Introduction + Re: Percy's Character Flaw

[demeter918]

No: HPFGUIDX 37299


  It's always more interesting to have someone play devil's advocate 
anyway. ^__^

   And now would be a good time to introduce myself. Name's Demeter. 
Currently a student in college. I've been here for a while; I just 
didn't really have the time to comb through the archives and etc. But 
through Spring Break and several uninterrupted hours, got a basic 
piece of everything. And I had thought me and my friends had ripped 
the books apart already. Looks like I've got a lot to study. ^__^  

   I guess I should establish my current loyalty lines (not really as 
strigent as it sounds) right now. I'm a very fervent Slytherin fan... 
and not just for Draco Malfoy. My absolute favorite character is 
Severus Snape (which says a bit about my character). Followed by 
Percy Weasley (hence the response to below post), Neville Longbottom 
and Draco Malfoy are at about the same place. Remus Lupin, then 
Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore (though his biased ways toward 
Slytherins tend to annoy me), Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. 

   I tend to like all the characters except for Sirius Black and Ron 
Weasley. I actually *do* like them, since I sympathize with Sirius, 
and I feel that Ron's one of the most loyal friends you can have (of 
course *pauses* excepting the situation in GoF), it's just that they 
have a tendency to piss me off. Sirius because he's a prat toward 
Severus. And Ron because he and Sev/Draco/anySlytherin tend to not 
get along. For that, even if the Slytherins goad him, it takes two to 
have an argument. 

   And that over with... back to the discussion. 

 
>   Well, I hate to play devil's advocate here but..... Percy HAS to 
>be EVIL.  I really havn't been able to warm to his character at all  
>(not for lack of trying!) He really is very very power hungry        
>("Prefects 
> Who Gained Power") and I don't hold up much hope for his 
redemption.  


    Ambition can't really be equated with evil. Because if it is, 
then Dumbledore can be equated with evil and he's as far from 
conventional evil as anyone can be. BTW, this is entirely my own 
opinion and theories. ^__^ There's nothing I claim to be entirely 
canon here. 

    Gaining power and being power hungry can be the same thing, but 
it can also mean different things. Power has a tendency to mean 
money... or at least more money then a desk job at some faceless 
corporate company. Even though Percy is belittled by family and 
classmates alike, he's very loyal to his family. In GoF when Ron's 
pulled out, he comes running to help him, his face 'paler then usual' 
(also mentioned earlier). I've always seen that as a suggestion that 
Percy cares more for his family then his family thinks he does. 

    Perhaps Percy equates power with money. If he had the money, he 
could help his family the way he wants to. This is all theoretical 
though. Feel free to dispute it. ^__^


> From his sheep like following of Crouch Sr. to his mere lack of 
> ability to 'let his hair down' he really hasn't shown any ability 
to 
> survive in the real world, let alone in a war situation. 

    Of all the Weasley kids, perhaps Percy is the one (excluding Mr 
and Mrs Weasley) who would know best about surviving a war situation. 
This theory is based off what I've read of Cairnsy's essays and the 
calculation of age during the war and all the stuff at the Lexicon 
(wonderful place btw... but I bet you all know that already. ^__^). 
If during Harry's third year, Percy as at his Seventh (and this is 
canon, no disputes), then that means Percy is roughly about four 
years older then Harry. That means, during the hieght of the war, 
before and right before the Potter's deaths at Godric's Hollow, that 
Percy was about five. 

   It's been brought up before that perhaps the generation at and 
around Percy's age suffered the most by the war. The twins, Ron, and 
Ginny were too young to really comprehend the danger, since they were 
two and one and just born, respectively. But Percy, Bill, and Charlie 
were all at the age they knew and understood about the war and 
the 'baddies' that haunted the dark and would hurt them if they 
weren't careful. 

   But seeing Bill and Charlie's disposition, it can be theorized 
that they felt relatively safe, since they were at Hogwarts. I'm 
assuming that there's an age gap of nine years (these numbers are 
from the Lexicon Master Time Line. There can't be absolute certainty, 
since none of the numbers are actually given in the books, but 
there's enough evidence so that most can be relatively certain) 
between Percy and Charlie. I'm pretty sure that Bill's older then 
Charlie, and so the two attended Hogwarts while Percy was at home 
with his parents. 

