SHIP Harry/Ginny (was:CHPDISC: HBP14, Felix Felicis)

[gelite67]

No: HPFGUIDX 151920

Betsy HP wrote:

<snip?
So, let's talk about issue 2, The Fight.
> 
> <snip?
> 
> But I don't get the level of Ginny's anger
<snip> 

And that leads me to the final issue: Ginny's Rage.
> 
> Ginny is angry throughout this chapter.  And I can't find anything 
> that might have set it off.  She's angry at the quidditch practice 
> (snapping at Ron for no reason).  She's unreasonably furious in the 
> corridor.  And her attack on Zacharius made no sense at all.  
> Zacharius had only made derisive comments about Ginny at the 
> beginning of the match.  By the end Ginny had played well enough, 
> Zacharius couldn't say anything.  *And* Ginny's team won (thanks in 
> part to some spectacular playing on Ginny's part).  Why does she 
> feel the need to physically attack Zacharius at the end of the game?
> 
> If JKR hadn't given that interview to the Mugglenet folks, I'd 
> consider this suspicious behavior pointing to some underlying 
> problem.  Ginny's frightened by Voldemort's increasing power; Ginny 
> is being bothered by strange dreams she's afraid are connected to 
> Tom Riddle possessing her in CoS; Ginny really, really *hates* that 
> Bill is getting married and is taking it badly.  IOWs, I'd think 
> there was a mystery there.
> 
> But, having read JKR's interview I have a sinking feeling that this 
> is JKR writing "spunky".  It doesn't work.  There's a difference 
> between spunky and angry.  In this chapter, Ginny is angry.  She 
> only calms down when Ron gets a girlfriend.  Ooh, maybe Ginny 
didn't 
> like the idea of Hermione dating her brother?  Yeah, I don't buy it 
> either.  
> 
> Angie here (attempting to duplicate what she assures was a most 
eloquent reply that was apparently eaten by Yahoomort.  Grrr!):

I must say that Ginny's response didn't seem OOC to me at all. JKR 
has been building her character all along, given us bits here and  
there about the fact that she can get pretty riled up, as indicated 
by her proclivity for performing bat-bogey hexes. 

I agree that she was angry in the kissing scene, not spunky (she was 
spunky at the MOM).  I have a few theories as to why she blew up in 
the hall.  I suspect her response was a combination of the following 
factors:

1)  Ginny probably has latent anger/resentment against some or all of 
her brothers.  Although none of them strike me as being "mean", it 
can't have been easy being the only girl, and especially the youngest 
child, in a family of six brothers.  I suspect that her brothers have 
angered her to the point that she has invoked the bat-bogey hex on 
them -- how else would Fred and George have known that Ginny was able 
to do that before she hexed Zacharias Smith in HBP? 

Further, as any girl who has had an older brother knows, any brother 
worth his salt both torments and (over)protects, which may also have 
angered Ginny.  Don't forget that Fred and George were badgering 
Ginny about her "five" boyfriends at the beginning of HBP, based on 
Ron's misinformation.  Could she have worried that Ron would 
exaggerate the hallway incident and report to the Twins?  If one 
boyfriend turned into five, what would the hallway incident turn into 
in Ron's version of events?

2)Ginny was angry at Ron for embarrassing her in front of her current 
boyfriend and more importantly, the one she hoped would be her future 
boyfriend.  She tells Harry at the end of HBP that she never gave up 
on him, so I'm sure she wouldn't want him to think she was a slut.  
Not good PR.

To me, this explains the "Auntie Muriel" expose.  She wanted to 
embarrass Ron to the same degree that he embarrassed her.  Yes,it was 
vicious, but understandable, in my book.  

Why should we be surprised that the same girl who performs a bat-
bogey hex on Zacharias simply b/c he was annoying her would get so 
angry when she thought her brother was accusing her of being a slut 
in front of her would-be future boyfriend?

3) It is also possible that she was angry b/c Harry didn't act 
jealous when he saw her kissing Dean.  As you point out, the corridor 
was used as a shortcut and it seems that Ginny should have known she 
and Dean would likely be spotted by Harry and Ron as they returned to 
practice.  I really don't see Ginny as manipulative (as choosing that 
spot deliberately to make Harry jealous, but I guess that's another 
thread); maybe subconsciously Harry's response or apparent lack 
thereof made her angry and she didn't even realize it herself.

4)  I'm sure she's also tired of people insinuating that she's a 
child.  Remember in OOP how Molly wouldn't let her stay to hear about 
what Voldemort was up to?  Ginny as the only one who didn't get to 
stay.  And Harry told her she was too young to help with the MOM in 
OOP.  Especially since she wants Harry to see her as "girlfriend 
material" anything that implies she's still "a little girl", 
especially in front of Harry, is going to sting her.

5)  She was also angry b/c Ron embarrassed her, but more importantly, 
himself, at Quidditch practice.  I believe she feels Ron is not 
living up to his potential on the Quidditch field and she wants him 
to realize his potential.  Maybe constructive criticism or 
encouragement would be more productive, but Ginny doesn't strike me 
as a warm-fuzzy person.

6) I do believe there is an element of Ginny being angry about Bill 
and Fleur.  She seems to have a special fondness for Bill.  I don't 
know if she thinks Fleur is just a pretty face or just not good 
enough for Bill or what, but she certainly doesn't like to see any 
guy act all googly around Fleur.  Maybe it's part jealousy, b/c she's 
not the only "girl" in the family anymore, but maybe she just doesn't 
like to see the guys she cares about acting like prats because of a 
woman.  She even accuses Harry of liking the way Fleur says his name.
I believe Ginny thinks if Ron gets a girlfriend, he'll stop 
embarrassing the whole family with the way he acts around Fleur.

7)  I don't know how likely it is, but maybe Ginny sees Ron's 
response as a sign that he would not approve of her being with any of 
his friends, which would, of course, would not bode well for her 
would-be relationship with Harry.

8)  I also wonder if Ginny has had to endure other people making 
comments similar to the one Ron never got to finish?  Ginny pulled 
her wand at the precise moment before Ron called her whatever he was 
going to call her. Not that it makes her a slut, but Ginny is pretty 
and popular and at age 15, is with her second boyfriend.  Harry felt 
she was too popular for her own good.  Even Pansy stated that a lot 
of boys like Ginny.  Even though Ginny seems to not be the type to 
care what others say about her, if other people had teased/taunted 
her, Ron's near-comment might have been the last straw because it was 
the most hurtful of all, coming from her brother, rather than 
strangers.

9) Let's not forget:  Ginny is her mother's daughter and is a 
redhead.  :)  I think she's inherited her mother's temper.  At one 
point in HBP, it seems like she reminds Harry of Mrs. Weasley (can't 
remember when).

10) Finally, I do believe there is a legitimate reason for this 
scene. If Ginny gets this wound up about something that is obviously 
important to her, but in truth, does not involve life-or-death, how 
formidable will she be when faced with a situation involving someone 
she cares about that does involve life-or-death?  We can't say, "Oh, 
if she gets this wound up over "small" things, she'll be of no use in 
a real crisis situation" because her behavior at the MOM proves she 
can handle herself in a crisis situation.

JKR could have given Ginny any temperament that she wanted to, but 
she made her spunky and yes, sometimes, angry.  I prefer to think 
there is a reason for this other than merely matching Harry with 
someone who has a strong personality:  Could it be that this scene 
foreshadows that Ginny may be able to perform an Unforgiveable Curse 
and "mean it" (something Harry has yet to pull off)?  


My two Knut's worth.