[SHIP] In Defense of Ginny, Round II (was Re: Quidditch, Ginny's good qualities and more)

[Christine Peterson]

No: HPFGUIDX 37550

Yep, I'm back for more. *wicked grin* Pop open some more butterbeer and enjoy...

rohit (columbiatexan) wrote:
> Ron going after Hermione with Harry helping him out or acting as a bemused
> bystander is too saccharine sweet for my taste, and the vice versa happening
> with Harry and Ginny is likewise too saccharine.

Why? I've noticed a lot of those who don't support H/G have made comments like
this, and yet none of them have sufficiently explained _why_ they think it's too
"sweet." Well, isn't romance _supposed_ to be sweet, at least on some level?
Granted, there's no need to overdo it with roving minstrels and cherubs shooting
arrows *smirks*, but I find it perfectly acceptable for "romance" between two
people who love each other to be expressed in quiet, happy moments together. The
nervousness of a first kiss... working up the courage to say "I love you."
What's wrong with "sweet" things like _that_? And they're certainly realistic
enough for the age level of the Trio, Ginny and their peers. Not to mention the
fact that with the war against Voldemort heating up in the next three books,
something sweet/happy/funny every now and then to release a bit of the tension
will be a Very Good Thing, not just for the characters, but for us as readers...
Tabouli and Jo Serenadust had nice responses to this last issue in their own
replies (and btw, Tabouli, I will definitely take a GIANTCUSHION!).

Now, what _I'd_ really like to know is where the heck this notion that the
concept of Harry and Ginny is "too sweet" actually came from. It seems to me
that the anti-H/G crowd has again chosen to take the bits of canon that they
think support their view, without taking into account the totality of Harry and
Ginny's individual _and_ shared experiences. A poster on another forum that I
frequent covered the other side of this coin in a nice, brief post that I'll
quote here because she said it far better than I can (I'll insert my own
comments where necessary):

>>Whatever we have to say, there will _always_ be the person out there who lumps
>>all H/G stories into the stereotype of *fluff*. I've encountered more than a
>>couple of people in the fandom who have said, "Oh, Harry/Ginny? Squick. It's
>>nauseatingly sweet and fluffy. Ick."
>>And personally, I don't understand it. H/G is just as angsty as the next ship,
>>if not more so. <snippage> For one, there's Ginny's side. She has spent ages
>>crushing upon Harry. In GoF, we see her become less biasd in her feelings
>>towards Harry; the two are developing a very faint, yet still-there sort of
>>friendship rather than the "hero-worship" many label on Ginny. And then, just
>>as she's getting over Harry, he turns around and likes her. Too much. For both
>>H and G. Confusion. Angst. More confusion. The general teen life.

The last bit is leaning more towards a potential scenario if H/G does happen in
canon, but I hope you get the general idea. Ginny is growing up... Harry is
growing up... and things will inevitably change. Getting back to that "Harry and
Ginny as "fluffy" is Hogwash" post, the writer brings up a potentially shocking
theory that I hadn't thought of, and yet... it makes a lot of sense:

>>And still, there's the regard to Tom Riddle. I assume that Ginny was deeply
>>scarred by that. I'm sure she has trust issues. And wow, golly gee, who should
>>look somewhat like Tom but her very own Harry? Even though she _knows_ and
>>_loves_ Harry, she still could be haunted by memories of Tom. And when she
>>looks at Harry....well, yes."
>>And of course, I couldn't possibly leave out the Voldemort thing. I've hardly
>>any need to say a thing in this case. We all know about it: Harry, the Dark
>>Lord, and Ginny, a possible pawn for Voldemort to play. That's clear. And with
>>the aforementioned factors: eek. Yeah, wouldn't that be a fluffy story? :\

Brrrr! I don't know about the rest of you, but the thought of Ginny waking up
screaming from nightmares of Harry turning into Tom and going on a Dark Arts
Rampage O'Doom, all the while saying "It's all for you, Ginny," gives me the
willies! And of course she logically would know that it's not real, it's just a
dream, but... *shudders* And as for the Ginny-as-Voldemort's-pawn idea, while
_that's_ certainly not new, it is still a valid possibility at this point as we
know so little about the diary's lasting impact on Ginny. After all, we all know
how much JKR likes to whack us all upside the head with a nice, shiny 2x4 when
we least expect it. *winces*

