Shipping and Other HP4GU Debates (long as usual)

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 11100

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Ebony Elizabeth Thomas" <ebonyink at h...> 
wrote:
> 
> I'm really beginning to think that firm ship preferences

I'm feeling kind of left out here, because I find all the arguing 
over whether H/H, H/R, H/G, D/G, H/D is 'really going to happen' 
(and even some of the arguing about which would make the characters 
happy) quite tedious (I guess that's how people about my repetition 
of statements about the ships *I* like: such as McGonagall/Hooch, 
Cho/Cedric, Snape/Draco). 

But I also find distasteful the no-shipping arguments that assert 
that things like "they're only 14", "they're going to go through a 
lot of stuff that can change their personalities, and some of 
them might die", and "Muggles hardly ever marry someone they met in 
junior high" are adequate reasons to avoid gossip and speculation. 
And the argument that 'whatever JKR writes in her books is the way it 
truly happens' doesn't even qualify as a true statement.

> I think Lily and James married young, and I still think Harry's a
> nickname. 

I think Lily and James married young, but some work on timelines 
indicated that they were class of '76 (I made them '75 in my story 
for plot purposes -- some of the timing in my story is really quite 
false) and Harry was born in '80. I think 'Harry' is not a nickname.
 
> 1)  I'm a SuperHarry advocate.

I am somewhat offended by the argument that Lily having VOLUNTARILY 
given her life for Harry was not enough to save her from V's curse. I 
accept that no one else was ever given the OPTION of whether to be 
killed by V. I believe that there was some kind of prophecy about 
James and James's son that led V to seek to kill them but not 
necessarily Lily. 

I believe that Harry has very strong magic power (as Hagrid says, 
with his parents, why wouldn't he?) and has the potential to possibly 
be as great a wizard as Dumbledore. HOWEVER, I am somewhaat offended 
by Lori's theory that Harry is a special kind of super-wizard that 
has never existed before, and less than thrilled by Cassie making him 
a more commonplace type of super-wizard. 
In other words: Super-Harry = Yuck!

> I believe that both Draco and Snape are redeemable in both canon
> and fanon. 

Of course, only V and Lucius are irredeemable in fanon, right? I 
believe that Snape is redeemable in canon (we've already seen him 
risking his life and reputation to help the Light Side and/or 
Dumbledore!) but suspect that Draco is not redeemable in canon.  It 
is very difficult to believe that a person who is only 14 can't 
possibly change in the whole rest of his life, but I see no evidence 
that JKR wants him to ever be anything but a cardboard villain.

> 3)  I identify strongly with Percy.  I doubt very seriously that he
> will become a Death Eater.

I don't expect Percy to become a Death Eater, but I don't identify 
with him, either.
> 
> 4)  I think that there's more to Hermione than brains.  We still
> don't *completely* know from canon why the Sorting Hat put her into
> Gryffindor.

We don't *completely* know anyone's soul ever, but we've seen plenty 
of evidence that she belongs in Gryffindor: courage, desire to help 
the weak (House Elves, Neville), leadership orientation (criticized 
as 'bossiness'), desire for glory (like it or not, desire for glory 
IS part of chivalry, and she shows it by her desire to not just learn 
everything there is to know, but to get the top grades and be known 
to get the top grades).
> 
> 6)  I'm a small Hogwarts/wizarding world advocate.

1000 students at Hogwarts. Wizarding Britain population between 
15,000 and 20,000. 
> 
> 8)  I love post-Hogwarts fanfics.

I prefer MWPP fanfics.