Ever-More-Observant!Harry - was Re: Drinking, Schminking

[Stephanie]

SSSusan wrote:
> I did notice more drinking/references to alcohol in HBP than in 
> previous HPs, but I attributed it to Harry's being 16 now -- that 
he 
> & his mates are more likely to be interested in alcohol and that 
> adults are more likely to include him & his mates when drink is 
> offered.


Stephanie:

On the subject of seeing more because Harry is getting older... IMO 
you're exactly right, and this is a point that applies way beyond 
alcohol.  With the exception of a few chapters, the still-maturing 
Harry is our only guide to the WW, and I think that we haven't seen 
half the stuff that really goes on because he simply hasn't cared 
enough to consciously notice it, or hasn't known enough to recognize 
the signs.  Like alcohol, and also relationships, political 
machinations and the subtleties of other characters such as Snape or 
Draco (if I call him Drake's Cakes would it make sense to non-
Americans?).  In HBP Harry is of legal age to drink (I think?), his 
friends are drinking, and magically (ha ha) alcohol appears all 
around him.  It's like when you learn a new word and it suddenly 
seems to pop up everywhere.  That helps explain seemingly sudden 
revelations, like Tonks pining for Lupin: Those two could have been 
dancing around each other since OotP and the reason we didn't see any 
hints of it was that Harry wasn't thinking much about love until he 
and his schoolmates turned into cauldronfuls of hormones.

So in that sense it's really a shame there will only be seven books, 
because imagine how much more we could learn if our protagonist grew 
to be as curious and observant as his fans. :)

-Stephanie

P.S. You've probably covered all this before, so please excuse the 
overeager newbie.