Depression ... in OotP - Cho/Marietta

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 110853

HunterGreen wrote :
"No one was *forcing* her."
and 
" what she did had the repurcussions of expelling a large chunk of 
students, including a few that were her friends, that's why I thought
 she deserved to have 'sneak' on her face."

Del replies :
In another post, I expressed my doubts about that. As you said,
Marrietta held her tongue for months, so why should she crack suddenly
for no reason ? IMO she had a reason to crack and a good one at that.
My best guess is that Umbridge discovered about the existence of the
group and that Marrietta was a part of it, and she pressured her into
giving her more details. For example, Marrietta could have talked to
her parents about it, and her mom could have mentioned at the MoM that
Harry Potter was forcing her daughter into doing bad things. That kind
of thing happens all the time in RL after all. But because Marrietta
didn't necessarily give all the details to her mom, Umbridge would not
know enough to make her move, so she pressured Marrietta. Knowing
Umbridge, she could have threatened the girl with anything from
expulsion to her mom losing her job. So yes Marrietta knew that
talking meant incriminating and expelling her friends, but it was
either her or them, and after all they were doing something illegal,
and she had never really wanted to be a part of it. So...
It might sound far-fetched, but if you look at it with an impartial
eye, you'll see that it is very possible : a kid gets in with the
wrong crowd, talks about it to her parents, who go and complain to the
haedmaster.

HunterGreen wrote :
"If she was having trouble with Quidditch and crying *all-the-time*
she was definitely worse off than Harry. She seemed happy enough
during the time they were *walking* to Hogsmeade and during the DA
meetings though, so I can't see her being *clinically* depressed
(since I believe that entails *never* having a break from depression)."

Del replies :
Not necessarily. Most depressed people do manage to find temporary
relief in intense activity and entertainment with friends. So the fact
that Cho seemed happy enough while chatting with Harry or training
hard during the DA meeting is not at all a contra-indication of
depression. On the other hand, the fact that she reverses to her
crying state so *quickly* after she finishes her activities could
indeed be a sign of depression. Take the Christmas kiss for example :
they had all been training for an hour, then they all happily Merry
Christmassed each other, and she sent Marrietta away so she could talk
to Harry. And then almost right away she thinks of Cedric and bam ! I
mean, she should have been in a happy and romantic mood, completely
focussed on the kiss she intended to give to Harry, and Cedric should
have been quite far away from her mind, but no, here she goes thinking
about him again. I do take that as an unhealthy and overly long
dwelling on sad thoughts, which is one sign of possible depression.

Del