House characteristics

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 150600

> Alla:
> I am not sure how I feel about the main issue of that rant, but what 
> made me laugh is her last sentence ( I think), which reads I want my 
> girls to be Hermiones rather than Pansy Parkinsons.
> 
> Now, Okay, she likes Hermione, she really likes Hermione, I 
understand 
> that, so it is understandable that she wants young girls to be like 
> her, but what is so BAD about Pancy Parkinson that she does not want  
> the girls to be like her, except that Pancy is in Slytherin House?
> 
> I mean, maybe I totally forgot some canon about it ( entirely 
> possible), but so far I do not recall anything about Pancy being 
> stupid or really bad "person" (Well, I suppose one can argue that 
> choosing Draco for boyfriend is not very smart thing to do, but 
> besides that... I don't know), except that Pancy is in Slytherin.

zgirnius:
Pansy is a very minor character, to be sure, but quite unpleasant in 
her own way. There's a fansite, http://pansy.frosti.org, devoted to her 
(Google is amazing, as is how some people choose to spend their time, 
not that I'm one to talk) which seems to quote every mention of her in 
the six books, and I would say over half of them have Pansy being 
actively unpleasant. Just a sampling of the highlights (lowlights?) of 
Pansy's career:

> Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
> Chapter 9
>"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced 
Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, 
Parvati."

zgirnius:
So, she's more than just Draco's girlfriend, she's an accomplice of 
sorts to his bullying of Neville here.

> Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
> Chapter 6
> "Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face 
like a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!"

zgirnius: 
More Pansy joining in Draco's nasty fun...

> Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
> Chapter 18

>"Oh very funny," Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and 
her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than 
anyone, "really witty."
(The POTTER SUCKS buttons.)

> He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best 
to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now 
grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin 
girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from 
behind Snape's back.

zgirnius:
Aha! Pansy has her own girl gang of Slytherins. I bet we would hear 
more about them if we had any narration from the POV of a girl 
character...


>Chap. 23
>"Stunningly pretty? Her?" Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time 
she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Rita's article had 
appeared. "What was she judging against - a chipmunk?"

zgirnius:
Nice, Pansy...

>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
>Chapter 21
>Umbridge did not answer; she finished writing her last note, then 
looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please 
continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk," she mimed walking 
(Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter) "among 
the students" (she pointed around at individual members of the 
class) "and ask them questions."


>"Do you find," said Professor Umbridge in a ringing voice to Pansy 
Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he 
talks?" Just like Hermione, Pansy had tears in her eyes, but these were 
tears of laughter; indeed, her answer was almost incoherent because she 
was trying to suppress her giggles. "No... because ... well... it 
sounds... like grunting a lot of the time..." Umbridge scribbled on her 
clipboard. The few unbruised bits of Hagrid's face flushed, but he 
tried to act as though he had not heard Pansy's answer. "Er... yeah... 
good stuff abou' Thestrals. Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, 
yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' sense o' direction, jus' tell 'em 
where yeh want ter go -" "Assuming they can understand you, of course," 
said Malfoy loudly, and Pansy Parkinson collapsed in a fit of renewed 
giggles. Professor Umbridge smiled indulgently at them and then turned 
to Neville.

zgirnius:
This scene I actually would have remembered myself. Hagrid annoys me as 
a person, I don't think too highly of him as a teacher, but this scene 
really got under my skin...

>Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
>Chapter 21
>"Oh, very good," interrupted Snape, his lip curling. "Yes, it in easy 
to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted 
on you, Potter. 'Ghosts are transparent'."

>Pansy Parkinson let out a high-pitched giggle.
zgirnius:
OK, maybe she just has a schoolgirl crush on her Head of House <eg>.