CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 13: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 189974

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nikkalmati" <puduhepa98 at ...> wrote:

> > > > 4. Do you think that Cho is just using her flying ability to distract 
> > > > Harry or do you think she might be using her womanly wiles to 
> > > > affect him in other ways?

Nikkalmati:
> >  > Why do guys always think that?  Just because Harry feels something when he meets her doesn't mean she even knows about it.  The only thing she did intentionally here was to try to knock him off his broom.

Geoff:
> > I knew *someone* would interpret my question that way! I spent time
> > trying to work out the best way of wording my question.
 
> > I got the impression that Cho was trying very quietly to catch Harry's eye.
> > She smiles at Harry but then, after the near-collision on the brooms, she 
> > appeared to me to be exhibiting a mixture of mischief and coquettishness
> > when she grins at him.
 
> > I don't agree with you that she was intentionally trying to knock Harry off 
> > the broom. After Harry's accident in the previous match that would have 
> > been thoughtless and unkind. I think she was trying to unsight him.

Nikkalmati
> "womanly wiles" strikes me as a loaded term.  Cho is apparently a very pretty girl.  She is also in another House and a year older.  It's hard if you can't even smile pleasantly upon meeting someone new without being accused of manipulation.

Geoff:
I tried to think of a different term but I think that she was interested in
meeting Harry because of his fame and I did suspect a possible bit of 
flirting.

Nikkalmati:
> The proper form of the question would be to ask why Harry doesn't want to confront her - so much that the twins have to urge him on.  He may just be chivalrous, but because he is attracted to her he doesn't want to treat her like he would any other Seeker. 

Geoff:
He may have been attracted to her but I can identify myself with him in 
that I found dealing with girls at that age was not easy; in my case, going 
to a single-sex school didn't help. In hindsight, we saw in GOF that Harry
was not comfortable or skilled in getting a relationship off the ground.

Nikkalmati:
> As for knocking him off his broom, Quiddach is a very rough sport and that would be standard behavior in a match. Do you think she was deliberatly holding back?  Actually, she has such a slow broom compared to his Firebolt, she has no realistic chance in a head to head contest.  She has to hope she sees the Snitch and he doesn't.

Geoff:
Quidditch may be a rough sport but knocking off brooms would make it 
downright lethal. Harry only avoided serious injury in the Hufflepuff match
because Dumbledore intervened to bring him down gently - even some of 
the spectators had feared that he might have been killed.