[HPforGrownups] Re: Harry Potter, REALLY for Grown-Ups (well, PG-13 anyway)

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 164418

Steve:
> As to Slytherin vs Gryffindors in the arena of romance,
> I think certainly Slytherins in general have an easy
> confidence and comfort in this area. They assume that
> they are desirable, and that anyone else who can't see
> that is obviously wrong.
>
> Gryffindors on the other hand take a far more noble and
> restrained approach; gentlemen to the core.

Magpie:
*spits water on screen*

Sorry, but that's funny. Thanks, but as a woman reading the books I think 
I'll make my own decisions on who's a "gentleman" or not and I'm not giving 
Gryffindor any medals as a house for this one. (And anyway, these days 
someone calling themselves a "gentleman" is often a jerk, unfortunately.) 
But then I'm a Scarlet Woman good for physical experience to make boys 
worthy of their true love.;-)

In terms of judging the houses against each other, I admit I, like Betsy, 
found the Slytherin train scene to give the impression that the house of 
water/emotion were more into some of these sensual pleasures (having more 
time not having to save the world, perhaps). It fits the passionate natures 
of the Blacks and Slughorn's pleasure-seeking in HBP as well. But in terms 
of how individuals treat other individuals of the opposite sex, well, that's 
harder to tell.

You've judged Draco as being fine with people just after his power while 
Harry chooses a girl in his "safe" circle, but the reality is that Draco and 
Harry are pretty much both dating girls they've been close to for a long 
time. (Draco's perhaps closer to his girlfriend for longer--Pansy's 
introduced in first year and is connected to him by PoA. They seem to be 
close friends on their own before dating, unlike Harry and Ginny) They both 
have a small group of long-term friends.

Draco's more aggressively social than Harry--this could partially be having 
a confidence Harry lacks (though Harry has a different kind of confidence 
Draco lacks), but I think it's just personality. He does consider social 
networking based on money and class part of the game, but he also works 
really hard for attention and reactions from other kids and friends. Stood 
side by side with a strange boy in a robe shop, Draco starts talking to him.

In the end both characters have stories that depend on them having a set 
group of people who care about them, imo.

Sandy:
Sandy responds:

Geoff, while I so hate to disagree with you, there is absolutely no cannon 
to
support such a view and, furthermore, I think there is a little bit of movie
contamination here. The kids at Hogwarts wear wizard robes and, based on
Snape's Worst Memory, they wear nothing under them but undergarments. When 
James so
unceremoniously yanked Snape in the air upside-down you will recall that it
revealed his dingy, gray underpants. It is only in the movies that the kids
wear uniforms under their robes

Magpie:
Clothing is one of the places Rowling is at her least consistent, however. 
If they're wearing robes with nothing underneath, how is Ron's shirt 
untucked? Where do they wear sweaters? I know there's other areas where it's 
unclear or clothing comes and goes along with Wizard awareness of how 
Muggles dress.

Regardless, I don't think the tattoo comment is meant to be any signal that 
Harry and Ginny have or haven't done anything. Hermione could have easily 
made the same joke with no one batting an eye.

-m (seeing now that Betsy has answered this already saying much the same 
things)