[HPforGrownups] Names

[Pen Robinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 39989

James wrote:

>Ron WEASLEY.

>Weasley is a bad name for a good guy.  A weasel is not a nice (or
>well regarded) animal.  Why would JKR do this.  I wouldn't mind if it
>was a common name like (Dean) Thomas, or ethnic (Longbottom, Patel),
>but Weasely isn't either of these things.  It seems that the majority
>of the names in the HP series inform you of the nature of the
>character.  I know this, you know this, there are websites dedicated
>to this (excellent ones at that - and no I'm not saying this because
>I contributed data to one of them).

When I first read 'Ron Weasley' I thought, 'must be a villain, then',
because it is exactly the sort of name that in an old-fashioned
jolly-hockey-sticks school book would be given to The Nasty One.  (Anyone
remember my post equating Draco to Mabel or Veronica?  Probably not.  Never
mind.)

Pen
(who could, once upon a time, row stroke side or bow side, but is now too
old and fat for that sort of thing, sigh, although that said, the esteemed
parental unit recently took to the river again fifty years (!!) after his
house four originally rowed together [which was very funny, as the sadist
in the boathouse gave them a shell])

PS  I *think* JKR said somewhere, sometime, that she rather approves of
weasels.  This may help.