   However, of all the Weasley's, Percy's entire manner and 
personality is the most different. Why? Could it be because he 
couldn't be oblivious, yet he wasn't safe at Hogwarts either? He was 
the oldest, since both Charlie and Bill were at Hogwarts, which means 
that Molly probably depended on him to 'look out for his younger 
brothers and help out so the bad guys won't come and hurt them'. Why 
*is* Percy so serious? Because he was brought up to believe that if 
he wasn't then he might not be able to survive to the next day? 

    Growing up as a child, adolescent, adult during a war are all 
different things. For Percy, that might have been the defining point 
in his personality. 


I remember a 
> quote from Prof. Quirrel in PS along the lines of;
>  "Theres no good or Evil, just power and those too weak to seek it"
> (I lent my copy of PS to my brother so havent got the exact quote 
so 
> my apologies)IMO, this quote really sums up Percy's philosophy in 
> life. 

   And you have to wonder what made Professor Quirrel say that. It's 
canon that suggests that Quirrel was fine until he took that year off 
to get 'first-hand experience'. (70/71 SS/PS) So in that year, 
something changed. So I'm of the opinion, unless Percy meets up with 
that situation, he won't be able to be like Quirrel. And besides, it 
seems that Quirrel doesn't have the large family that Percy does. 
Percy's already suggested that he cares for his family more then he 
does about his dignity.

   If he's given the choice, he'll probably in the end, choose his 
family to the 'evil'. 


In OP he will be overcome by a desire for Power and a monstrous 
> lack of vision, and end up(intentionally or otherwise) either 
aiding 
> th Dark Side or hindering the Old Crowd in some way.  

    I doubt it. Dumbledore didn't make him Head Boy for no reason. 
And before Tom Riddle is suggested, Dumbledore wasn't Headmaster 
then. He was the transfiguration professor (312 CS). 

    And the desire for power may still be in a way influenced to help 
his family. Everyone desires power for different reasons. Which is 
why I pity Voldemort. He's basically in it for revenge against the 
muggle father who put  him into the muggle orphanage. *sigh*


Perhaps he will 
> get suspicious of his father in the Ministry and report him to 
> Fudge?  I have *no* faith in his ability to see the wood from the 
> trees when it comes to Power and his quest for it.
> 

   Once again, I personally believe he cares for his family and if he 
does do something that's ultimately 'bad' for the Order, it would be 
because he *believes* that it's helping instead. If the theory that 
he grew up having to 'watch and becareful', then he would be 
naturally cautious.  


>   The only example of Percy acting as if he is proud of a family 
> member is when Ron is being praised by Dumbledore for "the best 
game 
> of chess..." at the end of PS.  Even here I doubt his if he is 
being 
> genuine.  I see it as an attention seeking exercise on his part, 
not 
> allowing Ron to be the very centre of attention for even a second, 
he 
> attempts to steal glory by association.  Maybe he is just very 
> insecure (caused by the death of an older sibling perhaps??!!!:P) 
but 
> I cant see how he is going to possibly avoid getting himself, and 
> others, into trouble.
> 

   Perhaps Percy will cause trouble. Perhaps he'll betray his family. 
Perhaps a lot of negative things. But in the end, it's my opinion 
that he did it for his family. If he ever does 'anything'. 


>  -Mary (who is waiting to feel the toaster flying at her from 
> somewhere in the distance!! I'm sorry...I just don't like Percy!)

   
   It's perfectly alright not to like Percy! I don't particularly 
care for either Sirius or Ron, but since they have qualities that are 
still very endearing, I still appreciate them. There are few 
characters in the HP world that I don't like...

   Anyway, so I'm here now! And I've gotten my teeth stuck on this, 
so I won't be leaving anytime soon. But I'm more lurker then not. 
^__^ It depends on what the current discussion is about. 

   Demeter