SHIPs

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 13258

Someone asked last night what ships are sailing on this (s)e(a)group. 
I woke up with a mood to tell what ships **I** believe in. Marriage
or at least long-term effectively primary 'romantic' relationship or 
at least heading in that direction when interrupted by death.

CERTAINTIES

Hooch/McGonagall. 
I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that Minnie and Hoochie have been a couple 
since they were both in their early 20s. This is from my intuition,
as canon shows nothing of their private lives and I don't think it 
even shows them together.

Cho/Cedric.
Some people say what's the big deal, they just went to the Yule Ball 
together. I say, NO, they started dating during PoA, they were going 
steady until the Yule Ball, where they upgraded to 'engaged to be 
engaged'. They were making plans to meet each other's parents over
 the summer -- this means, one morning Cho meets Mr and Mrs Diggory 
for the first time, Cedric introducing her as 'This is Cho, the one 
I've said so much about', and that very evening he was dead. Canon 
doesn't specify -- POV Harry doesn't pay enough attention to Cho to 
notice whom she's dating! 

But I believe it possible that Cho/Harry *could* spring from their 
shared mourning.  That would depend on Harry opening up enough to be 
willing to share his mourning..

Pansy/Draco.
A lot of fanfic seems to think that Pansy is ugly, stupid, and as 
nasty to her fellow Slytherins as she is to Harry. I am sure she is 
pretty despite JKR calling her 'hard-faced', at least average in 
intelligence, and quite charming to people she LIKES. A lot of fanfic 
has gay Draco using Pansy only as a disguise, or straight Draco 
disliking Pansy but forced by his parents to date her, or using her 
only for sex. I believe that she and Draco find it a lot of fun to 
hang out together, not just for sex, and also find the sex a lot of 
fun.

Lily/James. 
I believe they married for love and Harry was, if not planned, at 
least wanted. Someone pointed out the other day that we don't know 
that Harry wasn't an unwelcome surprise, and I have suggested 
discussing the possibility that James and Lily were each engaged to 
someone they had chosen (maybe Severus for Lily) but broke those 
engagements to marry because the prophecy said that only their child 
could destroy the Dark Lord.

Angelina/Fred.
To me, he stated that he was taking her to the Ball despite admitting 
that he hadn't asked her yet, and could ask her by yelling across the 
room, BECAUSE they were going steady, therefore knew without asking 
that they were going to the Ball together. Either Ron just hadn't 
noticed that F and A were dating, or they were dating secretly to 
avoid mockery, as did Percy and Penelope.

POSSIBILITIES

Penelope/Percy.
She isn't even MENTIONED in GoF, which does not give the impression 
that the relationship survived leaving school. However, Penelope is 
the name of Odysseus's wife who waited twenty years for him to 
return, therefore I can't be sure that this relationship is over.

George/Katie.
It would be tidily parallel to A/F.

Pomfrey/Dumbledore.
Well, she did compliment his new earmuffs.

Remus/Sirius.
Sirius being bi and Remus being either gay or bi. It would be putting 
their sex lives where their hearts are. That would be sweet and it 
would mean that I wasn't losing Remus to ANOTHER GIRL, but I don't 
think men care very much whether sex and love are in the same place.  

Snape loved Lily.
I don't believe it, but must admit that it's the basis of an entirely 
consistent explanation of Snape's behavior.

Snape/Filch.
I don't know if I believe it, but Pippin has presented a great deal
of strong evidence from canon.

Snape/Draco.
I've been writing it, thus discovered that it's OOC -- Snape may be 
desperately in love with Draco, but he has too much willpower to do 
anything about it, and Draco might be willing to peddle his ass for 
good grades, but is not capable of LOVING a person who isn't fun to 
hang around with.

Millicent / Crabbe-Goyle.
They're big and strong and stupid and hideous. She's big and strong 
and hideous and we don't know whether she's stupid. If they're too 
stupid to notice that she's hideous and too stupid to know that boys 
aren't supposed to share a girlfriend, if they could all happily be 
big and strong and hideous together, that would be a great rescue for 
all the other people whom any of that three might otherwise have 
tried to date.

Harry/Ron.
To me is more plausible than Hermione/Harry or Hermione/Ron, which 
isn't saying much.

Ginny/Hermione.
I don't feel that it is at all LIKELY, but I would like it.