OoP: Focus on the Trio + Ginny + Neville (Spoilers)

Sun Jun 22 17:55:27 UTC 2003

Having finished myself, and now reading what other
people have to say about OoP, would like to turn focus
away from the major death for a minute and look closer
at happened with the kids...Once the regular HPFGU
list reopens, continuation of this discussion belongs
over there.

> Message: 14
>    Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 05:01:27 -0000
>    From: "mochajava13" <mochajava13 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: OoP: My review (SPOILERS!)
> 
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> > Y

[SNIP]

> > Ron and Hermione, Prefects? Rock! Well, at least
> > Dumbledore explained why he didn't make Harry
> one..and
> > he was d*mn right. 
> Hmm, I thought it a little bit of a stretch that Ron
> was made a 
> prefect and not another Griffindor boy. 

> Dumbledore
> was right for 
> not making Harry one.  And most of the students
> thought he was 
> unhinged for more than half the year, how effective
> could he have 
> been?

Is it just me, or do Ron & Ginny both seem to get the
shaft in discussion on this list in terms of what
they're "capable of"?  Not only on this list, but from
Harry (Hermione, too, in Ron's case) in some
respects...?  Will tackle Ron first...

WOW! Ron made a Prefect -- was very excited for him
and I thought his aversion to disciplining his elder
twin brothers was handled very well.  I *fully* think
Ron had / has it in him for this responsibility -- the
only reason I think it would've been interesting for a
*different* Gryffindor boy to be made Prefect (agreed
on Dean as the next likely candidate) is that one of
the roles would've existed outside the Trio.

I also think it was right for Harry to have a quick
twinge of jealousy / indigation that Ron was made
prefect and he wasn't -- even to the point of thinking
"I'm more suited to it...it should be me."  Harry's
arrogance as a character flaw plays a deep deep role
in OOP (a discussion that will crop up again, I'm
sure).  I was relieved to see Harry then give Ron a
great deal of support during the Quidditch Team trials
and ongoing support as Ron struggled with his Keeper
abilities.

But to see Hermione *assume* that the badge is Harry's
-- and then stumble when she learns it's Ron's...
Ouch.  Just plain Ouch.  Let's give Ron some credit,
here!  Harry may be the Boy-Who-Lived, but he's
continually more reckless than Ron ever is -- I think
*Ron* always was the better Prefect candidate,
regardless of how much weight Dumbledore thinks is on
Harry's shoulders.  

Yes, going into OoP, the public at large think Harry's
unhinged.  That aside, Harry already exudes adequate
influence on his fellow Gryffindors (for better or
worse) just by being him.  How many fellow students
(in and out of Gryffindor) would've become fairly
stroppy / annoyed after taking Prefect orders from the
Boy-Who-Lived (talk about other students perceiving
"Big Head Boy" syndrome)?  Ron may have some internal
demons he's fighting (youngest Weasley brother and
Harry's Sidekick, for example) but he's a more stable
Hogwarts student overall and I think fellow students
(peers & older Gryffindors especially) would be more
comfortable w/ Ron in the role.

RON & QUIDDITCH

After that early "Head Boy / Team Captain" vision in
the Mirror of Erised, it's healthy (from a character
development stance) that Ron has struggled in taking
his place on the Quidditch team.  What a lot of
pressure to have *2* older brothers watching you...and
that Slytherin chant...Again, ouch, what a lot of
pressure to overcome.

What I would've given to be on the Quidditch Pitch
while Ron did his thing in the final match instead of
following Hermione / Harry into the Forbidden Forest! 
Am glad we got to hear Ron relive it and also
experience his euphoria.  Here again, though, I was a
bit disturbed at Harry / Hermione thinking that Ron
would continue to stumble, that Angelina might kick
him off the team.  GO ANGELINA for seeing something in
Ron, for evaluating him not only on skill but on his
ability to add to the team overall, and for continuing
to work with him.  (And how cool was it that, even
though brief, Angelina succeeded Wood as Captain?)

