecting someone from danger, or taking care of someone else

+ 5 for destroying a Horcrux

Malus points

- 0.25 or – 0.5 for a small mistake (especially one that hurt another person or could have endangered them)

- 1, - 2, or – 3 for a bigger mistake (especially one that really hurt another person or could have really endangered them)

Ron

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Tonks and Ron were continuously and furiously followed by Bellatrix Lestrange)

2. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky; see above) + 3 (for skill)

3. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he saved Hermione and sacrificed his own safety to do so) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 0.5 (for his rather quick reaction time)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 0.25 (small contribution)

6. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

7. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

8. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the creativity and intelligence shown in the design of the plan); however - 0.25 (the plan backfired slightly due to Reg Cattermole's dedication to being present for his wife, though it's very likely this would have happened even if the trio had stunned him, since Stunning Spells wear off)

9. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (for the skill it took to take steal somebody else's bag without them noticing)

10. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

11. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for his ability to get the information to Harry and Hermione rapidly)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 1 (he got Mrs. Cattermole away from the Ministry) + 2 (for his quick-thinking)

13. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (this is one of Ron's very underrated contributions to the Hunt; think that literally every time Ron prevented Harry or Hermione from saying the Taboo, he prevented the Trio from being captured: what's more, it happened at least three times on screen, but there were undoubtedly dozens of moments like this one) + 1 (Ron's intuition told him something was off with Voldemort's name because his brain had picked up on a pattern even though he couldn't pinpoint what was amiss exactly)

14. + 2 (he escaped from Snatchers on his own) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the mad skill it took to escape five assailants, retrieve your wand and steal one of theirs)

15. + 2 (I already counted Ron's skill in the item above, but this was for having thought about bringing the spare wand)

16. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Harry's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself) + 2 (for thinking about taking the sword of Gryffindor at such a moment)

17. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (had to endure mental torture and had to show great bravery) + 3 (he had to resist possession) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

18. + 2 (important contribution)

19. + 0.25 (small contribution)

20. + 2 (important contribution)

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for his synchronisation with Harry and for thinking about taking his wand)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, considering Lucius Malfoy suspected something was wrong) + 2 (for his quick-thinking) + 2 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate someone he'd barely heard)

23. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the skill it took to Disarm Bellatrix Lestrange; another underrated moment for Ron because people dismiss this considering Bellatrix was surprised, even though she had time to turn toward Ron...what do people think duelling is, exactly ?)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Hermione's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself, considering that he didn't have any wand at that point and had to quickly take Hermione from under tons of broken glass)

25. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (because this was a great plan)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

27. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (he protected Hermione from being attacked and hurt) + 2 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

28. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

29. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

30. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (because this was a good idea)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for designing the plan that ended up with the destruction of the Horcrux) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate a word he had heard twice in a foreign language he didn't understand)

33. + 3 (the situation was very dangerous) + 2 (he saved Goyle's life and he alone made that choice since he was holding the broom, but other people influenced or could have influenced his decision) - 2 (he risked Hermione's life in doing so)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky, spells were flying everywhere) + 2 (he prevented Hermione from getting hurt) + 1 (for his quick reaction time)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky and he had just lost his brother) + 2 (for his quick reaction and skill)

36. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he prevented Harry and Hermione from getting hurt) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (he probably protected people from terrible unwanted consequences) + 2 (for his quick reaction and his quick-thinking)

38. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

39. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of standing up to Voldemort)

40. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 2 (Greyback was a tough opponent, but Ron was not alone when he took him down)

Supplementary malus points:

When he Disapparated after he left the Horcrux Hunt and ended up in a gang of Snatchers: - 1 (and reminder for everybody that the person writing this does NOT hold Ron responsible for what happened with the Horcrux and for leaving the tent); it could have had very negative consequences for Harry and Hermione but effectively it had none

When he nearly yelled Dobby's name at Malfoy Manor: - 0.5 : it could have had terrible consequences had the other Death Eaters head him but effectively it had none

Total: 183.5

Hermione

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Kingsley and she even got followed by Voldemort for a short while)

2. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the information was essential, getting her hands on the books required creativity on Hermione's part and required for her to plan ahead and think about what the trio would need)

3. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (all the elements that Hermione took in her bag ended up essential in the following months and demanded that Hermione plan ahead and think about what the trio would need; stealing Mad-Eye Moody's whole stock of Polyjuice Potion also required creativity on Hermione's part)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 1 (duelling feat, but she was out of sight) + 2 (the situation was risky); however - 1 because her slow reaction time forced Ron to push her aside, which means he didn't have time to defend himself) - note: if you want to know more about why I say that Hermione had a slow reaction time, I suggest you take a look at my analysis of Hermione's flaws in the last book

6. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to succeed in doing a spell for the first time)

7. + 0.25 (small contribution); however - 0.5 because she cut Ron deeply

8. + 0.25 (small contribution)

9. + 0.25 (small contribution) + 1 (Hermione's caution was warranted and wise)

10. + 2 (important contribution)

11. + 0.5 (small duelling feat)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

13. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

14. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 2 (for skill, considering she used a non-verbal spell)

15. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

16. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

17. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

18. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (this helped protect others)

19. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for her quick-thinking); however -0.5 because the reason Yaxley got hold of Hermione is in my opinion because her reaction time was too slow to begin with; Harry was the one who had to take her hand to get away in the first place

20. + 2 for saving Ron's life (I'm only counting +2 because what really helped Ron was to have thought about packing Essence of Dittany, and I already took that into account) + 2 (for not completely losing her wits) ; however - 3 for having Splinched him in the first place

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (though Harry and Ron might have thought about it, those Charms were really important in protecting the trio and she was the first to think about it)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (had she not realised it, who knows what could have happened ?)

23. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (deducting those elements were essential for the next part of the Horcrux Hunt, and showed great intelligence)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (she was faced with Nagini) + 3 (she directly saved Harry's life) + 2 (though not a duelling feat, her knowledge of spells and quick-thinking ought to be rewarded); however - 3 for breaking Harry's wand

25. + 2 (took care of Harry when he was delirious)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (for having made the link between the different elements she had found)

27. + 1 (important contribution, but didn't have to do with the Hunt directly; the trio could have left without it impacting the Hunt) + 1 (the situation was risky, though the trio could have gotten away before it getting risky) + 2 (her plan probably protected Xenophilius Lovegood) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

28. + 0.5 (medium contribution, it ultimately had very little impact since the trio was brought to Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix Lestrange recognized them anyway) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 1 (this helped protect the trio if only a little) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

29. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was awful, and she had to endure torture) + 3 (for her quick-thinking) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of lying to Bellatrix Lestrange)

30. + 1 (important contribution)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 3 (for having pulled off the Bellatrix impression)

33. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the Trio from getting hurt) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for creativity)

36. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the trio and goblins from getting hurt)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

38. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

39. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

40. + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky)

41. + 2 (this helped the trio get away from Death Eaters) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

42. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

43. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, but she was under the Invisibility Cloak) + 3 (she probably saved Lavender Brown's life)

44. + 0.25 (small contribution)

Total: 170.75

Conclusion

While factoring other elements such as the importance of the contribution in helping taking down Voldemort or fighting against dark forces in general, the level of dangerousness in which the contribution happened and the levels of bravery and/or sacrifices required to accomplish the feat, the level of intelligence or creativity involved, quick-thinking, quick reaction time, the level of skill involved to accomplish the feat, mistakes... You can see that Ron and Hermione's contributions are still roughly equal (according to my point system, Ron has 182.5 points and Hermione has 171.75... This is probably due to the fact that Ron not only destroyed a Horcrux but was directly responsible for designing the plan that allowed Hermione to destroy another -granting him + 10 points directly-, and to the fact that Hermione made more mistakes with rather terrible consequences - so Hermione has more malus points), and the point difference between them may seem important, but as I said I consider a point difference to be significant when it hits the bar of 1/5 of the lowest score (here 1/5 of 171.75 = 34.35, yet the point difference between the two scores is 12.75).

Nature of the Contributions

Ron and Hermione are different, and contributed differently to the Horcrux Hunt. I decided upon 8 categories: Strategy/Tactical Thinking; Research, Planning, Knowledge; Deductions; Duelling Feats and Fights; Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios (which does not correspond to situations requiring a quick reaction time, those are counted in different categories depending on what it ended up doing, but is more akin to "presence of mind"); Resistance against Evil; Protection of others; Leadership. I thought that to really understand Ron and Hermione's profiles, I would put each item listed above in one or more of the categories but also count the points I attributed to each item in my weighting-analysis. There are in the end certain items that did not fit any of the category and that I thought best not to include.

Ron

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 8 (4.75 points), 25 (5 points), 30 - knowing how to use people to one's advantage - (2 points), 31 (10 points), 37 - spatial reasoning - (4 points) = 25,75 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge: 5 (0.25 points), 7, (2 points), 11 (3 points) 15 (2 points), 18 (2 points), 9 (0.25 points) = 9.5 points

Deductions: 13 (6 points) = 6 points [reminder: this is not a representation of Ron's capacity for deduction, since there are many intelligent remarks I did not include in my analysis; this category only shows deductions that moved the plot forward)

Duelling Feats and Fights: 2 (8 points), 6 (0.5 points), 14 (7 points), 21 (4 points), 23 (8 points), 27 (5 - 2 points - I deduced the points granted to him for protecting Hermione for that category = 2 points), 28 (1 point), 35 (6 points), 40 (7 points) = 43,5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 3 (5.5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 3.5), 9 (1 point), 11 (5 points), 12 (6 points), 14 (7 points), 16 (10 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry's life for that category = 7 points), 21 (4 points), 22 (7 points), 31, (10 points), 32 (5 points), 34 (7 - 3 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 4), 36 (5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry and Hermione = 3), 37 (4 points) = 66 points

Resistance against Evil: 17 (13 points), 39 (7 points) = 20 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 3 (5.5 points), 12 (6 points), 16 (10 points), 24 (8 points), 27 (8 points), 33 (3 points), 34 (7 points), 36 (5 points) = 57,5 points

Leadership: 20 (2 points) = 2 points

Hermione

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 27 (6 points), 34 (5 points) = 11 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge : 2 (5 points), 3 (5 points), 6 (5 points)- I'm referring to her knowledge of spells -, 13 (2 points) 14 (2.5 points) -idem-, 21 (4 points), 26 (4 points), 30 (1 point) -idem- = 28.5 points

Deductions: 10 (2 points), 12 (4 points), 22 (4 points), 23 (5 points), 26 (4 points) = 19 points

Duelling Feats and Fights: 5 (2 points), 11 (0.5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 24 (7 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Harry's life for that category = 4 points), 37 (3 points), 40 (2.5 points), 42 (6 points), 43 (6 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Lavender's life for that category) = 24.5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 17 (6 points), 19 (3.5 points), 27 (7 points), 28 (5.5 points), 29 (11 points), 32 (7 points), 33 (8 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her from preventing the trio from getting hurt for that category = 6 points), 34 (5 points), 35 (5 points), 37 (7 points), 38 (5 points), 41 (6 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her for allowing the trio to escape for that category = 4 points), 42 (6 points) = 78 points

Resistance against Evil: 29 (11 points), 39 (7 points) = 18 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 18 (5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 20 (1 point), 21 (4 points), 24 (7 points), 25 (2 points), 36 (7 points), 41 (6 points), 43 (6 points) = 44.5 points

Leadership: 0 point (I did not count what happened at the Lovegoods as "Leadership" because trusting one person at one given moment to carry out a plan does not show, to me, that they are "the leader"; otherwise I would also count other plans made by Ron as examples of him being a Leader).

Conclusion

This to me so clearly shows what Ron and Hermione's strengths are. In terms of "Resistance against evil", both have roughly the same amount of points, while the point difference in "Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios" is not significant according to my arbitrary cut-point (above 1/5 of the lowest score), showing that both Ron and Hermione are strong-willed and are quick-thinking in dangerous situations.

Hermione is in the lead in the categories "Research, Planning, Knowledge" (with a 19 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.9) and "Deductions" (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.2). For the first case, the reason is obvious: out of the three members of the trio, Hermione is the one who thinks about what kind of knowledge, what tools, what objects they will need. She's also generally better at casting spells/ doing magic. The second case offers a bit less insight, because Ron's observations that did not directly make the Horcrux Hunt progress/had no real impact were not included even though many of them were brilliant. However, I think it does show that between Ron and Hermione, Hermione is the one who makes deductions that help move the plot forward.

Ron is in the lead in the categories "Strategy/Tactical Thinking" (with a 14.75 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 2.2) and "Duelling Feats and Fights" (with a point difference of 19 points, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 4.9). Again, not surprising. Despite people's inexplicable tendency to think Ron only showed his Strategic skills in Book 1, Ron is a very good tactician and strategist (Hermione is a good strategist when it comes to politics, but not war). Ron, unlike Hermione, is a fighter/soldier, with quicker reaction time and more impressive duelling feats. It shows in the sequence at Malfoy Manor when Ron and Harry are fighting together; the two are completely synchronised.

Ron being ahead in "Leadership" is only a reflection of the fact that Ron is Harry's second-in-command.

The category that I was most interested in was "Protection of Others" since Ron ended up being slightly ahead, too (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 8.9). I think it mostly reflects the fact that Hermione has knowledge that helps protect people and or save them while Ron goes above and beyond to protect people in the heat of the moment (which means Ron got more bonus points).

Overall conclusion (for now...)

The hypothesis presented that Hermione contributed much more to the Hunt than Ron is quite absurd indeed.

#hp #ron weasley #hermione granger #harry potter and the deathly hallows #yes i am that petty #i regret nothing

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austenpoppy · 9 months

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!!! RED ALERT !!!

Solstice Muse deleted all of her fanfics on fanfiction.net for personal and political reasons. She left a link in her bio to access a Dropbox zip file so that we could save fics. I (well, no, my parents did) managed to do it after quite a bit of research, and now have all of Solstice Muse's fics published on fanfic.net except "A Parting Gesture", "A Rich Man's Christmas", "Leaving", and "Sky, Sea, and Misconceptions of Blue" (an error with the file, will contact Solstice about it, if anyone has them I'd be most grateful). I will post somewhere a repertoire of her fics so people can ask me to hand them the fics they want, and will currently send the file to anyone who asks.

Beware if you want to download the zip file, Solstice will make the link inactive in a short while.

But Solstice's fics will never die.

