Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

Don't you think people make their own choices in life?'

'They do, but in many cases their choices are limited--unless they break the rules.

It was all my fault. I'd let them in, I'd broken my rules, and I was back at square fucking one!"- Jocelyn Butler

Rules meant order. Without them they’d be killing each other. It began with butting in, with parking in disabled spaces, with smoking in elevators. And it ended in murder.

The first rule on breaking a rule is to know everything about the rule.

While you're sitting there wondering why you've kept all the rules and you still haven't achieved everything you've been promised, someone else has been breaking all the rules and seeing all the success that comes from doing so.