You Remain Pure Of Heart

just as pure as you were at the age of eleven

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Hello! My name is Bri, and this is my Harry Potter side blog! My house is Ravenclaw, my patronus is a black and white cat, and my wand is ash wood and dragon heartstring core

Despite being a HP blog, I do not support JKR. If you agree with her transphobia, DO NOT INTERACT

Book blog

ASOIAF blog

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Wand Analysis: Hermione Granger

Welcome to my wand analysis series, where we look at each of the main character’s wands and analyze what this says about their character. The wand chooses the wizard, but why does it each wand choose the wizard they choose?

Our first character is Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age herself. Her wand is a vine wood with a dragon heartstring core

Vine Wood

My first source is the Wizarding World website itself. What does the most important source say about vine wands:

Immediately, we see multiple connections to Hermione as she is in the books. She seeks a greater purpose through S.P.E.W, she wants to make lasting societal change that helps an oppressed group. She also have a vision beyond the ordinary and astounds Harry and Ron with her intellect on multiple occasions, such as when she hexed the parchment the DA members signed so if any of them betrayed the DA, they’d get pimples that spell “sneak”, or when Xenophilous Lovegoode tried to hand them over to the Death Eaters, Hermione realized they need to see Harry and hide Ron to protect the Weasley’s and so that they wouldn’t kill Luna, who is a captive at that point. Hermione also has hidden depths, on the surface she’s a know it all who has to be at the top of the class, but is also a good friend who helps her friends with classes and genuinely wants to do well in her classes

Also, here we see the Wizarding World directly reference the druids and their worship of trees, so let’s look at what the druids had to say about vines

So here we see both things that apply to Hermione, and things that do not, such as being “gentle.” I love Hermione, but she kidnapped someone for writing articles about her and her friends, and sent birds after Ron for kissing another girl when they weren’t even dating. Not to mention permanently scarring another student, and then attacking Ron again when he returned after the horcrux hunt. Sure, you can make the argument she was justified in these actions, but it still doesn’t make her gentle. She also obviously is highly ambitious, wanting to be at the top of every class, and wanting to make lasting societal change

However, aside from that I think this is pretty spot on. Hermione is “discriminating” in having pretty good judgement, not perfect, but pretty good most of the time (I don’t think means she discriminates against other people, but obviously if it did, this would belong in the not applying to Hermione section). She is very authoritative, wanting people to listen to her and follow her rules constantly, and she does set high personal standards obviously, she was disappointed she didn’t get all O’s on her O.W.L’s. I also agree that she appears cool and detached, she appears to just be someone who wants to be the best at school, but she is also willing to help others at school and gets emotional rather easily, especially when insulted. I also agree she can have a dual personality, there are times she is fine one second and running out the room crying the next

Now that we’ve covered the symbolism and meaning of her having a vine wood, now let’s look at the core, which is a dragon heartstring

Dragon Core:

This is straight from the Wizarding World website. Again, we see some immediate connections to Hermione. She learns the fastest of the trio, and she definitely does the most morally questionable acts of the trio, as described above with her kidnapping and permanently scarring enemies, and even attacking her friends when she’s mad at them (easiest to turn to the Dark Arts)

Let’s see what else dragons tend to symbolize

All of this can be connected to Hermione. Let’s look: many people think Hermione is the most powerful of the trio; she got the most O.W.L’s, is the fastest to learn magic, and does magic above their grade level. She’s also full of wisdom. Again, she reads above their current grade level and studies so much that she knows all the material like the back of her hand. She also can be connected to protection: by the series’ end you could make the argument she’s Harry’s biggest protector. She is the only character who not only protects him in all 7 books (characters like Sirius, James, and Lily aren’t in all of the books), but she also never leaves his side in all the books. She is also a protector of the oppressed in the Wizarding World, being a member of the DA and the Order. She also transforms through her friendship with Harry, realizing there’s more important things than books and cleverness and becoming a warmer character every book due to her friendship with him. And she definitely brings good luck: there’s a reason some people think Harry and Ron would’ve died without her!