I'll make sure of it.

#solstice muse #ron weasley #hp

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austenpoppy · 10 months

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Who wrote the mean content ? How dare you make Hillnerd self-conscious about her wonderful characterization and writing ? Boo ! Boo !

Friendly reminder that fan-made content (fanart, fanfic, fanvids, etc) are:

extremely time consuming. Remember someone actually took time out of their life to create that, time they could’ve used to, idk, sleep, for example

entertainment you’re consuming for free. I can’t stress this enough: you’re enjoying someone else’s craft for free. You paid exactly zero money to look at/read/watch it.

S H A R E D with you, not made for you. This is the most important point: someone created that, put it online and you found it. No one forced you to consume that fanwork, you C H O S E to do it.

Whenever you feel like leaving a mean comment, anonymous hate or make a ~clever post about how ‘lol look at all of these overused tropes every fic writer crams into their fics’ remember you’re being a dick to someone who shared their work with you. You’re not being funny, you’re not being edgy, you’re not being brave for calling something out - you’re being a dick.

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austenpoppy · 11 months

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I'd have to respectfully disagree with you, as someone who thinks our readings of the books are quite close and always enjoy reading your analysis.

First, I think that the Weasley brothers did notice that there was something amiss with Ginny, though they didn't have the tools to deal with the situation. I wrote an analysis (or rather compiled excerpts from the books here : https://austenpoppy.tumblr.com/post/688403214565081088/embed).

But to sum up the point I made in that analysis, I'd say that the fact they were all mentioned trying to get Ginny to be less sad at one point or another shows that they were aware of what state she was in : for instance, Ron tried to reassure her after Mrs Norris's disappearance, the Twins disguised themselves and jumped at her to try to cheer her up after Colin was discovered, and Percy, who did the most because that year he was the oldest, kept telling her she was not herself.

Now regarding PoA, I'm unsure why you implied that Ron dismissed Ginny because he was supposedly protective of his friendships. I don't think Ron's shown much of that trait in the books : for example, he let Ginny hang out with the trio in the beginning of book 4, in book 5, or in book 6.

Actually, we know why Ron dismissed Ginny in that train : that's because Harry told Ron and Hermione he wanted to speak with them in private. So Ron had to tell Ginny to go elsewhere.

Now, you can argue he could've done it differently. But would telling her that Harry - of all people - needed to talk to Ron and Hermione in private have really been better ? Wouldn't that have made her feel more excluded ? Wouldn't that have risked making her feel slightly paranoid, wouldn't that have risked making her think that Harry believed her to be weird ?

And wouldn't that have risked making her feel like she was sick and/or patronised, either ? The Weasley siblings (the Weasleys in general) don't talk to each other in a polite, respectful and sensitive manner. They don't take kid gloves with one another. If Ron had been more polite, Ginny would have been reminded that now she was different because of what had happened.

I'd argue that Ron, in that train before his third year, treated Ginny like nothing was out of the ordinary, as if they were back to normal, and I'd say this can also be good for someone who's been through terrible things. Ginny ended up feeling annoyed, like any sibling would feel in that scenario, but no emphasis was made on her exclusion from the group of friends, and no emphasis was made on what had happened to her either (which a change of tone in Ron's usual manner would have highlighted).

Are we also going to berate Ron for not focusing on his sister when his best friend had just passed out ? Yes, sure, he could have made a signal to Hermione to stay with Harry while he took care of his sister, but I feel like that's asking a lot from a 13-year old. It's normal to be very worried about someone who fainted in front of you (and had a simili-seizure).

Ultimately I wouldn't say Ginny only had herself to rely on : she had an army of brothers who would kill for her if needed, and who were attentive to her. However, she experienced a very traumatic event that none of her brothers could relate to (a weird and toxic connection with Voldemort), which is a sort of isolation that's not easy to overcome - but that Harry also experienced, as you said yourself in one of your analysis.

And as a side note, while I don't count Ron's Horcruxe episode as a mistake at all, and do not think "not believing Harry right away" in fourth year was in itself a mistake either (not sitting with Harry in Potions class or not rekindling the dialogue with him are behaviours that I'd rather begrudge Ron for regarding that particular incident), I'd say Ron imitating Hermione in sixth year would qualify as his biggest mistake.

I know I'm argumentative and tend to speak up more when I disagree (hence why my first post here since I took time off to write my dissertation project is a debate opening xD), but I hope you'll see this post as a simple disagreement from someone who really likes what you write.

I just reread cos i sort of felt annoyed at weasley brothers esp. Twins ( I know they are very beloved in fandom but I found their lack of common sense annoying sometimes) Do you think in cos weasley brothers were sort of neglectful? I can understand ron he is only one year older & has his own insecurities but fred and George were 14 & percy was 16. I am not saying its their fault but still. I am older sis myself I just can't imagine not noticing ( god forbid) my younger sibling going something like this. Maybe it's a brother thing to be like this. Anyways sorry for long rant,please share your thoughts.

I totally understand your point of view because I'm an older sister too, and there would have been no way in hell I would have missed something like this about my younger sibling. Though I have to say, Percy at least understands there's something wrong and we also know Ginny at eleven is a very practised liar that doesn't like to ask for help and doesn't have much faith in her family being in her corner (the Quidditch training in secret is such a perfect back story for the diary).

I think when the Weasley brothers really fail is after Ginny's first year.

A lot of people seem to believe that the worst things Ron did were not believing Harry in GoF or the Horcrux thing but I completely disagree. Those things are frankly very minor all considered and influenced by a lot of circumstantial reasons. The one thing that really always kind of stuck with me that was really shitty of Ron was when he shoves away Ginny at the start of PoA. Your sister has been possessed for a whole year by a dark lord fundamentally because she grew up very sheltered and all her brothers decided to ignore her while an evil dark object amplified all her insecurities and the year after you decide to behave with her in the same exact way?

And I get that Ron is jealous of his friendships due to his insecurities but there's a limit to what is justifiable (he grows out of it at least so kudos for that).

And then after the dementor's attack, it's not even Ron who takes care of her while she trembles.

And of course, the fact that Ginny searches for Ron even after he sent her away tells you something about the other brothers (maybe Percy had prefect things to do so he might be excused, but why wasn't she with the twins?).

But after all, it's one of the big themes of Ginny's story: she doesn't have anyone in her corner but herself.

Ginny starts the story victim of unimaginable horrors because of her loneliness but she becomes someone whose greatest strength is her ability to stand on her own (the girl is a rock) and who takes care of the people forgotten by everybody else. She once was the injured girl on the floor of the Chamber and she becomes the one who takes care of the injured girl on the grounds (soon after her brother died I might add).

[note: it's also a full circle moment for Harry and Ginny because, in the scene in DH, Harry is projecting on the injured girl]

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austenpoppy · 2 years

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o-O ??

Your brother got defenestrated ?

I'm afraid to ask what happened.

obsessed with defenestration

#hillnerd

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austenpoppy · 2 years

Text

Okay (*sigh*). I'm absolutely not ready for this, but I simply cannot resist "Waking up" so I'm taking a break from my ethics application to read chapter 10 ! *pulls up protective gear and a shield* Let's go !

She had spells, plans, and lies all lined up neatly in a row. She'd easily tallied a list of everything she had to do, but doing it was another matter entirely.

She had piles of photos, books, mugs, trophies, paperwork, Christmas ornaments and little school art projects she'd given her parents over the years, all of them needing to be organised and put somewhere. It hadn't been easy finding each reminder of her and ferreting them into her room. Over the weeks she shrank them so every physical sign of her relationship with her parents was small enough to fit in a shoe box.

After she'd packed away the reminders of her existence, she packed away most of her parents' belongings. She started with rooms they wouldn't notice, then finally in one sleepless night packed up the rooms they would notice. The next morning they came down the stairs, confused at why most of their house was in boxes. That was when she struck, casting a series of complex spells on them. She never gave them the chance to interrogate, or inquire.

She justified raising the wand to them, saying that she was saving their lives.

Their eyes went from intelligent and shrewd to gormless. She led them to the sofa and continued her work. In a moment they would wake up thinking they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins. They'd purchase tickets to Australia, oversee a moving truck Hermione had hired a few weeks before, and finalise their bags for the trip before leaving.

From a park bench, just a few doors down from her childhood home, Hermione sat and watched her parents for hours. They were packing the last of their belongings, not realising the majority of the packing had been done by a series of spells the night before.

They didn't realise their names had changed.

They didn't realise they were being uprooted against their will.

They didn't realise they had a daughter.

That evening they drove to the airport. As they drove by, her mother made eye contact for just a moment. Part of Hermione hoped to see a spark of recognition, some acknowledgement that on any level she still knew her little girl. Instead her mother's eyes had slid away as if Hermione was nothing but part of the scenery.

Hermione's eyes stung, but she couldn't cry then— she had things to do. She did a few spells on the house to keep things from being damaged, and did a final check on the belongings she had packed. By the time she was done the streetlights had been on for over an hour.

Can I just appreciate the nice little zeugma in the beginning ? And the accumulation with the repetition of "They didn't realize" ? It really conveys what struggles and preparations Hermione went through in order to change her parents' memories. This period in her life is really interesting to me, because while I do think it damaged her relationship with her parents to some extent, it also required a lot of strength. Removing yourself from the people who are supposed to really love you unconditionally, not knowing whether you'd see them again, must have been so very hard.

Hermione shook her head again and numbly ascended the stairs to Ron's room. She knocked and heard his baritone through the door.

"I'll clean my room tomorrow, I swear Mum!"

She opened the door to see him at the desk, scribbling out a letter.

"Merlin! Okay! But let me at least finish writing Hermi—" he said before he saw her. His jaw dropped open by a small margin, then his face lit up. Blue eyes sparkled with fondness and he immediately bolted from his desk. "Hermione? What are you doing here? You didn't say you were coming!"

*laugh* I love this boy.

She hated how good he made her feel. She deserved to feel the self loathing coursing through her. The ache whenever she thought of her parents didn't leave. Despite Ron's comforting that night, she knew she'd ruined her relationship with them forever.

The first two sentences are painfully relatable. I've had this exact same feeling many times, the idea that people around you shouldn't reassure you that everything is going to be fine and that you deserve to be scowled at instead.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," said Hermione, feeling guilty. The woman had lost her son and was barely holding it together, yet there was Hermione intruding on her hospitality.

Hermione is so lost, so insecure and so vulnerable in "Waking up", and it's a side of Hermione that is hinted at in the original books but barely touched upon because she doesn't doubt herself like Ron does. It's so sad to have Hermione imagining she's not welcome at the Burrow (and Hermione doesn't understand that she's definitely not intruding on Molly's hospitality...Molly needs the distraction anyway).

How had her rather transparent boyfriend suddenly become such a mystery? Well, he was never completely transparent. It had taken her ages to realise he indeed liked her back, but aside from a few misunderstandings, he had always been easy enough to read and know. Ron was straightforward, emotions on his sleeve, and so disarming… It was part of what had drawn her to him even before they were friends. While Harry had been exciting to meet because he was a hero from a book and quite mysterious, there was something undefinably fascinating about Ron. He seemed made to draw attention; bright orange hair, bright blue eyes, a careless enthusiastic grin, a good head taller than most of their year… Then there was his personality; he was passionate, loyal, loved his pet very openly, and had insights on the Wizarding World she’d never be able to get from a book.

You describe very well the fine line that Ron crosses between emotional transparency and his tendency to omit quite a few elements about him. Ron is not only very open about his thoughts and opinions, but also about fears and insecurities he has. At the same time, from the very beginning he hid things from his best friends. It's encapsulated by the way Harry and Hermione learned about his fear of spiders, for example - he didn't say anything until he was confronted with living spiders, and once he was, he had no problem admitting vulnerability. Ron can blurt out things that he's embarrassed about, and wears his emotions on his sleeve, but he's evasive about the depths of his dark thoughts - the emotions we see in the books are often the tip of the iceberg.

The only problem with this was when Ron wasn’t in her life it left an aching horrible hole. She went from warmth and comfort to complete alienation. No more jokes. No more smiles. No more debates. No more looking after her. She was on her own. Even when she had Harry they were sort of independent partners— both obviously caring about one another and there for one another— but rarely stepping a toe over the boundaries Ron would carelessly shove out the way.

The thing with Harry and Hermione is that there's so clearly a wall between them, even though they clearly have a very deep bond (a very sibling-like bond, what with the both of them teasing one another over their crushes). Hermione's and Harry's interactions with Ron are easy and casual, but Hermione often tiptoes around Harry, while Harry pulls away or ignores her (or blows up at her).

A while later Harry came down dressed less casually than usual.

“Where are you off to?” she asked, making him stop short and look at her nervously.

“I’m off to the Ministry. I have to do pre-assessments for the Aurors.”

“So you did apply…” she said, a heaviness forming in her chest.

He studied her for a bit. “I did.”

There was a challenge in his gaze. A challenge she wasn’t sure she could meet.

Good luck trying to convince Harry of anything, Hermione. This guy's stubborn.

“Well…” Had she ever managed to change Harry’s mind? Not really… Persuasion was not one of her strongest suits with anyone, despite how cogent her arguments might be. Harry was a particularly stubborn recipient.

*laugh* "Harry was a particularly stubborn recipient".... That's the least you can say. But to be fair with Hermione, once Harry's got something in mind it's very difficult to talk him out of it. Ron barely manages to do it in the books, even at times when it's important. Ginny might be the only person Harry actually listens to.

Even a few days ago she would have fought him about it, tried to convince him to give up the Auror folly, argued to make him come to his senses and finish his education, wheedled him with the temptation of Ginny and all his friends. She just was so tired. Each day felt like the drag and pull of life was slowly pulling her to bits. The hollowness in her chest grew every day until waking, eating, bathing, brushing her teeth, dressing… They all felt Herculean.

This is a painfully accurate representation of depression. Depression is just a wave of immense tiredness - because living becomes tiring.

Intellectually she knew he clearly cared about her. He showed it with his attentions and looks. It just didn’t quite feel like it. And really, it was some miracle he seemed to care so much. All she did was harp and nag… well, and now she slept and avoided meals… She used to at least be good for homework or figuring things out…

She made an irritated gesture and turned over. Useless was what she'd become, and she was far too tired to stop being so. She did a silencing spell on herself in case she screamed in her sleep then closed her eyes for a short nap.

