Partnering in the HP books (was Re: Bigotry in the Potterverse)

[sartoris22]

No: HPFGUIDX 188129


Christy:

Since you use Sirius as an example, I will remind all of us that Sirius is focused on protecting Harry when he escapes prison in POA (a bit more important than meeting a woman) and on the run throughout GOF. For all we know he is sowing some pent-up wild oats off page before he returns to Hogwarts to be near Harry during the tournament (or maybe not, maybe he's too focus on remaining "under the radar" to risk it). Throughout OOTP he was in hiding. Of the women we see come in and out of Grimwald Place, most are not appropriate matches for him. (Molly is married, Fleur is with Bill, Tonks is his cousin, Minerva is much older, Ginny and Hermione are -- well way too inappropriate to even think about). As for other order members we know little or nothing about, for all we know he might have had a fling or two.  

In any case, what we speculate about what happens off page is just that -- speculation. It can be fun to speculate, but it doesn't make what we speculate true, no matter how well constructed our arguments  are. And, my former college English professors would have torn up some of those arguments because of the amount of speculation on which they are based. I see some posts (and not necessarily the one I include here -- I use it only to open the door to my own opinions) that I think come dangerously close to trying to make truths out of little to no canon-based fact.

sartoris22:

I don't know. Perhaps a postmodernist English professor would find such speculation valid, employing a deconstructive absence/ presence reading of the texts. No matter. You make an interesting point. However, some of your arguments are speculation, too, such as "for all we know [Sirius] is sowing some pent-up wild oats off page before he returns to Hogwarts to be near Harry during the tournament" and "[a]s for other order members we know little or nothing about, for all we know he might have had a fling or two."  I base my comments on what I know from the text. I think it less speculative to think Sirius is alone because we never see or hear about any relationships Sirius has with women.  Of course, Sirius and others could have partners, even though the texts don't reveal this information.  So I amend my statement, thus: there are many characters in the novel with unknown relationship status, which, in my opinion,  seems to deemphasize the importance of partnering in the wizard world.