Is Krum Short? / Lots about Percy

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 87088

Koinona wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/87058 :

<< Yet there are some difference between Snape and Krum. Krum is
described as tall but the only thing we know about Snape's height is
that he was considerably shorter than Sirius. No where is Snape
mentioned as being tall. >>

I have touble finding any place where Krum is described as tall. He's
only in GoF, and I found only two places: 

When Harry goes into the little room where the other Champions are
waiting (chapter 17): "Harry didn't know how to explain what had
just happened. He just stood there, looking at the three champions. 
It struck him how very tall all of them were." 

When Krum confronts Harry about rivalry over Hermione (chapter 28):
"But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by 
how tall Krum was, elaborated. 'We're friends. She's not my 
girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman 
making things up.'
(snip)
Krum looked slightly happier. He stared at Harry for a few seconds,
then said, 'You fly very well. I vos votching at the first task.'
'Thanks,' said Harry, grinning broadly, and suddenly feeling much
taller himself." 

I read both those as expressing Harry's emotion, that he is feeling
intimidated about being so much younger than the others. The
difference between age 18 and age 14 is fairly significant, so Krum
could even be short for his age and still be tall compared to Harry,
because Harry was short for his own age at that time (he shoots up
between GoF and OoP).

My own mental image of Krum is that he is a bit on the short side of
normal height, part of being physically unimpressive looking when off
his broomstick.

Diana wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/87065 :

<< As another poster pointed out (sorry, don't remember who or the
post number), Percy stuck to his beliefs, however misguided, moved out
of his parents house and cut ties with his parents and siblings to
pursue what he really wanted. That took bravery, just not the kind
of bravery we're used to seeing or respecting in other characters. >>

Percy walking out on his family for his beliefs is a parallel to
Sirius walking out on his family for his beliefs, just as Dobby
betraying his owner to help someone he likes better is parallel to
Kreachur betraying his owner to help someone he likes better. 

<< But unlike his brothers and parents, somewhere along the way or
maybe even from the beginning, Percy's sense of what true success and
achievement were became skewed. He became convinced that he could only
find his worth in outward achievements and acted accordingly. >>

I think he learned it from Molly -- not from her beliefs, look how
loyal she is to Arthur despite his lack of career success -- but from
her guidance: how much she praised the outward acheivements of her
children, especially becoming Prefect, how she wanted them all to get
Ministry jobs, and no doubt spoke of how high they could possibly rise
there.

<< He let his mom's lavish attention go to his head, which wasn't
Molly's fault as I'm sure she did the same for Bill & Charlie, but
they didn't end up like Percy. >>

I imagine that Molly was fairly loudly opposed to Bill and Charlie's
career choices, and Percy would have overheard every word. At that
time, he wasn't yet old enough for Hogwarts, but was old enough to
understand what his mother was angry about. 

<< The descriptions for his actions in GoF speak volumes with words
like "pompous", "formal", "importantly", "puffed-up". Percy is just
the way he is, with no nifty back history likely to be put forth by
JKR detailing what exactly made him that way. He probably just *is*
that way. >>  

People on list have discussed how Percy got that way ... starting
with, he left his large family to be the only Weasley at Hogwarts,
probably he was lonely and homesick there at first, but also he was
constantly compared to the memories, somewhat exagerated by passage of
time, of Bill the Head Boy and Charlie the great Quidditch Captain ...
that's enough to make a child feel insecure ... I fantasize a painful
moment when the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain of that year insisted
Percy try out for the team, and Percy failed miserably, may even have
been laughed at ... so he concentrated on trying to become Prefect and
Head Boy, thus the obsession with rules ... 

Then the twins came to Hogwarts, and they had each other, and popular
personalities, and Quidditch talent, and everyone liked them, and they
kept teasing Percy. Percy, thin-skinned like me, feels hurt by the
teasing, and ... there are posts explaining the vicious cycle, the
more they tease, the more strait-laced and pompous he gets, causing
them to tease more ...  

<<  I can't see Bill or Charlie as traitors and/or ESE because I don't
think the Wealeys would survive another split ala Percy without some
serious heartbreak for Molly and Arthur. >>

JKR is a ruthless author. She won't do anything just to avoid
heartbreak for Molly, Arthur, or the readers.