Ginny's development (was: SHIP: Harry and Hermione)

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 92609

Hickengruendler wrote:
I had many problems with her characterisation: At the end of book 4, 
Ginny was basically the same character she was in CoS. And then Harry 
came back after one month (it might have seemed to Harry as a very 
long month, but it was still only a month) and Ginny is suddenly all 
cool and outgoing and as funny as the twins? 

Berit replies:

I do see your point :-) Ginny's "change of personality" might seem a 
little sudden. On the other hand; there are subtle hints in GoF that 
Ginny is not any longer the timid and shy girl she was in CoS; maybe 
the problem is that we as readers have not been *noticing* the little 
hints; we have just seen her face going scarlet and thought that is 
all there is to this girl... I've just been rereading the start of 
GoF, where Harry comes to stay at the Burrow. Ginny, predictably, 
blushes when she sees Harry, but afterwards, when Harry asks 
what "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" is, Ginny *laughs* along with Ron 
(Hermione didn't), clearly amused by her brothers' mischief. Not only 
is she able to laugh in Harry's presence, she goes on to tell him all 
about what Fred and George have been doing over the summer (and 
there's no mentioning of her blushing when she does)! Clearly, just 
this little passage (GoF p. 52 UK Edition) shows that Ginny has 
recovered enough over the years to be able to laugh and even talk in 
Harry's presence, even though she still turns red when he greets her 
and smiles at her :-) But, there's a progress! After all, she wasn't 
even able to talk in his presence in the two first HP books. In GoF 
she can, quite confidently as well!

Also, look at the way she converses with Harry and Ron prior to the 
Yule Ball. Not only is she able to talk to her brother and to Harry 
about dating without blushing(!), she shuts them up!:

"Just then Hermione climbed in throught he portrait hole.
'Why weren't you two at dinner?' she said, coming over to join them.
'Because - oh, shut up laughing, you two - because they've both been 
turned down by girls they asked to the ball!' said Ginny.
That shut Harry and Ron up." (GoF p. 348 UK Edition)

So I don't think I can agree with you that Ginny is basically the 
same character in GoF as she was in CoS... There has been a 
development prior to OoP.

Berit
http://home.no.net/berjakob/snape.html