....No. No no no no no no no. Hermione can't have the same kind of self-loathing thoughts as Ron ! Yet every unhealthy thought pattern is here, from Hermione not having internalized the idea that Ron loves her, to thinking that she's useless, without forgetting the idea of not being good enough to be worthy of his attention...

How am I supposed to survive if the two of them take turns hating themselves ?? You want me dead, Hilly ?

The fear she had for Harry becoming an Auror was nothing compared to the terror of Ron joining. He was covered in scars from each time he’d thrown himself in front of Harry. He would die for him. And Harry would always be a big target. While Harry had loads of help and body guards of sorts protecting him and putting their lives on the line for him, who was protecting Ron? Harry might try, but he was always moving forward not realising his surroundings like Ron did— while he’d try to survive as he single-mindedly pursued a goal, Ron was making sure everyone else survived. If not Harry she could easily see Ron sacrificing himself for someone else— he’d done as much for her and others too many times.

I'd rather say that Harry has a tendency to rush into situations and dragging people with him without really thinking through the consequences. Harry does notice his surroundings and makes sure people survive (he saved Draco Malfoy in the Room of Requirement, for example), while Ron has a keener sense of the actual danger people are in (which is why he didn't want to endanger Hermione's life by turning round and saving Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle).

Ron's also the member of the trio who's truly got self-sacrificing tendencies (more so than Harry, even; Ron offered himself up or sacrificed himself many times for his friends, and at no point was it truly necessary; he did it because he cared...it's not a coincidence if, in the seventh book, he was the first to say he should kill Nagini, was ready to go to the Shrieking Shack without the Invisibility Cloak and told Harry to look after Hermione in a way that suggests he was not planning on coming back).

In the darker recesses of her mind she thought that might be his reasoning for becoming an Auror. Perhaps he wanted a break from her. She’d not been herself. She wasn’t useful anymore. She was barely ever fun under normal circumstances, but now any potential fun she could relax into only felt solid enough to grasp when she was drunk or wrapped in Ron’s arms. She was unpleasant and sad and useless and too skinny and too unstable and—

Oh my God. You wrote Hermione's own version of the locket, and this last accumulation got my heart to break so hard. Gosh I'm crying.

Ron looked from her face to the letter and his eyes widened.

"How was your 'workout?'" Hermione managed to say without her voice wobbling.

HERE WE ARE GUYS *puts up the shield in front of my face*.

He silently shrugged.

Unbelievable! She took another breath, determined to keep her cool.

"You didn't say you were going to be joining the Aurors."

Good. Very good. There's no accusation there, not yet anyway - you can feel it's hanging in the air, but Hermione wants to understand what's going on and she's keeping it factual for now, which is a great place to start.

"Well, you saw the letter," he said hoarsely, voice barely above a whisper. "And I've always wanted to be an Auror."

"I know that, but…" She searched his face. He was pale with purple smudged under his eyes. He didn't look happy like Harry had. He hulked in the doorway not meeting her eyes. "Do you honestly still want to be fighting and duelling Death Eaters? Didn't you see enough danger already?"

Excellent. Hermione's being honest about what is really bothering her, that is that she doesn't want Ron to be hurt in any way. And she's trying to convince by appealing to the way he feels about danger.

"Hermione, it's a good paying job—"

"It could be the best paying job in the world and I'd feel the same way! I don't want you out there getting cursed at every day!"

I understand Hermione. After all they've been through, having to worry about your loved ones getting hurt or killed sounds like a cruel joke.

"Well what else am I good for?" Ron snapped at her.

Oh my God. It's one of those moments when my eyes sting and my heart hurts, and I also want to facepalm so hard at the obliviousness that people around Ron sometimes display. The thing with Ron is that even when he doesn't strictly open up about the dark thoughts that come through his mind (and even then he's so much more prone to admitting vulnerability and fear than Harry and even Hermione at times...I shall talk about that some day), everything is on the surface anyway.

Like now - he's basically telling Hermione he thinks he's good for nothing except taking beatings, basically, but she doesn't register it as a confession from him.

It's fascinating to see how you manage to make Ron come out as mysterious in Hermione's eyes, and yet as a reader you can still decipher what Ron's thinking.

"Any other job!" she proclaimed, rising from the bed and marching towards him. "The Ministry is gutted - there are thousands of jobs you could easily take!"

"Maybe I want a job that's harder to earn," he said with a stubborn set to his jaw.

...He definitely took Hermione's outburst as another piece of evidence that she doesn't have a high opinion of him, right ? Right.

"And isn't the world full of them? Become a Healer! Become a barrister! Become a rocket scientist! Or you could come to Hogwarts with me, and then we can go and work at the Ministry when we know it's safe… Together."

This speech from Hermione was incredibly endearing. She has so much faith in him ("a rocket scientist" had me grinning so widely), yet he can't see it because it's hidden under so many instances of miscommunication.

"I'm not leaving Harry," he said, meeting her in the middle of the room, just far enough in that his head barely touched the slanted ceiling. "You know what he's like when he's on a mission— he's always two steps from getting his head blown off, and he already accepted his offer from them. I can't leave him to it."

Ron really shouldn't join the Aurors because of Harry, but it unfortunately seems to be one of his main motivations (along with a need to earn money, a desire to prove to himself he can get the job, a wish to get the work of his childhood dreams, and confusion about what else he could do) and it's so sad to watch.

"Oh I know what Harry's like!" she said, picking up the red Auror handbook and waving it at him. "I got an offer from the Aurors too, you know. Maybe I'll join, since we're all so set on choosing paths of self destruction. If you're off trying to get yourself killed, I'm coming too."

Hermione is pulling out desperate moves there (but it's something she sometimes does when she can't persuade the person she's speaking to, like this time she asked Harry if he was enjoying his connection with Voldemort...and then people want to make me believe she's the most tactful member of the trio; yeah right).

At the same time, her rather cynical (but very revealing) approach was very funny and it got me to look fondly at my screen. She's so adorable.

Ron looked at her with incredulity written in every feature.

"You are not becoming an Auror."

"You can't tell me what to do with my life, Ron!" she retorted, not caring how petulant she sounded.

Is it bad that I would have reacted exactly like Hermione ?

"Are you kidding?" he asked, giving an incredulous look. "You don't want to be an Auror. Hell, you don't even want ME to be one, apparently. You know it'd be a poor fit."

"Oh?" she said, eyebrows raising up into her overgrown fringe. "Why do you think I'm so terribly under qualified to be an Auror, but somehow you and Harry are perfect for it?"

Okay, Ron, what are you doing ? Telling Hermione that being an Auror would be a poor fit for her is not how you're going to get through to her, you know ?

"You're good enough to be whatever you want—" he said with a wave of his hand. "But you're just different from us. You're meant for something different. Plus right now you'd have a lot of trouble passing the CREs - there's loads of physical stuff and flying—"

I know what he's trying to say. I do get it. He's basically saying that Hermione can be absolutely anything she wants (unlike him), and he's being realistic about her poor health hindering her. But I don't think being that blunt is going to cut it.

"Flying," she snorted. "Oh yes, I'm sure Quidditch is very important to the exams"

I'm beginning to cringe. I get where Hermione's coming from, but being disdainful about flying and Quidditch is going to make Ron self-conscious and defensive.

"It's literally one of the CRE exams! Last I checked you were rather crap at it."

I'm gaping. I knew he was going to get defensive, but I didn't think he was going to be as brutally honest as that.

A stupid prideful anger swelled in her.

"I know more spells than you and Harry put together!"

I'm not going to lie, her reaction was expected considering what Ron just said - they're both being defensive about their abilities because they're insecure and tired. What gets me is that they're arguing over something rather childish, all things considered, while all the real problems are being ignored - or rather, they're present, but they're not being openly discussed.

"Well yeah, but—"

"And I duel as well as either of you!"

Except in stressful situations.

"You don't duel as well as Harry."

"Fine! Harry might be better, but I can outduel you."

Ouch. Hermione's fuelling Ron's inferiority complex toward Harry there.

*silent crying* They're being so bad at communicating with one another right there.

He stayed silent for a moment before he quietly added, "You're slower than me too."

There's something about Ron's hesitation to say he's better than her in duelling that's very telling about the way he thinks, and it pulled at my heartstrings again.

She took a breath. Yes, she was angry at his audacity and the insults, but she was an adult, and was going to handle the situation with diplomacy and decorum befitting the mature individual she was.

"That's it - duel me right now!" she demanded, pointing her wand at his freckled nose.

I laughed so hard at this - like, so hard. The irony between her inner dialogue and her actual behaviour was grandiose. It's also rather funny because one my original characters would have reacted in the exact same way (and actually did), except her inner dialogue would have sounded like Zuko monologuing about honour.

Ron gave a chest rattling sigh and looked to the ceiling. "I'm not duelling you."

"Afraid I'll beat you?!" she taunted.

She's being prideful and immature, but it's understandable. She's currently dealing with insecurities in regard to her inability to do things the way she used to and her "usefulness", plus she has the impression that Ron is pulling away from her.

"No, I'm afraid I'll hurt you." His voice was so low she strained to hear it.

This is PAINFUL.

"I've gotten you loads of times over the years!"

Ron walked away from her unconcerned and picked up the pub shirt she'd laid out on his dresser.

"The only reason you've been able to attack me with birds and hit me so much over the years is because I let you. I never fight back. If you were a bloke, I'd have you on your arse for it."

I cringed so very hard at that. I don't think for a second that Hermione was used to hitting Harry or Ron or hexing them, but there is no denying that Hermione did hex Ron with birds and Ron didn't retaliate, or that Hermione hit Ron when he came back and he didn't fight back either.

"I'd like to see you try!" she scoffed.

"Expelliarmus," Ron said before deftly catching her wand.

"That wasn't— We weren't duelling."

"You think Death Eaters will wait for you to bow to one another?"

I'm not going to lie, the casual way he disarmed her and caught her wand made Ron look like a badass, but it probably got Hermione even more infuriated than she already was.

"Don't you condescend to me! I've been through more fights for my life than you have this past year!" Her face burned with stung pride and her fists shook. "Harry and I were on our own and we had to face all sorts of trouble while you were on your little holiday."

OH NO FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND PRECIOUS, DON'T GO THERE !

...And at the same time I know Hermione would have used that against Ron at least once, because she's got a rather vindictive streak at times.

Also, what is Hermione talking about ? Even if she doesn't know what happened with the Snatchers, Ron was still caught by them - doesn't that count ?

His jaw tightened in annoyance and his face began to flush.

"Little holiday?" he growled.

"While you were eating warm meals at Fleur and Bill's and relaxing by the beach, we were still starving and being attacked by Nagini!"

Why, but why are you going in that direction just for the sake of winning a petty argument, Hermione ? At least go back to things you're actually mad about !

"I wasn't on some holiday, Hermione!" he said, his voice shaking.

Oh no Ron's voice is shaking ! In what state is he going to be in the next chapter (or the one we see from his point of view) ?

"What? Did Fleur and Bill not serve tea how you like it? Didn't get a chance to play Quidditch? How brutal for you- especially since flying is apparently terribly important for being an Auror"

She's acting the exact same way she did when he came back, belittling him and being very scornful about what he went through, and that's just...not great. I can understand and even justify the way she behaved in the seventh book because the circumstances were different, but you can't use the same point and repeat recriminations from previous fights every time you have an argument with your lover.

"You…" he said, closing his eyes. "You really think I'm crap at everything, don't you?"

Alert, alert: Ron is opening up about his demons, which means he's at the end of his tether and I'm going to cry.

"What?" she asked, blinking at him, not sure where that was coming from. "Don't be dramatic. Of course I don't—"

It's clear she has no idea what Ron is going through, or how her words could make Ron believe that she doesn't think he's got any worth.

"I'm not being dramatic," he said looking out the window. "You're still holding when I left against me— you actually think I was just off having a lark. You can't admit I'm a faster dueller— not better, just faster!— and anything I can do that you can't, like flying, is… is some joke is it?"

I said I was going to cry ? Too late, I'm already crying. Ron looking away from Hermione and at the window is a very bad sign that he's pulling away, emotionally speaking. What truly kills me here is the ellipsis: there's so much hurt in those few dots !

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't say that!"

Hermione, rolling your eyes will not help you make your point across - it just comes across as you dismissing Ron's feelings.

Ron fixed his stare on her, blue eyes two chips of ice boring into her. "You want to hear why you'd be a shit Auror, Hermione?"

NO don't go there either Ron ! THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA !

There's also something incredibly disturbing about the idea that Ron's eyes could be cold and impassive.

"Enlighten me," she scoffed. "I'm sure it'll be really illuminating and not sexist or moronic at all!"

He gave a grin— a terrible grin so unlike his usual warm smile— it was twisted and strange and filled with a mix of hurt and cynicism.

Imagining Ron like this, with a twisted smile, is very distressing. You just know he's incredibly hurt by what he perceives to be Hermione's lack of faith in him, and her remarks about his departure, which has to be the most painful subjects possible for Ron.

"You are utterly brilliant with knowing spells, but you have shit reflexes. You nearly got hit square in the face like ten times this year, but Harry or I pushed and pulled you out of the way. When you have time to suss something out you're amazing— you saved our arses so many times! But physically you're slower on the draw."

Well yeah, I agree with that. I made an entire analysis on this very fact. What is good here is that Ron still took the time to list positive things about Hermione, therefore softening the blow of his words.

"There's more to it than— "

"I'm not done!" he barked, cheeks red. "You'd argue with a post and can't get along with people so there goes teamwork. You've never been all that athletic, you can't fly, and you've lost so much weight you'd probably faint right now if I made you run laps in the yard. There's no way you'd be able to keep up now. You'd just be the slow one they pick off."

Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears.

....I take back what I said. This list was brutal, especially the first sentence, and there was Ron's own vindictive streak on display (it's a flaw they both have in common). I mean, I can feel there's worry behind his words too, since he mentioned Hermione's health and is afraid that she's not eating enough, but the way he phrased that rant was petty.

Ron swore under his breath as he glanced at his watch.

"I'm sorry," he said, but didn't look it.

"Give me back my wand," she growled.

"I'm sorry… I have to get going. I'll leave your wand down stairs with Harry for when you calm down."

"You can't take my wand like that!"

"I'm sorry," he firmly repeated. "I have to go."

"To what? You don't have another Auror assessment until Sunday! Or are you just running away again?"

For goodness's sake this was such a low blow !

He didn't say a word and stared at her. She had crossed some invisible line— she wasn't sure how, but as he looked at her, face slack and resigned she knew she was making everything fall apart.

