SHIP! H/G indicators of Harry's feelings for Ginny

[Pat]

No: HPFGUIDX 136610

Pat:  Your (Susan's) post includes reasons to believe Ginny is using 
Love Potion Perfume on Harry.  You've collected times when Harry 
felt attraction to one degree or another for Ginny.  Each time, he 
has been near her, and could have been affected by her wearing Love 
Potion perfume.  There are other times that you would expect he 
would think of her, but doesn't, and he hadn't been near her 
recently either. The biggest example is that he had no thoughts 
about going to Ginny's house for Christmas, he only thought about 
Ron. Either this is inconsistency from Jo and the editors let it go, 
or there is a reason for it.

As far as the flowery scent, look at the possibilities. I'll start 
with facts, and move to extrapolation. The Burrow has flower beds in 
the garden (Harry giving a tour of the garden to Scrimgeour confirms 
it).  The trio and Ginny played Quidditch over the garden for weeks, 
and flowers were most likely in bloom.  There are flowers in the 
twins bedroom.  They most probably are from the garden, and 
therefore smell the same as the garden.  If the Weasleys purchased 
flowers, I don't think they'd put them in the twins bedroom.

If the twins make potion disguised as perfume, there is a good 
chance they used flowers from the Burrows garden, making their 
potion perfume smell similar to the garden.  Their bedroom would 
have the same scent from using it as a workshop, or from stored 
stock. There is the possibility that the perfume Ron gave Hermione 
was from the twins - Ron's nonchalant reaction to Hermione's comment 
goes better with that than if he went out and bought it from a shop. 
And what happened to that perfume?  Is Hermione wearing it?  We 
didn't think she would, but we didn't think she'd play Quidditch, 
either.  Did she pass it off to Ginny, who recognized what it was 
from seeing the twins stock at the Burrow?

With all of that in mind, when Harry smelled "something flowery he 
thought he might have smelled at the Burrow", there are now many 
possibilities of what that could mean to him. At that point, Ginny 
was joining the trio, but I don't think you could say she was one of 
his favorite things yet.  However, being at the Burrow was one of 
his favorite things, and his bedroom had the flowery scent.  Playing 
Quidditch was also a favorite, and they played over the garden for 
weeks. So the flowery scent could have meant either of those things 
to him, just like treacle tart, and the handle of his Firebolt. I 
think this whole flowery scent business looks very much like a tool 
for an Emma twist.

Watch Harry's thoughts of Ginny turn on and off, depending on 
whether he's been in close proximity to her in the last 24 hours.  I 
watched for it while I re-read the book, and it holds up.

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "susanmcgee48176" 
<Schlobin at a...> wrote:
> Has anyone mentioned/noticed #2 yet? I hadn't noticed it and I 
thought it was really cool....

Susan:  Clues that Harry and Ginny will become involved --- from 
> The Half-Blood Prince. U.S. Scholastic Edition, July 2005.
> 
> 1.  Harry asks Ginny if she wants to find a compartment on the 
> Hogwarts Express. Ginny says she can't; she needs to meet 
boyfriend Dean Thomas. 
> 
> "'Right,' said Harry. He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she 
walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her; he had become so 
used to her presence over the summer that he had almost forgotten 
that Ginny did not hang around with him, Ron and Hermione while at 
school."

Pat:  If Ginny has never really given up on Harry, and always hoped, 
this is one example of her covering her true feelings with her 
behavior.  We should see some evidence of disappointment in her 
response, but we don't.  However, her behavior fits with following 
Hermione's advice to show Harry she had moved on.  Also, Harry has 
been in close proximity to Ginny, and the strange twinge of 
annoyance could be from that. Otherwise, why use the 
word "strange".  Why not leave it out, or use another word that 
doesn't have a negative connotation..

>Susan:  2. Harry is in his first Potions class of the term. He sits 
down by a "gold-colored cauldron that was emitting one of the most 
seductive scents Harry had ever inhaled: Somehow it reminded him 
simultaneously of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick  
handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at 
the Burrow." p. 183.
> 
> We find out that the potion is Amortentia, the "most powerful love 
potion in the world"

Pat:  and we see that inhaling the fumes of a potion has an effect 
on at least 2 people sitting at the same table, and that it is a 
milder effect than consuming aged Love Potion.
> 
>Susan:  Hermione said '"it's supposed to smell differently to each 
of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown 
grass and new parchment and ----' But she turned slightly pink and 
did not complete the sentence." (p. 185)

Pat: The new parchment instead of books puzzled me.  For a time, I 
wondered if it referred to corresponding with Viktor, and watching 
Ron snog Lavender made her miss Viktor. We still don't know the full 
story on that relationship, and Jo did say Viktor will be back.
> 
> Susan: Then, Hermione, Ron and Harry are in the Great Hall at the 
Gryffindor table for dinner and

 "'Hang on,' said a voice close by 
Harry's left ear and he caught a sudden waft of that flowery smell 
he had picked up in Slughorn's dungeon. He looked around and saw 
that Ginny had joined them." (p. 192)

Pat:  This is the first time the flowery scent is linked to Ginny.  
Up until now, it was linked to the Burrow.

> Susan: ...snip... p. 242. Harry asks Ginny to join him, R and H in 
Hogsmeade. Ginny refuses; she's going with Dean.

Pat:  Harry had a reaction there that we are led to believe is from 
Dumbledore's note.  But it could be from Ginny's potion perfume 
instead, resulting in the sudden invite.  And again, Ginny's refusal 
masks that she never gave up hope on Harry, and goes with showing 
him she has moved on as part of a plan to get him to like her.
> 
> p. 248. Harry's thoughts strayed to Ginny while walking back from 
Hogsmeade. He imagines her and Dean cosily closeted in Madam 
Puddifoots's, that haunt of happy couples
.He scowls
.

Pat:  This is an example of the potion perfume lasting for 24 hrs 
after he's been around her.
> 
>Susan:  p. 286. Harry and Ron surprise Dean and Ginny 
kissing
..something large and scaly erupts in Harry's stomach
he 
wants to jinx Dean into jelly
and wants to instantly dismiss Dean 
from the Quidditch team.

> p. 289. Harry feels dizzy, disoriented


Pat:  To me, these reactions aren't quite right, they're too strong 
at this point in his noticing Ginny, but fit better with the effects 
of Love Potion. And yes, they don't match Ron wanting Romilda.  
Hermione says the twin sell a dozen kinds of love potion, and there 
is the strengthening with age factor. Why would the twins sell a 
dozen different kinds?  The difference has to be in strength or 
delivery.

> 
> Susan: "Harry, you've got a maggot in your hair,' said Ginny 
cheerfully, leaning across the table to pick it out; Harry felt 
goose bumps erupt up his neck that had nothing to do with the 
maggots." (p. 339)

Pat:  This is the best example of Harry's thoughts of Ginny turning 
on and off.  He had no thoughts of going to her house for Christmas, 
or of her while he was there, until she leaned close enough to take 
a maggot out of his hair.  If it isn't Love Potion perfume, what 
else could explain that?

Pat, who really thinks potions explain the suddenly different 
characters and relationships in HBP