[HPforGrownups] SHIP: Running out of cute shipping puns!

[Kathleen Kelly MacMillan]

No: HPFGUIDX 11423

Fresh from her refreshing visit to the R/H spa on SugarQuill island, Captain 
Kathy of the Good Ship R/H leaps back into the fray:

I wrote:
> See, crew?  They even admit it!  ;)

And Penny replied:
>"They"??  Or, Scott?  See H/H'ers -- we get maligned as a group for >the
>opinions/perceptions of one of our members.  :--)

Cause that never happens to R/H-ers, she replied sarcastically. (*And*, she 
points out, she was kidding in the first place.)

Penny again:
>Funny that two obviously very different people (me and Kathy) could
>identify so strongly with Hermione.  Makes Hermione all that much more
>interesting, doesn't it?

Well, Penny, we are both grown adults obsessing over the future love lives of 
fictional characters, so I'd venture to say we're probably more alike than 
some might think. ;)

Penny wrote:
>Is there such a thing as a "nice healthy fear" of your
>partner/mate/love-of-your-life?  Not in a Calm marriage (IMO).

I meant more that Ron has a nice healthy fear of what she thinks (although he 
doesn't know it yet).  Her opinion matters to him.

>Too many rules/regulations!  I'll just stay aboard the low-key, >Freedom
>of Speech is always tolerated Cruiseliner H/H -- thanks.  :--)

You know, perceptions really are everything, I guess.  Having traveled in some 
H/H circles myself, I can say with all honesty that I never especially felt 
such a "Freedom of Speech" thing going on. . . but then, I wound up defecting 
and rising to captaincy (is that a word?) of the R/H, so I guess that says 
something.  (Not sure what, but something.)

Penny:
>When?  When did she spend this time with Ron?  From what we see in >GoF,
>she ate all her meals with Harry, she walked to classes with Harry, >she
>sat in classes with Harry (or occasionally between the two of them >early
>on in the fight), they studied in the library together, they went to
>Hogsmeade together .... in short, I see very little opportunity for >any
>Ron time.

And, yet, somehow, according to your very own post, she managed to tell Ron 
"several times" that Harry didn't put his name into the Goblet.  When , if she 
didn't spend any time with him?

Penny again:
>Let's see this HGTG cliche is *bad* in the R/H world, but the sappy
>OBHWF cliche is perfectly fine?  :--)

Actually, I myself have posted several times on why I think the OBHWF theory, 
while appealing, is unlikely.  And I do agree that both Harry and Hermione are 
already part of the family.  As Kelley has already pointed out, JKR could 
certainly do OBHWF without succumbing to clich‚.  No doubt JKR could do the 
HGTG clich‚ with as much freshness as she could do OBHWF or any clich‚, for 
that matter.  I just hope not, because it wouldn't ring true to how I see the 
story. (I hear tell that one or two people see it differently, though. <g>)

Penny again:
>My perception is that the R/H camp seems quite bent on being sure Ron
>receives *no* criticism of any kind (while liberally dishing it out to
>the other characters I might add).  Is this zero-tolerance policy
>sanctioned by the leadership of the Good Ship R/H?

While aboard our ship it is (and on SugarQuill Island).  Just curious, where 
do you see this unfair criticism being dished out by the R/H crowd?  The only 
thing I can think of you are referring to is the strong anti-Draco stance.  
(But come on, he did say he wanted Hermione to die, you can't really expect 
him to be popular, can you?)  Anyway, the point is, R/H-ers tend to be very 
protective of Ron.  He's our guy.  In the past, H/H-ers have made some very 
anti-Ron statements.  Anyone is, of course, free to say whatever they want 
about any of the characters.  Just don't expect us to like it or agree with 
you.  The SugarQuill is a private resort, so to speak; Zsenya and Arabella can 
feed heretics to the sharks there if they want (OK, so this metaphor is going 
a little overboard, but you know what I mean!)  The Good Ship R/H is happy to 
share waters with other ships; just don't come aboard and start 
Weasley-bashing, because that'll tick us off.  In the meantime, I won't go 
aboard the SS H/H and start telling you how boring I find Harry (I'll just 
shout it to you from across the waters <g>).  Bottom line is, if you're happy 
on your ship, no one's forcing you to visit other ones.  But if do go 
visiting, be nice and follow local custom.:)


Amy Z wrote:
>Anyone think that Molly is ticked at Hermione not only for throwing
>over Harry dear, but also for not tumbling to the fact that Molly's
>Ronnikins loves her?  (Mothers have a talent for knowing we like
>someone before we even know it ourselves.)