"Ron, I—"

He dropped her wand on the ground.

"There's your bloody wand," he said, before Apparating away.

The anger that had buoyed her and made her words bite crumbled under his absence. Tears pooled in her eyes until they made hot tracks down her face.

You can tell just from Hermione's description of Ron (especially the resignation on his face) that she hurt him terribly by saying that.

She could picture the kinds of horrors that waited for her. For a moment she thought of the relief if the spells smashed her to pieces, then she’d not feel that horrible chest constricting darkness and self hate. She could finally stop being such a destructive monster who ruined lives and just do the world a favour.

She jumped away from the doorknob as if burnt.

Scared of her thoughts, she stumbled away from the door until her back was to the high stone wall behind her home. She leant her head back and let the stone cool her.

What the heck, Hermione ? Are you actually worse than Ron ? Since when do you think that you're a destructive monster ? Since when do you have suicidal ideations ?

Please send help, my favourite fictional characters are all breaking down and I don't know what to do about it !

She thought of everything Ron— his smile as she talked about things, paying attention to her like no one else did. His laughs— he had so many, from throwing his head back and guffawing, to an excited giggle, to a booming laugh that left her ears buzzing. His eyes catching hers across the room, directing her to observe someone then giving her the look plainly saying 'can you believe this arse? Oh we will talk about this later!’ And they would.

She thought of their first languid and unrushed kiss, the brush of his hand against her cheek, and that wonderful tender gaze all for her.

She’d been shy and uncertain as she was the one to kiss him first in the Battle. He put his hand up to her cheek and rubbed away a bit of grit there. She expected him to drop his hand, but instead it remained warm and real against her cheek. He stood and beheld her before he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Tension left her and she was filled with the first calm she’d felt in months.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered against her mouth, before putting his forehead against hers.

“Expecto Patronum,” she called into the garden. A glowing silver otter burst forth, gambolling around her.

This was heartwarming. I don't know what I prefer, Hermione's description of Ron's different laughs, or the way you wrote their second kiss, so tender and intimate while still being coated with grim and dust.

"It will be alright, biguet. I will need a few minutes to do the primary spells. You will stay here, yes?"

Well, if you don't mind a slight bit of criticism I think the word "biguet" stood for "biquet" in French, no ? You were aiming for a term of endearment, right ? If I'm honest, though, I can't remember the word "biquet" being used for a woman (because it's a masculine word). You could go for "ma chérie", "ma puce", or "choupette".

"I kept Ron's clothes from when he came to us in case he needed it for evidence. There is a stasis charm on it even if you take it out of the bag, so everything is conserved… Attendre. Est-ce préserver ou conserver? Ah! It's preserved. I didn't bring it the other night as it was so crowded. I didn't want to upset anyone, especially Molly."

Oh, the confusion over the words in English from a French perspective was really good - did I also mistake "preserve" with "conserve" ? Yes. Yes I did. Many times. But in my defense, when a word exists in another language and it's very similar to one you use in your own mothertongue, you tend to want to use it even if its meaning is different... (every French person went through a "I'd like to go to the library...well, no, I mean the book shop !" moment).

However, you wouldn't use "Attendre" in the infinitive form here, but in the imperative form ("Attends"). Don't worry, the French conjugation system is both amazing and over the top complex (we actually have a tense that is meant to express the idea of an action that is both set in the future and anterior to another action also set in the future...yeah I know).

If you need any advice with French expressions/words, don't hesitate to reach out to me !

Hermione could clearly remember what Ron wore the night Bellatrix tortured her. She’d buried her face in the striped shirt as he carried her, she’d seen him dig Dobby’s grave in it.

“This can’t be from the night we came to you. I’ve seen him wear it since then,” Hermione replied, confused as she gave the package a squeeze.

“No, from the first time he visited— last winter.”

OH MY FREAKING GOD ! YES ! YES ! Hermione will finally learn something about what Ron went through with the Snatchers ! I'm so excited about this !

D*mn, can you believe I'm actually smiling even though it's supposed to be a sad moment ? I'm such a sadist. But I can't help it, this is literally one of the things I prefer in Ron-centric fanfics - people finding out about stuff Ron went through and being horrified about it. I feel vindicated every time. Literally wrote 26000 words for a chapter in my own story with that kind of stuff, and only that kind of stuff.

From what Ron had told them, she highly doubted there would be much evidence on the clothing. He’d only been held a moment or so by the Snatchers. Maybe there were some hairs or trace magical evidence she was unaware of? It wasn’t an area of magic she knew much about. She told as much to Fleur, whose face slowly turned to shock.

I fully support the interpretation that, in canon, Ron was held by the Snatchers way longer than he let on, and that something terrible happened (my guess is that he only talked about his Splinched fingernails because he knew Harry and Hermione would notice and ask questions about them). In terms of timing, it just doesn't make sense. Ron left in the evening, and he wanted to come back as soon as he left. Yet he wasn't able to go back to the place the trio had been staying at before Harry and Hermione left, which was late in the morning. Even if Ron Apparated "several miles" from the tent, you're not going to make me believe he walked all night and all morning in the forest and wasn't able to come back in time (and no, Splinched fingernails is not a good enough explanation...you're not slowed down to the point where you can't walk just because you miss two fingernails).

Plus given how violent Snatchers were when Harry said the Taboo, and the way Ron acted as if he had already faced that before, there is no way he didn't get beaten up the first time (especially because "walking straight" in a gang of Snatchers does not mean that he was captured right away, it's just not possible, he had to have put up some sort of fight before he was caught; and I cannot see Snatchers being particularly peaceful after a fight).

I mean, we, the readers, know Harry wasn't completely truthful to Hermione about the locket, and that had just happened to Ron. So with weeks of thinking about what he could tell Harry and Hermione, Ron had a good chance of coming up with a slightly twisted version of the truth, being evasive about certain parts (and he was, he didn't even highlight the fact that he spent two days and three nights in the snow...even I had barely picked up on it and I've read this passage many times).

“Then… Then he has not told you?”

“Told me what?” Hermione asked, realising her palms were a bit sweaty still.

No he freaking hasn't.

It's so interesting to have Fleur realizing that Ron didn't tell anyone. I wonder what she's going to do with that information.

“He has not told you about the Snatchers?”

“Oh that— yes he told us about it,” said Hermione, a bit impatiently wiping her hands on her pyjama trousers.

NO HE DIDN'T !!

Fleur was still standing absolutely still, a small line forming above her eyebrows.

“He left out some things,” Fleur said, handing the package to Hermione. “It would be best to talk to him, but that is not how it looked. Not at all.”

"He left out some things"...that - that's one way to put it. I mean, I know Fleur isn't fully aware of what went on with the Snatchers (the use of the word "looked" made that very clear), but it's so frustrating to see the discrepancy between what Ron told the others and what actually happened. He got whipped and sexually assaulted (at the very least, I'm still on the fence in regard to my theory that what went on with Ron in this fic is worse than what happened in "Ron and the Snatchers"), for Merlin's sake !

I'm living for Fleur's shock, though.

Prickles of worry scratched at the back of her skull as she stared at the brown package. What was Ron hiding?

A LOT.

Surprisingly through the spell she could smell it — that very Ron scent that clung to everything he owned, the smell of mud and earth, the tang of sweat and then another scent she’d grown to recognize. Blood.

For the briefest moment she hesitated, dread making her hands stiff.

She turned the clothing over and let out a gasp. A deep wine colour stained them all over. The shirt and sweater had long gashes down it and even his belt was in two pieces.

My sadistic side is back, I was giddy when I read that (I scare myself sometimes). To have Hermione see Ron's bloodstained clothes, to have her see that his sweater and shirt have "long gashes down it", and to have her even see Ron's severed belt is brilliant. That way, she can start to anxiously make hypotheses about what happened, and maybe she'll put two and two together by herself !

I mean, personally I'm already taking back my Sherlock Holmes' hat and pipe. From what I can see, the state of Ron's clothes would match with what happened in "Ron and the Snatchers" - the long gashes correspond to the whipping, and I can remember Ron's belt being cut by Crowthers. It still doesn't mean that we know everything about what went on, though - and I've noticed you've been very secretive about it in your writing...the wait is killing me, I don't know whether you've done this for readers who might not be as acquainted with your fics as I am (yes, I'm an expert and I have no qualms gloating about it), if it's for dramatic purposes, or if there's really more to the story than what we were previously shown.

“What happened?” Hermione breathed out, barely above a whisper. “What did they do to him?”

“I only know his injuries. He didn’t say what happened.”

I knew Fleur wasn't fully aware of what had happened.

I also love the fact that Hermione's voice is "barely above a whisper" here. She's quietly discovering the fact that Ron's been hurt and hasn't been truthful about it, holding on to Ron's clothes, and everything about it is already unbearable for her.

Hermione shook her head staring at the stains.

“He never told us…” she whimpered, eyes stinging with tears. “He'd… he’d joked about it!”

My eyes are stinging too - imagining Hermione restraining herself from crying as she looks at Ron's bloodstained clothes is a very painful image.

So is Hermione's sentence that Ron "joked" about what happened with the Snatchers - but that's Ron for you, even when he's suffering he often goes back to being buoyant and optimistic after a few minutes or days. I mean, Ron made jokes even after he got scarred for life, and he used his scars to attract Hermione's attention a few months later. Ron was cheerful the day after he destroyed the locket, after being tortured mentally, being barely able to stand and breaking down in the snow.

Harry's extremely resilient, but Ron's got so much mental strength that people sleep on. Ron does ruminate about things (he could made a reference to Hermione's reaction when he got the Prefect badge two years after the fact, for example) but most of the time he just decides to be happy, to look at the positive aspects of things, and I've only realized recently that it was one of the things that got me to love this guy so much in the first place.

I can't wait to see Hermione's reaction once she discovers that the one Ron made a joke about was the one who also assaulted him sexually.

She’d been awful to him when he returned. She’d been so cruel and had mocked him and she’d done so again today.

Yep. As I said, I'm sympathetic to Hermione in the seventh book because the circumstances were just so hard (they were in the war, she had no idea about what Ron had gone through, she got alone even though Ron was her one and only source of comfort, she had had to grieve Ron on her own and deal with Harry herself...), but there is no doubt to me that Hermione will have to deal with the fact that she told Ron things that echoed what the locket had said (we don't need you, we don't want you, you're stupid...), and all with the purpose to hurt him as much as she could because of the agony she'd been through when he left.

“Ron, you liar….” Hermione held back burgeoning sobs. “Fleur… Tell me what happened.”

My heart broke with that passage only. That's all I can say.

“That afternoon I saw him Apparate onto the beach and trip towards the house— I didn’t recognize him at first. He was so bruised and bloody.” Fleur shook her head. “He looked so frightening I nearly cursed him, but Bill recognized him, somehow. Sometimes I think the bit of werewolf in him can smell the difference in people.”

The small snack Fleur had given Hermione churned in her stomach. How bad did it have to be for Fleur to not recognize Ron, one of the most singular looking people Hermione had ever known. You could recognize him from a thousand meters away with his lanky frame, wide shoulders and red hair. She put a hand to her mouth.

Oh my God. How bad was it ?

“It took days to heal him. We were able to set his bones and keep him from having much scarring, except his fingers of course— there was nothing we could do for the Splinching except close the wound.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Non, he did not tell us much. He was more concerned with getting well so he could find you and Harry.”

“What do you think they did to him?”

“It looked like he was beaten and tortured. There were many bruises and cuts. He had broken fingers, ribs, a broken skull, and his back had been cut into ribbons. It took five days for him to recover. It could have been shorter, but it was hard to make him stay in bed for healing once he could walk again.

....Very bad, apparently. I don't remember Ron having broken fingers in "Ron and the Snatchers", though. I mean, I know he was beaten up, and that he was hit in the head several times, which would explain the broken ribs and the broken skull, but there's nothing, in my recollection of the fic, that would really account for broken fingers.

And also, Ron being both endearing and exasperating by risking his health to get back to Harry and Hermione again gives me life (he also wanted to help Harry find food and keep watch the very day he got Splinched...my heart).

“He was rarely at Shell Cottage. He went out every day, Apparating all over to find you, then staying up late listening to the radio for signs of you. He had a map where he marked where he visited- it was covered in hundreds of x-marks. He would barely talk or eat or sleep. Then one night he was gone, and we had to hope it was because he’d found you and not that he’d been captured. The next we saw him, you were in his arms.”

Did I say I love Ron ? Because I love Ron. The idea of Ron having a map that he would use to track down his two best friends, and giving his all to find Harry and Hermione is both lovely and heartbreaking.

And you know, I sometimes think about the fact that the day Ron left Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur didn't know what had happened and woke up to find Ron gone. I don't want to think about how horrible that discovery must have been.

“Oh, Hermione,” Ginny said, all compassion. “Why didn’t you say? We would’ve come with you!”

I wish Ginny knew something about the Snatchers. I can not interpret Ron and Ginny as being anything other than really, really close. I can't wait for her reaction.

“I’m fine. The house is mostly okay, and I’m fine— I just… it was a lot and I wanted Ron and—”

“Of course you do,” Ginny said looking at Harry, the pair silently communicating something between them. That was new. “I don’t know where he is, though.”

It's the "Of course you [wanted Ron]" from Ginny that makes this scene so amazing.

“That’s a relief. It was miserable trying to hide it,” he said with a barely contained smile of excitement. “He didn’t want to say anything until it was a 'sure thing’ or whatever. Guess yesterday’s exam finally got through to him. It sounded like he did really well— hard to tell with how he talks about himself sometimes, but he beat a really top dueller.”

Harry overtly commenting on Ron's emotional state will never cease to be a surprise to me. I can barely remember a time in the books when he did that. Yet you managed to keep Harry in character, because his comment is just that, a remark in passing, while the true subject of the conversation is the Auror exams Harry and Ron are doing.

Hermione did not feel fully in her body. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she swore the smell of Ron’s torture still stung her nostrils.

Tiredness and depressive thoughts can do that to you and make you feel like you're a zombie and what's happening is not completely the reality.

She looked in the mirror. She was still in a sweaty oversized shirt and dirt smudged pyjama trousers, while her hair was still greasy and in need of a wash.

Again this feels like a very accurate depiction of what a depressed person look like and feel like.

It wasn’t a long walk and soon they were in the quaint village of Ottery St Catchpole. It was much like the Burrow, with nothing having truly straight lines, and a very homey feel to it.

