It happens a lot to me. Even if I carefully plan a scene out beforehand, it comes out very different a lot of times.

 

No such thing as unnecessary character development. If it feels more in character for that person to act in that way, go with that instead of the way you planned it. Plot shouldn't be shoehorned into the story; it should flow naturally from the character interactions. If your characters aren't behaving as your plot says they should, try an alternate character or try adjusting the plot a bit.

 

I don't disagree, but I would also mention that Dumbledore could have fixed his nose, too, and never did.

Granted, part of that was likely him feeling he deserved it, but...

Harry isn't thinking in chronological order.

He met Voldemort as an overgrown wart on the back of a teacher's head.
Then he saw him as an angry and self-absorbed teenager.
Later, he saw him and Hepzibah.
It's not hard to imagine that a Tom Riddle in the prime of a mortal life would look better than in those other two instances, by comparison.

Fanon. However, Snape (of all people) referred to them once as, 'The Dream Team.'

The Ministry wasn't out to get him, at that point, so much as out to get him on their side. That, plus testimony (backed by Veritaserum confession, if you wish) that he was defending himself against an Unforgivable Curse, makes acquittal a slam dunk (though, perhaps not without being blackmailed into endorsing Scrimgeour's policies).

And, that's if Dumbledore lets humanity's only hope do hard time for killing a racist little shit who dug his own grave. Sure, Dumbledore was all about forgiving and forgetting, but if it came down between seeking 'justice' for the death of a marked death eater who attempted to cast a life-sentence-inducing curse at Harry, and the freedom of The Chosen One?

Albus Dumbledore patted Harry on the back. "Sadly, these things do happen, my boy. Now, if you would be so kind as to open The Chamber of Secrets, I will levitate the late Mr. Malfoy's body to the entrance..."

​

I'd go so far as to say that Harry's actions in the bathroom would have come off as a whole lot more responsible and justified if he had killed Draco. Then we would, undoubtedly, have seen someone, even if it were only Harry, himself, defend his actions.

Sure, the corrupt people in the Ministry who had it out for him tried to claim that casting a Patronus Charm in the face of certain death by dementors wasn't justified, but aside from douchebags with their own agendas, no one is going to try and say that casting a dangerous spell at someone who's trying to use an Unforgivable on you is irresponsible or unjustified.

If you don't look past the surface, that part of the book makes Harry look like he was a dangerously irresponsible idiot who got away, scot free, with nearly murdering a fellow student, who'd been bawling in the girls' loo.

And, considering the number of fan fics out there that try to crucify Harry for that scene, not many people were capable of looking past the surface, not even an inch.

 

It may just be that it's easier to heal "injury" and "disease" than defect. Perhaps wizards are more or less stuck with their genetic 'hand' so to speak, and have to play the cards they're dealt (besides being virtually immune to any serious Muggle illness), and they're stuck with any congenital condition they might have been lucky enough or able, as a magical entity, to contract. Or permanently changing something 'natural' about the way your body works (in any way that doesn't involve the aforementioned disease or injury) is considered Dark, dangerous, impractical, or all three. It might just be easier to have glasses than it is to fix the eyes, as someone mentioned complexity earlier.

But, yes, it really is just starting to look like a stylistic choice on Rowling's part.

 

I wouldn't put it past him to play up the 'kindly, grandfatherly, old, man' look: Both for the trust it can engender, and to lure people into underestimating him.

 

Which character do you hate the most?

 

So if Harry started acting like a total cunt he might eventually become Voldemort? I mean, as an Auror, I'd think as his life goes on he might use Unforgivables, handle a lot of Dark and/or cursed objects, lose his temper and blast a petty criminal off a cliff, that sort of thing. If he still had the scarcrux as he grew older and his soul became less pure, would he become Voldemort's mini-me or some odd hybrid? Or just become more vicious and better at performing dark spells but without any actual super!Harry upgrades like immunity to snake venom or Voldemort's memories. Like an inversion of HP and the Unlocked Knowledge, if you will.

I know there are tons of Dark!Harry fics with a similar premise out there, but I'd love to read one that explores this in a world where Harry *can't* defeat Voldemort because the scarcrux connection is too strong, but he's also kind of a bitter sadistic fuck so he might not care much about defeating him anyway. Essentially, where Harry and Voldemort really do regard each other as equals. I think it's difficult to find good fics with this premise because the whole idea is completely contrary to Voldemort's character, so probably not easy to write well.

I've read most of the ones in the library that are based on this premise, but if anyone knows one offhand that are Almost Recommended quality, please direct me.

 

Hermione from HBP followed by Malfoy. Much hate right there.

 

I think it's a stupid fucking bait quesiton, and I don't think it deserves even a post in this thread, that said, I don't know what your problem with Hermione in HBP is Punt.

I don't really hate any characters like I think you mean. I don't think any characters are shit, but if you mean which one would I want to read about dying in a fire it's Umbridge, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Umbridge... Taure has a write-up somewhere that describes why better than I ever could.

 

Well it was question asked by Alexx so I'm not shocked. Although I disliked Hermione in HBP tbh.

 

How can anybody hate Hermione? Alright, she was very much a hypocritical drama queen in HBP, but that's just part and parcel of being a teenage girl. Sure, she sometimes steals Harry's thunder by being a thousand times more competent than he is in virtually every situation (fun fact, I was watching the first HP movie the other day, and I'm pretty sure Hermione was the only student in the whole movie to successfully cast a spell other than Ron levitating the troll's club, which she basically taught him how to do), but that's an issue with the writing rather than the character herself and arguably more telling about Harry than Hermione.

