Mother Molly (was: Some OOTP Questions) / Nice people get pass

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 125157


> Betsy:

<SNIP of the parts Alla completely agrees with)

I don't think Molly is completely bad.  But I do think she is 
toxic.  I don't get the impression that her kids like being around 
her.  I also don't recall her giving her children much praise, at 
all.  She trys everything possible to force the twins away from 
their jokeshop (even when it seems to be working) and into the 
Ministry (which would have been a disaster for both the twins and 
the Ministry).  And is she proud of Charlie and Bill's 
occupations?   I rather got the impression that it was the Ministry 
or nothing for Molly. 

Alla:

I am assuming  that by "her kids don't like being around her" you 
mean Bill and Charley, right? 

I don't think I have this impression at all. Let's look at the scene 
when Bill comes with Molly to Hogwarts to support Harry during TWT 
in GoF.

I will start quote from the middle of the conversation - GoF, p.616, 
paperback.

"And the Fat Lady?' said Bill. "She was here in my time," said Mrs. 
Weasley. "She gave me such a telling off one night when I got back 
to the dormitory at four in the morning-"
"What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning?" 
said Bill, surveying his mother with amazement.
Mrs. Weasley grinned, her eyes twinkling.
"Your father and I had been  for a nighttime troll," she said. "He 
got caught by Apollyon Pringle - he was the caretaker in those days -
 your father's still got the marks."
"Fancy giving us a tour, Harry?" said Bill.
"Yeah, Okay," said Harry,a nd they made their way back towards the 
door into Great Hall".

I don't know, I get the impression that Bill is having fun chatting 
with his mom AND he clearly in no hurry to end this conversation, on 
the contrary, he does not mind touring the Hogwarts in his momther's 
company.

Oh, and at the end of GoF Bill has no problem showing tenderness to 
Molly before he leaves to warn Arthur.

"I'll go to Dad, said Bill, standing up. "I'll go now".
...
"Leave it to me," said Bill.
He clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the 
cheek, pulled on his cloak,and strode quickly from the room." - GoF, 
p.711, paperback.

I don't think that this is how the son who does not like his mother 
behaves.

Casey:

I also don't think the fact that Bill and Charley moved far away is 
an indicator of her lack of parenting. Does that mean parents of 
children that join the military service are bad? That if you got the 
opportunity to get a challenging job (curse breaker or working with 
dragons) in another country you wouldn't go, instead settling on a 
ministry job to stay close to home? I think it's a testament to her 
and Arthur that their children are adult and strong enough to make a 
life for themselves. 

Alla:

Absolutely, I agree 100% with this part of your post. They are grown 
men, they have prestigious interesting jobs, which they clearly 
love. Their jobs demanded their move, so they did. That is how I see 
it anyway.




Casey: 
You know, I've always rolled my eyes when someone says that fandom 
(especially slash fandom) is misogynic but now I'm starting to 
wonder. What does it say when two "normal" women are vilified and 
only the bookish (Hermione) and the oddball (Luna) females are 
acceptable?


Alla:

Erm... NO. I stated in my earlier posts that Ginny and twins are my 
favourite Weasleys,so I love Ginny dearly.

On the whole I don't dislike Molly either. She has plenty of flaws 
as many other characters and I extremely dilike some of her actions, 
but as a whole I give her a pass.

Also, I love Hermione, but I really don't like Luna all that much. 
She is just too new for me to care about her yet, but maybe she will 
grow on me.


Magda:

And how "nice" was it to deliberately send Hermione a very small
candy egg in GOF while sending Ron and Harry large ones filled with
chocolate and toffee, just because Rita Skeeter wrote an article
about Hermione being Harry's girlfriend and breaking his heart?  The
same Rita Skeeter who writes lies about Arthur - and thus the same RS
that Molly knows shouldn't be trusted.

<SNIP>
 And don't tell me she was in "mother bear defending her cub" mode 
over possible hurt to Harry - she KNOWS that Rita Skeeter lies and 
isn't to be trusted.

Alla:

I don't justify Molly's action here, BUT I think that it could be 
indeed she in her "mother bear mode". Why are you so sure that Molly 
knows that Rita lies and not to be trusted? Could you give me a 
quote? I read it as Molly's sincere belief that Rita was correct. It 
does not mean that Molly was right to judge Hermione so fast, but 
she really does not know her well.


Betsy: 
The Weasley home is so hostile to Percy that he spends all of his 
time locked away in his room, coming out only for meals, and Molly 
exasperates the problem by encouraging the twins hatred for their 
brother.  (And I do think they hated Percy, even before he left 
them.  The twins were absolutely merciless towards Percy, never 
giving him a break or any kind of sympathy.  IMO, they go far beyond 
normal sibling teasing.)


Alla:

I am not one of those who considers Percy already  "evil and lost 
cause", but I don't have much love for him either, frankly. Is it 
possible that something went wrong with Persy, NOT with all other 
Weasleys?

I strongly disagree that twins hate Percy and teased him more than 
others ( well, I love them after all), but EVERYBODY in the family 
teases Persy. Are you saying that Bill and Charley also hate him?

"Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked one of 
its legs off. There was a clatter from overhead, and they all looked 
up to see Percy's head poking out of the window on the second floor.
"Will you keep it down?!" he bellowed.
"Sorry,Perce," said Bill, grinning. "How're the caudron bottoms 
coming on?"
"Very  badly," said Percy peevishly,and he slammed the window shut. 
Chuckling, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the 
grass, end to end, and then, with a a flick of his wand, Bill 
reattached  the table leg and conjured tablecloths from nowehere." - 
GoF, p.60, paperback.


Just my opinion, of course.

Alla