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Theory/Analysis: Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were all in love with Harry

Whether or not they realized it

I’m not gonna talk too much about Ginny, since she’s the one Harry ends up with ultimately, but, re-reading the books, I think all of the core 6 kids were in love with Harry whether or not they realized it. Why do I think that? Well, let’s look:

Ron was in love with Harry:

This is one of the hardest to explain because I don’t think Ron understands that what he’s feeling for Harry isn’t just best friend-ship, and is actually love. But let’s look at the evidence:

Ron acts like an over-protective boyfriend. There are moments where Ron’s protectiveness genuinely comes across like something out of a fanfic. When he saw the scars on the back of Harry’s hand given by Umbridge, he pulls Harry’s hand up to his eyes to look while Harry desperately says it’s nothing. We’ve all read something like that in a fanfiction, haven’t we?

But it’s not just moments like that. It’s also that he is willing to stand between anyone and Harry. Take this moment from Deathly Hallows, when the Minister of Magic of all people, points his wand at Harry, and Ron doesn’t hesitate, not even for a moment, to stand up and take out his wand. That’s a bit beyond friendship protectiveness, wouldn’t you agree?

Or at the very end of Deathly Hallows, when Voldemort showcases Harry’s body to Hogwarts, and Ron breaks free of the curse Voldemort has them all under to yell in Harry’s defense. Again, that is way too intense for someone you only view as a friend

Ron declaration of loyalty to Harry is the most romantic moment in all the books

I’m talking about, of course, in Half Blood Prince when Ron says, “We’re with you whatever happens.” This is genuinely the most romantic line in all the books, and far outweighs anything between him and Hermione. And again, that’s a very intense and intimate thing to say to someone who is only your best friend

Hermione was in love with Harry:

Romione stans always get mad whenever anyone brings this up, but it is possible for Hermione (and Ron) to be in love with more than one person

Hermione’s most intimate moments in the series are all with Harry

This is another thing I don’t necessarily see brought up a lot, but all of Hermione’s most intimate moments are with Harry as the person she’s being intimate with. I don’t mean intimate as in they hugged. I mean as in showing genuine care and affection for others. A really talked about moment is Hermione beaming at Harry at the wedding between Bill and Fleur. Not Ron. Harry

But she also is the one who told Harry he was a great wizard and that he would be able to defeat Voldemort in their first year. Or beam when she hears that Harry called her the best of the year to Slughorn. She’s also very physically affectionate with Harry. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, brushed his hair with her fingers on the horcrux hunt, grabbed him by the hand and ran to show him the house elves in the kitchen. There’s no denying that Hermione is just drawn to Harry, and super affectionate with him

Neville was in love with Harry:

This is definitely the hardest to explain because I know for sure he doesn’t realize love is what he feels for Harry. But nevertheless, it’s all here. Neville’s grandma says that Harry is the one Neville speaks most highly of. Sure, that may not mean much on first glance, just that he personally likes Harry the best. But than you remember that he asked Hermione to the Yule Ball the previous book, and suddenly him speaking most highly of Harry takes on a new meaning

Neville also breaks into the Ministry of Magic, not knowing that Sirius is innocent. All he knows is that Harry is upset and scared, and insists on coming to help. Again, you could argue this is just loyalty, but it’s pretty extreme loyalty to break into the government to save who you think is a murderer for someone who’s just a friend. It makes me think there is more to what Neville’s feeling for Harry

Luna is in love with Harry:

Once again, a case of all of Luna’s most intimate moments in the series being with Harry

Her and Harry’s talk at the end of Order of the Phoenix is so beautiful. He is the only one we see her canonically tell about her mom to, and she’s the one who successfully comforts him, knowing exactly what he needs to hear in that moment in a way no one else, not even Ron and Hermione, know

Luna also recognized Harry through Polyjuice Potion because of the expression he had. That is so unbelievably intimate: that Luna can see through Harry’s magical disguise because of his expression and know without a doubt that it’s him. And they also have so many little moments of mutually knowing what the other needs, like Luna knowing exactly what to say at Dobby’s funeral knowing Harry couldn’t manage it, but he even internally thinks she said it for him

Conclusion

Honestly, if you disagree that’s fine, it’s just what I personally believe based on my last re-read and analyzing his relationships with his friends

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Sirius and Harry actually have a very strained, broken relationship

Particularly in Order of the Phoenix, which the book I’m on in my current reread. I’ll make a full analysis when I’m done with my current read through, but I’m honestly floored by how little Sirius understands Harry

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Was Harry right to be mad at Ron and Hermione in the start of OOTP?

