#harry potter analysis

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Harry Potter is Probably Gay and Here's Why

So.... a lot of this fandom likes to call one Harry James Potter a Bi disaster. Personally, I think he's gay and I can use book text to prove he isn't actually attracted to women at all.

So here goes:

How Harry Describes Men

Harry describes many men as attractive and handsome in the books, not only that but in general Harry goes into more detail when describing male characters. I'll mention it again in a later section in this post, but when describing men, even those Harry doesn't find attractive, he tends to describe much more details about them than about girls he supposedly does find attractive. Something that to me suggests, he doesn't find these girls attractive at all.

Here are some examples of Harry finding men attractive:

Charlie Weasley:

Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weatherbeaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.

(Goblet of Fire, page 52)

Bill Weasley:

However, Bill was — there was no other word for it — cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. Bill’s clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide.

(Goblet of Fire, page 52)

Cedric Diggory:

Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen.

(Goblet of Fire, page 71)

Sirius Black:

Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James’s nor Harry’s could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn’t seem to have noticed.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 642)

Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 644)

Firenze:

white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes, the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 598)

Professor McGonagall turned next to Parvati Patil, whose first question was whether Firenze, the handsome centaur, was still teaching Divination

(Half-Blood Prince, page 174)

Blaise Zabini:

He recognized a Slytherin from their year, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes

(Half-Blood Prince, page 143)

Draco Malfoy:

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

(Chamber of Secrets, page 133)

Malfoy, who had a pale, pointed, sneering face

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 79)

A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair

(Goblet of Fire, pages 116-117)

Tom Marvolo Riddle:

There was no trace of the Gaunts in Tom Riddle’s face. Merope had got her dying wish: He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale

(Half-Blood Prince, page 269)

The door creaked open. There on the threshold, holding an oldfashioned lamp, stood a boy Harry recognized at once: tall, pale, dark-haired, and handsome — the teenage Voldemort.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 364)

Harry recognized Voldemort at once. His was the most handsome face and he looked the most relaxed of all the boys.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 369)

followed by a tall young man Harry had no difficulty whatsoever in recognizing as Voldemort. He was plainly dressed in a black suit; his hair was a little longer than it had been at school and his cheeks were hollowed, but all of this suited him; he looked more handsome than ever.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 434)

I don't think anyone would argue Harry isn't attracted to men... He's kind of obvious. What I want to go more into detail about is him not being attracted to women, as that's what I think I disagree with most of the fandom about.

How Harry Describes Women (for comparison)

So, we saw how Harry describes men, specifically men he finds attractive, so, let's compare to how he describes a girl he thinks is pretty, like Cho Chang:

Harry couldn’t help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty. She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn’t think had anything to do with nerves.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 259)

“Good luck, Harry!” called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 304)

She was waiting for him a little to the side of the oak front doors, looking very pretty with her hair tied back in a long ponytail.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 556)

These are all the physical descriptions I managed to find of Cho, the girl Harry supposedly has a crush on from 3rd to 5th year... yeah, I don't see it. Sure, he mentions she's pretty, and he blushes around her, but he doesn't describe anything else about her. Not eye color, not hair color, skin color, eye shape, physique — nothing! Compare this to how he describes Bill Weasley or Blaise Zabini even, with so much more detail in their description.

Now, details in descriptions when writing from a character's POV are very important. Because a character would use more words to describe what's most important or striking to them... and in Harry's case Cho isn't it.

We know she's pretty and Harry's nervous around her, but the descriptions are just so stale and distant compared to: Tom "handsomest face in the room" Riddle, or Sirius "handsome handsomed handsomely" Black.

And I want to talk about Harry's crush on Cho more, but first:

Fleur Delacor:

I want to talk about Fleur for a bit. Because Harry's reaction to Fleur is very interesting, specifically because Fleur is a quarter veela.

Ron was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses. “She’s a veela!” he said hoarsely to Harry.

…

many boys’ heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless, just like Ron.

(Goblet of Fire, page 252)

Veelas are literally magically attractive, if you are attracted to women, you'll find a veela woman attractive and be mesmerized. We see it with Ron and other boys, as Harry notes in the above quote. Ron and many other boys all stare, speechless at Fleur because that's how her magic works.