...They're going to see Ron working in the pub, aren't they ?

Well, you know what ? GOOD ! GREAT ! The more secrets we unravel, the happier I am ! Let's go !

From her. He needed a breather from her.

Hermione is again pulling a Ron on us. I can't deal with two of my favourite characters being sure their loved ones want them gone or would rather get rid of them ! What are you doing to me, Hilly ? Oh no I'm crying.

“Probably not,” Hermione said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Ron had been through so much, and she hadn’t helped a lick. Instead she’d made his life infinitely more unpleasant. He probably wanted to avoid her as much as George now.

No of course not, Hermione ! Those two need to talk, and badly.

“Yeah…” he said with a besotted smile. He looked down at his shoes, but was still smiling. “She’s just really good at knowing what I need… I want to do the same for her, and I’m probably shit at it, but—”

On the one hand, I very much agree that Ginny is great at knowing what Harry needs.

On the other hand, I always had the gut feeling that Ginny and Harry hit a few hitches here and there when they rekindled their relationship after the war. Part of their connection was made possible because they'd been through the exact same experience of knowing Tom Riddle. But during the war, they both had very different experiences that the other wouldn't have been able to relate to. I feel like this disconnect would have turned into a need for them to adjust to a new dynamic, with a need for more verbal communication.

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s find the pub so we can check out the menu.”

Harry and Hermione are going to see Ron !! Or even better, they're all going to meet !

“Oh! This must be the one Ron called me from!” said Hermione, pointing out the phones. “We practised phone calls and he’d call me from there every week.”

I love the way you auto-reference yourself. If anyone reads this, I highly recommend Practice Calls - hillnerd - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

A pair of wooden doors had just swung open and out came Ron, a large plastic bin in his hands. He wore the 'Ragged Gnome’ shirt, an apron and oversized plastic gloves

*punches the air*

Well, now we know where he’s been going,” Harry quietly muttered. “He’s a dishwasher here.”

“But… But why keep it a secret?” Hermione asked.

“He’s always been private about money stuff.” His forehead puckered. “We should get out of here.”

Part of Hermione wanted to march into the pub to apologise about her fight, tell him she knew about the Snatchers and the pub and just get every single thing out in the open! But Harry was right. Ron had always been private about money.

“If he didn’t tell us, then I suppose he wants to keep it secret for a reason,” she said. “Though I can’t think why he’d want to hide it! It’s admirable for him to get a job so soon after everything.”

Noooo don't get out of here. I was so happy a few paragraphs before that and now I'm ready to bang my head on the wall because I can already see Harry and Hermione assuming that Ron doesn't want to talk about his job because he's self-conscious in regard to his financial situation, and shutting up about it.

“What do we do though?” she asked, thinking of purple stains and slashed clothes. She crossed her arms tight. “We can’t tell him we know… That we know everything… Can we?”

“I mean, it’ll sort itself out soon, right?” Harry said, glancing back to the pub.

Now I am going to bang my head on the wall. "it'll sort itself out soon" ? Harry, I love you, but sometimes you are clueless. It reminds me of this time in the fifth book Harry thought he was being clever after Gryffindor's defeat against Hufflepuff, when he didn't go to the dormitory right away to "respect Ron's privacy"...Like, Harry, of course Ron was going to pretend he was asleep, you basically avoided him the whole time he was downstairs !

Just, Harry has this tendency not to intervene (he did get better at this in the sixth book but it's not Harry's forte), a tendency to remain detached and let things sort themselves out while he focuses on the last mystery to date.

“But… but what if this is all too much for him? Is honouring his privacy worth it if he’s going to run himself into the ground? It’s not good for him to lie and not tell anyone!”

...Listen to Hermione, Harry.

Harry’s hand briefly clenched in front of his chest, right where the locket had scarred him. She was certain he was thinking back to when Ron left them. “Okay… Okay. We’ll come up with something. Talk to him soon… But I don’t think a big confrontation is going to help it. He’s already stretched thin.”

She let out a thin laugh. “Right… Wouldn’t want to make things worse with a confrontation.” She crossed her arms tighter around her body.

“For now,” he said, giving her a wary look. “We’ll help him with the house stuff, help him prepare for Aurors assessments, and give him his privacy on this. If we ease his pressures in the other stuff, then this won’t be so bad, right?”

Okay, Harry is being a great friend there, in his usual Harry way - by doing things for his friends they aren't aware of. Harry's actually being rather insightful there. Ron hates feeling cornered or pressured - quietly making things easier for Ron will definitely help, will make him think they care...that is, if handled in the right way (it could totally backfire if they make Ron believe they're helping him because he wouldn't be able to succeed by his own merits).

“I’m going to check out that pub,” she said suddenly, standing from the table.

Not going to lie, I'm always down for people confronting Ron about what's going on with him.

She walked with purpose for the first time in weeks.

Great insight. Hermione needs certitude in her life, a plan, something concrete to be more like herself. That's one of the reasons she's so depressed in "Waking up" - she has very little idea as to what she's supposed to do, and therefore feels like she's useless.

A weedy man with a scant moustache greeted her.

Paul ! I missed the guy. He's awkward but endearing.

She ignored him and pushed through the double doors. There was a small hole in the wall for dish bins to pass through, then another door past that to the dish room. She pushed through that too and found Ron. His back was to her, and his red hair was dark at the nape of his neck with sweat. He was scraping food from plates into the garbage before spraying down dishes. He made a noise looking into a glass before his hand went to his wand that was sticking out of his back pocket, he did a surreptitious look around him when he spotted Hermione.

The glass slipped out of his gloved hand and crashed on the floor.

I love everything about this. I love the fact that Hermione went past Paul without even letting him finish his sentence and pushed the double doors of the "staff only" space like a cow-boy on his way to meet his sworn enemy. I love that Ron looked for his wand after he saw something disgusting in a glass, clearly refusing to touch it himself. And I love the dramatic effect of Ron breaking a glass again as he spotted Hermione (good thing he's got a wand, otherwise he'd break all the glasses in the pub).

“Ron, this'n just barged back here! We’re not allowed people back here. Liability stuff and Eckles will have our heads!”

Please, let me see Eckles ! I love him so much, he's one of my favourite original characters you created (on par with Aarti). A boss who looks after his employees and forces them to take breaks ? Amazing !

“Mm-hm,” he said thoughtfully. “Did you eat?”

*cries lovingly* He's still very hurt from their previous confrontation and that's still the first thing he asks her.

His face was very still and held little expression, which made Hermione’s stomach roil with uncertainty.

Ron's face being inexpressive is so wrong, I don't even have words for this - he's just put up a wall between Hermione and he that I loathe.

She thought of the brown paper and his clothes. She thought of him coming to her in the dead of winter joking about stinking Snatchers and her fists flying at him. She thought of the weeks she’d held a grudge and barely looked at him if not to send a pointed barb his way. She thought of the hurt on his face as she aimed every ounce of vitriol at him time and time again.

I wonder how long you feel Hermione was angry at Ron once he came back. My inkling is that she was not as biting as people seem to think. Two days (two days!) after Ron's return, she was already bickering/bantering with him like they used to, and appealed to him when Harry wanted to chase down the Hallows instead of the Horcruxes. Based on their interactions, I gather she went back to their usual dynamics rather quickly, though she was probably more guarded than before at first and definitely sent a few pointed barbs his way here and there that he took without saying anything.

Everything about this paragraph is heart shattering, though. Ron's bloodstained clothes. Ron joking about Snatchers after what happened to him and Hermione hitting him. Ron taking Hermione's hurtful barbs and thinking he deserves every ounce of it.

“I came to apologise.”

It was almost insulting how his mouth gaped open.

Hermione's growing up. The Hermione we saw in the books had unhealthy patterns when it comes to apologies: she would apologize profusely for very small things (like wiping out Harry's potion by accident), but rarely apologized for big mistakes, because the idea of letting people down that much is very hard to bear for someone who's perfectionist.

Her fingers twisted into the hem of her shirt before she asked, “are you sure you want to be an Auror?”

“Yes…” he said with a dubious look on his face

...You're already hinting that in that universe at least, Ron's not going to be an Auror for very long.

“Then I’ll support you,” she said with as much certainty as she could. “I’m still worried about you being an Auror. No matter how good you are, it won’t guarantee you’re safe! The Ministry is weak and there are loads of dark wizards on the loose and - and I don’t want you to be a hero stepping in front of spells for people! I want you to be selfish and always come back to me… because you mean… you mean so much to me and even the thought of—” she burst into sobs. In seconds long arms were around her, holding her tight. He smelled like beer and dishwasher detergent, but also Ron.

This speech from Hermione is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. It's amazing because Hermione is making a very conscious effort to support Ron in his choices and letting the matter drop despite her worries, and it's something that's very, very hard for her. It's amazing because Hermione also managed to express her faith in Ron. It's heartbreaking because Hermione is being so vulnerable right there, opening up to Ron about her deepest fears, telling him that he means the world to her. It's heartbreaking because Hermione broke down at the exact moment she mentioned the idea that Ron might be killed, idea that she was unable to even finish.

Even the way you described Ron's smell made my heart swell.

“Hey,” he said into her hair. “Hey, I’m gonna be okay!”

She sobbed harder. “You d-don’t know! You can’t know!”

He kissed the top of her head. “I do know.”

Her hiccuping sobs slowed just a bit as she looked up at him in confusion.

“H-how?”

“Because,” he said, brushing tears from her cheeks and holding her shaking jaw with both hands. “I’ll always come back to you. No matter what.”

This promise was absolutely beautiful. I wish I had the words to express how amazing that passage is, but all I can say is that it truly felt like a ray of sunshine in the dark.

“Look,” he said, hand coiling into her hair, “if you wanna be an Auror too, I won’t try to stop—”

“Of course I don’t. I was just being prideful about the hypothetical.”

“Thank fuck,” he breathed out before looking at her with alarm. “But you could do it! Like, not right now, but you could.”

I love the fact that Ron is back to telling Hermione she's amazing and could do anything.

....

No, it's already the end !! It was fantastic, Hilly. Can't wait for the next chapter.

Waking Up - Ch 10

AO3 FFN Beginning of story | Previous Chapter

word count 11968

I am immensely grateful to my beta readers @abradystrix and @divagonzo - both brilliant authors in their own rights, and lovely people whose friendship I am so grateful for.

Previously in Waking up:

Ron has his second therapy session with Aarti

Afterward Ron pushes himself to see Percy about family reunification for Hermione

He then goes to his room to find Hermione holding his Auror CRE schedule- DUN DUN DUNNNNNN

CHAPTER WARNINGS Intense emotions, depictions of mental illness including ptsd depression, slightly disordered eating, suicidal ideation. Somewhat simple verbal descriptions of physical injuries. Description of evidence of assault

Chapter 10 - The Brown Paper Package

She had spells, plans, and lies all lined up neatly in a row. She’d easily tallied a list of everything she had to do, but doing it was another matter entirely.

She had piles of photos, books, mugs, trophies, paperwork, Christmas ornaments and little school art projects she’d given her parents over the years, all of them needing to be organised and put somewhere. It hadn’t been easy finding each reminder of her and ferreting them into her room. Over the weeks she shrank them so every physical sign of her relationship with her parents was small enough to fit in a shoe box.

After she’d packed away the reminders of her existence, she packed away most of her parents’ belongings. She started with rooms they wouldn’t notice, then finally in one sleepless night packed up the rooms they would notice. The next morning they came down the stairs, confused at why most of their house was in boxes. That was when she struck, casting a series of complex spells on them. She never gave them the chance to interrogate, or inquire.

She justified raising the wand to them, saying that she was saving their lives.

Their eyes went from intelligent and shrewd to gormless. She led them to the sofa and continued her work. In a moment they would wake up thinking they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins. They’d purchase tickets to Australia, oversee a moving truck Hermione had hired a few weeks before, and finalise their bags for the trip before leaving.

Afficher davantage

#hp #fanfiction #fanfic #hp fanfiction #ron weasley #hermione granger #romione #hillnerd

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austenpoppy · 2 years

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Hi, austenpoppy! I really like the extensive post you made about Hermione's flaws, but I noticed you pointed out that she's portrayed with the least flaws in book 4. While I can understand why you think this if my memory of the book is correct, I'd also like to know in which book you think Ron's flaws were the least visible. Thanks for answering if you do!

Hi :) ! Thanks for the ask !

And thank you for appreciating the post I made about Hermione's flaws in the seventh book, no one has reacted to it so far and, well, I was disappointed (I was super proud of those diagrams you guys).

Okay, so this is going to come off as controversial, but I think that Ron's flaws weren't all that present in book 7, though book 3 is a close second (reminder that for me, this is the list of Ron's flaws: hot-headed, impulsive, blunt, revengeful, temperamental, brusque, rude).

I say controversial because people hold what happened with the locket in "The Goblin's Revenge" against Ron, and I don't (I absolutely cannot understand that). I've made my analysis, my interpretation and my judgement of that event very clear several times, and the result end is that I don't think Ron had anything to apologize for because Voldemort was the one who should be blamed for it. For me, the only things the locket proved is that Ron's loyalty to Harry and Hermione is unparalleled (the guy slept in the snow, thinking his best friends were happier without him and might reject him, and he wanted to be there for them anyway), that Harry and Hermione needed Ron, and that Voldemort once again underestimated love.

As far as I'm concerned, it's very weird to say that Ron was particularly to blame for the fight considering that Harry's behaviour wasn't stellar (which I also justify mostly because of the abuse he went through at Voldemort's hands, though I think Harry does have a tendency to escalate arguments in situations of open conflict, and can be very biting in such circumstances) and escalated the fight knowing Ron had the locket on - he openly refused to let Ron remove it ! Yet we all know that people who were wearing the locket weren't themselves, as Harry proved to us the very next day after he started wearing the locket. I actually hold Harry in higher esteem than some, because I do not think that Harry would have ever suggested that Ron was using his fresh injury as an excuse not to do anything if he wasn't being abused by Voldemort.

And if you think that Ron had nothing to apologize for in regard to the locket, what else is left ? Personally, the moment Ron was most flawed in the last book was the moment they talked to Griphook, because Ron displayed his usual knack for impulsivity and bluntness as he addressed the Goblin. The first time the trio talked to him was indeed not the moment to start a debate about the conflicts between wizards and goblins (considering they were trying to convince him to help them), and suggesting Griphook could take something in Bellatrix's vault wasn't his best idea either.