This is something that I think is a big debate in the HP fandom. Was Harry misplacing his anger, or did he have a point?

Let’s look more closely at what Ron and Hermione do right, and also what they do wrong, in their attempts to support Harry post-graveyard

What they do right:

Starting with the night of Harry’s trauma, Ron and Hermione immediately storm to the hospital wing and are part of the group (with Molly and Bill) who are demanding to know where Harry is. Then they are with Harry for the rest of the night in the hospital, and don’t push him to tell them what happened. This is obviously the right move, as Harry is currently in shock and severely disassociating, it would’ve done more harm to have him re-live what just happened to him for the third time that night. They also continue doing that for the last weeks of the term

Telling Harry they’ll see him soon and he won’t stay long at the Dursley’s is another thing they do right. Putting it in their letters is also right. They were trying to reassure him he won’t be alone with his abusers for long

However, that’s when what they do right ends

What they do wrong:

This sentence is the first time Ron and Hermione are mentioned in Order of the Phoenix-

“If he was lucky, there would also be owls carrying letters from his best friends, Ron and Hermione, though any expectation he has had that their letters would being him news had long since been dashed.”

Let’s read that more closely:

“If he was lucky, there would also be owls carrying letters from his best friends, Ron and Hermione, though any expectation he has had that their letters would being him news had long since been dashed.”

You don’t have to be a genius to know what is being implied. Ron and Hermione aren’t really sending him any letters. They are leaving him alone in an abusive household after he was kidnapped, tortured, and watched someone be murdered. Now I know what you’re about to say. How can Ron and Hermione have the authority to remove Harry from the Dursley’s. They don’t, but that’s not the point. The point is that they didn’t really write to him all summer. Harry only got a letter from them if he was lucky. Even at 15, they should know to be checking on him multiple times at week

But the contents of the letters are also damaging. People love to harp on Harry for thinking he’s done more than Ron and Hermione and call him arrogant even though this is a trauma response. Harry has done more than Ron and Hermione against Voldemort, and he isn’t thinking this in a vain way. He’s thinking it in a “I’ve been kidnapped and watched someone be murdered, and yet I’m stuck here in the dark about what’s going on even though I was the one taken by him- no don’t think about it” way

And regardless, Ron and Hermione’s letter examples seem like they are trying to sound like they know what’s going on to Harry and are important figures in it (we’ve been quite busy, but I can’t give you details here/there’s quite a lot going on), even though when we get to Grimmauld Place with Harry, that couldn’t be further from the truth. They aren’t even allowed in the meetings, and have to spy for information. Again, at 15, you should know better. In what way would this comfort Harry at all?

What makes it even worse is that in Harry’s inner narration, the book clearly states that is why Sirius’ letters are so much better, Sirius’ letters at least contain words of comfort, vs Ron and Hermione’s. So canonically, Ron and Hermione never once offered comfort in these letters. Never once told it was okay. Never once told him, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. You’re so strong, and we need you to stay strong.” They never once asked, even a simple, “Are you okay?”

Yes, they are still children. No, I don’t expect them to be therapists for Harry. Yes, I know they were never going to handle it perfectly being so young. But asking if someone’s okay is literally the bare minimum, and they didn’t even do that. 15 isn’t young enough to not know that asking Harry if he’s okay is a good idea

So yes, Harry is right to be mad at Ron and Hermione. His anger is not misplaced. He was let down by his two best friends when he needed them most

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Who Should Be The Main Character of a hypothetical Marauders prequel?

Cause if a Marauders prequel was ever made, yes, there would probably be rotating POVs between all the characters, and really, the main character could be any one of James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Snape, or Lily. And there are narrative ups and downs to each of them. So, who should it be?

Should James be the main character?

