HP Conventional Wisdom Watch

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 126742


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lupinlore" <bob.oliver at c...> 
wrote:

Hickengruendler:

I will only answer where I have some questions or disagree with you 
completely. Therefore consider every character where I don't answer 
as an "I agree".
 
Lupinlore:
 
> SIRIUS BLACK:  Falling.  CW is that he is dead and will remain that 
> way.

Hickengruendler: 

But we will see him again. JKR as good as told us so, when she said 
she couldn't tell. However, I hope he remains dead, and we will only 
see him shortly like Harry's parents in book 4 or 5. 

Lupinlore:
 
> RON WEASLEY: Rising.  He certainly became more prominent in OOTP, 
> albeit by somewhat controversial plot twists.  How this will play 
out 
> is a matter of fierce debate, but he seems unlikely to fade into 
the 
> background anytime soon.

Hickengruendler:

Actually, I thought he was close to fading to the background in OotP. 
Yes, he had a lot of pagetime, but that's what you expect from 
Harry's best friend. He also had a subplot involving Quidditch, but I 
still think he had less of a role than in the previous books. I hope 
this threat won't continue and he won't become another Xander. On the 
other hand, I'm optimistic that this won't happen, since the story, 
and therefore Ron's development, too, is mostly planned from the 
beginning, while Xander's on "Buffy" was not. 

Lupinlore: 
> HERMIONE GRANGER: Falling.  OOTP left many believing she badly 
needed 
> a lesson in humility, if not a smack in the mouth.  Her efforts 
with 
> SPEW are not popular among readers, and many think she is doomed to 
> embarrassment.

Hickengruendler:

Yes, I agree partly with this. But I still hope she's proven right 
concerning SPEW in the end. I found Ron's view on this topic much 
more annoying. Hermione has to change her methods, but at least she 
realizes that something is wrong.

Lupinlore: 
> SEAMUS FINNEGAN:  Mixed.  Not a good performance in OOTP, but a 
> longshot for HBP.

Hickengruendler:

I thought he had his best performance in OotP so far. Yes, he argued 
with Harry. But that was as much Harry's fault as his. They were two 
hot-headed teenagers, that's all. But I'm sure he won't be the HBP. 
In fact, I see some gruesome death in the future, with him not having 
as much DADA training as the other students.
 
Lupinlore:
> GINNY WEASLEY: Rising.  Despite some distaste at her personality
> shift 
> in OOTP, she seems unlikely to fade.  Mark her as Gryffindor Chaser 
> and the most likely candidate for Girlfriend-of-the-Boy-who-Lived.

Hickengruendler:

Yeah, you are probably right. But I can't help myself, I find this 
character very boring. I hope book 6 will change it, but I currently 
so don't care what happens to her. 

Lupinlore: 
> LUNA LOVEGOOD: Mixed.  A favorite of JKR, and one of the few 
> characters who seemed to connect with Harry at the end of Book V.  
> However, indications are that among fans outside of internet 
circles, 
> reaction has ranged from indifference to annoyance.

Hickengruendler:

Well, for what it's worth, I know three readers who are not in the 
internet circles, my mother, my aunt and one of my closest friends, 
and they all love Luna and my mother even said said she considers 
Luna to be the best character introduced after book 1.
 
Lupinlore: 
> MINERVA MCGONNOGAL: Mixed.  Her strong personality is a breath of 
> fresh air.  But her handling of Harry in HBP gives new meaning to 
the 
> word "maladroit."

Hickengruendler:

Do you mean OotP? Or do you have an advanced copy of book 6? ;-) I 
absolutely loved McGonagall in OotP, and think her treatment of Harry 
was exactly right. Hogwarts was in a very difficult situation, and 
Harry needed someone to set his head straight regarding Umbridge. Or 
do you mean something else?

Lupinlore: 
> DRACO MALFOY: Falling.  Expectations of a deepening of his 
character 
> have been badly disappointed, and CW is that he is Most Likely to
> Take 
> the Dark Mark.  On the other hand, he still has a committed group
> that 
> see potential in him.

Hickengruendler:

Yep. But I do think that he will get some development, now that 
Lucius is in prison. But it's really overdue, and I also don't expect 
much.

Lupinlore: 
> NYMPHADORA TONKS: Rising.  Neatest new character in OOTP, and seems 
> likely to have a major roll in Voldy War II.

Hickengruendler:

I'm not sure. I quite liked her, but she just screams "background 
character" to me. I think we will see her again, but I don't expect 
as much as most other readers seem to do.
 
Lupinlore:
> VOLDEMORT:  Falling.  Let's face it, he seems to be operating out 
of 
> the Villain's Book of Cartoon Cliches.

Hickengruendler:

Yes, but I have some hopes for HBP. We definitely will learn more 
about his past, and that's never bad.