The point I'm trying to make here is: Harry and Ginny, all sweet and fluffy, all
the time? Bah, humbug. *snickers* And what I've covered here is in all
probability just the proverbial tip of the equally proverbial iceberg. I think
there is a great deal of _serious_ emotional potential in H/G that few (if any)
outside of the ship have really taken the time to consider, much less openly
acknowledge, that can balance out this supposed "fluff factor." And I for one
trust that Rowling is perfectly capable of writing H/G, R/Hr, H/H, or whatever
ships she intends to have without turning the books into "Harry's Creek" or
"Hogwarts 90210." *bemused grin*

Now, to get back on track after that rant-y little tangent...

rohit (columbiatexan) continues:
> And I will be really disappointed if Ginny ends up resembling Lily Potter, and
> Harry just notices it one day and falls madly in love with her

Ugh! No, thank you. I don't see this happening at all... frankly, I'd be very
surprised if Harry was at all eager to get close to _any_ girl in "that way"
after GoF... let's see, the boyfriend of the girl Harry's interested in gets
killed because he was with Harry in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ouchie. I
can certainly see Harry pulling back from wanting a relationship like a turtle
retreating into its shell when it's been poked. He won't be able to push
Hermione and Ron away; they've known each other too long, and they're in too
deep. Ginny, on the other hand, is in just as deep in her own way, but she and
Harry don't know each other nearly as well. It'll be quite fun to see how this
ends up playing out in canon. ^_^

As for the generational parallels theory... feh... *shrugs* Dumbledore comparing
Harry vs. Draco to James vs. Severus in PS is one thing; that instance was most
likely intended solely as a way to give the reader an idea of what the James vs.
Severus situation was like without actually giving us any hard facts, in order
to leave the skies wide open for lots of bombshells in future books. But Ginny =
Lily... _if_ it comes up at all, I can see it being on a symbolic level only,
possibly meant as a source of confusion but not a serious, earth-shattering plot
point. The impression I've gotten from the books on any _actual_ parallels is
rather... iffy, at best. I think it may just be one more way of keeping readers
off balance as to what to expect next. JKR is damned canny, isn't she? *laughs*

rohit (columbiatexan) continues further:
> --someone on
> this list was quoted in the HPfGU FAQ deal as saying that the romantic
> pairings need to "raise the stakes" with regards to the plot--Rowling isn't
> just going to pair people off for romance's sake. 

Eh, I'm not too sure about that. While I don't think that Rowling is "just going
to pair people off for romance's sake," I also don't think that romantic
pairings are necessarily part-and-parcel to "raising the stakes" plotwise. As
has been mentioned before, the Trio and everyone else is going to have their
plates full to overflowing in dealing with Voldemort and the Death Eaters
running amok. They're going to need _something_ happy and as uncomplicated as
possible in their lives to balance things out at least part of the time,
otherwise... well, then why the heck are they even fighting, anyway? ^_^

rohit (columbiatexan) continues even more:
> Ginny still has the potential to get to know Harry for himself, and vice
> versa. Christine, i should have had the vice versa in my last post, and I
> respectfully disagree that it voids what I was saying.

Perhaps, but the way that your original statement was phrased, it almost seemed
like you were "laying the blame," as it were, for Ginny and Harry not knowing
each other better specifically at Ginny's feet. What I tried to do with my
wordplay was turn it around to show that if _anyone_ is to blame for them not
knowing each other better, it's equally on each other. Their actions (or, more
correctly, their _lack_ of action) cancel each other out, putting their
barely-there relationship into a state of immobility. I can't wait to see what
JKR might try to break the deadlock... *laughs*

Oh, and by the way, your little "Ron as little shoulder devil, Hermione as a
little shoulder angel" line in the "Twins, HARD SHIPWRECK, and Marriage" thread
left me rolling! Thanks! I _so_ needed a good laugh after filling out my taxes!
>_<

Christine
--
Proud member of G.I.A.N.T.C.U.S.H.I.O.N. (Ginny Isn't A Naive, Trivial Child
Unworthy of Securing Harry's Interest: Object Now!)