[jw2011]

As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter films, there is something that has always bothered me about the third one.

Hermione is a witch, yes? But yet she doesn't believe in Divination and Fortune telling and thinks it's rubbish.... She's a bloody WITCH!!!!

Fortune telling, RUBBISH but hang on while I turn this rat into a goblet.

[lala]

Originally Posted by jw2011

As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter films, there is something that has always bothered me about the third one.

Hermione is a witch, yes? But yet she doesn't believe in Divination and Fortune telling and thinks it's rubbish.... She's a bloody WITCH!!!!

Fortune telling, RUBBISH but hang on while I turn this rat into a goblet.

That's not the film's fault... It is in the bloody book. They had no choice but to put it in the movie.

[Postbox]

Originally Posted by jw2011

As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter films, there is something that has always bothered me about the third one.

Hermione is a witch, yes? But yet she doesn't believe in Divination and Fortune telling and thinks it's rubbish.... She's a bloody WITCH!!!!

Fortune telling, RUBBISH but hang on while I turn this rat into a goblet.

The film got it wrong.

Hermione and Professor McGonagall are both skeptical Trelawney's abilities not the craft in general. If memory serves correctly, McGonagall describes it as a very rare gift. Hermione, who very much admires McGonagall, takes a similar stand especially with the news that Trelawney annually predicts the misfortunes of one member of her new class.

Interestingly enough, almost everything she predicts (that we read) can be seen as true in one regard or another - which is a nice touch in the books.

[NorfolkBoy1]

It's not that she doesn't believe the subjects is it? It's mainly that she doesn't have time for Professor Trewlawney's classes because she thinks she's a fraud which, mainly, she is, except for in the case of one, particularly significant, bespectacled boy.

[Lou Kelly]

Indeed, it's not that Hermione doesn't believe in it, she doesn't believe in P. Trewlawney's ability, nor does P. McGonagall.

[performingmonk]

I seem to remember the book making a point of Hermione not liking it because suddenly there was something that she wasn't very good at.

[gemma-the-husky]

it's probably more like having a not-very-good super power. not as effective as proper wand magic

like the kids in sky-high

[cunningham1471]

IMO the problem Hermoine had with it was the same problem many people have with psychics in general. It's difficult to prove that it's cobblers.

For Hermoine magic is more real as it's tangible. If you say you are going to make the table levitate use a spell and it levitates it's real.
With magic it happens in something happening or changing and for the person doing the magic they cause what is happening. Whereas if you predict the future events, you can't say when it will happen, just that it will. Even if it does happen, the psychic didn't make it happen or change something to make it happen, so why aste your time with it?

I think she found the whole class a pointless waste of time. I don't and have never looked at my hororscope. Why do I want to read that I am going to get a job offer? Or I will meet a person with a hat that will change my life? Won't I find that out when it happens?
The whole thing is based on seeing destiny If people are predicting your future that is your destiny so all my choices I make right or wrong is also my destiny. If I then change what I am doing did I change it or was I destined to change it anyway?

I think Hermoine knew that and so thought it was a waste of time but she had to do the subject to pass her exams and was annoyed because she resented that she had to do it.

[Vashetti]

If you read the book you will see the Professor McGonagall condemns the subject too, mainly because Professor Trelawney is a fraud and a drunk.

She's only made one true prophecy at the time of Prisoner of Azkaban.

[cunningham1471]

Originally Posted by Vashetti

If you read the book you will see the Professor McGonagall condemns the subject too, mainly because Professor Trelawney is a fraud and a drunk.

She's only made one true prophecy at the time of Prisoner of Azkaban.

Fraud and a drunk, or not a fraud but can no longer function and do her thing owing to the effects of the alcohol but Dumbledore wouldn't get rid of her?

[cnbcwatcher]

I think she hates Divination because it's rubbish (I'm sure most of us Muggles can agree on that too ) and because Professor Trelawney is an airy-fairy fraud. I'd hate her too if I was in Hogwarts and I did Divination.