It's All About Harry -- Percy Fans United - Happiness

[Allison]

No: HPFGUIDX 26489

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amber ?" <inviziblegirl at h...> wrote:
> 
> *grin* Well, I don't understand anti-Harry sentiments but I know 
that I'm 
> not the most enthusiastic person when it comes to his character. 
*shrinks 
> back at all the angry glares shot her way*

I went and read that thread and had to stop myself from flaming.  I 
love Harry to death, and will defend him 'til I die, and do not 
understand how people can not love him.  Harry is the one I identify 
with the most - he does either what I would do or what I would *want* 
to do (but wouldn't have the guts) nearly every time.
> 
> I've thought about why I'm kinda lukewarm when it comes to him. 
I've decided 
> one reason could be that there's less to speculate about. Since the 
books 
> are mostly from his POV, we know what Harry thinks the majority of 
the time. 
> Whereas with Hermione, there's more to wonder about.

We do know what Harry thinks, but there's still plenty we don't know 
about him.  Why Voldie wants to kill him is the obvious example, but 
there's other stuff too.  I wonder about his childhood - I know he 
said he didn't have any friends and the Dursleys are no picnic, but 
surely he *must* have been happy at some point - it seems like 10 
years of perpetual unhappiness would kill your spirit - how could he 
have become the Harry we all know and love (or at least I love) if he 
didn't have any happy memories at all?

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Ebony" <ebonyink at h...> wrote:
> As I began to think about it, I 
> realized that NONE of the characters are really very happy in the 
> truest sense of the word.  

Ooh, look, I'm combining posts!  Following orders and everything!  
Anyway, like Ebony said, I don't think Harry is very happy.  I read 
an interview with JKR (Reader's Digest, IIRC) where she said of the 
Trio, Harry is the most likely to get depressed.  Like I said, I 
wonder about life pre-Hogwarts - for all of them, really.  Did 
Hermione get teased for being smart?  For making things happen that 
she didn't understand?  What on earth did Neville do for fun?  I 
don't think any of the characters are all that happy - life has been 
too hard for all of them, living under V's shadow or in the 
aftereffects of it.

> Is it any wonder I sympathize with Ron? *sigh* I understand the 
Normal 
> Person Syndrome quite well. I've recently thought that perhaps some 
people 
> sympathize with Harry over Ron because they have extraordinary 
qualities and 
> understand the persecution that comes with being singled out. And 
perhaps 
> the reason why some people sympathize with Ron over Harry is people 
they 
> don't have extraordinary qualities and sympathize with the 
frustration of 
> being ignored. Not to say that Ron doesn't have extraordinary 
qualities, but 
> they are severely overshadowed when compared to Harry.

I'm very much a Normal Person, and I still like Harry.  I think the 
reason is *he* doesn't think he's special.  He's just that kid 
underneath the Dursleys' stairs with the too-big clothes and the 
broken glasses.  We, along with the rest of the wizarding world, know 
there's something Special about him, but he doesn't.

But I love Ron too - I'm a proud member of RINSE.  And I firmly 
believe that Ron has some Essential Quality That Has Not Been 
Revealed Yet (or something we've seen but didn't matter at the time) 
which will prove... well, essential.

> > > I'm also in the mood for more canon talk about Percy.  I am big 
on
> > > the Humonguous Bighead... and I snarl whenever I read posts 
from his
> > > detractors.  Isn't there a Percy Fans Unite club, or is it 
P.I.N.E.
> > > (Percy Is Not Evil)?

*Hands over 2 sickles*  Percy isn't evil, nor is he just a smug Head 
Boy.  I won't be joining SCHABB any time soon, but all pro-Percy 
clubs have me forever in their ranks.

Allison