Honestly, I feel like James is the one who would realistically be chosen to be the protagonist, whether the prequel is a show by HBO, or a new book series by the author. And it makes sense, there are many narrative upsides to James being the lead

James is the center of the Marauders, so naturally, he would have a lot of parallels to Harry, in the sense that he’s the one who all his friends are closest to and so naturally, he’s the center of a lot that happens. We would also get an incredible character arc: a vain bully who turns into a genuine hero and genuinely good person who would do anything for his friends and eventual wife and child. Saving Snape from Lupin could be the start of his redemption. The series would also end in tragedy with his sacrifice for his wife and child, which to some would be a downside, but to me, as someone who loves a good tragedy, is a plus

However, I don’t really think James is necessarily the right choice for the main character, and here’s why. For the first few books, James would be a very unlikable main character. He would be a ruthless bully for at least the first few books, and while I wouldn’t mind an unlikable protagonist, for a series like Harry Potter that’s known for its lovable main characters, that would be a downside for many people. We’ve all read Snape’s Worst Memory: would you like reading a few books with that James as that as the lead? And the other big downside is that again, it would end in a tragedy and again, the series is known for its happy endings even if sad things happen. I’m not saying James would be a bad choice for the main character, but I think, for this series, it would be a big risk

Should Lily be the main character?

I’m not going to lie, I do think this would be the worst option. It’s nothing against Lily, she’s just so removed from everything that happens between the Marauders and Snape, I feel like it would he a very different series than everyone wants if she were the lead

Should Sirius be the main character?

Like James, I feel like Sirius is another great option. He’s James’ best friend so you would still get the antics the two of them get up to without the other two, Sirius would also have a great character arc, very similar to James. He starts as a vain bully and becomes a genuine hero who is a genuinely good person. And the series could end where Prisoner of Azkaban starts, with Sirius breaking out of Azkaban to save Harry

However, we run into the same problem we do with James as the lead: an unlikable protagonist for multiple books. Think back to Snape’s Worst Memory, would you like that Sirius as the main character? But that’s not even the biggest problem with Sirius as the main character: the biggest problem would be spoiling Prisoner of Azkaban. I think you can make James the lead and keep who was the Secret Keeper a mystery so in POA that reveal is still a reveal. But if you go with Sirius, there is no way to do it without spoiling that reveal. And one more thing that’s a downside, I don’t think Sirius ever really grows out of that Snape dynamic. Look at all their fights: Sirius is really going for Snape the same way Snape is going for him, he still uses the same insult he did in school for Snape! There’s also the issue of him sending Snape down to Lupin as a werewolf. That’s pretty bad, especially for a main character, to do. I just think there are too many detractors for me to think he would be the choice for the lead

Should Peter be the main character?

Nope, moving on-

Should Snape be the main character?

Now, this might be the most interesting one. Seeing the Marauders antics from an outside perspective would be interesting to see. It would be a classic bully vs victim story, with Snape trying to fight back against them. I also think this could lean into the tragedy of Snape’s childhood and how he’s slowly becoming a darker person because of all that’s happening to him. It could build up the dread in the reader as we see him go further and further down that road until he’s a full blown death eater, and then of course, his redemption, but still not fully becoming the person he was before and being angry and bitter. It would be an incredible book series, no doubt

However, I’m not sure Snape is the right choice either. Snape’s true allegiance is such a plot point in the original series, there is no way to do this without spoiling all of that. And this would be a big error on the franchise as a whole’s part because if you lose the Snape reveal at Deathly Hallows, you lose quite a bit throughout the series. I also think Snape’s story being the main one may be too dark for this series. This story has never shied away from darkness, but because Harry never loses his hope and innocence, the story itself never loses hope and innocence. It would be a big departure from the original series and I don’t think everyone would like it

And that leaves-

Why Remus Lupin should be the main character

Yes, I think Lupin would be the perfect choice for the protagonist. I’m not going to lie, I do have bias here. Lupin is my second favorite character in this series, only behind Harry himself. But even if I put my love for him aside, I still think he is the best choice

There are so many aspects of Lupin’s character that lead perfectly to his POV and being the lead. He has a lot of internalized oppression from being attacked by a werewolf as a child. Seeing that firsthand and watching it grow would be devastating. As a child it would just be him not expecting to make friends, than as an adult be afraid to touch people (like we kind of see in POA). Lupin’s hatred of himself is such an under talked about part of his character, and we would see it in full force here

