Six

Sorry, you're still stuck on the Hermione Granger thing aren't you? The correct title is the Hermione Granger dilemma. The Hermione Granger Dilemma actually started life as the MTV Deception - the one where male eyes gravitate to the TV screen as a female singer clad in a radio mic and a smile gyrates to manufactured beats. Three days later it is found that the female singer is fourteen years old, who despite having breast enlargements, has refused to eat for six months and lives with her Mum in Idaho. But it's too late, the thoughts have been had, the dreams dreamt...

The Hermione Granger Dilemma - a far more insidious problem, and it began with the casting of Emma Watson in The Philosopher's Stone. It is obvious from Emma's progression from cute little kid in the The Philosopher's Stone to pretty girl in the Prisoner of Azkaban that somewhere before the seventh movie is made she will gravitate to something... more. The dilemma is that there is a sliding scale of acceptability - depending on the viewer’s age and Emma's age. But where is the line between appreciation and legitimate admiration? Wherever the line was, I was worried Nina and I were on opposite sides.

All of this and more streamed through my mind as I teed off, twice. This is probably the explanation for the satisfyingly crisp thwack and resulting two clean strokes down the middle of the fairway. Concentration would have precipitated disaster. I walked away pretending it was normal while Mike threw his most irritated stare.

Mike had teed off with no preceding practice swing and a technique that stemmed from his arse. The result was four balls somewhere around the fairway and a lucky escape from embarrassment for all concerned.

I initiated small talk as we buggied down the slope of the fairway.

Chapter Seven