Apart from that ?

This is the book that made me fall in love with Ron forever. I've already written it somewhere, but I can remember the exact moment I read that book and the exact moment I decided I was going to stick with Ron until the end of times.

This is the book in which Ron offered himself up for torture, and sobbed and pounded the walls when he heard Hermione scream. This is the book in which he jumped in a frozen lake to save Harry, before jumping in again to get the sword of Gryffindor. The one in which he disregarded his personal safety to protect Hermione from harm on Tottenham Court Road, the one in which he tried to go on a suicide mission to kill Nagini. The one in which he faced his torturer and his deepest insecurities, and stabbed the locket.

We had Ron being the buffer between Harry and Hermione at least four times, Ron comforting Hermione every chance he had, Ron being buoyant and optimistic, Ron setting boundaries with Harry and calling him out on his behaviour...Ron leading the Horcruxe Hunt. Ron using his social skills to talk to members of the DA and telling Harry that they might help.

Ron grinning from ear to ear on a hill and pointing at the Lovegood house as Harry and Hermione pant behind him ("Cheer up, it's the Christmas Holydays, Luna'll be home!"). Ron telling Harry to do his fly by hand when Harry turns seventeen. Snickering when Harry was in the sidecar.

Ron removing his socks and his shoes and giving them to Dobby's corpse. Fretting over the Cattermoles even though he had just almost bled to death. Thinking about the house-elves in the battle of Hogwarts when no one else did.

Ron imitating Peter Pettigrew well enough to fool Lucius Malfoy. Ron standing up to Voldemort and breaking his Silencing Charm. Stunning a moving target from a broom at top speed. Ron taking down Fenrir Greyback with Neville. Disarming Bellatrix Lestrange even though she was turning her wand toward him. Jabbing a Snatcher in the stomach, taking his wand and Disarming another Snatcher with it even though it was five-to-one odds.

I can talk about Ron in Deathly Hallows again and again, I won't get tired. I cherish every single moment Ron appeared on page in that book.

Okay, so above, I also wrote that book 3 was another book in which Ron didn't appear to be all that flawed (at least to me) even though he clearly was, and that's for a very similar reason Hermione seems less flawed in book 4 : he simply shone through in that book, and the few mistakes he did (like his vindictive and petty remark about Scabbers at an aftermatch party, refusing to talk to Hermione sooner about the Firebolt incident...) simply pale in comparison to his feats, and are very understandable for the most part.

In book 3 Ron was the one leading the trio, and appeared more of a leader than even Harry who could be quite detached at times. He's the one taking a lot of decisions, the one leading most of the conversations, the one standing up to everybody for his friends. It's honestly very hard to think of him as anything but wonderful, because his charm eclipses his flaws in that book.

#hp #asks #ron weasley

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austenpoppy · 2 years

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One of the most egregious things about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...

...is that Harry followed Hermione's advice from OotP and told Ginny Fleur was ugly.

I suppose I'm just going to have to accept that he really is going to marry her,' sighed Ginny later that evening, as she, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat beside the open window of the Gryffindor common room, looking out over the twilit grounds.

'She's not that bad,' said Harry. 'Ugly, though,' he added hastily, as Ginny raised her eyebrows, and she let out a reluctant giggle.

Like, really, Harry ?

Is there nothing worse you could have said about Fleur ? Do you really think anyone is going to believe you when Fleur is - literally - breathtakingly beautiful ? How much of a liar are you, Harry ?

Why talking about her looks, anyway ? You could have mentioned her rudeness, you know ?

I mean, I want to think that this was a joke and that he somehow was twisting Hermione's advice to make it sound ridiculous, but I have a hard time believing it (the use of the word "hastily" really emphasizes the idea that it doesn't seem to be a joke).

Did Ginny believe that it was a joke ? Is this why she tried to laugh ?

Just...I can't.

#hp #harry potter #ginny weasley #fleur delacour

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austenpoppy · 2 years

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I never understood the idea that Hermione had suddenly become perfect in the last book (and believe-me, I know this one very well) - if you want my honest opinion, the book in which she showed the least amount of flaws was the fourth one.

Let's break it down - and nope, it's not bashing, I'd say that it's even positive in a way, because I'm here to remind everyone that Hermione was portrayed as a flawed, and therefore realistic human being from start to finish !

Hermione is bossy and still lacks tact, especially when it comes to dealing with Harry

Even though I wouldn't write that she lacked tact per say when she welcomed Ron back after he landed on the ground with Tonks, Ron's reaction to Hermione's question actually shows us that the way Hermione acted when Ron received his Prefect badge had a lasting impact on their relationship and the way Ron thought Hermione perceived him. It de facto made it something that Hermione would have to work on.

“You did?” said Hermione, gazing up at Ron with her arms still around his neck. “Always the tone of surprise,” he said a little grumpily, breaking free. “Are we the last back?”

Furthermore, one of the major elements of tension between Harry and Hermione in the seventh book is the fact that Harry could still see in Voldemort's mind through his scar (something that he decided to use, which is a step that allowed him to affirm his independence in regard to Dumbledore), while Hermione thought he should close the connection. She wasn't wrong in itself, but several times the way she decided to express her reprobation to Harry was very tactless.

When they arrived at Grimmauld Place, for example, Harry had a sudden vision. Hermione chose to remind Harry that Voldemort could plant images into his head, which was a direct call-back to the fiasco that had been the Department of Mysteries and that had gotten Sirius killed.

Harry felt badgered, confused, and Hermione did not help as she said in a frightened voice, “Your scar, again? But what’s going on? I thought that connection had closed!” “It did, for a while,” muttered Harry; his scar was still painful, which made it hard to concentrate. “I - I think it’s started opening again whenever he loses control, that’s how it used to -” “But then you’ve got to close your mind!” said Hermione shrilly. “Harry, Dumbledore didn’t want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that’s why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember -” “Yeah, I do remember, thanks,” said Harry through gritted teeth; he did not need Hermione to tell him that Voldemort had once used this same connection between them to lead him into a trap, nor that it had resulted in Sirius’s death. He wished that he had not told them what he had seen and felt; it made Voldemort more threatening, as though he were pressing against the window of the room, and still the pain in his scar was building and he fought it: it was like resisting the urge to be sick.

A month later, when Harry had a vision of Voldemort murdering a woman, Hermione berated him for not making more efforts to close his connection with Voldemort, told him he had never really tried to master Occlumency and asked him hotly if he actually enjoyed his connection with Voldemort - which, as you can imagine, went as well with Harry as a Hungarian Horntail trying to set his Firebolt on fire.

“Fine. I’ve just seen Voldemort murdering a woman. By now he’s probably killed her whole family. And he didn’t need to. It was Cedric all over again, they were just there…” “Harry, you aren’t supposed to let this happen anymore!” Hermione cried, her voice echoing through the bathroom. “Dumbledore wanted you to use Occlumency! HE thought the connection was dangerous - Voldemort can use it, Harry! What good is it to watch him kill and torture, how can it help?” “Because it means I know what he’s doing,” said Harry. “So you’re not even going to try to shut him out?” “Hermione, I can’t. You know I’m lousy at Occlumency. I never got the hang of it.” “You never really tried!” she said hotly. “I don’t get it, Harry - do you like having this special connection or relationship or what - whatever -” She faltered under the look he gave her as he stood up. “Like it?” he said quietly. “Would you like it?” “I - no - I’m sorry, Harry. I just didn’t mean -” “I hate it, I hate the fact that he can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he’s most dangerous. But I’m going to use it.” “Dumbledore -” “Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else’s. I want to know why he’s after Gregorovitch.”

Another moment that I would use is the one when Harry confided in her about what Aunt Muriel had told him about Dumbledore, though she actually started out well when she acknowledged why what Harry had heard could be upsetting. However, she alienated him when she turned the doubts he had about his old Headmaster into a moral question, a question of loyalty, with the expression "how can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?".

He told Hermione everything that Muriel had told him. When he had finished, Hermione said, “Of course, I can see why that’s upset you, Harry -” “I’m not upset,” he lied, “I’d just like to know whether or not it’s true or -” “Harry do you really think you’ll get the truth from a malicious old woman like Muriel, or from Rita Skeeter? How can you believe them? You knew Dumbledore!” “I thought I did,” he muttered. “But you know how much truth there was in everything Rita wrote about you! Doge is right, how can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?” He looked away, trying not to betray the resentment he felt. There it was again: Choose what to believe. He wanted the truth. Why was everybody so determined that he should not get it?

The next one isn't exactly a moment when Hermione lacked tact, but I also think that Harry's embarrassed reaction after Hermione corrected Xenophilius is pretty telling of what Hermione's usual behaviour is like - basically she can't help herself and has to correct people when they're wrong.

“It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack,” said Xenophilius. “No it isn’t!” said Hermione. “Hermione,” muttered Harry, embarrassed, “now’s not the moment -”

When Harry tried to use the blackthorn wand Ron had brought back from his time with the Snatchers, she also dismissed his concerns and told him he simply needed to practice - which was due to her own guilt at having broken Harry's own.

Harry could not help but remember how Hermione has dismissed his loathing of the blackthorn wand, insisting that he was imagining things when it did not work as well as his own, telling him to simply practice. He chose not to repeat her own advice back to her, however, the eve of their attempted assault on Gringotts felt like the wrong moment to antagonize her.

Hermione is too critical

This is definitely what I consider to be one of Hermione's main flaws there. The main problem is not that Hermione is giving criticism per say, but the way she does it: she can easily come across as cutting and off-putting. I could probably mention the remarks she told Harry in regard to his connection with Voldemort again, but as I've already listed them in the previous section I'd like to mention a few other moments that, in my opinion, correspond to what we're looking for.

The first happens at Grimmauld Place, when the Trio was waiting for Kreacher to come back and none of them really knew what to do. Ron had developed a habit of using the Deluminator (which both Harry and Hermione found annoying), which is understandable. Yet, instead of simply telling Ron to stop and explaining that she couldn't concentrate (and that she would have to go in another room if he carried on), she went further and told him "Well, can't you find something useful to occupy yourself ?" - therefore implying that he is being useless.

Now this isn't a side of Hermione that's only reserved for Ron, as has been previously established. I've also made a point of pointing out that Hermione did make a lot of progress between the beginning of the sixth book and the seventh book. Yet there is no denying that her comment was harsh at the very least (I would have been extremely offended, personally).

This is one of the many reasons I do not understand people who think that Harry and Hermione have better communication patterns and that they would be a good pairing. Harry dislikes this side of Hermione immensely and he can not handle it. Very often, when Hermione made this kind of remarks toward Harry in the books, he either blew up at her or glared at her so much she was petrified. It got to the point where Hermione was afraid of even saying what was on her mind to Harry and could tremble because she was so afraid that he might get angry with her (like, for example, the moment she got him tea and asked him if she could even talk to him).

Being on tip-toe like Hermione was with Harry doesn't make for good communication patterns in a romantic couple. On the other hand, Ron handles this side of Hermione much better - he doesn't necessarily like her remarks, but he's more the sort to either call her out grumpily (like he did when he was slightly irritated by her "You did?" after the adventures of the Seven Potters), or to turn it into a basically harmless bickering session. With Ron, Hermione is never afraid to speak her mind, even though she has to work on her delivery anyway.

The presence of the Death Eaters outside increased the ominous mood inside number twelve. They had not heard a word from anyone beyond Grimmauld Place since Mr. Weasley’s Patronus, and the strain was starting to tell. Restless and irritable, Ron had developed an annoying habit of playing with the Deluminator in his pocket; this particularly infuriated Hermione, who was whiling away the wait for Kreacher by studying The Tales of Beedle the Bard and did not appreciate the way the lights kept flashing on and off. “Will you stop it!” she cried on the third evening of Kreacher’s absence, as all the light was sucked from the drawing room yet again. “Sorry, sorry!” said Ron, clicking the Deluminator and restoring the lights. “I don’t know I’m doing it! “Well, can’t you find something useful to occupy yourself?” “What, like reading kids’ stories?” “Dumbledore left me this book, Ron -” “- and he left me the Deluminator, maybe I’m supposed to use it!

Weeks and weeks after, Ron made a off-hand remark about the the fact that wearing navy blue robes meant you worked for Magical Maintenance. Hermione panicked when she realized that Ron had omitted this little piece of information - and that is fine. However, she shouldn't have let her anxiety take over, harped on the subject and berated Ron as much as she did, with remarks such as: "We’ve been over and over this, I mean, what’s the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren’t even bothering to tell us -”

I'm not asking you to look at those discussions between Ron and Hermione in a new light, because, as I said, most of them are rather harmless bickering sessions. What I'm saying, however, is that Hermione can easily become biting when she's irritated or stressed.

“And what about that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy robes?” Hermione asked. “Oh yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance,” said Ron. “How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?” Hermione asked, her soupspoon suspended in mid-air. “Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes.” “But you never told us that!” Hermione dropped her spoon and pulled toward her the sheaf of notes and maps that she and Ron had been examining when Harry had entered the kitchen. “There’s nothing in here about navy blue robes, nothing!” she said, flipping feverishly through the pages. “Well, does it really matter?” “Ron, it all matters! If we’re going to get into the Ministry and not give ourselves away when they’re bound to be on the lookout for intruders, every little detail matters! We’ve been over and over this, I mean, what’s the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren’t even bothering to tell us -” “Blimey, Hermione, I forget one little thing -” “You do realize, don’t you, that there’s probably no more dangerous place in the whole world for us to be right now than the Ministry of -”

Later on, she scolded Harry, first about his refusal to let the connection with Voldemort close, and then about his theory that he hadn't won any kind of duel against Voldemort during the Battle of the Seven Potters but that it was his wand that had acted on its own. While Hermione could of course express her doubts about those two subjects, she also should have waited for the right moment to do it, and she, at that moment in time, had to learn how to let an argument go. Ron was the one who told her to drop the subject.

“Harry, you keep talking about what your wand did,” said Hermione, “but you made it happen! Why are you so determined not to take responsibility for your own power?” “Because I know it wasn’t me! And so does Voldemort, Hermione! We both know what really happened!” They glared at each other; Harry knew that he had not convinced Hermione and that she was marshalling counter-arguments, against both his theory on his wand and the fact that he was permitting himself to see into Voldemort’s mind. To his relief, Ron intervened.