Harry, on the other hand, isn't affected at all. To the point, he's confused by Ron's drooling over Fleur. He later in GoF wonders why Ron wanted to go with Fleur to the Yule Ball so much, as he didn't see the appeal.

Harry is literally not attracted to a woman who is magically attractive to anyone who's attracted to women.

Looking careworn, she [Fleur] left the room. Ron still seemed slightly punch-drunk; he was shaking his head experimentally like a dog trying to rid its ears of water. “Don’t you get used to her if she’s staying in the same house?” Harry asked. “Well, you do,” said Ron, “but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then . . .”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 93)

It continues in his later interactions with Fleur, like when he arrives at the Burrow in HBP in the above quote. Harry asks Ron if he shouldn't get used to Fleur and stop drooling whenever he sees her, to which Ron responds that you do to a degree. The thing is, Harry isn't used to being around Fleur, he just arrived, after not seeing her for over a year. But still, he isn't affected at all, like in 4th year, he seems to not get what all the fuss is about.

That being said, Harry does react to the full veela in the Quidditch World Cup:

But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry’s question was answered for him. Veela were women . . . the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen . . . except that they weren’t — they couldn’t be — human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind . . . but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human — in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all.

...

And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry’s dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea . . . but would it be good enough? “Harry, what are you doing?” said Hermione’s voice from a long way off. The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard.

(Goblet of Fire, page 103)

I'm not sure exactly about the full veela's effects. Mostly because Arthur Weasley doesn't seem as affected as Harry and Ron, and Harry describes the crowd in general reacting to them, not just the men. Hermione doesn't seem affected though.

Something I want to note is that Harry only becomes affected once they start dancing, and not just by looking at them the way Ron and some of the boys are described as being with Fluer. Only when the music and dance start Harry becomes mesmerized. Before that, he is wondering how their hair moves behind them without wind... Additionally, after the music stops, Harry snaps out of it quickly, Ron on the other hand doesn't and proceeds to tear his Ireland merch.

So, while full veela, can influence him, it isn't by their appearance alone but by magic beyond their regular magical attractiveness.

Note that even with the veela, Harry barely describes anything about them. his descriptions of them aren't as detailed as his descriptions of men he finds attractive.

So even if he is attracted to women, it's very minor and barely there.

Harry's Disastrous Relationship with Cho

So, Harry and Cho... I don't think it's a pairing that has fans, but I might be wrong about that. Regardless of your opinion about it, I don't think Harry actually liked Cho. Like, at all.

They looked at each other for a long moment. Harry felt a burning desire to run from the room and, at the same time, a complete inability to move his feet. “Mistletoe,” said Cho quietly, pointing at the ceiling over his head. “Yeah,” said Harry. His mouth was very dry. “It’s probably full of nargles, though.” “What are nargles?” “No idea,” said Harry. She had moved closer. His brain seemed to have been Stunned. “You’d have to ask Loony. Luna, I mean.” Cho made a funny noise halfway between a sob and a laugh. She was even nearer him now. He could have counted the freckles on her nose. “I really like you, Harry.” He could not think. A tingling sensation was spreading throughout him, paralyzing his arms, legs, and brain. She was much too close. He could see every tear clinging to her eyelashes. . . .

(Order of the Pheonix, page 456)

Cho, the girl Harry is convinced he's crushing on since he was 13, is about to kiss him under the mistletoe, and he's thinking about nargles and Luna... And how does he feel about kissing Cho?

"a burning desire to run from the room"

He wants to run away from kissing Cho. And, well, it doesn't get any better than that.

“What kept you?” he [Ron] asked, as Harry sank into the armchair next to Hermione’s. Harry did not answer. He was in a state of shock. Half of him wanted to tell Ron and Hermione what had just happened, but the other half wanted to take the secret with him to the grave. “Are you all right, Harry?” Hermione asked, peering at him over the tip of her quill. Harry gave a halfhearted shrug. In truth, he didn’t know whether he was all right or not.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 457)

He is not sure he's alright after kissing Cho. Harry thinks about kissing Cho like it's a traumatic experience... He's happier talking about Voldemort's resurrection than about his first kiss. (WTF Harry?)

Harry doesn't like Cho. Not even a bit.

