Percy (my take)

[ravenclawlady]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C5322
From: ravenclawlady
Subject: Percy (my take)
Date: 7/29/00 1:37 pm  (ET)

Well, I have about 36 hours (give or take) to put in my two knutes
(or sickles) on Percy, so here goes:

Though Percy is annoying, I actually like him. As a fictional character,
he provides needed comic relief, and the occasional antagonist. He's also
a perfect example of how a character can be an anagonist without being
a villain. He often provides obstacles for Harry and company, but he is
not a "bad guy". His goals and intentions are good; they just happen to
oppose Harry's. Even in real life, I'd much rather deal with him than,
say, Snape or any of the Dursleys.

I think what really endears me to him are those chinks in the armor,
showing him capable of more emotion than Harry and his friends see.

One of those chinks is his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, who was
introduced in CoS. She shows him capable of falling in love (or at least
in like). And, unless she finds his stereotypical rigidity attractive,
she must see a side to him that Harry misses.

V
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Another little hole in the armor is the way he acted when he first
got his Apparator's license. That is, his need to show off that he
now had one. Most readers probably see that as yet another sign of
pompousness, but I suspect his attitude is not uncommon among newly
licensed Apparators.

It brought me back to when I first got my driver's license. I was looking
for any excuse to drive (errands, giving people rides, etc). Though this
sounds more altruistic than Percy Apparating to the breakfast table,
I'll have to admit a definite satisfaction in simply being able to make
the statement, "I can drive." I also remember hoping to be seen getting
out of my car in my high school parking lot. Yes, I am getting out of
the drivers' seat, and no, my father is not taking over that seat and
driving away! I don't think that is too far away from Percy loudly statin
that he'd just Apparated to the World Cup.

OK, maybe that just makes me pretentious too, but I don't think so.

Melanie


PS: Did anyone else notice how much "Apparating without a license"
sounds like "operating without a license"?