Percy (and some Ron and some Hermione thoughts too)

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 16248

Hi --

I know we're talking about Ron this week, but I'd had this message about
Percy in my inbox for awhile, meaning to reply when I had more time.
So, here goes:

Demelza wrote:

> Ron consoles an upset Ginny over the
> fate of Mrs. Norris. (CoS Ch. 8) "Ginny Weasley, who had been looking
> pale, was bullied into taking some [Pepperup potion] by Percy"
> Interesting choice of words "bullied". (CoS Ch. 12) <snip>
> Furthermore, Tom Riddle's Diary reveals in Ch. 17, that Ginny was
> beginning to think Percy suspected she was involved with the Chamber
> ("Dear, Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I
> think he suspects me
"). That, in itself, is a credible reason for
> Ginny's fear of Percy in Ch. 16.

Interesting.  I took the above incidents to mean that Percy was more
perceptive than the other Weasley boys and had picked up on her
distress.  None of the others seem to notice there's anything amiss with
her.  But, Percy is perceptive enough to make her take some medicinal
potion (a protective older brother rather than a bully in my mind).  He
also apparently notices and comments more than once that she is pale,
doesn't look well & doesn't seem herself.  How can this be anything
other than concern for her?  She may be interpreting his concern
strangely, because she's worried that she will lose his respect/love if
he finds out the "truth" about what's ailing her.  But, he clearly
demonstrates concern for her.  I don't think she's afraid of Percy so
much as she's afraid of him losing respect for her.  That's really what
I was getting at when I said that she "hero-worships" him.  That wasn't
the right choice of words.  But, what I mean is that Ginny does seem to
value his good opinion of her.

> So let's examine what the books contain about Percy and his attitudes
> toward his family.
> <snip>
> (CoS Ch 16) After Ginny's abduction, Percy sends an owl to his
> parents then locks himself in his dormitory. Fred, George and Ron sit
> in the Common Room. I would categorize Ginny's abduction as a "time
> of trial", yet Percy isolates himself from his brothers. Throughout
> the books, Percy is portrayed as reliable and responsible and ready
> to show it. As the eldest Weasley at Hogwarts, Percy was the de facto
> head of the Weasley family. Yet, he is locked up in his dormitory
> while his younger brothers sit together in shock. That's not being
> terribly supportive or consoling at a time of trouble.

> Milz added: As
> the oldest, Percy should have tried to comfort his brothers instead of
> locking himself in his room. I know it's unfair but the older kids in
> a family are usually given the job of being mentors to the younger
> kids, you know, the "big brother or big sister". Percy kind of shunned
> his duty, so to speak.
>

Someone else commented on this, but it bears repeating.  Everyone
handles crisis differently.  Percy is just the type to need solitary
introspective time at that point, and I don't think it's fair to be
judgmental about him because of the way he needs/chooses to handle
stress & grief.  It's clear that he's very different from the twins and
Ron as far as his personality goes.  I don't know that it's at all fair
to suggest that he has a "duty" to be outwardly & publicly comforting to
his siblings just because he's "de facto" the eldest Weasley.  He's got
a right to handle grief & shock in the way that most suits his own
personality.  IMO.

> (GoF Ch. 26) During the Second Task, Ron and Harry are swimming with
> Gabrielle toward the bank. Percy runs to the bank and pulls Ron up.
> Percy is described as "pale".

He looked "white and somehow younger than usual."  You left out the last
bit.  He also waded out to meet them.  He abandoned the dignity of being
a judge and took off out into the lake.  I'm amazed that anyone could
put a negative spin on Percy for this particular scene.  What it says to
me is: in the face of true physical danger to a family member, Percy
will abandon rules, authority & his position.

> A few paragraphs later, Madame Pomphrey frees Ron from "Percy's
> clutches." The word choice is interesting. There is almost a negative
> connotation generally associated with 'clutches', ie, the clutches of
> a madman.

I wouldn't put that spin on it at all.  I see it as a word that shows
strong emotional connection.

> Percy's actions in this case are not clear-cut. He could have been
> really be concerned for Ron: Ron is underwater for more than the one
> hour. On
> the other hand, Ron is in a positive spotlight. Fleur is beside
> herself with worry because she could not rescue her sister. Ron and
> Harry emerge from the surface with the little girl and swim with her
> to the bank. The boys look like heroes. Ron has not embarrassed
> anyone nor has misbehaved. Furthermore, Ron tells Harry that
> Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone drown. Surely, Percy, who's Ministry
> Department helped to organize the Tournament, would know this too.
> Again, taking all things into consideration, this Percy action is not
> objectively clear-cut.