“Did you kiss?” asked Hermione briskly. Ron sat up so fast that he sent his ink bottle flying all over the rug. Disregarding this completely he stared avidly at Harry. “Well?” he demanded. Harry looked from Ron’s expression of mingled curiosity and hilarity to Hermione’s slight frown, and nodded. “HA!” Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter that made several timid-looking second years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry’s face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look of deep disgust and returned to her letter. “Well?” Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. “How was it?” Harry considered for a moment. “Wet,” he said truthfully. Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.

(Order of the Pheonix, pages 456-458)

I don't need I need to add anything here... Harry speaks for himself.

“You just had to be nice to her,” said Hermione, looking up anxiously. “You were, weren’t you?” “Well,” said Harry, an unpleasant heat creeping up his face, “I sort of — patted her on the back a bit.” Hermione looked as though she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes with extreme difficulty. “Well, I suppose it could have been worse,” she said. “Are you going to see her again?” “I’ll have to, won’t I?” said Harry. “We’ve got D.A. meetings, haven’t we?” “You know what I mean,” said Hermione impatiently. Harry said nothing. Hermione’s words opened up a whole new vista of frightening possibilities. He tried to imagine going somewhere with Cho — Hogsmeade, perhaps — and being alone with her for hours at a time. Of course, she would have been expecting him to ask her out after what had just happened. . . . The thought made his stomach clench painfully. “Oh well,” said Hermione distantly, buried in her letter once more, “you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask her. . . .” “What if he doesn’t want to ask her?” said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face. “Don’t be silly,” said Hermione vaguely, “Harry’s liked her for ages, haven’t you, Harry?” He did not answer. Yes, he had liked Cho for ages, but whenever he had imagined a scene involving the two of them it had always featured a Cho who was enjoying herself, as opposed to a Cho who was sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 460)

Okay, so I have two things to mention about this quote.

The first, Harry realizes he doesn't like Cho and probably never did. He didn't consider dating her until Hermoine mentioned it. He doesn't want to date her. He's terrified and grossed out by the notion.

This isn't a boy with a crush. I'd argue this proves he isn't straight at all. I mean, a guy who is attracted to girls, even if not crushing on Cho specifically, wouldn't be horrified to a painful degree at the thought of going on a date with a pretty girl. Or kissing a pretty girl. His reaction is just too viscerally grossed out.

The second is Ron's response. Not really related to Harry being gay, but I love Harry and Ron's friendship so I want to mention it. Hermione and a good chunk of the fandom dunk on Ron for having "the emotional range of a teaspoon", but he clearly doesn't. Ron is Harry's best friend, he knows Harry better than anyone else, yes, better than Hermione even, and this scene proves it. Hermione is flippant, ignoring Harry's responses to his kiss with Cho, just saying he should ask her out as if it's obvious.

Ron on the other hand, Ron notices Harry's expression and the turmoil thinking of dating Cho causes him. Ron is the one who speaks up that maybe Harry doesn't want to date Cho. He immediately defends Harry and his option to choose not to date Cho. (Ron would be very supportive if Harry ever came out, is what I'm saying)

They sat down at the last remaining table, which was situated in the steamy window. Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, was sitting about a foot and a half away with a pretty blonde girl. They were holding hands. The sight made Harry feel uncomfortable, particularly when, looking around the tea shop, he saw that it was full of nothing but couples, all of them holding hands. Perhaps Cho would expect him to hold her hand.

…

In the time it took for their coffees to arrive, Roger Davies and his girlfriend started kissing over their sugar bowl. Harry wished they wouldn’t; he felt that Davies was setting a standard with which Cho would soon expect him to compete.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 559)

The above quotes are from Harry's disaster of a date with Cho. I think no one needs me to explain that the date went badly, but what I want to note is how uncomfortable and grossed out Harry is by the very notion of holding Cho's hands. That he'd have to kiss her again.

Like, again, even if he isn't crushing on her, a guy who's attracted to girls wouldn't be grossed out and pained at the thought of kissing or holding hands with a pretty, attractive girl.

Harry has never been attracted to Cho, and I don't think he's attracted to girls at all.

But What About Ginny?

So this post has gotten quite long already, but I don't think Harry actually likes Ginny. And I have evidence for it in the sequel to this post that is taking a while to write.

No hate for Hinny shippers, but I don't see the pairing, like, at all. I did write some of my thoughts about Hinny here until I finish with the more comprehensive post about them.