Actually, you may be surprised to hear that no, I don't think this is the 
case.  (What? Did Kathy just say that?)  Actually I'm not sure that Molly does 
realize Ron's feelings; I think she's much more concerned about Harry.  I 
think Molly underestimates Ron as much as the H/H camp does.  But that's 
another thread.


Kimberly wrote to Penny:
>Wow,
>You may have a Calm relationship with your hubby, but I think you and
>Kathy are a few steps into the Volatile category!  :D

Oh, dear, Penny, we just have to make sure we don't slide into Dysfunction!

Cassie said:
>I see no H/G in the books (i.e., indications that Harry has feeling
>for Ginny -- if anything he pretty consciously shuts her out of the
>Trio); as for G/H, although it is blindingly obvious that Ginny likes
>Harry, I'm not sure what significance to gift that with.

And I see no evidence that he likes Hermione, but that doesn't stop people 
from believing in H/H either.

Scott wrote:
>--But what if I think that Ron WILL turn bad and betray Harry. Ok I
>don't think that it's a given, but it COULD play out.  After GoF I
>can see the seed there. Not that Ron isn't Harry's friend as much as
>he was, but their fight, well it was totally uncalled for. I mean it
>doesn't even make sense that Harry would have put his name in the
>goblet. Hermione believed Harry. Does she trust Harry more, or am I
>missing the concept?

There was a time when I actually thought it possible that Ron might betray 
Harry, but after rereading the books more, I just don't see it.  He's far too 
protective of Harry and willing to sacrifice for him.  The Chess game in SS/PS 
has been hashed over endlessly, but what struck me recently were the scenes in 
PoA Ron pushes Harry out of the way when the dog attacks (Ron doesn't know 
about Sirius yet of course) and the way he stands up for him in the Shrieking 
Shack ("You'll have to kill all 3 of us!).  I just can't see someone who cares 
about his friend that much betraying him.  It just doesn't tally with Ron's 
character at all, IMO.

That said, I must say with reluctance that I think it far more likely (and it 
pains me greatly to say this) that Ron will not make it to the end of Book 7 
alive.  We have already seen a few instances where he willingly "sacrificed" 
himself for Harry, and I suspect there's some foreshadowing there.  (And also 
very poignantly in the fact that Ron was the thing Harry would miss the most.)
 I am hoping against hope that this scenario does not play out, because I 
would be devastated personally, much more so than if Harry died. It doesn't 
bear thinking about.

Parker said:
>There has also been, in this shipper debate a lot of talk about how
>Ron is always the one defending Hermione.  Harry does too, guys!
>Again, it's in GoF and it's what causes Hermione's teeth to grow.
>Draco (as usual) says something sarcastic about Hermione and Harry
>hexes him.  Draco hexes Harry and Goyle and Hermione end up being
>hexed instead.

I must respectfully disagree here.  The passage following Draco calling 
Hermione a Mudblood reads:
"Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst 
through a dam in his chest.  He had reached for his wand before he'd thought 
what he was doing" (GoF, UK ed, p. 262).  
To me, this indicates that Harry was taking out a lot of the tension he had 
been feeling on Malfoy.  Not to say that he wasn't genuinely angry that Malfoy 
insulted Hermione, but to me it read more like an excuse to let out his anger 
than a genuine defense of Hermione.  (And I might point out that Ron is the 
one who hurries forward to check on Hermione.)

I am still fascinated by all the differing perspectives here!  Well, that's 
what keeps it interesting!

Captain Kathy
AKA Elanor Gamgee