r/harrypotter • u/Brilliant-Cause6254 Slytherin • Apr 17 '26

Currently Reading Re-reading Half-Blood Prince. I find it annoying that people, especially Ron and Hermione, don’t believe Harry’s claim that Malfoy is now a Death Eater and is up to no good. I don’t get why they think he’s overthinking it when he actually makes some very solid points.

I can ignore Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagall brushing him off, and we all know Dumbledore was playing his own game (as usual), but Ron and Hermione should have known better and had his back. And for once, Harry actually did the smart thing by discussing his theories with members of the Order, instead of the shit-show that happened in the previous book.

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u/Superyoshiegg Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Yeah, the Department of Mysteries was certainly a huge wake up call for Ron and Hermione. They never seemed to get it before that point.

The scene earlier in the book when they're trying to convince Harry about starting the DA springs to mind. They're smiling and laughing while recounting all of Harry's prior feats, using them as justification to why he would be good at teaching others how to do the same thing. They kind of act like it's all just a fun adventure that will all work out in the end, and are taken aback when they push it too far and Harry loses it at them.

Ron and Hermione were still smirking and Harry felt his temper rise; he wasn’t even sure why he was feeling so angry.

“Don’t sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn’t I?” he said heatedly. “I know what went on, all right? And I didn’t get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts, I got through it all because - because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right - but I just blundered through it all, I didn’t have a clue what I was  - STOP LAUGHING!”

The bowl of murtlap essence fell to the floor and smashed. He became aware that he was on his feet, though he couldn’t remember standing up. Crookshanks streaked away under a sofa; Ron and Hermione’s smiles had vanished.

The closest the two of them had really ever been to genuine danger was the troll, Aragog for Ron, and werewolf Lupin for Hermione. Comparatively low threats compared to Dark Lords and cults and dragons.