But in general, let's just say Harry never uses the word pretty (or good-looking, or nice-looking, or attractive) to describe Ginny. Ever.

And when I looked for his descriptions of her all I found were descriptions of her hair:

He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she [Ginny] walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her

(Half-Blood Prince, page 136)

she was the only real thing in the world, Ginny, the feel of her, one hand at her back and one in her long, sweet-smelling hair

(Deathly Hollows, page 103)

(There are more descriptions of her hair in the books, but they follow the same lines as these and don't add more information)

Again, contrast these descriptions to the ones of the guys earlier. No eye color, face shape, eye shape, or descriptions of her body or clothes — nothing.

I have more to say about their relationship, but that's for another post.

[alenablack]

The contrasting parallels of Tom M. Riddle & Harry J. Potter

(Big thanks to @chaos-bear for helping me formulate and think this through!)

Let’s start with the basics;

Blood status: Both Tom and Harry are half-bloods according to pureblood society. Harry from his muggleborn mother, Lily Evans, and muggle grandparents. And Tom from his muggle father, Tom Sr.

Moving on we can touch on upbringing:

Both Tom and Harry are raised in the muggle world in unfavorable circumstances. For Tom he is trapped at an orphanage during the Second World War where he experiences bullying and isolation due to his magical nature. For Harry he is left in the care of his mother’s muggle sister and her family. Due to his magical nature he is treated with neglect and verbal abuse. Both of these circumstances create an inherent distrust in authority figures for both Tom and Harry. This also had an impact on their desire for a place or sense of belonging. This brings us to the next point: Hogwarts.

Both Tom and Harry experience Hogwarts as their first home, and the first place either of them call home. Throughout the books we see how both of them are drawn to and protective of hogwarts.For Harry we can clearly see his attachment through his narration. For Tom we mainly see this in three ways; his creation of Hogwarts artifacts as horcruxes as well as his desire to teach there immediately after graduation. Later his takeover of Hogwarts can be attributed to this desire for his first home as well as what it represents to the Wizarding world as a whole. This comparison is made by Tom Riddle himself. He notices similarities in their orphaned wizarding "blood," childhood, Parselmouth talents, and appearance. He makes Harry aware of the things they share, and this in turns shape how Harry views himself later throughout the story.

Finally in terms of basic parallels we can discuss the twin cores. While this could simply be because of the horcrux inside of Harry, I believe it is a further plot device meant to highlight the similarities between the two. Interestingly enough the nature of a phoenix is a constant state of life, death, and rebirth. Which is the cycle Harry and Tom repeat throughout their conflict with one another.

Next let’s move to more obscure parallels, or parallels that rely heavily on personal assumptions. Let’s discuss some similar personality traits between the two wizards. Both Harry and Tom experience moments of obsession; for Harry this can show through how he hyperfixates on death throughout his life or how he has an ability to obsess over the actions of others (I.E. Draco in HBP) and is very unable to be dissuaded from said obsession. For Tom there’s many ways in which his personality is considered obsessive; he too has an obsession with death, although his goal is to outwit it. His obsession with power, and later his obsession with pursuing Harry as an adversary. Furthermore Harry and Tom are both natural leaders; again with different styles and visions. Harry uses kindness and compassion to inspire loyalty, while Tom uses power and fear to motivate others into following him. Both boys have had the experience of being identified as separate and unusual by their classmates, as well as being acknowledged as leaders. Although popular may not be the best term, it is apparent that Tom Riddle and Harry Potter are idolized or reviled depending on the circumstance. Tom, who had become accustomed to power and authority, cultivated these traits even further in founding the Death Eaters. Harry may find it much simpler to embrace the "hero" character in the seventh book, having had so much experience with people looking to him for answers and expecting so much from him. I’ll circle back to this when discussing the polarity between these two. Next, I want to touch on their shared slytherin traits which dumbledore himself calls attention to:

"Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue, resourcefulness , determination ¦ a certain disregard for the rules' he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet it is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

While Harry is very clearly a gryffindor he utilizes traits that Salazar prized. This causes an internal conflict within Harry, funnily enough in his pursuit to separate himself from his idea of voldemort he actually begins to display these qualities further.

