Percy!

[lucky_kari]

No: HPFGUIDX 35896

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce <pennylin at s...> wrote:
> with the Twins, she is definitely bossy, 
> interfering & unappreciative of their strengths & ambitions; 

Yeah, wanting hurt people (Dudley), frighten the emotionally troubled 
(Ginny), torment their siblings (Percy), risk all their money on the 
Quidditch cup, flunk their exams, and otherwise cavort in 
unrestricted illegality.

I like the twins, just as Percy does in his heart of heart, but I 
think Molly's firm stand is necessary with those two, and even they 
know it. I just love that scene where they come home and she 
says, "If you had died, and my last words had been..." which Fred and 
George use to their advantage. I got the feeling that there was a 
very warm relationship between the twins and Molly, one that actually 
isn't as demonstrated with the other children. Percy, for example, is 
appreciated, favoured, and relied upon, but there isn't that easily 
displayed emotional bond you see with the twins and their mother. 
Fred and George infuriate Molly, but they also make her laugh.

> When I did the quiz that matched you up with characters Percy was 
#3 or #4 on my list.  Obviously, I 
> identify strongly with Percy.

Having been ranked as a #1 match with Percy, I agree. He is someone 
I'd love to be around, unlike Fred and George. Most of my venom 
towards the infernal twins (whom I do like) probably comes from the 
fact that I see the world through Percy's eyes. When I was a camp 
counsellor, the kids thought of me exactly like Ron and Harry think 
of Percy, I can tell you. At the table, I always try to wrench the 
conversation to myself, my family: seven younger brothers, tells me. 
In the style of "You know, the top-secret one." 

But what revealed to me that I loved Percy was the line in Prisoner 
of Azkaban, about Percy outlining reforms to law enforcement and 
justice, and only Penny listening to them. Except that I wanted to be 
Penny, listening to him. Not because I had crush on Percy, but 
because it sounded like the most interesting conversation going on at 
Hogwarts (minus HRH's sorting out of the secret backstory among 
themselves). Percy was talking ideas, politics: all those things I 
craved as a teenager, but rarely met anyone who was interested in 
them. Percy may have been talking absolute rot, but he was talking 
about interesting things. 

And, even more interesting, how many of you would have liked to hear 
more about the "International Ban on Dueling"? Harry and Ron were 
bored, but I can tell you I would have lapped it up, just I lap up 
long articles about the Geneva Convention. Oh yes, I would have got 
along with Percy. 

>Percy may have a one-line piece of dialogue that is described 
> by JKR (through Harry's lens) as "pompous."  

Yes. Percy is often right in the "pompous" lines, and that's why they 
call it pompous. I know all about that from brothers who thought it 
was pompous to forbid them from pouring gasoline over a fir bough, 
and then using it as a flaming torch. 

> I take Cindy's point that there are a number 
> of characters who *could* be developed alot more (and that fans 
would 
> like to see developed more), and JKR can't possibly develop them 
*all* 
> fully, even in 3 more books.  But, I think Percy is high up on the 
list 
> of secondary characters who will be likely to receive fuller 
treatment 
> in the next books.

Exactly. Percy is even ahead of the Lestranges in my book. And JKR 
has promised that Percy's particular problem will be adressed in Book 
V. How on earth can she have Percy making huge decisions, and not 
develop him further. I don't see the Percy caricature holding for any 
of the choices.

Imagine:
"I've decided to throw my lot in with Dumbledore," said Percy 
pompously.
OR
"Oh well," said Fred. "Percy's joined Voldemort."
"Said it'd look good on his resume," smirked George.
OR 
"Could you be a bit more quiet?" Percy said crossly. "I'm working on 
waffling between good and evil. Oh, hello Harry."

No, there's a big choice to be made and by necessity the choice is 
going to tell us a lot more about Percy. 

Secondly, the Percy caricature is very funny, but it hides things. 
Ron is its foremost perpetuator. I'd love to get Hermione's opinion 
on Percy, btw. She doesn't seem so dead set against him, and it's 
illuminating to note that while they disagree over the house-elf 
issue, he's the only one interested enough to reply. 

For an example of an important scene, where the Percy caricature 
brushes things over, check "CoS", "You don't even care about Ginny." 
What Ron says to Percy is absolutely horrendous and un-called for, 
and Percy lashes back. But because it's the perfect prefect taking 
points from Gryffindor again, we forget this, and just laugh, instead 
of storing it up in our memory, as evidence of a severely strained 
relationship between the two. Then, when you get to GoF, and Ron is 
making some very disturbing remarks about Percy, one goes, "Where did 
this come from?" It's all there, but the Percy caricature masks it. 

The other problem with Ron as expert is that he is so obviously wrong 
about Percy. Percy will have a loyalty crisis, but it will be a 
loyalty crisis because he does love his family. He's actually the 
only Weasley to ever show pride in Ron. (Not that I think Ron is 
completely unappreciated by his family.) 

Lastly, about Percy. I don't like my Percy angsty. He's not. He 
laughs and smiles a good deal, even if he doesn't make many jokes. 
Remember the Christmas Ball where his jollity makes Les Miserables 
want to kill him. However, he does have problems. As many people have 
pointed out, he's the isolated Weasley, the one always on his own. He 
has no sibling of his own age. That's not a tragedy, but it does 
change things. Being the only girl in a family of boys approximates 
the same thing for me. Age and gender differences often mean that 
your interests are profoundly different from your siblings, even 
though you share a lot together. 

Secondly, it really is hard on people who don't enjoy duelling with 
picnic benches..... I don't know where the thought was going to go, 
except into a rant against my teenage brothers' duplo duels. :-) I 
usually storm into the basement, yelling at them to stop the racket, 
and why can't they ever do anything constructive? 

Ahhh, Fred and George. I know you. You are waiting for me the moment 
I get home with the old "There's something on your nose. Got you!" 
or "Look, I accidentally ran over your Harry Potter CD" and other 
suchpractical jokes. They also removed my candy from my boot on St. 
Nicholas's Day, and have been known to come in and explain that they 
just heard J.K. Rowling on the radio saying that Hermione will marry 
Viktor Krum, or anything else they think can produce a rage. 

OK, I can't hate Fred and George. They're part of my family too. 
Annoying, but essential, and still very loveable. 

> 
> Penny
> (who's favorite Weasley is Percy and who will gladly trade further 
> character development of Bill, Charlie, the Twins *and* Ginny in 
> exchange for more Percy (giving up Ginny was, of course, no 
sacrifice 
> for me))

Ditto! Ditto!

Eileen A.K.A. Percy Weasley