[HPforGrownups] Re: Ship predictions(scenarios)

Wed Feb 11 05:56:05 UTC 2004

No: HPFGUIDX 90678

Berit wrote:
>There are canon hints at a future romantic 
>relationship between Harry and Ginny in OoP. 
<snip>
>But the little detail I love the most, is how Rowling 
>describes the way Harry and Ginny's eyes meet over a good joke... 
>That's telling! (Sorry, don't have the page reference)

Neri replied:
>I agree with Berit, but I'd say this >moment is even more telling:

>OotP, Ch. 23 "Christmas on the Closed >Ward"
>"'We wanted to talk to you, Harry' said >Ginny, 'but as you've been 
>hiding ever since we got back - '
>    'I didn't want anyone to talk to >me,' said Harry, who was feeling 
>more and more nettled.
>    'Well, that was a bit stupid of >you,' said Ginny angrily, 'seeing 
>as you don't know anyone but me who's >been possessed by You-Know-Who, 
>and I can tell you how it feels.'
>    Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. 
>Then he wheeled round.
>    'I forgot,' he said.
>    'Lucky you,' said Ginny coolly.
>    I'm sorry,' Harry said, and he meant it."

Ah, but you're forgot about what lead up to this scene:

"It came as a slight shock when somebody hammered hard on the door a few minutes later.
    'I know you're in there,' said Hermione's voice. 'Will you please come out? I want to talk to you.
    'What are _you_ doing here?' Harry asked her, pulling open the door   [...]

    'Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not _really_ my thing,' said Hermione. 'So I've come here for Christmas.' There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold." (440 UK)

Note that it's actually Hermione and not Ginny who's able to pull Harry out of his self-imposed exile. If Ginny knows anything about Harry then it should be clear to her that he's not about to come out by himself, yet at no point does she come pounding on his door, insisting that he come out and talk. Hermione on the other hand does this, and she wastes no time in doing so; note that her face is still red from the cold outside and that there's still snow in her hair-- seeing to Harry is the first thing she does upon arrive at Grimmauld.

As for confronting Harry I was struck by this passage, also just shortly before the passage Neri quoted:

    "'How're you feeling?' asked Hermione.
    'Fine,' said harry stiffly.
    'Oh don't lie, Harry,' she said impatiently.

    [and then a few lines later]

    'Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood,' said Hermione sharply." (441 UK)

It's only after this that Ginny makes her comment about also having been possessed. I was actually quite glad that Hermione was blunt with Harry in these instances. I think that's exactly what he needed in order to pull him out of his self-pity and isolation at that point.

Berit also wrote:
>For the first time, 
>Harry learns to know Ginny more than just being Ron's little sister. 
>They interact much more; in the train compartment, in the DA group, 
>in the MoM...

But Harry and Hermione also have some interesting interactions, particularly in some of the later scenes in the book such as when they meet Grawp together. Their interactions in that scene are very physical. Harry catches her before she falls at one point (607 UK), he pulls her away from Grawp when he grabs for her (614); she clings to him (614). Now Rowling could have arranged for this scene to happen in such a way that Ron could have been there as well, but she doesn't. It seems to be a pattern through the series. After all it's not the first time Harry and Hermione have been in the forest together without Ron. I found the scene reminiscent of their detention in PS in which the initial group is Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid looking for the injured unicorn (with Neville, Draco, and Fang as the other group-- Ron doesn't get detention in the book, unlike the movie). Back to OoP, they return to forest in a later chapter as well where they face Grawp for a second time and the centaurs (again, much like in PS). There too there's a very physical element to their interactions. Hermione again keeps close to Harry, grabbing his arm and such, but this bit in particular I found striking:

    "One of the giant's massive hands reached down. Hermione let out a real scream, ran a few steps backwards and fell over. Devoid of a wand, Harry braced himself to punch, kick, bite or whatever or whatever else it took as the hand swooped towards him and knocked a snow-white centaur off his legs" (668)

    Well that eared a "wow" from me. Harry's standing over Hermione with no wand, facing down a giant . He's very protective of her in this scene, much as he is at the DoM.  When the group splits in two at the DoM, it's Harry, Hermione, and Neville. Why not give Ginny the spotlight if she's Harry's intented? Or why not have Hermione keep close to Ron if she's supposed to be pining for him? What we see instead is that Hermione keeps close to Harry (and not Ron) throughout the scene: she's standing next to or just behind Harry when they are facing the DEs. When they run for it, Harry grabs Hermione's robes:

"He seized a handful of Hermione's robes and dragged her forwards"  (694 UK)

Now think about this for a second. It's life and death here and who does Harry reach for? Not Ginny, not Ron. When it's comes down to a snap decision on who he should protect, a decision based on instinct rather than on rational thought, it's Hermione he reaches for. To me that says a lot about Hermione's importance to Harry.

*peers at her watch and looks distressed* Wow, I think I need to wrap this up now. 

Best,
Erika (Wolfraven)

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