While not a parallel in itself I do think it’s interesting how both Harry and Tom place special importance on familial objects (such as the gaunt ring or the invisibility cloak) especially since they share a common ancestor through the peverall line.

Changing gears I believe it is necessary to discuss, at least in part, how these two characters contrast. The fundamental difference between them is simply how they choose to deal with an issue at hand. While Harry and Tom have similar upbringings, they react extremely differently. Harry appreciates the qualities he lacked as a child, such as love, connection, trust, and joy. While Tom appears to be completely opposed to emotional attachments. Loyalty empowers Harry, whereas Tom feels owed it. Tom seeks credit for his uniqueness, whereas Harry avoids praise and criticism. Tom believes he is more powerful than death, whereas Harry believes death is his inevitable fate. Consider their leadership styles: Harry utilizes authority to teach and protect; his objective is to empower. While Tom utilizes his power to oppress and destroy, he lives on his own powers and those of his followers. Although there are clear differences such as, Harry serving as the protagonist and Tom serving as the story’s antagonist, I don’t believe it's central to their characters as to how they fundamentally differ in worldview.

[kalkaros-is-the-boss]

“I don’t think Snape’s redemption arc was good”. That’s because it didn’t happen. No, I’m serious, Snape didn’t have a redemption arc in the books. His redemption happened literally before the first book. We only hear about it, but we don’t see it, because it’s not relevant. What is relevant, is the knowledge that he is on Harry’s side. The Prince’s Tale was not a redemption, it was a reveal. In the Prince’s Tale it’s revealed that Snape has redeemed himself, it’s revealed that he is on Harry’s side. We're not shown his redemption arc, we're shown why we - or more specifically, why Harry - should believe that he is on his side. Do you really think Snape cares if people think he’s good? He doesn’t care about being redeemed in Harry’s or anyone’s eyes, all he cares about is that Harry believes him. That’s why we’re shown Lily’s and his relationship, so we understand what motivates him in the most raw, and bare level. Even if Harry doesn’t believe that he’s good, he’ll understand that Snape would do anything for Lily, and therefore anything to protect Harry. We’re shown him and Dumbledore, so we’ll know that he is following Dumbledore’s orders and that Dumbledore trusts him. Again, Harry doesn’t have to think that Snape is good, he just needs to trust that he’s following Dumbledore’s orders.

It’s not a redemption, it’s a reveal.

[fresiants]

Upon rereading HBP, I can't believe they chose to discard all the emotions portrayed in this scene from the movie. In my opinion, this particular moment holds great significance in comprehending the core of Severus' character.

Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew away into the darkness and out of sight.

“Kill me then,” panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. “Kill me like you killed him, you coward-“

“DON’T-,” screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them-“CALL ME COWARD!”

Although movie!Snape did show some regret after killing Dumbledore, it pales in comparison to the emotional breakdown that the book version of Snape had. Not only was he called a coward for something he regretted doing, but he also had to deal with Harry's attempts to use his spells against him, which likely triggered his worst memory.

[monsterblogging]

So, something finally clicked into place re: Harry Potter and why people get so attached to it, despite it being... shall we say, not that good.

Now I want y'all to keep in mind, I am saying this as a former Harry Potter fan who still occasionally feels nostalgia for the franchise. As in, what I'm about to say here is informed by personal experience and self-analysis as much as anything.

It finally clicked that Harry Potter hooks you by the emotional vulnerabilities.

As someone who's studied various cults, and knows how they play to your emotions to suck you in, I can definitely say that Harry Potter many of the same moves.

Now, I'm not saying that Harry Potter fandom is a cult. I'm not saying that JK Rowling did this with any kind of deliberate intention. I'm talking about this to get anyone who has any kind of positive feelings toward this franchise critically thinking about what the foundation of their relationship with it really is.

To put it quite simply, cults often promise an escape from the ordinary world, and an entry into a world filled with wonder, belonging, and a sense of identity. There's groups out there who will tell you what kind of magic space alien your soul is, and what your very special purpose for incarnating on this Earth in a human body is.

The actual beliefs and moral precepts cults hold to are never really deep, but are always geared to play to your emotions. There's nearly always a clear-cut enemy responsible for everything we're supposed to hate. Cults often praise love and unity as the best things in the world, and believe that their power can overcome all evil.

