"You can't hurt a baby!"

[malfoy_is_good1719]

In OOTP, Hermione says,as we all know, "you can't hurt a baby." when harry is going to attack that death eater whose head is a baby.

Well, i've just re-read that book, (for the 100000th time) and it stuck out at me. Was hermione just being motherly? Or was she saying it for reasons we don't know. The whole group, (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny) all got weird in the Department, so maybe Hermione had a reason for saying that.

Also, if hermioen had read something that said you couldn't hurt a baby, that might have something to do with Harry's attack when he was a baby. I mean, of course the fact that his mother died to save him meant something, but maybe the fact that Harry was an innocent baby had soemthing to do with it.

[Chimera]

Worth a thought. However, I reckon she couldn't help but look at the DE and see a baby, regardless of the fact that he's a ruthless nutter. If you recall Dumbledore says it was a specific charm by Lily in addition to the sacrifice that saved HP, if it weren't for that he would've been just as vulnerable to the curse as any adult.

[Eol]

I think it was the case that the death eater was essentially a baby, he had no control over his motor functions anymore. It suggests that he could not reason or do anymore harm. And you really can't hurt a baby

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

I think it's perfectly reasonable that Hermione told Harry not to hurt him.

Considering in our world murderer's can plead insanity etc., and escape the death sentence, I think -

- Well, as she said.

You can't hurt a baby.

[Snow_Crystal]

Yeah I don't think it has anything to do with Harry not being hurt as a baby etc I think she was just being human