And then he would go to Hogwarts, not expecting to make friends, but than he does. Only, they are bullies. And we see in Snape’s Worst Memory, he is the sole Marauder to not partake in Snape’s bullying, he just stays back, staring at his schoolwork. There would be so much internal conflict here. He doesn’t want to lose his friends, but he’s not okay with the way they treat people. And before they find out he’s a werewolf, there could also be a level of fear of how they would treat him if they found out about his lycanthropy. And when they do, he could he terrified they’re going to curse or hex him in the moment, but they’re actually very understanding and want to become animagus so he doesn’t have to be alone when he transforms. And then that would add another level to his internal conflict regarding their bullying antics: these may be the only people who would be so understanding of his condition, he can’t give them up now, but the way they treat people, especially Snape….

And Sirius sending Snape down to Lupin could be the first real crack in his relationship with them. Even before the tragedy happens, it’s implied in the text that Lupin is slowly being separated from his friends. Sirius point blank thinks the spy is Lupin, and Peter, being the actual spy, probably fed into that idea. That definitely caused distance between at least Lupin and Sirius and Peter. And probably James and Lily as well. Unless I’m not remembering right, there is no evidence of Lupin being in contact with them in hiding; the only Marauder not to be. Pettigrew went to visit them at the house, Sirius was writing letters, but nothing from Lupin. This could be a point in the series too; him feeling distance from his friends and not knowing why. And of course, honestly, I think the tragedy of the ending is best felt through Lupin. He spends 12 years mourning his friends and believing Sirius killed them. And it could end with him getting a letter from Dumbledore asking him to be the DADA professor, and getting on the train to Hogwarts maybe the day after a full moon which is why he’s so exhausted and sick on the train and falling asleep

And I think you lose the least amount of reveals with Lupin as the main character. You don’t know Snape was in love with Lily or his allegiance, you don’t know Sirius is innocent, you don’t know Pettigrew is Scabbers and the real spy, the only real thing that gets spoiled is Lupin being a werewolf and in the grand scheme of both POA and the series, that’s not a big deal

So yes, I believe that Remus Lupin should be the main character of a hypothetical Marauders prequel

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Harry Potter, the “Perfect Victim” mentality, and the fandom’s treatment of him in Order of the Phoenix

“Harry is an asshole in Order of the Phoenix!”

“Harry is so unlikable in book 5.”

“My enjoyment of Order of the Phoenix was killed by Harry’s attitude.”

Odds are that if you are part of the Harry Potter fandom, you’ve seen a version of these sentiments echoed many times. A large part of the fanbase seems to hate Harry in this one book, even going as far as ranking this book last in book rankings because they can’t stand his “attitude”

But in this book, Harry is suffering from severe C-PTSD. He meets all of the diagnostic criteria, and it’s clear that he’s struggling immensely throughout this book. But there seems to be a lack of empathy for Harry in this book. Why?

The “Perfect Victim” Mentality

For those who do not know, the “perfect victim” is a mentality where people seem to only believe and/or empathize with victims of trauma if the person is a “perfect victim.”

But what is a “perfect victim”? Since we will be focusing on the treatment of Harry after his trauma, I’ll be focusing on the perfect victim mentality post trauma

A “perfect victim’s” trauma isn’t visible from the outside, and if it is, it only results in the victim crying and having nightmares. All of their trauma just results in them being sad and anxious after their trauma. All of the messy parts of PTSD are not present

Harry is not a perfect victim

As you can tell from the description above, Harry is not a perfect victim (because no one is). Harry gets angry and screams at his friends. He becomes hyper vigilante; always ready to pull his wand out and fight to defend himself. He keeps his wand tightly in his hand around Snape or Malfoy. His PTSD is what actual PTSD looks like, not the “acceptable” trauma response looks like

There is definitely an empathy gap between Goblet of Fire (when Harry gets his trauma) to Order of the Phoenix. Because honestly, in Goblet of Fire, one could argue Harry was a perfect victim. He is weaker than Voldemort, he was vulnerable, he fought back, he reported it immediately. That fits the criteria for perfect victim when the trauma actually happens. Yes, in universe by Fudge he’s not a victim at all for specific reasons, but we, as the audience that actually saw what happened, he comes across a perfect victim

