The Weasleys' Muggle Cousin, and May/December, combining thoughts

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 144198

> Sherry:
> 
> I don't know the laws in the UK, and come to think of it, I'm not 
sure of
> them exactly here either.  However, relatives who are only 
distantly related
> can marry.  in fact, maybe, as close as second and third cousins in 
some
> areas.  i've never considered it much, since i wouldn't be 
interested in any
> of my cousins that way, but even if Harry and Ginny were distantly 
related,
> they could still marry, I'm sure.  nice theory though.

Ceridwen:
Believe it or not, there is a site devoted to cousin couples.  
http://www.cousincouples.com/  Apparently, cousin marriage, even 
first cousin marriage, is not banned in Europe, though I don't know 
if that would include specific countries like Britain or France, or 
if it's just a blanket statement.

I think the WW may have different views on cousin marriage, and 
perhaps on age gap marriages as well.  If someone wishes to marry a 
Pureblood, they'd have a very limited field from which to choose, and 
over the years it seems to have ended up that most Pureblood families 
are related, at the very least through marriage if not blood.  Molly 
and Arthur are somehow related (someone else explained it, 
thankfully, I have enough trouble keeping my own family straight!), 
and one at least is related to the Blacks, and therefore to the 
Malfoys, as no less than 'shirttail' relations.  It's a relatively 
small group which has been more isolated than not over recent 
centuries, it may be necessary to have more relaxed attitudes about 
things like this.

With age gap marriages, in a population where people seem to live 
well past the century mark, the gap between 'May' and 'December' 
shrinks with each passing decade.  So a Wizarding match between a 
forty year old witch or wizard, and a twenty year old wizard or 
witch, would end up being a match between a two hundred year old and 
a one hundred and eighty year old, not too much of a gap at those 
ages at all.  And, as it seems that the WW is more static than the 
Muggle world, which has gone through quite an explosion of cultural 
and technological changes in the past few decades, the twenty year 
seperated couple still has more common grounds to bring them closer 
and provide similar experiences, including having had the same 
headmaster and instructors, overall, at school.

I don't know of any instance in canon which would remotely support 
either argument, that the WW would disapprove, or conversely not care 
a bit, about a relationship between a teacher and a student.  It 
doesn't seem to care that there may be favortism by a teacher for his 
or her own house.  But that can only marginally be considered in the 
same ballpark, since a teacher with feelings for a particular student 
may show favortism toward that student.  The 'eww' factor isn't 
attested, *as far as I recall*.

Ceridwen.
(If this ends up being double-posted, I'm sorry!)