Molly's touch (was: Lupin's touch)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 112381

Finwitch:
> And it's quite right that there's little touching between them. I
> suppose it's a cultural thing - I see nothing wrong with it, myself,
> nothing odd certainly... Customs here are that handshake is somewhat
> formal greeting, there's also hugging between close 
> friends/relatives who see each other after a long time - all other 
> forms of greeting don't involve touching.
> 
> Sirius comforts Harry by holding his shoulder so tight it hurts (to
> make sure Harry knows he's there) in GoF when Harry's reliving the
> graveyard scene. Molly hugs Harry just a bit later (and Harry feels
> more embarassed and surprised than comforted, but is too polite to 
> say anything about it).


SSSusan:
While I don't disagree at all with your point that there isn't a lot 
of touching going on in the HPs, I *really* do take exception with 
your characterization of the Molly-Harry hug at the end of GoF.  

Here's the scene:

The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he 
had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him.@He could 
feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes.@
He blinked and stared up at the ceiling.

"It wasn't your fault. Harry," Mrs. Weasley whispered.

"I told him to take the cup with me," said Harry.

Now the burning feeling was in his throat too.  He wished Ron would 
look away.  Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, 
bent down, and put her arms around Harry.@He had no memory of ever 
being hugged like this, as though by a mother.@The full weight of 
everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. 
Weasley held him to her.@His mother's face, his father's voice, the 
sight of Cedric, dead on the ground, all started spinning in his head 
until he could hardly bear it, until he was screwing up his face 
against the howl of misery fighting to get out of him.
There was a loud slamming noise, and Mrs. Weasley and Harry broke 
apart.


Note that Harry was embarrassed [wishing Ron would look away] 
*before* Mrs. Weasley hugged him.  Note also that Harry didn't break 
away from her until there was a loud, slamming noise.  We do NOT see 
him resisting her hug.  In my opinion, this hug was JUST what Harry 
wanted & needed; and even if all don't agree with me about that, I 
still do not see how you can come to the conclusion that he was "more 
embarrassed and surprised than comforted."  *Where* does it show this?

There may be another scene--in OotP, likely--where Harry is somewhat 
embarrassed by Molly's fussing over him.  But in *this* scene in GoF, 
I just don't see how one can come to the conclusion from the text 
that Harry was just too polite to complain about Molly's hug!

Siriusly Snapey Susan, who counts this scene as among her very 
favorite.