TBAY: Gryffindor Keeper Issues (WAS: TBAY/SHIP: SHIP-Speak)

[mongo62aa]

No: HPFGUIDX 58970

A menacing sky loomed over the choppy waters.  On board the mighty 
Big Bang, several figures were conversing.

"Ron IS wonderful," sniffed a somewhat disheveled Portia, " but 
that's not the point. The point is, I don't think the tension over 
the Gryffindor Keeper is going to come because Ron is bad at it. I 
think it'll be because Quidditch is such an excellent opportunity for 
Ron to get *hurt*. What if a rogue Bludger starts following *Ron* 
around? What if the Slytherin Chasers start banging into him a little 
more than usual when they fly up to the hoops? It would crush the 
Muggle-loving Weasleys if Ron were seriously injured. And it would 
thoroughly devastate Harry, and everyone knows it because of the 
Second Task. Quidditch would be the perfect opportunity to do it, 
since everyone's outside the walls of the castle, and it's a 
dangerous sport by definition. You could make it look like 
an 'accident' to those who don't look too closely at it."   

Suddenly, a clunk... clunk... clunk was heard.  A hatch opened, and a 
bearded, peg-legged man emerged.

"Hello, my name is Barnacle Bill.  I'm a sailor.  I could not help 
overhearing your discussion, and I want to put in my two knuts, if I 
may."

"Go on," said a bemused Cindy.

"Well, what if Harry's problems due to Ron being a Keeper were not 
coming from Ron personally, but from the rest of the team, or even 
from Gryffindor House as a whole?  What if, during the trials for 
Keeper, another person was as good as, or better than, Ron, but Harry 
(as Captain) was biased?  I am not saying that Ron was *bad*, but 
that someone else was *better*.  Harry may have honestly believed 
that Ron was the best, or at least co-best, player, but was somewhat 
blinded due to his friendship.  I cannot believe that the rest of 
Gryffindor House would simply let the matter slide, especially if Ron 
costs them a match."

Serena stared at the man.  "Do you have any ideas about who your 
hypothetical better Keeper would be?"

Barnacle Bill (the sailor) scratched his head.  "Nothing for 
certain.  It would be interesting if that person were Ron's sister 
Ginny, now wouldn't it?  Nothing like a little inter-family conflict 
to liven things up, eh?"

Cindy pursed her lips.  "That sounds rather far-fetched to me.  
However, there are possibilities here.  The books do seem to 
alternate between the members of Gryffindor House shunning Harry, and 
the members of the other three Houses doing the same.  In Book One, 
the members of Gryffindor House shunned him (and Hermione and 
Neville) for losing 150 points; in Book Two, the other three Houses 
thought that he was the Heir of Sytherin.  Book Three doesn't really 
follow that patten, but both of his serious fights were with a fellow 
Gryffindor, and of course in Book Four, there was the whole Triwizard 
Champion debacle, with students from the other three Houses wearing 
those blasted 'Potter Stinks' badges.  So it would be not unexpected 
if, in Book Five, Harry's primary (other than Malfoy) Hogwarts 
conflict was with Gryffindor.  And the source of this counflict may 
well be Harry's choice of Ron as Keeper."

Barnicle Bill nodded his shaggy head.  "Exactly.  Well, I have to 
go.  Some scurvy dog has upset the desert cart.  I have to bake 400 
eclaires by four bells."  And with that he was off.

Bill