It's easy to miss how the wizarding world is actually a soul-crushing dystopia when you're being distracted by the latest magical novelty.

It's easy to overlook how cruel and petty people in wizarding society actually are when your emotions are being played with stuff about love being the greatest magic of all.

It's easy to miss how the Hogwarts house system functions to foster rivalry between students and creates an environment (Slytherin House) where students are allowed to simmer in and internalize the Wizarding World's most rancid political ideologies when the house you or a quiz picked for you is your shiny new identity.

"I like Harry Potter because it's about the power of friendship triumphing over evil!" Yeah, that's... exactly my point.

And like, I'm not saying that the fact that this stuff appeals to people is a bad thing in itself. All of this stuff touches on very fundamental psychological needs. The point I'm making here is that these things are so fundamental that when we're deprived of them (whether or not we even consciously realize we're deprived), when something seems to offer them to us, it creates this massive emotional attachment that does not fade easily.

I still have an emotional attachment to Harry Potter, even though when I stop and ask myself what it's got that I actually find all that spectacularly compelling or interesting, I struggle to actually come up with an answer. Now, when I think about, say, Harry getting his wand and buying magic books and taking magic classes I feel a sense of excitement, but that's not really the same thing; because these emotions are coming from my experience as a very isolated, repressed, and understimulated child coming upon a novelty and power fantasy. When I try to think up anything in Harry Potter that I'd actually like to rotate in my mind, there's just... nothin'.

Now some of you out there might be thinking, "yeah but what about building on her ideas? What about AUs?" and like, the thing is? It doesn't appeal to me. I've got enough skill and knowledge at this point that I can sketch out a better OC than she could ever create in a couple of minutes, and a better fantasy setting in a few days or so.

To wrap this up, I guess I'll just say that really important to be able to distinguish between fiction that's actually saying something worthwhile, and fiction that's just hitting you in your emotional vulnerabilities. Of course friendship and love are important. And of course there's nothing wrong with power fantasies and escape fantasies. And not every story has to be all that deep. But you should ask yourself: could it the case that superficial messages about love, friendship, and family are distracting you from a pretty rancid worldview beneath it all?

Also, before I go - I'm just gonna say that anybody who responds to this post with praise for the fandom or the fanfiction or tells people to go buy fan merch or pirate the series or whatever is going to get blocked. Go clown somewhere else.

[sxnshxnxxnddxxsxxs]

i really feel like we don’t discuss enough just how deep jkr’s white supremacy goes

like it’s way more than just:

cho chang’s name

almost every black character being tall and sporty

kingley’s name

the goblins

the house elves

the only south asian thing about the patil twins being their names

there’s way more but those are the talking points that are usually discussed in the white supremacy context of jkr’s bigotry.

but there’s something else that i find to be particularly insidious which i don’t see that many conversations about.

so for context when i did my a level i had had to research late 19th century pseudoscience because i was studying gothic literature. and i came across things like phrenology and the criminal mind and honestly it feels like jkr discovered these theories and just ran with them.

as a quick explanation phrenology is the theory that by studying the shape of someone’s skull you can see if they’re predisposed to criminality and lombroso’s criminal mind is the theory that criminality is hereditary and you can tell by observing someone’s physical features. it’s also the general consensus in both these theories that someone with physical ‘defects’ or deformities’ will be predisposed to criminality which also makes them incredibly ableist.

both are incredibly eugenicist and white supremacist theories because they’re essentially saying that you can tell if someone is inherently good or bad and thereby whether they deserve to be alive/within society/treated as equals by looking at their physical features.

they are both complete bullshit pseudoscience with no real basis in fact.

now where this comes into hp and jkr is that the antagonists and the villains of the series are disproportionately described as having these very negative physical characteristics.

like the very obvious one is voldemort with no nose and being snakelike.

but also the way peter pettigrew is described.

“His thin, colourless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who had lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers’s fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose, his very small, watery eyes.” (poa ch 19)

like the man is literally being compared to an animal (yes i know it’s implied in the lore that the longer one stays in their animagus form the more traits they take on but the point still stands).

then there’s marcus flint who as far as i remember is literally just a minor antagonist.

“Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied” (cos ch 7)

like she really has a thing for comparing people to animals which is a very common tool in white supremacy for dehumanising people.

and then there’s greyback

“a big, rangy man with matted grey hair and whiskers, whose black Death Eater’s robes looked uncomfortably tight. He had a voice like none that Harry had ever heard: a rasping bark of a voice. Harry could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat and, unmistakeably, of blood coming from him. His filthy hands had long yellowish nails.” (hbp ch 27)

now admittedly it’s slightly different with greyback since jkr is very openly saying in the narrative that he’s less than human and too dangerous for society because jkr only believes in equality for muggleborns and no one else.

but as is stands there are so many examples some big some small of the physical descriptions of villains and antagonists having negative connotations. the reason that it’s so insidious is because this is a children’s book series. and children soak up information like sponges including the implication that the further you are from the beauty standards the worse of a person you are (something that is reinforced by society). then when you place that in the context of the west where hp is most popular then it becomes the further away you are from whiteness (the western beauty standard) the worse of a person you are.

it seems like a really small thing which is why i don’t think it gets discussed nearly as much as the more overt things but even the small pebbles can have large ripple effects. besides i think think it’s incredibly important to discuss every aspect of jkr’s bigotry.

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Horcruxes as Seven Deadly Sins

This has been jabbing at my brain for a while, I need to get it out. Idk if someone has already done this.

This will only mention Christian, because I don't think I have enough knowledge about Greek, Roman or any other interpretation of the seven deadly sins.

So, Tom Riddle created seven horcruxes. (actually eight)

It is no secret that Tom Riddle was obsessed with power, because he never had anything of value and thought power was the remedy for his misfortune and a very depressing life. Splitting one's soul is already a sin itself because it's done by murdering someone. Tom Riddle Jr. (I think it's hilarious to call him that so what) created seven of them during various stages of his life. Without further ado, let's review his misdeeds chronologically.

The Diary

The first horcrux he created was by murdering Myrtle, an innocent Muggleborn Ravenclaw student. The basilisk did Tom's bidding. The diary becoming a horcrux is very interesing considering the timeline. He was in fifth or sixth year. By that time he figured out he was the descendant of Salazar Slytherin, but he did not yet know of the tragedy that brought him to life. He thought he was doing noble work by getting rid of the muggleborns and finishing what Salazar intended from the start. Years later, diary Tom talks to Harry about abandoning his filthy muggle father's name, but had Tom already visited his uncle by that time and found out about his parents? Or did Tom murder Myrtle earlier and then was told about his heritage as a diary by the actual corporal Tom? Because when he visited his uncle and found out his father was a muggle, he knocked his uncle out, went to the Riddle manor and killed his father and his grandparents. And stole the Gaunt family ring, which would also become a horcrux. Officially, the diary is considered the first horcrux, so we'll follow that. I will assign the diary the sin of wrath. Tom was angry at his muggle father, weak mother, deranged relatives who destroyed an ancient house and his childhood. However, he still holds his heritage in somewhat of a high regard because, frankly, what else he has left. He took out his wrath on regular bystanders who had no effect on his life. Teenage boy bottles his anger in his diary and holds petty grudges.

Marvolo Gaunt's Ring

Created after Tom spoke to Slughorn about splitting a soul in more than two pieces. A gaudy ring, not even a famous artifact, the last family heirloom of Gaunts. Even though his mother's side of the family was no less pathetic than his father's, Tom did not forsake it completely. He still hid his connection to them, but at least they provided him with the gift of parseltongue and magical talent. I think he was silently...grateful, for the lack of a better term. He felt no sympathy towards his mother even before he found out who she was, but he was grateful for her the way you can be grateful for someone who brought you to this world and gave you gift of magic and did nothing else for you. The ring represents the sin of pride because Tom was not honoring his family, he clung to his terrible ancestry. The word pride is not used as a bad thing in the modern context as much. You can be proud of something. That's not a bad thing, right? Well, in this case, it is. Tom was not ashamed of the things Gaunts did, he was ashamed how they ended up. If he was met with Gaunts who looked and lived like Malfoys but where ten times worse, he wouldn't hide his connection to them and would display his pride. Why else would he keep the ring if he didn't plan to use it. Sentimental reasons.

