More on the Weasleys

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 36108

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Penny Linsenmayer" <pennylin at s...> wrote:



> 
> I agree -- I definitely don't think it's Harry's status in the 
wizarding 
> world.  I just don't *get* why she pays so much more attention to 
Harry than 
> to Ron.


Well, overall I'm not sure she actually *does* pay more attention to 
Harry than to Ron.  After all, we only see how she behaves when 
Harry is around, and (personal experience again) I think mothers 
usually pay more attention to the needs of their children's guests, 
than they do to their own kids needs during the visit.  For example, 
if one of my kids has a friend sleeping over, I'm always asking what 
they prefer on their pizza, what they want to drink, etc. (and none 
of their friends are even neglected/abused orphans)
I don't need to ask my kids these things; I already know the answers.

Actually, apart from what he says on the train in SS/PS, I can't 
remember any instances where Ron indicates he feels neglected or 
overlooked.  I know, I know.. the dress robes in GoF are used as an 
example, but she used Harry's own money for his so she was able to 
pick the ones she thought would be nicest for him.  She had to use 
her own limited funds for Rons's.  Actually, it seems to me that Ron 
gets rather special treatment in his family in that he's the only 
one who ever gets to have friends come to stay with him (not only 
one, but two!).  That has to add to the strain on the Weasley 
resourses, but Molly never indicates that it's anything but a 
pleasure for her to have them.  If it was all about the "famous 
Harry Potter" celebrity worship, then how come she is hospitable to 
muggle-born Hermione as well?  They're made welcome simply because 
they are Ron's friends.

Penny wrote:

> 
> "Can be seen as" why?  In other words, what is the canon basis for 
assuming 
> her crush is *not* Harry-the-Famous-Potter crush variety?  She's 
*met* him; 
> she interacts with him *some* but not tons.  I don't see how we 
can say that 
> Harry or Ginny knows too terribly much about each other at this 
point.  I 
> would bet Ginny is still "Ron's little sister who has this 
annoying crush on 
> me" in Harry's mind.  And while I don't *know* what might be going 
on in 
> Ginny's mind, her initial crush was based on his fame.  Her diary 
entries 
> that Riddle quotes to Harry in the chamber do mention that she 
wonders 
> whether "famous good Harry Potter" will ever like her (I don't 
have CoS with 
> me so I'm quoting from memory & could be mistaken).  :::shrugs::: 
I dunno -- 
> you can counter with the scene in the bookstore in CoS where she 
seems to 
> know that Harry didn't ask for the attention & adulation Lockhart 
gives him. 
>   But, the diary entries later in the book do mention "famous" (of 
course, I 
> suppose Riddle might not be trustworthy in that regard).
> 
> I think it's impossible to judge what her crush is based on at 
this stage.


I guess that I'm assuming that after having this kid come to stay at 
her house and hang around with her brothers for 2 summers, it would 
be hard to maintain a true celebrity-worship type crush for 3/4 
years. Familiarity is hard on that sort of crush.  Apart from the 
singing valentine incident, it's always struck me that Harry doesn't 
seem to be bothered at all by her interest in him.  He doesn't seem 
to return it, but there's no indication that Ginny's clumsiness in 
his prescence is the annoyance I would expect it to be to a boy his 
age.  He's certainly irritated by Colin Creevy's hero-worship.
Is there canon evidence that I've missed that says Harry finds 
Ginny's crush annoying?

Jo Serenadust