Sibling rivarly, shipping and the rest of us...

[Kimberly]

No: HPFGUIDX 8592

From: Heather Edmonds  <Heather at h...>
                Date: Fri Jan 5, 2001 7:06am
                Subject: Sibling rivarly, shipping and the rest of 
us...


               > Scott wrote:
               > How many of you Ron-fans out there are part of a 
large family, i.e.
                >lots of brothers and sisters, and also the babies of 
the family?

My family's not big.  I just have one older sister.  I've already 
discussed this a bit, but yeah, she was pretty and talented and 
sociable.  I was bright, but clumsy and shy.  My grades were good, but 
not top-of-the-class good.  So in my childhood eyes, I was not as good 
at academics as she was in the areas where she excelled, and people 
referred to me as 'Kelly's little sister' as much as by my name.  I 
was jealous.


                > > I am an only child and perhaps that's the real 
reason I don't
                > > particulary like or relate to Ron. If that holds 
true do the other
                > > Harry/Hermione types come from smaller families, 
or are perhaps the
                > > older of siblings?

               > I'm an H/H shipper and certainly not an only child 
but I am the eldest of
               > three, two girls and a boy and frequently longed to 
be an only child while
                >growing up. Still do on occasion. I was an only child 
until I was 5 and did
                >not respond well to the arrival of my brother.


                > Ron hit the nail on the head in PS/SS when he told 
Harry if he did as
                > well as his brothers it wouldn't be a big deal, but 
if he did worse it
Ø would be.


                >To a certain extent I would go along with this but I 
have always been the
                >academic achiever in my family and attended a 
selective school etc. My
                >brother who has so far failed do well at school 
definitely feels that this
                >is a big deal and somehow my fault. He blames me and 
my parents for his
                >inability to get a's or even c's. However I can still 
remember when I was 16
                >my parents praising my brother for getting 40% when 
yet again I had brought
                >home an average of 85% and it was ignored. I of 
course kept telling them
                >what I'd got because I wanted to be told "Well done" 
only to be told not to
                >boast. I now understand that my brothers 40% was far 
more of an >achievement
               > than my 85% (he has several specific learning 
disorders) but even now it
                >still rankles.

Now this I identified with as well.  My good grades got the same 'as 
long as you do your best', as my sister's poor grades, but somehow my 
efforts into my sister's area of expertise were never important.  When 
I was in a school play it was no big deal, and there are no pictures, 
whereas there's a whole drawer at home of pictures of my sisters 
various plays, musicals, recitals, etc., right under all of her 
trophies and ribbons and such.  Admittedly I was an extra with 2 lines 
whereas my sister was always a lead, and granted, the trophies and 
such are in a back room with the computer and a bunch of junk, but 
that didn't stop me from feeling put-out at the time.


                >Look at poor Percy ( I do sympathise with him ) his 
siblings treat him
                >appalingly and nobody stops them. Mrs Weasley is 
proud of him but she
                >doesn't stop the others from making his life a 
misery. Again I speak from
                >personal experience in an atteempt to make himself 
feel better my brother
                >called me 'swot' 'boffin' and would run around the 
house chanting 'Heather
                >hasn't got a life' and it hurt especially as my 
parents didn't stop him.

                >So here is another question How many of Percy's more 
unfortunate traits self
                >importance, bossiness etc stem from his siblings 
unkind treatment?

But why would his siblings treat him any differently than they do each 
other unless he acted differently toward them?  It's a big family, and 
while they have their problems, it's for the most part loving.  I 
don't think their treatment of Percy is any different than the twins 
picking on 'Ickle Ronnikins' in PS/SS, or the teddybear/spider 
incident.  

     >Strangely Bill and Charlie don't suffer in the same way I think 
it is
                >possible that they are both hero worshiped by the 
other Weasleys because
                >while the implication is that they achieved above 
average academic results,
                >their strengths verge towards the heroic, star 
quidditch player, dragon
                >breeder/trainer and treasure hunter. Abilities the 
younger Weasley boys
                >admire far more than mere cleverness. Indeed i would 
say teh >wizarding world
              >  as a whole would admire these qualities more.


There's nothing to say that Bill and Charlie weren't all in on/ 
targets of the same kind of teasing.  We don't really see them often 
enough to know if they are, and now that they're living far away, 
they're probably missed enough to escape a lot of it.  I don't think 
Percy is persecuted.  The whole family just likes to tease, and he 
gives them more opportunity to pick on him by being so officious at 
such a young age.  I don't think it's scarred him.  He's got a good 
job and a girlfriend and everything.  Doesn't seem like he was abused.  
I do think his particular attitudes do make him vulnerable to the 
Fudge-type position, however.  

Just my thoughts,
kimberly