Ginny & Molly Quality Time -- Ginny at the 3rd Task -- Hermione & Feminity -- Hermione & SHIPs

[Penny & Bryce]

No: HPFGUIDX 32896

Hi all --

Beth mentioned that as the youngest child, Ginny must have had more 
quality time with just Molly before leaving for Hogwarts.  That's true, 
but as the eldest, Bill also had more quality time with both parents 
before Charlie arrived on the scene.  <g>  I see your point though.

I do think though that the extra time with just Ginny at home & her 
being the only girl may have only added to the suffocation/smothering 
factor.

I asked earlier: where was Ginny during the aftermath of the 3rd Task 
when her love interest (Harry) was quite obviously in a bad spot?

Pippin said:

> As I've mentioned before, it makes sense that  the students were 
> mustered off to their Houses  as soon as Dumbledore knew
> something was wrong. That would be no later than when Snape
> felt the Dark Mark burn and before Harry returned. The
> evacuation, which Harry naturally knows nothing about, is in
> progress when he returns, which is why  people are running all
> over the place.  Molly would insist that all her children and
> Hermione go back to the dorms, because that's the safest place
> for them. So Ginny may not know that Harry's been hurt.

He does see people moving in the stands above him, but I will concede 
that could be an evacuation in progress.  Harry is obviously not in a 
state to really think coherently at that point.  Ginny, however, was not 
with Molly, Bill, Ron & Hermione.  OR, Harry didn't notice her.  Before 
the 3rd Task begins, he scans the crowd & finds Ron, Hermione, Molly & 
Bill halfway up the stands.  So, she's either with friends or the Twins 
or Harry didn't note her presence there with the others.

>    After they reach the Tower Hermione and Ron sneak back out
> to find out what *has* happened to Harry and end up at the
> hospital wing where they find Molly and Bill. So the confrontation,
> if there was one, would be with Hermione and Ron, not Molly. 
> Fred and George weren't at the Hospital Wing either, which
> supports my theory, I think.

Since the group of Molly, Bill, Ron & Hermione were all together at the 
3rd Task, I don't find it terribly likely that Ron & Hermione went back 
to the dorms & then reconnected with Molly & Bill.  It seems more likely 
that the 4 of them rushed back up to the castle as a group.  If Molly 
was trying to insist that Ron & Hermione go back to the dorms, she 
obviously lost that battle.  I still maintain that it's odd that Ginny 
didn't attempt to fight it -- at least not from appearances.
Ebony wrote:


> Our opinions differ when it comes to Hermione's femininity.  When I
> first entered the fandom a year and a half ago, I incited a flame
> skirmish on another grown-up Harry Potter list for stating that
> Hermione was "all girl".  I don't care if some think that's an anti-
> feminist statement, she is just as feminine in her own way as
> Lavender and Parvati are, and as Ginny (in the very limited glimpses
> we get of her) is.  That's not a feminine vs. non-feminine thing;
> it's a personality thing.  She is not portrayed as a tomboy or as an
> asexual nerd.  She's just a smart girl.  That's all.

Yeah, I agree.  I don't think Hermione's been hiding anything up to the 
Yule Ball.  She's been a girl all along, albeit a smart one.


Megan(?) said:

>  > I can really understand with Ron's sudden enlightenment that
> Hermione is a "girl", because we as readers have seen very little to
> attribute to her feminimity.  A future relationship with Ginny would
> be a great step to establishing a serious "crush" (if JKR chooses
> this path) for Hermione in the future.

I gotta groan with Ebony on this one.  Hermione has *been* a girl all 
along.  There's no sense that she's unfeminine, IMO.  I don't understand 
the idea that Hermione needs to establish a relationship with Ginny 
(what, is Ginny now the paragon of female virtue?) in order to be 
"ready" to tackle a romantic relationship.  While it'd be nice for 
Hermione to have female friends & companionship, I certainly don't think 
it's critical that she do so before she can move on to a romantic 
relationship.  I don't think I understand your point here.

>  >
Ebony again:

> 
> Tabouli wrote in her excellent essay:
>  > >   OTOH, the plot is even *thicker* if Hermione fancies Harry!! 
> Hoo hoo hoo.
> 
> *smacks forehead*  What'd you think we've been trying to *tell* you
> guys for the past year or more?  ;-)

Yeah, exactly.  <g>  Conflict drives the plot; that's what we've been 
saying.  If the romance angle is to be just a humorous subplot (and it 
might well be), then R/H & even H/G makes some sense.  If the romance 
angle is going to at all affect the bigger events, then there must be 
conflict.  R/H will be good for some laughs perhaps, but there is no 
inherent conflict there.  Hermione having feelings for Harry though: 
that creates conflict potentially between Ron and Hermione, Ron and 
Harry, Harry and Hermione and Hermione & Ginny.  Conflict all around, 
eh?  Thickens the plot quite alot as Tabouli said.  I also liked (and 
agree with) Ebony's analysis that so far there's been no real 
Harry-Hermione conflict.  There are a number of scenarios that might 
result in H/H conflict, but romantic feelings on one or both sides would 
surely introduce a whole lot of conflict into the mix.

Megan said in a later message:

> I guess I've never wanted to have Hermione to have a "crush" because
> it just sounds so shallow and petty for so great a character.  But, as
> teenagers, that's just something that almost everyone that age goes
> through--like a coming of age test of sorts.

They'll all have crushes; it would be virtually impossible to survive 
adolesence without one.  What's so bad about crushes?  We've all had 
them; all lived through it.  I presume a "crush" encompasses all 
romantic feelings: sometimes in ends up unrequited, other times it 
results in a relationship that is either lasting or not.  That's part of 
life.


Penny