And if you piss her off, she'll get even. Like permanently disfiguring your face or tricking you into getting gang-raped by centaurs and making fun of your afterwards. And considering that it's canon that no one ever manages to remove Marietta's pimples, and they leave lasting scars, that pretty much points to her jinx being Dark magic.

 

...lol Harmony

 

Hermione has many of the traits we wish Harry had. She's intelligent, hard working, motivated, and highly competent in a range of magic. She has a sense of wonder and curiosity when it comes to magic that Harry inexplicably lacks. She's far more active than Harry, who is mostly reactionary: she makes plans, has ambitions, and then does things to make them happen.

It's her knowledge which drives the plot forward. Even those traits which are traditionally Harry's, like bravery and quick thinking under pressure, are possessed by Hermione in equal amounts by the end of the series. She has the most significant character growth out of any of the main characters, whereas Harry and Ron stay mostly static.

Basically all Harry has on her are quick reflexes and the ability to fly.

And that's why we hate her. We identify with the protagonist: Harry. And as such, we resent Hermione for upstaging him. By all rights Hermione should be the hero of the story. She's much more laudable and her character takes a far more interesting journey.

In book 1 Harry is well-liked, confident, average at magic but brave and self-sacrificial. He also shows good deductive instincts. In book 7 Harry is... well-liked, confident, average at magic but brave and self-sacrificial. He also shows good deductive instincts.

On the other hand:

In book 1 Hermione is disliked by all, a social outcast, bossy, stuck-up, incapable of reading people and situations, intelligent and hard working. By book 7 Hermione has a group of close friends, is generally liked and respected by her peers, has reined in her bossiness and loosened up, and has developed emotional intelligence such that she's the one telling Harry and Ron what to do in social situations. She's also still intelligent and hard working.

(There are some more obvious reasons people dislike her too: her godawful depiction in 99% of fanfic where she's either a screeching harpy or Harry's dominatrix. And then there's the people who are just incapable of reading and still think of Hermione in terms of how she was introduced in PS, even though her character developed significantly since then).

 

Yeah. All of that is true, but that's basically saying that people hate her because she's stealing the spotlight from the guy whose name is on the cover of the book. To me, that's more of an issue with Harry than Hermione. Harry doesn't suck because Hermione was first in line and took up all the awesome. He sucks because JKR doesn't really identify with Harry at all. That wasn't much of a problem in PS, but it gets more blatant as the series goes on.

It's sad but predictable that the character with the most growth, who is the most competent (of the trio, anyway), is the one the author identifies with the most. If Hermione had been a fanfic character, she'd probably be labelled a self-insert.

 

Check that shit at the door, son, mah boy Ron had the most growth.

/Ron Fan 4 Lyfe.

 

Dude, I like Ron, but he was basically the same dude in DH that he was in PS. Oh, he was somewhat more mature, but he was still the pretty laid-back, kinda insecure but ultimately self-sacrificing guy he always was. Except that now he could somehow mimic parseltongue and steal horcrux-destroying ideas from thousands of fanfics.

 

I never hated any of the trio, but I have an alternate reason why people don't like her: they dislike Hermione for the same reason they rebel against their parents as adolescents.

Hermione is often written as a sort of surrogate parent (or "superego," if you want to bring old school psychology into it). She's a source of information that would be unknown to most children. She's a voice for caution and restraint when Harry and Ron are in "go, go, go" mode. And she's had some moments where she's acted unilaterally to further her position of restraint, even at the risk of alienating Harry and Ron (e.g. the Firebolt incident).

This can wear a bit thin on the readers because while she may act like a parent, she doesn't come with the benefits of a parent. Being a child herself, she can't swoop in and cleanly rescue Harry and Ron when things go wrong. She can't negotiate as an equal with adults, or act with authority against other children who antagonize Harry. And though Harry and Ron can't see it, the readers can see that she has moments where she's as naive as you would expect a child to be.

So, she isn't always lovable, but along with Ron, she's essential to making this story as culturally memorable as it has been. Tom Cruise!Harry would say: "You guys complete me."

 

I one reason I hate Herminone above anyone else is in PoA when she goes to Minerva to report the Firebolt Harry got.

I can accept she would want to report it, I could accept her telling Harry to hand it in himself.

But the reason she is a shitty friend is because she reported it with out even telling Harry first. Friendship for her is 2nd to her own stuck up self importance and love of authority.

I hate her for many reasons, but that is number 1.

 

I dunno. I honestly kind of agree with Hermione in that case. I mean, there's a powerful, possibly insane Dark wizard out for Harry's blood. Again. Suddenly, for no reason, from no one he knows, Harry receives a gift of something he desperately wanted and had use for. Obviously, to anyone with a working brain, this is a trap.

If Sirius actually had been a Death Eater, that broom would have been so cursed that Harry would have opened the package and been immediately devoured by flesh-eating maggots or something.

So, in that instance, it wasn't her love of authority or self-importance that made her report it. It was concern for her friend's safety. Her very stubborn, hilariously reckless friend who has no sense of self-preservation. Because there was no way Harry was gonna turn that broom in on his own.

 

Pfft.

If you're going to hate Hermione for one thing, at least make it something despicable.

Her unbelievably low "I told you so" to Harry at the end of HBP, before Dumbledore's fabulous robes were even cold, when she was actually still as wrong then as she was before, is one of the coldest, most unfeeling things anyone said to Harry in the entire series.

I guess maintaining the appearance of being right is more important to her than actually being right... or even her supposed best friend's feelings :fire