Another example of Hermione scowling at Harry again for having visions and telling him that he should have applied himself in Occlumency/should apply himself and learn Occlumency happens in the chapter "The thief".

“Dream,” he said, sitting up quickly and attempting to meet Hermione’s glower with a look of innocence. “Must’ve dozed off, sorry.” “I know it was your scar! I can tell by the look on your face! You were looking into Vol-” “Don’t say his name!” came Ron’s angry voice from the depths of the tent. “Fine,” retorted Hermione, “You-Know-Who’s mind, then!” “I didn’t mean it to happen!” Harry said. “It was a dream! Can you control what you dream about, Hermione?” “If you just learned to apply Occlumency -” But Harry was not interested in being told off; he wanted to discuss what he had just seen.

Another moment Hermione shew she was too critical was right after Ron suggested that they should double-cross Griphook. The very fact that she criticized him for it personally annoys me, considering that they were literally at war, needed the sword of Gryffindor, and had no other choice (and her lack of reaction when she learned that Harry had used Imperio makes her self-righteousness even worse). She even refused to consider how to best double-cross him because she disapproved too much of it.

However, let's say that Hermione still wanted to express reprobation in regard to the plan Ron had suggested. It was possible to do that without using such strong language as the word "despicable". And you'll notice that this is something Hermione often does: when she gives criticism, she has no filter and has zero qualms with expressing her disapproval in the harshest way possible. But that's not how you interact with people, especially if you want them to be comfortable enough to disagree/argue with you without feeling like they have to doubt themselves all the time.

“Okay,” said Ron, and Harry turned back to face him, “how’s this? We tell Griphook we need the sword until we get inside the vault, and then he can have it. There’s a fake in these, isn’t there? We switch them, and give him the fake.” “Ron, he’d know the difference better than we would!” said Hermione. “He’s the only one who realized there had been a swap!” “Yeah, but we could scarper before he realizes -” He quailed beneath the look Hermione was giving him. “That,” she said quietly, “is despicable. Ask for his help, then double-cross him? And you wonder why goblins don’t like wizards, Ron?”

Hermione is opinionated

Unlike Harry, I do not think Hermione was "limited" or "narrow-minded" for doubting the existence of the Hallows in itself. I agree with Hermione in the sense that, unless you do have solid proof that something exists (when it's something that's supposed to be on Earth and visible to the eye), you can't assume it does, and you certainly can't decide to turn the search for the objects needed to destroy Voldemort into a search for objects whose existence is questionable.

However, the way Hermione displayed her doubts highlighted a recurrent flaw of hers: that she's opinionated, lacks intellectual flexibility, and isn't ready to admit that she's wrong or change her mind easily. In the excerpt that below, this is underlined by her use of the modal "can't", strong phrases like "if you want to kid yourself [...]" or expressions that accentuate the finality of her speech, like, for example "there's no such thing" and "that's that!", or the passion with which she was defending the idea that the Hallows couldn't exist.

“Well, I don’t suppose it matters,” sighed Hermione. “Even if he was being honest, I never heard such a lot of nonsense in all my life.” “Hang on, though,” said Ron. “The Chamber of Secrets was supposed to be a myth, wasn’t it?” “But the Deathly Hallows can’t exist, Ron!” “You keep saying that, but one of them can,” said Ron. “Harry’s Invisibility Cloak -” “The Tale of the Three Brothers’ is a story,” said Hermione firmly. “A story about how humans are frightened of death. If surviving was as simple as hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, we’d have everything we need already!” “I don’t know. We could do with an unbeatable wand,” said Harry, turning the blackthorn wand he so disliked over in his fingers. “There’s no such thing, Harry!” “You said there have been loads of wands - the Deathstick and whatever they were called -” “All right, even if you want to kid yourself the Elder Wand’s real, what about the Resurrection Stone?” Her fingers sketched quotation marks around the name, and her tone dripped sarcasm. “No magic can raise the dead, and that’s that!”

Her reaction when she discovered that the Hallows were real actually highlighted this side of her even more. As she couldn't deny the existence of the objects anymore, she had to find something wrong with them to prove that she had been right in a way.

The odd thing was that Hermione’s support made him feel just as confused as Ron’s doubts. Now forced to accept that the Elder Wand was real, she maintained that it was an evil object, and that the way Voldemort had taken possession of it was repellent, not to be considered. “You could never have done that, Harry,” she said again and again. “You couldn’t have broken into Dumbledore’s grave.”

Hermione is vindictive

I am very sympathetic to what Hermione was feeling when Ron came back (because she had no idea what Ron had been through), but there is no doubt that she wanted to be as biting and hurtful as possible after the weeks of pain she had endured after Ron left - and the narrative made that very clear. Even Harry thought that some of her words were a low blow.

Hermione launched herself forward and started punching every inch of him that she could reach. “Ouch - ow - gerroff! What the -? Hermione - OW!” “You - complete - arse - Ronald - Weasley!” She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced. “You - crawl - back - here - after - weeks - and - weeks - oh, where’s my wand?” She looked as though ready to wrestle it out of Harry’s hands and he reacted instinctively. “Protego!” The invisible shield erupted between Ron and Hermione. The force of it knocked her backward onto the floor. Spitting hair out of her mouth, she leapt up again. “Hermione!” said Harry. “Calm -” “I will not calm down!” she screamed. Never before had he seen her lose control like this; she looked quite demented. “Give me back my wand! Give it back to me!” “Hermione, will you please -” “Don’t you tell me what do, Harry Potter!” she screeched. “Don’t you dare! Give it back now! And YOU!” She was pointing at Ron in dire accusation: It was like a malediction, and Harry could not blame Ron for retreating several steps. “I came running after you! I called you! I begged you to come back” “I know,” Ron said, “Hermione, I’m sorry, I’m really -” “Oh, you’re sorry!” She laughed a high-pitched, out-of-control sound; Ron looked at Harry for help, but Harry merely grimaced his helplessness. “You came back after weeks - weeks - and you think it’s all going to be all right if you just say sorry?” “Well, what else can I say?” Ron shouted, and Harry was glad that Ron was fighting back.

“Oh, I don’t know!” yelled Hermione with awful sarcasm. “Rack your brains, Ron, that should only take a couple of seconds -” “Hermione,” interjected Harry, who considered this a low blow, “he just saved my -”

“I don’t care!” she screamed. “I don’t care what he’s done! Weeks and weeks, we could have been dead for all he knew -”

[...]

“Anyway, they had a row about whether I was Stan or not. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, but there were still five of them and only one of me, and they’d taken my wand. Then two of them got into a fight and while the others were distracted I managed to hit the one holding me in the stomach, grabbed his wand, Disarmed the bloke holding mine, and Disapparated. I didn’t do it so well. Splinched myself again” - Ron held up his right hand to show two missing fingernails: Hermione raised her eyebrows coldly - “and I came out miles from where you were. By the time I got back to that bit of riverbank where we’d been… you were gone.” “Gosh, what a gripping story,” Hermione said in the lofty voice she adopted when wishing to wound. “You must have been simply terrified. Meanwhile we went to Godric’s Hollow and, let’s think, what happened there, Harry? Oh yes, You-Know-Who’s snake turned up, it nearly killed both of us, and then You-Know-Who himself arrived and missed us by about a second.” “What?” Ron said, gaping from her to Harry, but Hermione ignored him. “Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn’t it?”

Hermione is not a fighter

Her reaction time is slow/lack of observation

The one member of the trio who's got the best instincts and reaction time during fights is obviously Harry, with Ron being a rather close second all things considered, but Hermione's isn't great, or at the very least way slower than both Harry and Ron's - and that almost consistently throughout the book.

Let's look at what happened on Tottenham Court Road, when the trio came in the café to evaluate their situation).

It was a small and shabby all-night café. A light layer of grease lay on all the Formica-topped tables, but it was at least empty. Harry slipped into a booth first and Ron sat next to him opposite Hermione, who had her back to the entrance and did not like it: She glanced over her shoulder so frequently she appeared to have a twitch. Harry did not like being stationary; walking had given the illusion that they had a goal.

[...]

A pair of burly workmen entered the café and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper.

[...]

“Let’s get going, then, I don’t want to drink this muck,” said Ron. “Hermione, have you got Muggle money to pay for this?” “Yes, I took out all my Building Society savings before I came to the Burrow. I’ll bet all the change is at the bottom,” sighed Hermione, reaching for her beaded bag.

The two workmen made identical movements, and Harry mirrored them without conscious thought: All three of them drew their wands. Ron, a few seconds late in realizing what was going on, lunged across the table, pushing Hermione sideways onto her bench. The force of the Death Eaters’ spells shattered the tiled wall where Ron’s head had just been, as Harry, still invisible, yelled, “Stupefy!”

The great blond Death Eater was hit in the face by a jet of red light: He slumped sideways, unconscious. His companion, unable to see who had cast the spell, fired another at Ron: shining black ropes flew from his wand-tip and bound Ron head to foot - the waitress screamed and ran for the door - Harry sent another Stunning Spell at the Death Eater with the twisted face who had tied up Ron, but the spell missed, rebounded on the window, and hit the waitress, who collapsed in front of the door. “Expulso!” bellowed the Death Eater, and the table behind which Harry was standing blew up: The force of the explosion slammed him into the wall and he felt his wand leave his hand as the Cloak slipped off him. “Petrificus Totalus!” screamed Hermione from out of sight, and the Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china, table, and coffee. Hermione crawled out from underneath the bench, shaking bits of glass ashtray out of her hair and trembling all over.

“D-diffindo,” she said, pointing her wand at Ron, who roared in pain as she slashed open the knee of his jeans, leaving a deep cut. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ron, my hand’s shaking! Diffindo!” The severed ropes fell away. Ron got to his feet, shaking his arms to regain feeling in them. Harry picked up his wand and climbed over all the debris to where the large blond Death Eater was sprawled across the bench.

The sentence "The force of the Death Eaters’ spells shattered the tiled wall where Ron’s head had just been, as Harry, still invisible, yelled, 'Stupefy!'" implies that the Death Eaters aimed straight at Ron's head (though Ron reacted before they had time to throw the curse) and hit a wall that was very near Ron's head. Yet, here's the thing: if Ron's head was at the height of a tiled wall and close to it, it means that 1) either the walls of the booth were high enough that Ron could put his head against them, which suggests that the tiled wall was right behind him 2) either the sentence is referring to the wall that was right on his side.

Option 1 is obviously not possible if the Deaths Eaters chose the booth that was behind the trio, because in that case Harry and Ron wouldn't have been able to see what was going on. There is a probability, with option 1, that the Death Eaters chose the booth that was next to the trio (opposite of the room), but I find it unlikely because if you picture the scene in your head and if we agree that the Death Eaters were aiming at Ron they should have hit the wall that was on his side anyway. There's another slight problem with option 1, which is that Hermione is described as "glancing over her shoulder"; and while it is possible to look behind you even in booths with high walls, you have to really turn around to do it, which isn't what was being conveyed here.

Now we also have a problem with option 2 if the Death Eaters chose the booth behind the trio, and I'll tell you why. I think we can all agree that Rowle and Dolohov were aiming at Ron there (Harry was under the Invisibility Cloak). If Rowle and Dolohov were in the booth that was behind the trio, then they actually didn't aim at Ron per say (otherwise the curse would have just crossed the room and hit the wall far behind Ron), but they aimed at the wall and the wall shattered... and it just doesn't make sense to me. I don't see why Death Eaters wouldn't aim straight at someone's face (unless they have exceptionally bad aim and I somehow don't think Rowle and Dolohov were that incompetent).

There are actually four other elements that make me frown if we consider option 2 with the configuration "the Death Eaters were in the booth behind the trio".

The first one is that Dolohov attacked Ron while Ron was still lying on Hermione's bench. If he threw a curse from behind him the angle must have been really awkward.

The second one is that, if Dolohov cast "Expulso" straight at the trio's table before it exploded, then Harry should have been forced to go backwards, right ? Then, how come he hit a wall, and not the bench (unless Harry moved during the scene and it's not mentioned, which I don't find very likely since Dolohov was explicitly said to not knowing where Harry was) ?

The third one is that Hermione was supposed to be under the bench when she Petrified Dolohov before "crawling" out of it - which means, here, that the underside of the bench was empty and see-through, which doesn't make for the best cover if Dolohov was right in front of her.

The fourth is that Harry "climbed over all the debris" to get to the Death Eaters, and I really don't see why Harry would have needed to climb over any debris if he went around Hermione's bench to get to the Death Eaters' booth (unless he went in a straight line and literally climbed over Hermione's bench, which again doesn't seem likely).

That leaves us with the last configuration: "the 'tilted wall' referred to in the sentence above was the wall on Ron's side + Rowle and Dolohov chose the booth next to the trio (as in, opposite of the room). Some people might be wondering why Hermione had to lower her voice if the Death Eaters were on the opposite side of the room, but the café was described as "small" - which means that the booth right across them mustn't have been more than a few meters away, so no further away than the booth beside the trio must have been.

In my head, we're looking at booths that have a few similarities to the image below:

And so the configuration mentioned above makes more sense to me.

In this configuration, Rowle and Dolohov aimed straight at Ron's head, and the curse hit the wall that was on his side when it missed because Ron threw himself across the table to push Hermione sideways on her bench (and Ron is taller than Harry, so the spell wouldn't have it Harry if it was at the height of Ron's head). Just as Ron did that, Harry Stupefied Rowle.

It gave Hermione enough time to crawl underneath the bench, though it also means Ron didn't have the opportunity to do anything as Dolohov threw another curse straight at him again, bounding him. In this scenario, Hermione is not as exposed under the bench as she was in the previous configuration, as she can truly hides from Dolohov's gaze.

Then Harry threw another Stunning Spell that missed, and the biggest weakness of this configuration is that it's supposed to have hit "the window" (and the article "the" implies that it's the front window of the shop). But it can be explained quite easily if we imagine that the café was at a crossroads, and thus that "the window" covered two sides of the café (which in turn explains way better why the spell rebounded and hit the waitress who was in front of the door).

Dolohov aimed at the table, and in this configuration Harry is indeed pulled backwards until he hit the wall. Hermione then threw a "Petrificus Totalus" straight at Dolohov, and Harry indeed had to climb on the debris of the table (scattered between the two booths to account for the fact that Dolohov fell on "the mess of broken china, table, and coffee") to get to Dolohov.

