Three favourite and three favourite characters.

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 28409

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Calypso8604 at a... wrote:
Cindy wrote:

> > Fleur (if female characters are going to be beautiful but not so 
> > nice, they had better be more competent at magic than Fleur).
> 
Calypso wrote:

> Just because she was last place in a couple of Tri-Wizard 
competitions does 
> not mean she is incompetent. She *was* a champion after all, the 
best choice 
> from all of Beauxbatons, which comes off as a pretty damn good 
school to me! 
> If you're referring to Ollivander's comment about her wand core, I 
say there 
> is nothing wrong with having a bit of your heritage go into your 
wand...If 
> anything, that would help!

OK, OK!  *backpedaling furiously*  Fleur's *not* incompetent.  She's 
just not nice, rude, condescending, aloof, lacking in compassion, and 
an ungracious guest.  Her positive traits are, um, she got through 
the tasks without being killed.  Oh, and she's pretty. :-)

For better or worse, JKR makes Fleur a character not to like, and she 
does this on purpose (as opposed to having it be a failed 
characterization or something).  In a way, Fleur gets cheated a bit, 
doesn't she?  Cedric and Harry have lots of interaction (and Cedric 
gets to reveal his outstanding character).  Harry interacts with Krum 
in "The Madness of Mr. Crouch" (and Krum gets to reveal his 
insecurities).  But where is Fleur's big scene with Harry where she 
gets to reveal her character?  There really isn't one, other than 
thanking him for saving her sister.  So of the characters on my Least 
Favorite list, maybe Fleur is the one who could have escaped with 
some additional development.  We'll see if she gets it.

Cindy