Ginny and Books 6 & 7, Seventh child

[kattfirmin1]

No: HPFGUIDX 69397

 Random <random832 at r...> wrote:

> What I want to know is where exactly the idea of the seventh child 
> being powerful, etc, comes from... I've never heard of that... can 
> someone provide references?
> 
> --Random832

I've actually wondered about Ginny being the 7th child of a 7th 
child as well.  That would be pretty cool.  When I was in Junior 
High, we were learning how to give different types of reports, and 
one was something we had to research.  I chose superstitions, and it 
was actually pretty interesting.   (I don't want to offend anyone 
here that has differing religious beliefs, nothing I say is intended 
to be truth, just the truth as people way back when perceived it).

Back then, people perceived the Devil to work with his network of 
witches, usually in groups of 7 or 13.  They always meet on a 
Friday, hence where we get the unlucky Friday the 13th. (Since 
Christ had his Last Supper, and there was him plus 12, the Devil 
with his 12 witches was the evil opposite). Since society was very 
male dominated, strong women were percieved as witches, etc.  The 
seventh son of a seventh son was considered lucky, but the seventh 
daughter of a seventh daughter was considered unlucky, she would be 
a powerful witch, and things to that effect.  I remember there was 
even a made for tv movie when I was a kid that dealt with two girls 
that were the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.  They are 
supposed to have strong magical abilities.

So, if JKR is going to use this bit of superstition, and put her own 
twist to it, most likely it would have to be Molly that is the 
seventh child.  Although JKR could do away with the gender thing 
altogher.  Didn't one of the Malfoys make a comment in the first 
book that went to the effect of something like the Weasley's always 
have more children than they can afford? To me that is 
multigenerational. Maybe Ginny could have gotten the seventh child 
powers from her father.  Of course, there's no canon for this, but 
it would be interesting.

Katrina