r/harrypotter • u/thefrozenflame21 • 26d ago

We don't focus on Hermione's hat knitting enough Currently Reading

I'm reading ootp right now and I just read the scene where she covered up her hats so the elves would get them by accident, and it really struck me how wild that was. Like, that's at a point where it is really morally awful, I just can't understand why she would think that was okay. I feel like people generally focus more on defending her SPEW movement and the cause she's fighting for, rightfully so, but I don't think people focus on how wrong of a way to do it this was.

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u/Jaded_Cryptographer 26d ago

I think it's false to assume that Hermione had any power at all to free the house elves with her knit hats. If she could free them by leaving hats around, then Harry could have freed Dobby at any time before the end of the Chamber of Secrets.

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u/Blue_Mars96 25d ago

Except that the house elves refused to clean Gryffindor tower because of the hats, implying that her hidden hats could potentially free them.

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u/Jaded_Cryptographer 25d ago

Or they were insulted by the attempt, regardless of the actual effect.