[HPforGrownups] Its Harry Fortnight!

[Morag Traynor]

No: HPFGUIDX 17184

Hi inyron! What a great post - I have found this group makes me look at 
things in more depth too.
<big snip>

>But, If Harry had sat alone with,
>say, Seamus, during the ride to Hogwarts, do you think he and Ron
>would still be best friends?
Hmm, good question.  I think they're complimentary.  Each has something the 
other wants.  Ron wants to stand out and be admired, Harry wants to belong 
and be part of a family.  Each can give the other a bit of what they have by 
association, and also the insight that there are drawbacks to being famous, 
or to family life.  Each is also accepting of the other (despite the 
*occasional* quarrel).  I think they make a great team, and would naturally 
have gravitated together, even if they hadn't met so early on.

>*Why does he keep referring to Ron as "Weasley" in FB?

Because that's how schoolboys address each other, especially when trading 
insults, friendly or otherwise.  Notice it's always "Malfoy", never "Draco", 
and Malfoy never uses anyone's first name, not even his friends', reflecting 
the lack of warmth in his relationships.  Or perhaps the fact that Ron and 
Harry use first names shows how close they are.  Now scores of ex-schoolboys 
are going to post that they always addressed their friends by their given 
names ;), but this view would certainly be consistent with the slightly 
old-fashioned school-story ambience which the books evoke.

>*I love Sirius as much as the next girl, but how did he become the
>most important grown-up in Harry's life about an hour after breaking
>Ron's leg?  And acting, you know, all yellow-teethed and insane?
>After learning who MWPP were, you'd think he'd have a greater
>appreciation for Lupin too.

I suppose so.  I think Harry does appreciate Lupin, but Sirius is just the 
kind of not-too-demanding, glamourous, cool, father-figure Harry wants just 
now.  A father-figure who was able to be around more of the time might be a 
bit much to cope with all of a sudden.  I know he wants to go and live with 
Sirius, but he is not devastated when he can't.  Sirius is also the 
anti-Vernon - he's a wizard, owns (or owned - what happened to it?) a flying 
motorbike, has long hair and is on the wrong side of the law.  Perfect.  I 
think Lupin's a little too old-looking and acting (though he and Sirius must 
be of an age) and a little too tired and sad for the role.  Finally, Sirius 
was the closest to Harry's real father - "You'd have thought Black and 
Potter were brothers!...Inseparable!", as Harry has heard Flitwick say in 
the Three Broomsticks.  They are compared to the Weasley twins in closeness 
and capacity for trouble.  He has seen them in the same photo, Sirius was 
his father's best man and is Harry's own godfather.  Sirius tells Harry he 
would have died for James and Lily, thus linking himself with the one thing 
Harry has always known about his parents - they're dead.  It's as close as 
Harry can get to having his own father back.
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