[HPforGrownups] Re: Ron and Hermione in Deathly Hallows

[Christine Maupin]

No: HPFGUIDX 174178

Maeg:
> As I said, I'll give you Cho, but I never bought Harry's feelings 
> for Ginny. I found the concept of Harry protecting Ginny by not  
> displaying his affection very sad and moving, but it was only the  
> *concept*. I never really felt that JKR convinced me that Harry
> truly valued her as a person and as a romantic entanglement. I 
> was just told that, and it seemed somewhat trite. Bah.

Nate:
> Interestingly, I found almost the exact opposite.  To show that 
> Harry really cared for Ginny, I look at the very end of the Ch 34 
> in DH, "The Forest Again" (Don't have book with me, so I don't 
> know page number, only know its that chapter because JK has said 
> multiple times that it was the hardest chapter for her to write 
> in all the books.)
 
> Right before Voldemort curses Harry, it's said that he is thinking 
> Ginny, not Ron, Hermione, Sirius, or even his parents. I think 
> that speaks volumes as to how much he actually cared about her. 
> If not that, the multiple times through DH in which Harry looks 
> at her on the Marauder's Map, hoping that she will somehow now 
> that he is thinking about her. IMO, it couldn't be more clearly 
> shown how much he cares for her.
 
(I'm not sure to whom to attribute this next comment.  Maeg, again?  
I apologize for my confusion...)

> For a series that hounds on the idea that "love is the savior" 
> and whose narrative arc is about growing up, this seems to be 
> a large flaw.

Nate: 
> I think that you are misunderstanding the whole "love is a savior" 
> part of the story (or at least the way that I understood it, I 
> certainly do not claim to be exactly, absolutely correct). I do 
> not believe that Harry's greatest strength being his ability to 
> love means romantic love. I think it means his ability to create 
> incredibly loving friendships with large number of people in 
> comparison to Voldemort, who cannot love at all, being it friends, 
> family, or romantic interests.  The difference is this.  Harry 
> loves, and is loved, but a multitude of people, all of whom are 
> willing to die for him.  Likewise, because of his love for them, 
> he is unwilling to let that happen because he loves them, hence 
> how is able to let himself be killed to save them. Voldemort has 
> people willing to die for him, but not because love, because the 
> fear what he would to do them if they didn't put their lives on 
> the line.
 

Nate, I think your two knuts are right on. I'm surprised anyone 
could think Harry doesn't value Ginny as a person, esp. after COS 
and esp. considering how the entire Wesley family has embraced him 
and he them (oh, well, let's not talk about Percy in books 5 and 6). 
Yes, Ginny's a bit player at first (but for her role in COS), but 
we see more of her, and therefore her interactions with Harry, 
starting in OOTP.  And, let's remember, she's a "kid sister."  
Being a "kid sister" myself I know how easily we are over looked 
growing up.

A friend has borrowed my OOTP and HBP books so I'm doing this from 
memory, but in OOTP there are a few instances at Grimmauld Place 
where Ginny and Harry share a subtle joke (barely more than a 
glance and grin and a couple of times at  Fleur's expense but 
shared nonetheless) and there she is right in the thick of things 
at the Ministry. I can't believe Harry's respect for her wouldn't 
grow after that. Then, in HBP we see them spending lots of time 
together during the summer at the Burrow.  HBP is filled with 
foreshadowing (e.g., a couple times a flowery scent is mentioned 
that we later learn is associated with Ginny -- I know one 
occurrence is during the first potions lesson); and in HBP Harry 
experiences jealousy as he watches Ginny with her boyfriends, 
in an ideal world he'd rather use his FF potion to win her over 
than get Slughorn's memory, and he often tries to talk himself 
out of his growing feelings by reminding himself that she's Ron's 
sister.  By the time they kiss in the common room after the 
Quidditch match I'm  thinking, "Its about darn time."  And, I 
thought that (defining) moment was very sweet and natural.

As for Harry and love, one of the first things that stuck me about 
Harry when I first started the books is his acceptance.  I don't 
get the impression that the Dursley household was one that taught 
tolerance -- yet he doesn't think twice about accepting a half-
giant, a house elf, a centaur, classmates from diverse backgrounds, 
etc. into his life.  For the most part, he takes individuals on 
face value -- he's a "golden rule" kind of guy. He really doesn't 
have a lot of preconceived notions; if you're good to him, he's 
good to you and expects the same in return.

Now, I know someone will slam me about his feelings for Slytherin 
house (and I know that there is whole thread on the topic of 
Slytherin) -- Harry is a flawed character (that's why he's easy 
to accept, he's not perfect). Yes, he relies on what others tell 
him (i.e., evil wizards come from Slytherin), but he has just 
learned about his heritage for the first time (that in itself 
is a lot for an 11 year to take in) and the truth about his 
parents, and, let's be honest, Draco Malfoy and Professor Snape 
don't make good first impressions.  His only prejudices seem to 
be toward Slytherin -- and they do have some basis in personal 
experience with individual Slytherins.  Slughorn is the first 
Slytherin he meets who doesn't seem out to get him.  And the 
fact that his attitude toward Slytherin in the epilogue of book 
7 is vastly different than his attitude in book 1 speaks volumes 
about his growth as a person...  So, 37-year-old Harry has the 
whole tolerance/acceptance/love thing nailed...  (Gee, I'm 46 
and sadly I can't say the same about myself...)

Christy