Here are a few diagrams of the café I quickly drew to make you understand what I mean (the lengths I go to in order to understand those books and make a single point should be applauded, thank you)

And all of it was to make the point that Hermione either didn't notice what was going on on Tottenham Court Road/reacted too slowly, and Ron had to save her because of that.

In the Ministry, when they were surrounded by Yaxley and other Ministry officials who were trying to seal the exits, Hermione didn't take action - Harry was the one who used his authority as Runcorn and had the quick thinking to confuse first the Ministry officials, and then Yaxley (“He’s been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!”), while Ron had the presence of mind to disappear with Mary Cattermole when Yaxley was distracted. Harry is then the one who seized Hermione's hand so that they would escape together.

The balding wizard’s colleagues set up an uproar, under cover of which Ron grabbed Mrs. Cattermole, pulled her into the still-open fireplace, and disappeared. Confused, Yaxley looked from Harry to the punched wizard, while the real Reg Cattermole screamed, “My wife! Who was that with my wife? What’s going on?” Harry saw Yaxley’s head turn, saw an inkling of truth dawn on that brutish face. “Come on!” Harry shouted at Hermione; he seized her hand and they jumped into the fireplace together as Yaxley’s curse sailed over Harry’s head. They spun for a few seconds before shooting up out of a toilet into a cubicle. Harry flung open the door: Ron was standing there beside the sinks, still wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole.

Then, when they saw Xenophilius Lovegood, Harry was the one who reacted the quickest as he realized that the distraction the arrival of Death Eaters had caused was a mistake, considering it made them look away from Xenophilius.

Figures on broomsticks were flying past the windows. As the three of them looked away from him. Xenophilius drew his wand. Harry realized their mistake just in time. He launched himself sideways, shoving Ron and Hermione out of harm’s way as Xenophilius’s Stunning Spell soared across the room and hit the Erumpent horn.

Hermione didn't react either when a man lunged at her in Diagon Alley, and Ron was the one who saved her this time.

“My children,” he bellowed, pointing at her. His voice was cracked, high-pitched, he sounded distraught. “Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, you know!” “I - I really -” stammered Hermione. The man lunged at her, reaching for her throat. Then, with a bang and a burst of red light he was thrown backward onto the ground, unconscious. Ron stood there, his wand still outstretched and a look of shock visible behind his beard. Faces appeared at the windows on either side of the street, while a little knot of prosperous-looking passers-by gathered their robes about them and broke into gentle trots, keen to vacate the scene.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ron had to pull her to the floor so that she wouldn't get hit by curses, as you'll see in the excerpt that'll follow. After that, she also noticed that a giant Acromentula had entered the castle, but she didn't do anything about it before Harry and Ron took care of it.

And then a body fell past the hole blown into the side of the school and curses flew in at them from the darkness, hitting the wall behind their heads. “Get down!” Harry shouted, as more curses flew through the night: he and Ron had both grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the floor, but Percy lay across Fred’s body, shielding it from further harm, and when Harry shouted “Percy, come on, we’ve got to move!” he shook his head.

Then Ron noticed that "a herd of galloping desks" were coming their way, and told the other two to "get back".

“Get back!” shouted Ron, and he, Harry, and Hermione hurled themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundered past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall. She appeared not to notice them. Her hair had come down and there was a gash on her cheek. As she turned the corner, they heard her scream, “CHARGE!”

There are a few moments in the book when Hermione was quicker than Harry and Ron, but they are exceptions and can even be explained easily sometimes.

The first one was when she Disarmed Mundungus Fletcher at Grimmauld Place, after Kreacher came back with him. Hermione was indeed "too quick for [Mundungus]" when the latter drew his wand, but I would argue that it doesn't count as "a fighting skill" simply because 1) the trio knew Mundungus and they also knew he was on their side despite his cowardice, and 2) this wasn't a stressful situation but something more akin to a classroom environment (and Hermione had already proven in the fifth book that she could be really good as long as it wasn't real-life).

Mundungus scrambled up and pulled out his wand; Hermione, however, was too quick for him. “Expelliarmus!”

The same can be said for the fact that she was the one who cast "Aguamenti" on Mundungus' eyebrows when Harry incidentally set them on fire.

Harry dropped his wand: It hit Mundungus on the nose and shot red sparks into his eyebrows, which ignited. “Aquamenti!” screamed Hermione, and a jet of water streamed from her wand, engulfing a spluttering and choking Mundungus.

I don't count what happened at the Lovegoods as "reaction time" per say because Hermione actually had the time to consider what she would do, not least because the printing press was blocking the entrance of the door that led to the staircase and Xenophilius had to remove it. The trio could have Disappeared before that if Hermione hadn't wanted to show to the Death Eaters that Harry was there - they had so much time, in fact, that Harry wondered what Hermione was waiting for.

Harry held out his left hand. Ron vanished beneath the Cloak. The printing press blocking the stairs was vibrating. Xenophilius was trying to shift it using a Hover Charm. Harry did not know what Hermione was waiting for. “Hold tight” she whispered.

No, the two moments Hermione really reacted more quickly than Ron or Harry was at Gringotts, when she cast the Cushioning Charm, and during the battle of Hogwarts, when two Death Eaters caught the trio behind a tapestry and she got them to escape by using "Glisseo" before the Death Eater's wands were raised.

2. She makes mistakes

I find it rather odd that few people mention it, but Hermione made two major mistakes in the context of a fight in the book, even though Harry reassured her afterward. I say it's odd, because I'm sure that, had Ron or Harry done the same thing people wouldn't be as forgiving.

Hermione Splinched Ron when they escaped the Ministry of Magic. Of course she had excuses for doing so, as she had had to shake off Yaxley who had followed them to Grimmauld Place and had had to Disapparate quickly, but she still Splinched Ron and it had lasting consequences. Imagine any other character in the same situation: what would people say if Harry had Disapparated them away and had Splinched Hermione so badly she had lost a chunk of her arm ?

He met Hermione, also on her hands and knees, at Ron’s head. The moment his eyes fell upon Ron, all other concerns fled Harry’s mind, for blood drenched the whole of Ron’s left side and his face stood out, greyish-white, against the leaf strewn earth. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little colour it had left. “What’s happened to him?” “Splinched,” said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron’s sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest. Harry watched, horrified, as she tore open Ron’s short. He had always thought of Splinching as something comical, but this… His insides crawled unpleasantly as Hermione laid bare Ron’s upper arm, where a great chunk of flesh was missing, scooped cleanly away as though by a knife.

[...]

“As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn’t get rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on when we arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then - well, I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so he slackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I brought us here instead!”

Hermione also broke Harry's wand when they escaped Voldemort at Godric's Hollows. Now imagine what people would say about Ron's fighting skills if the spell he had cast had broken Harry's wand.

“Harry.” Hermione whispered so quietly he could hardly hear her. “I’m so, so sorry. I think it was me. As we were leaving, you know, the snake was coming for us, and so I cast a Blasting Curse, and it rebounded everywhere, and it must have - must have hit -”

3. She still panics in stressful situations

There are many moments in the book when Hermione panicked during a very stressful situation, though it was best displayed on Tottenham Court Road after the trio was attacked by Death Eaters. She was trembling so much after the assault that she cut Ron's knee when she freed him and was said to be hysterical.

“Petrificus Totalus!” screamed Hermione from out of sight, and the Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china, table, and coffee. Hermione crawled out from underneath the bench, shaking bits of glass ashtray out of her hair and trembling all over. “D-diffindo,” she said, pointing her wand at Ron, who roared in pain as she slashed open the knee of his jeans, leaving a deep cut. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ron, my hand’s shaking! Diffindo!” The severed ropes fell away. Ron got to his feet, shaking his arms to regain feeling in them. Harry picked up his wand and climbed over all the debris to where the large blond Death Eater was sprawled across the bench. “I should’ve recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died,” he said. He turned over the darker Death Eater with his foot; the man’s eyes moved rapidly between Harry, Ron and Hermione. “That’s Dolohov,” said Ron. “I recognize him from the old wanted posters. I think the big one’s Thorfinn Rowle.” “Never mind what they’re called!” said Hermione a little hysterically. “How did they find us? What are we going to do?”

During the Ministry break-out, she had trouble conjuring her Patronus and it disappeared as soon as her panic took over.

“Patronuses,” said Harry, pointing his wand at his own. The stag slowed and walked, still gleaming brightly, toward the door. “As many as we can muster; do yours, Hermione.” “Expec - Expecto patronum,” said Hermione. Nothing happened. “It’s the only spell she ever has trouble with,” Harry told a completely bemused Mrs. Cattermole. “Bit unfortunate, really… Come on Hermione…”

[...]

“Water,” muttered Ron, disengaging himself. “Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge’s office door. I reckon we’ve got five minutes if that -” Hermione’s Patronus vanished with a pop as she turned a horror struck face to Harry. “Harry, if we’re trapped here -!”

At Gringotts, Hermione forgot crucial information "in her desperation" to get the Horcruxe, showing that she still has problems with managing stress (as cortisol, the stress hormone, can impact your memory).

“Accio Cup!” cried Hermione, who had evidently forgotten in her desperation what Griphook had told them during their planning sessions. “No use, no use!” snarled the goblin.

Let's not forget that she sobbed on the dragon that the trio use to escape Gringotts - and in her case I'm pretty sure it was fear considering she hates flying.

Behind him, whether from delight or fear he could not tell, Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing.

I mentioned in a previous section that Hermione didn't act when she noticed that an car-sized Acromentula had climbed through a hole in the wall. The reason why she didn't act is that she was too panicked to react, as she screamed.

Hermione screamed, and Harry, turning, did not need to ask why. A monstrous spider the size of a small car was trying to climb through the huge hole in the wall. One of Aragog’s descendants had joined the fight. Ron and Harry shouted together; their spells collided and the monster was blown backward, its legs jerking horribly, and vanished into the darkness.

Finally, I also count Hermione's immediate reaction when she saw a giant coming up as a lapse of judgement resulting from fear.

“Oh my -!” shrieked Hermione, as she and Ron caught up with Harry and gazed upward at the giant now trying to seize people through the window above. “DON’T!” Ron yelled, grabbing Hermione’s hand as she raised her wand. “Stun him and he’ll crush half the castle -”

4. She has very few duelling feats

When you think about it, there aren't many moments when Hermione proved to be a skilled duellist of any kind, especially in very stressful situations.

At the battle of the Seven Potters, the way Kingsley recounted what had happened to Hermione and he clearly implied that he had been the one duelling (which makes sense considering he was "the protector").

“Followed by five, injured two, might’ve killed one,” Kingsley reeled off, “and we saw You-Know-Who as well, he joined the chase halfway through but vanished pretty quickly."

Then we have Tottenham Court Road. Yet, while Hermione might have hit Dolohov with a "Petrificus Totalus" spell, she did while she was completely out of Dolohov's sight, as he was completely distracted by the "Expulso" spell that had sent Harry into the wall and had got him to reveal his identity (which to me has as much value as Harry Stunning Death Eaters under his Invisibility Cloak at the Battle of Hogwarts when they're distracted).

At Grimmauld Place, she Disarmed Mundungus Fletcher, but he never came across as a particularly skilled dueller and this wasn't a particularly stressful situation.

Before the trio's break-out in the Ministry, she Stunned Mafalda Hopkirk. Yet, she did that while she was hidden, while Mafalda was absolutely not expecting to be attacked, and had the sun in her face (what was on display here wasn't Hermione's duelling ability but her capacity for non-verbal Charms, which she had been shown to be talented for in the sixth book).

Little more than a minute later, there was a tiny pop and a little Ministry witch with flyaway grey hair Apparated feet from them, blinking a little in the sudden brightness: the sun had just come out from behind a cloud. She barely had time to enjoy the unexpected warmth, however, before Hermione’s silent Stunning Spell hit her in the chest and she toppled over.

In the Room of Requirement, she almost got Crabbe, but he had no idea she was there. Furthermore, she was right behind Harry (which is implied by the use of the expression "behind him" and the fact that Hermione's spell "shot past Harry by inches"), which means that she wasn't far from Crabbe.

“STOP!” Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. “The Dark Lord wants him alive-” “So? I’m not killing him, am I?” yelled Crabbe, throwing off Malfoy’s restraining arm. “But if I can, I will, the Dark Lord wants him dead anyway, what’s the diff-?” A jet of scarlet light shot past Harry by inches: Hermione had run around the corner behind him and sent a Stunning Spell straight at Crabbe’s head. It only missed because Malfoy pulled him out of the way.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione used a powerful spell on Fenrir Greyback (and one can commend her for the level of power displayed) but once again, Fenrir was unaware of her presence, so I wouldn't count it as a "duelling feat".

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sped down the marble staircase: glass shattered on the left, and the Slytherin hourglass that had recorded House points spilled its emeralds everywhere, so that people slipped and staggered as they ran. Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground a grey blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen. “NO!” shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly struggling body of Lavender Brown. He hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet.

Hermione's best duelling feat in the entire book (if you discount trying to go toe-to-toe with Bellatrix alongside Luna and Ginny) was to Stun Goyle in the Room of Requirement, and people will excuse me if I don't count Goyle as a very good duellist.

Crabbe wheeled around and screamed, “Avada Kedavra!” again. Ron leapt out of sight to avoid the jet of green light. The wand-less Malfoy cowered behind a three-legged wardrobe as Hermione charged toward them, hitting Goyle with a Stunning Spell as she came.

Now, why would you think Hermione was flawless in this book ?

There are three reasons for that, though that's not the point of my reply.

The first is that other characters constantly praise Hermione throughout the books. Not but seriously, in no other book is Hermione as congratulated as she is in the seventh book - every good thing she does is highlighted by the reactions of other characters, not least of which Ron.

The second reason is that the narrative itself often frames Hermione's actions, no matter what they are, in very laudable terms.

The third is that her biggest mistakes are overlooked, most noticeably the fact that she Splinched Ron.

Conclusion

Hermione was just as flawed in this book as she was previously.

I haven't read Deathly Hallows in a while, so I might be wrong, but the more I think about it the more I have the impression that Hermione in that book becomes a Mary Sue and the flaws typical of her character are held back in an extremely unjustified way. What do you think about this?

I don’t think she is a Mary Sue- people overuse that term so much- but her flaws are definitely held back while she is given more to do in that book some of which we never saw her capable of before so at times it felt like overkill

#hp #hermione granger #this is genuinely a positive post #look at that #hermione's not a mary sue #anti-harmony #anti-harmione #yes okay it's not a positive post for people who ship harmione

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