SHIP: Harry and Cho

[queenofeverythang]

No: HPFGUIDX 75873

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "amanitamuscaria1" 
<saraandra at w...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "feetmadeofclay" 
> <feetmadeofclay at y...> wrote:
> > --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Judy" 
<penumbra10 at y...> 
> wrote:
> > 
> > > Now, me,
> > > 
> > > This criticism is a bit harsh, don't you think?  Harry was 
> > sincerely 
> > > lost with a girl he fancied. He just wanted to be with her. 
> > 
> > He shows little internal interest in her which means he had 
little 
> to 
> > none.  Instead he shows an interest in having her be 
interested in 
> > him.  I am not saying it is not common or normal.  I am only 
saying 
> > that it is also shallow and if Cho were real- cruel. I would not 
> want 
> > to be liked by Harry in such a way. Besides, no matter how 
many 
> boys 
> > are this shallow at 15, many are not. 

Why is it shallow to be physically attracted to someone. It's not 
like he was parading her around like a trophy. He thinks Cho's 
pretty, she also plays Quidditch, he finds that she is easy to talk 
to, and he likes her... Why is this shallow? It was a first date 
(Many first dates are HORRIBLE) and 
it was going pretty well untill they arrived at "Chez-Hormone" and 
the subject of Cedric came up. 

> > Normally when Rowling encounters this normal type of 
shallow or 
> mean 
> > behaviour she roundly criticizes it
> *snip*
> > Rowling simply doesn't do the same thing with Harry and 
Cho. And 
> > though boys may get tongue tied, most I think managed to at 
least 
> > have the interest.  
> > 

He did have an interest, he just didn't have the experience. To go 
on your first date on VALENTINE's DAY surrounded by kissing 
couples could be a little overwhelming for even the most 
experienced dater. First dates are awkward enough without that 
kind of pressure. He was in over his head with no one to help 
him - Hermione's too logical and detatched, Ron is just as 
inexperienced, and Sirius can't be reached.

> *snip*
> > Cho is put through quite a ringer both for imposing herself on 
> Harry, 
> > making him uncomfortable and being just generally shallow.  
> > 
> > The only person's bad behaviour I've seen JKR ignore so far 
is 
> > Hermione's and Harry's
> *snip*
> > Harry knows how to treat a girl - even one he likes.  He 
knows 
> > how to treat people decently.  
> > 
> > The fault here is Rowling's IMHO not Harry's.  I'm not sure I 
am 
> > meant to feel the way I do about his treatment of Cho.  I think I 
> am 
> > meant to laugh at the whole thing and in the end learn that 
shallow 
> > traits are not good to go by. I am meant to indulge Harry and 
> excuse 
> > his behaviour as normal. I however cannot laugh at Cho.  
There is 
> > something so pitiful about her.  Trapped in this illusion that 
men 
> > will be her rock and then she inexplicably lashes out when 
things 
> go 
> > badly.  Contrasted with her previous depiction I cannot say I 
enjoy 
> > her downfall as I should.  Perhaps I am just delusional.  But 
still 
> > can't laugh at her.  Even when all the jokes are there.

I don't think  agree with your "shallow traits" moral.  I also think 
that you can't really blame either Cho or Harry for why they didn't 
work out as a couple. I have a hard time putting such serious 
connotations on  adolescent romances. Cho and Harry kind of 
like each other. Harry makes the first move in book four and Cho 
makes it in book 5. Cho thinks that she has someone she can 
talk to about Cedric's death who will understand how hard it is  
for her. Harry has a hard enough time confiding in his two best 
friends, he would never be able to really have a talk like that with 
Cho - she may be easy to talk to but she's too out of the loop to 
understand his POV (you can see that when she mentions 
Sirius). 

I don't think the point is to laugh at Cho, I think that whats funny
is 
the situation & the silly games  that come up in these kind of 
relationships. Harry doesn't get why they just can't tell each other 
they like each other and get on with normal life. Hermione, i 
think, breaks this down down pretty well. The fact that Harry 
doesn't know enough to 'play the game' doesn't make him a bad 
guy.

As for Cho being an emotional wreck, I would be concerned if 
she wasn't. I wondered why the students all seemed to be taking 
Cedric's death in stride. She's not looking for a rock-of-a-man, 
she just thinks Harry is the perfect person to talk to - since he 
was there with Cedric.  So she's a bit of a Drama queen - that is 
not a serious offense. She's also a pretty girl so maybe what she 
sees as Harry's nonchalance is a bit of a blow to her ego.  

Also Cho moves on to the next guy so quickly because 
relationships at that age can be surprisingly interchangeable 
(Ginny moved on just as quickly and she seems not to be the 
clingy&emotional type).  I dont think we've seen the last of Cho 
and Harry though.
> 
> ME : WHERE is Harry supposed to have learnt all these 
things? I think 
> we have a plot point that will run for the next two books.
> Harry hasn't had good examples of caring, loving, 
demonstrative 
> affection shown through his childhood. I don't think getting a 
hug 
> off Molly Weasley counts as an emotional schooling.
> I believe this is Harry's task through the next two books - he 
has 
> the raw material, he has feelings for people, but he's not been 
given 
> any examples or instruction in showing the feelings.
> He may have the 'weapon' love in vast quantities, but now he 
has to 
> learn how to 'use' it (I don't mean that to sound the way it does 
8)).
> As an 'action hero' as he's been for the first four books, he's not 
> considered anything much but the next adventure, task, battle. 
My 
> guess is, he's going to carry on growing up, and have to learn 
how to 
> deal with the big gaping hole in his development.
> Cheers. AmanitaMuscaria

I wouldn't call Harry's awkwardness with a girls a gaping hole in  
his development. Ron comes from a loving home with five older 
brothers and a dad to turn to and he is, according to Hermione, 
just as clueless.
-QoE