Truth, SHIPs, and Rita Skeeter (was Re: SHIPping Attitudes)

[Kia]

No: HPFGUIDX 55879

>But now as OotP looms near, one must wonder if those articles 
>did not have another purpose as far as the narrative is 
>concerned. Not only has it been in wizarding Britain's media 
>*twice* that Hermione is Harry's girlfriend (which as of GoF she 
>is not), but that first article publicized her Muggle-born status 
>(which she is). 

>And Voldemort is back, and has the advantage of stealth on his 
>side.

There was never any kind of apology or statement from either 
Rita or The Daily Prophet that the articles were not exactly 
journalism at its best.

Therefore everyone, who doesn't know better (which is pretty 
much everyone outside Hogwarts), believes that every single 
word in those articles are the bare truth. Maybe not the "Harry is 
dangerous" one, although even this article already influenced 
Fudge greatly. So Harry is a cry-baby, when it comes to his 
parents, can't detect love potions, his girlfriend is the Muggleborn 
Hermione Granger etc and everyone, especially every Death 
Eater (and probably even Pettigrew and Voldemort himself), 
takes this for the bare truth. 

I can't believe that this won't influence anything, it's too easy to 
use these half-truths one way or another.

>No wonder JKR asked in an interview why no one ever worries 
>about Hermione dying. Sure, Hermione is the only developed 
>younger female character, but that doesn't make her immune. 
>Death is only a bit of what might happen.

I worry about Hermione a lot. In the inter-trio ship debates I 
sometimes wonder what we all will do, if Hermione is pushing 
up the daisies by the end of Book Six. Although as a girl there is 
a whole lot more nastiness involved in killing her. (To quote a 
Luc Besson movie - "No women. No children. That's the rules.")
Hermione falls into both categories...  and Harry might need the 
extra-push that such nastiness would provide. I mean currently 
Voldemort isn't all that scary or evil - all his really evil deeds 
happened indirectly (Cedric) or off-screen (The Potters).

>So therefore, it's a bit misleading to deem the Skeeter articles 
>H/H fiction. In this case, the "fiction" could have really negative 
>consequences... but then again, I tend to see a bit more 
>darkness on the horizon in canon, and I don't think that 
>SHIPping is going to be divorced enough from the rest of the 
>plot to rest easily with OBHWF.

*Looks at comparable literature and nods*  The happy times in 
the books (Were there really any?) are over. What now comes 
will be a lot less pleasant for the characters although it might be 
make good drama.


- Kia