Prof Responds: Hermione Granger & the Benefit of the Doubt

Professor Julian Wamble works through the Patreon and Spotify debate in the first Prof Responds episode on Hermione. He covers four themes from the post-episode chat: whether Hermione was justified in jinxing the DA parchment that scarred Marietta Edgecombe; the ethics of Hermione wiping her parents’ memories; what Hermione’s assimilation, friendships, and S.P.E.W. say about who gets her grace; and whether she is a “pick me.” Along the way, Prof connects Marietta’s choice to protect her mother’s job to Hermione’s choice to protect her parents. He traces the “I know best” instinct from the memory charm to her house-elf activism, and looks at how 90s feminism, patriarchy, and Rowling’s gender politics shape the pick me label. Next week, the Hermione conversation continues with the back half of the listener survey. Behind the Cloak: Race, Identity, and Harry Potter arrives December 1, with the audiobook on the way.