Oh, c'mon!  Sure, Percy as a judge objectively knew the rules, but he
was so concerned about Ron's well-being that he completely forgot the
"rules" for once & acted completely on his emotions.  IMO anyway.  I
just see very little room for argument that Percy waded into the lake &
clutched at Ron, looking "younger than usual," as a means of drawing
attention to himself & away from Ron and Harry!  Sorry .... but I can't
see that there's much basis to this argument.  If he'd wanted to assume
his usual stance of "authority figure," he'd have simply waited at the
water's edge & launched into a lecture the second Ron touched land.

> I said: >However,  my bet is with Hermione's judgment, not Ron's.
>
> Let's look at Ron's judgement in comparision to Hermione's.
> <snip> In spite of Trelawney's track record, Hermione still considered
> her a "fraud".

JKR does seem to be poking fun at Trelawney though, and most of her
"correct" perdictions are easily explained away by logic or
coincidence.  Dumbledore himself attributes her with only 2 correct
predictions; you've given her a far greater track record.  <g>

> Hermione's assessment of Crouch, Sr. was based on his harsh treatment
> of Winky.

Yes, but it goes deeper than that.  As Sirius said, to get the measure
of a man, look at how he treats his subordinates.  Sirius thinks
Hermione has used a good tool for discerning Crouch Sr.'s true
character.

> Unlike, Lucius Malfoy, Crouch Sr. seems to have respected Winky enough
> to consider her opinions. Dobby was terrified of Malfoy. Winky
> retained a fondness for the Crouches: that should have raised a red
> flag.

Dobby is the exception rather than the rule.  He's consistently painted
as the "odd bird" amongst house-elves.  Winky is illustrating the
typical house elf attitude of complete & total subservience, even in the
face of disgrace & poor treatment.  I don't think Crouch considered her
opinions as much as he had some guilt working for his neglect of his son
during the formative years.

> Hermione's insistance that Crookshanks wasn't out to get Scabbers, as
> Ron believed, was wrong. Crookshanks conspired with Black to get
> Scabbers. Granted, Scabbers turned out to be a homicidal traitor, but
> it still does not negate the fact that Hermione was wrong about
> Crookshank.

Ron was wrong there too.  :--)

> Hermione's assessment of the Ron-Harry feud (GoF Chs.17-20) has
> always puzzled me. Hermione assesses that Ron is jealous of Harry.
> Yet, as readers, we are privy to the break-up (GoF Ch. 20). Ron
> thinks Harry managed to get around the Goblet's age barrier, thinks
> Harry purposely didn't tell Ron and thinks Harry's denials are lies.

But, Ron's reactions are motivated by jealousy.  Harry ends up with
everything.  I always thought Ron was using the "you're lying to me"
business as a cover-up for "You're years below the age-line but still
you get to compete for that money & glory."

> Harry is upset because Ron doesn't believe him. Ron's admission in
> Gof Ch. 20 is not a revelation of jealousy but a revelation that
> Harry was indeed telling the truth ("Harry," [Ron] said, very
> seriously, "whoever put your name in the goblet--I--I reckon they're
> trying to do you in!"). The basis for the feud is more of trust.

Amy Z said it far better than I did, but yes, Ron's jealousy is the
underlying reason for the feud.  Ron is jealous of Harry and that
jealousy turns into stubborn pride.  He refuses to admit that Harry was
telling the truth when he said he didn't put his own name in the
Goblet.  He refuses to admit that Harry might be in danger because
someone else put his name in the Goblet instead.  He's so eaten up with
jealousy over the potential winnings & glory that he can't even see how
shocked/stunned/scared Harry is when his name comes out of the Goblet.
Hermione saw this; how is it that Ron didn't?  Jealousy.  I think he
can't admit the truth because he'd have to put his jealousy aside to do
so.

> The difference, IMO, between Ron's and Hermione's judgment is that
> Hermione has a pattern of thinking "black and white".  She judges a
> person's/thing's character as "good" and cannot entertain any "bad"
> actions from that person/thing (example; Crookshanks). Conversely she
> judges a person/thing as "bad" and cannot entertain any "good" from
> that person (example; that "old fraud" Trelawney). Ron sees the "gray
> areas". Yes Dumbledore is great, but he can still be wrong. IMO, this
> quality gives Ron more objectivity than Hermione in judging character.

Ron certainly employs black/white logic when thinking about Snape
though, doesn't he?  Hermione, OTOH, is clearly capable of seeing
Snape's gray areas.

Amy Z wrote:

> She proves to be wrong about Crookshanks--he =is= out to get
> Scabbers--but I think this is less a case of believing no evil of her
> own cat than putting his behavior down to normal cat behavior.  She
> doesn't say he isn't chasing Scabbers; she just says it's because he's
> a cat and Scabbers is a rat.  She's wrong, of course, but she's not as
> blind as you're making her out to be.
>
Perfect!  Couldn't have said it better myself.  <g>

Penny
(card-carrying member of Percy Fans Unite!)



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