[HPforGrownups] Things that will come into play later.

[Fred Uloth]

No: HPFGUIDX 79386

At 07:14 AM 8/31/2003 -0400, mom31 wrote:
>1.  Hermione's otter patronus and/or Cho's swan patronus.  Were they the 
>only ones to succeed with that spell?  If not, why show us only 
>theirs?  Was it to show us that Cho is a powerful witch or was it just a 
>personality match? (Swans are beautiful from afar, but not very friendly 
>and even a little dangerous up close)

If I recall correctly a swan only loves once (OK...so I got my information 
from a Right Said Fred song...so it could be completely wrong)...maybe this 
was a clue that Harry's relationship with her was doomed.

>4.  Why was Ron's role somewhat weakened in this book and Hermione's 
>elevated?  I'm not talking about shipping here.  Yes, Ron was off doing 
>his own stuff, which has to be important later.  Why couldn't he have 
>succeeded on his own, and still contributed more with Harry and everyone 
>else.  He was at the MoM, but he was put with Ginny and Luna, not Harry 
>and Hermione.  Plus, JKR had him acting all stupid there.  He also kept 
>himself distant from Harry by refusing to offer his opinion several times, 
>even when Harry was about to do something dangerous.  Hermione and Harry 
>were very close in this book.  Why did JKR need to strengthen their bond 
>even more?  It makes me worry for Hermione in the next book!

Hmm...I'm led to believe a woman wrote this post. I think JKR nailed male 
relationships very well with this one. For women, a good friend is someone 
with whom they can cry, share emotions, discuss whatever. To a man (at 
least in Teens and Tweens) a good friend is someone who is there, shows 
loyalty and doesn't pry into emotional issues. The girls (Hermy, Cho, 
Jenny) are the one that keeps bringing up the topics Harry wants to avoid 
(death, dreams, etc). Nevilles comment after Sirius dies is as intimate a 
question as any guy would get with another guy. If Ron were asking the 
questions that Hermione asks and Harry didn't blow his top, then I'd say 
the people who think Harry is light in the loafers may have a leg to stand 
on. JKR has a VERY good handle on relationship dynamics of teenage boys. 
Guys don't want to talk about it...not when the wounds are still fresh 
anyway...if they do, it will only be with a female that they really trust. 
I don't think we should be slighting Ron for being a typical teenage 
boy...when push comes to shove, Ron is always on Harry's side.