Evil females/Time Turner (WAS:Re: An acronym, why can't JKR count, etc.)

[Laura]

No: HPFGUIDX 57804

RE: The discussion about the Time Turner being a "Deux Ex Machina" 
(i.e., a plot device suddenly created to solve the plot, leading to 
the climax feeling forced)

I'd like to point out that JKR has probably had the Time Turner in 
mind since day 1.  We know she has pretty much everything planned out 
in her head to begin with, she's told us so.  I actually (sort of) 
thought of Time Travel in CoS, when the discussion of choosing 
electives for third year was brought up.  The text reads something 
along the lines of "Hermione took no one's advice but signed up for 
everything."  I've gone through the process of choosing electives for 
school, and the rule that goes along with it is, "sign up for x 
amount of classes," simply because the schoolday only allows for so 
much time and therefore so many classes.  Quite honestly, the first 
time I read that sentence, the first thought that popped into my mind 
was, "How is she going to do that??"  I was of course, rewarded with 
an answer in PoA. =)  But I'd just like to use that as an example of 
how the use of Time Travel wasn't a DEM at all.


Ersatz Harry wrote:
> > >
(5) With the exception of Rita Skeeter, all of the significant 
malevolent (or malevolent-seeming) characters that I can think of are 
male.  I offer up the categories and lists below, but cut me some
slack on whether individual characters are truly good or bad.

Good Males: Harry, Ron, Rubeus, Albus, Remus, Sirius, James, Arthur
Bad Males: Voldemort, Lucius, Severus, Crouch the younger, Peter,
Draco and friends, Igor, maybe Quirrell
Fairly Useless Males: Gilderoy, Ludovic

Good Females: Hermione, Minerva, Molly, Lily, Ginny (not quite major)
Bad Females: Rita (Narcissa is certainly not yet a major character)
Fairly Useless Females:  Sibyll

I would certainly love to hear comments about the distinct lack (so 
far) of nasty female characters.
> > > 

Now Laura:
First off, I wouldn't label Snape as "bad"- but that's a *whole* 
different arguement.  

Also, the trend seems to be that in general, there is a lack of 
important female characters, period: good or evil.  We have Hermione 
and Minerva in the forefront of the "good female" category.  Ginny 
isn't very major yet, and Molly is somewhat major but as of yet has 
shown no real...importance.  I love Molly, of course, and I hope 
things change in the future, but as far as I can tell, so far she has 
shown no signs of being particularly powerful or significant to the 
plot.  That doesn't mean she isn't powerful, she just hasn't shown it 
yet.  Some goes for Lily- I'm sure she's a *very* important character 
in the series, but so far she's hardly been developed at all.  (And 
there's also the fact that she's sort of...dead. <grin>)  So, 
although I hope this trend changes in the future, there are few 
significant females in the plot to begin with (At least in comparison 
with the amount of significant males.)

As to answer your question, I'd say that The Woman in the Pensieve 
(assumed by many to be Mrs. Lestrange) is quite evil.  She hasn't 
been developed extensively yet, but, if we assume her to be Mrs. 
Lestrange:  First off, she was/is a DE.  If we don't assume her to be 
Mrs. Lestrange, we DO know that she was sitting in the chained chair 
as if it were a throne and loudly proclaimed the return of the Dark 
Lord.  She claimed that she would be rewarded for her faithfulness to 
him.  Not to mention that she took part in the torture of the 
Longbottoms.  At least, we assume so, and if she didn't- well then, 
she took credit for someone *else's* evil deeds.  I don't know about 
you, but that gives me the chills.

So even though she isn't developed yet, I strongly suspect she will 
be, and also strongly suspect she will be the most evil female 
character in the series.

Then again, maybe its all just because women are nicer than men. 
<vbeg>

Joking, joking.  I have enough experience to know that's not true.

-Laura