GINNY

First, Ginny & Quidditch.  I'm surprised no one's said
anything about Ginny taking on the Seeker role after
Harry was banned.  GO GINNY!  And to have her pretty
matter-of-factly say she's interested in pursuing
Chaser next year, since she likes that better anyway. 
Can we say versatility?  Can we say that big brothers
-- and many other characters -- have underestimated
what Ginny's capable of doing / thinking /
contributing?

All along, I've thought some listers have been pretty
hard on Ginny (and this is outside the SHIP universe).
 So she's younger...so she's got a crush...so she's
*growing up* and going through awkward phases -- don't
we all?!!  Just because she's had a bad case of Hero
Worship doesn't mean she won't snap out of it and move
on.  And boy, did she ever move on!  Acted pretty d*mn
casual about the boyfriend overall, which really
emphasized that her life has continued outside Harry's
radar.

LOVED the fact that she's had a dating relationship
that Ron and Harry both were oblivious to.  LOVED that
it took Harry a while to think actively about the fact
that Ginny was no longer nervous around him -- and
that he actually did think about it (some boys,
especially after being the target of the Hero Worship,
would remain oblivious).  LOVED that people -- Harry
included -- were surprised when Angelina named Ginny
the replacement Seeker (yay! Harry's starring role on
the team gets taken by GINNY :D).  

LOVED that Ginny got very ticked off at Harry being so
self-involved that he failed to remember that he
could've talked to her about being possessed by
Voldemort.  LOVED that she (and Neville) kicked butt
in their D.A. practices -- and that Ginny switched the
meaning of D.A. on Cho.  LOVED that she pointed out,
when Harry tried to say she was too young to go find
Sirius, that she was already 3 years older than he was
when he first confronted Voldemort.  

GO GINNY!  You're a *WEASLEY* in the true tradition of
Bill, Charlie, the Twins *and* Ron (think Wizards
Chess) -- though that Percy needs a Come-to-Merlin
experince :p  (Oh, and I also loved that Ginny used to
swipe her brothers' Quidditch brooms when they weren't
looking :D)

I also was pleased to see that, when he wasn't being
so self-centered, Harry *did* talk with Ginny as a
peer.

Now there's that little twist JKR slipped in at the
end, where Cho is now dating Ginny's *ex*-boyfriend. 
Ginny didn't seem too broken up over it -- seemed
rather disgusted that her ex had been so childish
about the Gryffindor win over Ravenclaw (and as
Seeker, she would've played a role in the final
score).

> Seventh, I remember Professor Dumbledore saying in
> CoS that stronger 
> wizards/witches than Ginny had been fooled by Lord
> V.....and so it 
> goes that Harry, who is not invulnerable or
> omnisicient, gets fooled 
> also...JKR's character development is really
> wonderful....

This hadn't occurred to me during my first read, but
bravo for pointing it out! :)

[SNIP]

> Sixth, GO NEVILLE GO! I'm REALLY happy to see
> Neville begin to come 
> into his own, to learn the DADA, to fight, what a
> great kid he's 
> turning into....the scene in the hospital was very
> compelling...
> 

Yes, Neville (and Molly's Boggart experience) is
really what tugged at my heartstrings the most.  Like
Ron, he's come into his own.  When he yelled at
Bellatrix Lestrange, saying he *knew* the role she'd
played in his parents' injuries -- lots of repression
that finally got released (to some degree -- I think
he let a lot loose in his determination during his
determination in D.A. practice).  And that Droobles
Best Blowing Gum wrapper *sniff* ;(

Could go into a lot more re: Neville, but my husband
is saying, "let's go already!" :} :)  One last comment
about the Trio -- loved Hermione's "Let's Trick
Umbridge" ruse and the looks of shock she received
from her compadres before they realized what she was
up to! :D  Go Hermione! :)

Ok, done, but I hope this will open more discussion on
the kids :)

- Mags

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