Even in Goblet of Fire afterwards, Harry is still a perfect victim post-graveyard. His trauma results in him being sad and distant for the rest of the school year. As I stated above, that is the perfect victim’s response to trauma

This is why the audience has no trouble feeling empathy for Harry at the end of book 4. He was a child who got kidnapped, watched someone be killed and tortured by someone much older, stronger and more powerful than him. He tells someone (Dumbledore) what happened as soon as he got back. And then he spends the small amount of time at Hogwarts being sad and disassociating. What happened to him, and his response, is easy to digest, so everyone feels bad for him

But then in Order of the Phoenix, when the PTSD truly sets in, Harry is no longer a perfect victim. He gets angry and lashes out, at Dudley at first, then Ron and Hermione later, and then Dumbledore way later. He is ready to defend himself at all times, thinking about cursing Dudley, clutching his wand in Potions, etc. Suddenly, the messy parts of his PTSD rise to the surface

The fandom’s treatment of Harry in Order of the Phoenix

This causes the fandom to say all kinds of things about OOTP: That Harry is cold, Harry is a bully to Ron and Hermione, Harry is unsympathtic

The fandom’s treatment of him does a 180 compared to Goblet of Fire, because his trauma is no longer digestible. He is no longer a perfect victim, so he no longer gets empathy

I think this plays into why people say they like the movie more. In the movie, Harry stays a perfect victim. The movies remove him screaming at Ron and Hermione, remove his anger and jumpiness, remove him destroying Dumbledore’s office. He is just sad and distant. The movie’s were afraid to show just how deep Harry’s PTSD is in favor of the perfect victim narrative and in turn, people prefer the movie

The most disturbing thing about this is the implication behind it. If people can’t even have empathy for a fictional child, who is the main character of the most beloved children’s series of all time, who got kidnapped and tortured, what does that say about their response to real people who have trauma?

[luminarystag]

Why I don’t ship Drarry

Y’all are really shipping Harry into an abusive relationship, huh? He hasn’t been through enough?

Let’s take a look at some of the canon interactions they have later on in the series, when Draco is supposed to start becoming disillusioned with Blood Supremacy Ideology, starting with Book 4:

Draco publicly humiliated Harry in front of a whole class because Harry was chosen for a dangerous tournament against his will

Draco mocked Harry for getting kidnapped and watching someone die right in front of him, and then mocked his trauma (Trying to pretend it hasn’t happened?)

Draco gets power over Harry and immediately abuses it (this bodes well for a romance!)

Literally lasso’d him and than handed him over to a cruel teacher when Draco knows Harry’s telling the truth about Voldemort being back

Draco and his friends were going to attack Harry because Draco’s murderous father is in Azkaban for being a Death Eater

But Half Blood Prince must have good moments right? Since that’s the Drarry book I’m told about

And we are immediately hit with Draco finally getting his revenge and stamping on Harry’s face after paralyzing him

But once Draco realizes he doesn’t want to be a Death Eater, does it improve?

All Harry did was find Draco crying in the bathroom, and Draco than violently attacked him and was going to torture him

But in Deathly Hallows, Draco didn’t give up Harry to Bellatrix, so maybe he just needed a little longer to grow! And than-

Draco not only corners Harry with his friends, bur he is the most dedicated in getting Harry to Voldemort alive

I will admit, the pairing is interesting. Draco getting s redemption arc and then falling in love with the person his side hated and that person falling too is a great dynamic. But canon Draco never is redeemed; he realizes he can’t be a Death Eater, but his hatred for Harry never ceases. Drarry depends on Draco not being Draco, and therefore, doesn’t work

[luminarystag]

I can’t wait for the HBO show era! Especially because the Showrunner worked on Succession and the Director worked on that too, and The Last Us and Game of Thrones, so you know the show is going to be incredible

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Harry: "Okay okay okay I just have to make sure… are you asking me in a platonic or romantic way?"

Cedric: *On one knee, holding an open ring box*

Cedric: "Did you seriously just ask me that"

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The way Harry would ask Cedric this in this moment