Harry and Ginny

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 145947

In re-re-reading HBP, I just noticed a paragraph that had not registered before and 
sheds some light on this whole argument that was going on a while ago about "where 
did this come from". 

One, we know the previous year Ginny relaxed around Harry. Then Harry spent quite a 
bit of time at the Burrow over a couple of summers. The summer before HBP he spent 
a huge amount of time there. I don't know if anyone has ever been in a situation 
where you are in one place with a small group of people and you do EVERYTHING with 
those people but it's like a super condensing of relationships. I think almost two 
months of playing quidditch in the fields around the Burrow and doing daily tasks etc. 
with just the Weasley kids was bound to up the relationship of Harry with all of them. 
Afterall, it isn't until they get on the train and Ginny goes to be with Dean Thomas 
that Harry even remembers they didn't really hang out *at school*. It seemed natural 
to him that they would get a compartment together.

 Then, in the very first potions class with Slughorn Harry smells amortentia, the "love" 
potion. "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" (HBP Scholastic pg 183).

But, what interested me was pg. 192 after class:

" "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. "

He doesn't realize it on the conscious level there, but that's IMO the big trigger for his 
sub-concious of Ginny Is Interesting. He really only wakes up to it when he actually 
sees her kissing Dean Thomas, but the seeds were there for sometime. Certainly, 
most of the forming of it happened in a few short sentences here and there 
describing the halcyon days at the Burrow that summer. It isn't a romance novel so 
IMO that is plenty. I think it's pretty skillfully done. No one is more surprised (and 
rather alarmed) than Harry when he realizes he has these reactions. And what I 
enjoyed best of all is that Harry's reactions here seem much more adult than when he 
was attracted to Cho. 

At any rate, maybe  you've all talked about this (I searched and didn't see anything 
but Yahoo's search function is less than ideal) and maybe some of you have seen that 
paragraph, but it was the first time it sunk in with me and I just found it an excellent 
connector in the the progression of this relationship. In fact, I've actually been aware 
(probalby because I am reading it after the big discussion of a couple of weeks ago) 
of all kinds of very small sentences here and there that are before the "purring beast" 
wakes, that are pretty indicative that Harry does see Ginny in a much different light 
than previous years. 

Just some meanderings. Feel free to slash and burn. :)

kchuplis