Percy gets a bum rap

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 37325

And no, that's not the title of the latest chapter of Keeper's Secrets.

I think that many people, me included, have in the past subscribed to the
"Percy Is An Evil Death Eater" theory -- it's certainly easy to jump on this
bandwagon, and IMO the author wants the reader to do exactly that.

Percy is seen as a "Humungous Bighead" from the start, and while it's
certainly a possibility that this is a result of the Harrycentric narration,
I can see the argument for both a true foreshadowing and a red herring. He's
either the perfect stereotype or too stereotypical, depending on your point
of view.

Of course, many fanfiction writers attempt to take Percy out of this
stereotype and explain why he is so rule-neurotic. I think that many of the
reasonings for Evil!Ron can also be applied to Evil!Percy -- namely that
they both have to make their own way between a whole raft of siblings, and
this is certainly going to impact on their personalities, possibly in a
negative way.

Bill & Charlie are "cool", Fred & George are "funny", Ginny is "cute", Percy
is "obedient", and Ron is "evil"...oh, wait. I meant "loyal". Yeah. *grins
and ducks the tomatoes from the Ron-lovers*

One way that some fanfic writers, me included (in "Keeper's Secrets" on
AstronomyTower.org), have explained Percy's reliance on rules is to make him
gay, and have the societal stigma of the Wizarding World* create a reaction
within him to follow all *other* rules and norms to a T.

* This stigma is, of course, author-created, as we have not yet seen a gay
character in the HPverse.

At any rate, I do think that Percy gets a bum rap. Just because his brothers
are cool/funny/loyal does not mean that, in person, he cannot be cool, funny
and loyal. Imagine how difficult it would be if *you* were Head Boy and your
brothers were renowned as the chief rule-breakers in school. A friend of
mine was in a similar situation at school and it was extremely difficult.

Ah well. Just my €0.031 (US$0.02).

--John
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John Walton -- john at walton.vu

No, the people who believe that whoever dies with the most money wins
can't afford to have us read and love Tolkien's LOTR.  It's subversive
literature, and the only way they can be safe is to convince us all that
it's only fit for children.
     --Emma Bull, "Why I Read Fantasy"
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