Salazar Slytherin's Locket

Envy. Tom tracked down the current owner of the locket, killed her and stole it from her. He was envious in a way of Hepzibah Smith, who lived luxuriously, was in touch of her pureblood ancestry, a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Meanwhile, Tom, who, in his opinion, should've been born with the same privileges, had to scramble for scraps his whole life and smile politely at others and be of service, instead of the other way around. A prince mistaken for a beggar, forced to live his life, found the crown jewel of his. And some old lady displayed it like it was her own. Technically, it was.

Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem

Now, what business did Tommy have messing around with other founders' sacred artifacts? He had acquired "his own" ones. He could stop at three horcruxes. Surely, there were risks, consequences of such extreme magic, just take the locket and leave the cup, don't even bother with the lost diadem...Greed. He sniffed around and inquired about it while he was still in Hogwarts, charmed the Grey Lady Helena Ravenclaw to find out its whereabouts and went to bloody Albania to get it.

Why shouldn't Tom take the diadem and the cup as well? Why shouldn't he take other heirlooms and make it his? He's the greatest wizard of all time in the making. What can possibly rival his power? You get the point.

Helga Hufflepuff's Cup

Gluttony. Are we even surprised at this point? He went through all that trouble to get other items, the cup was literally lying right there next to the locket at Hepzibah Smith's house. I'm getting tired, I'm sorry.

Nagini

Sloth. The snake was already unnaturally loyal to him, he was actually acting affectionate towards it. Making a horcrux out of a living being was an unheard concept, but he'd done much weirder things already. The parselmouth and a snake, very original. His easiest and laziest horcrux, one more testament to his power and "pure" blood.

Harry Potter

Lust. Harry was a horcrux he never meant to create. On a fateful night when Voldemort nearly died of his own spell (the first time around), a small piece of his soul attached itself to the only living thing it could find, a baby. All of it, really, began with lust. An ambition gone bitter. Lust for power, immortality, desire to be remembered and stand out. Driven to insanity, orchestrated his own downfall. The lust for power, the only thing he could approximate with love.

[foe-of-fate]

Currently thinking about how almost none of the Harry Potter characters have character growth. I mean sure they grow, they’re kids and we do see their mental state change as they grow, but from the beginning to the end of the books the characters themselves don’t really change at all.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I feel like it isn't talked about nearly enough that Harry freed Kreacher.

And I'm realizing that's because no one else, literally no one I've talked to in this fandom in the last seventeen years, interpreted the scene that way. But when I first read DH, I picked up on it immediately.

Because Harry unequivocally does free Kreacher when he gives him Regulus' locket, and I think that's so important. I get why you might disagree, because they never actually state in the dialogue that Kreacher is free. It's all subtext. You might also say that jewelry is different from clothing, but I don't think we have enough examples to rule it out. (Lucius was tricked into freeing Dobby with a sock that wasn't even his. Far as I'm concerned, if you can wear it, then it counts.)

Harry freed Dobby without hesitation, and why wouldn't he? The sweet little guy was miserable, trapped in servitude to the evil Malfoys. But Kreacher? He was the racist little bastard that betrayed Sirius, Sirius, to the Death Eaters, and had a hand in his death. Of course Harry hated him. Even in OOTP, the point is made that Kreacher cannot be freed, even if Sirius would love to be rid of him, because he simply knows too much information, and they need to keep him bound in service so that he can't pass it on.

In this, we see that Harry's status as an ally to the House Elves is conditional. He wasn't even raised in the magical world like Ron, there's no reason for him to see Elf Slavery as okay, but he just accepts it as part of the magical world because the elves are "happy" and writes off Hermione's campaign as one of her many obsessions. Ron didn't take it seriously, so neither did Harry. He was happy to free Dobby, but to him Dobby was a special case.

Then comes the tale of Regulus. Harry is told all about a Death Eater who had a change of heart for no other reason than because he loved Kreacher, and Voldemort tortured Kreacher, leaving him for dead. Harry cannot fathom it - after all, this is Kreacher. The monster who betrayed Sirius. But Sirius mistreated Kreacher at every turn, something that Harry laughed off because Kreacher was so unpleasant - but it doesn't change the fact that Sirius was literally Kreacher's master, and he regularly abused him. It's not like it's Kreacher's fault that Sirius was abused himself, or that Sirius had to return to Grimmauld Place.

Seeing Kreacher utterly break down was uncomfortable for Harry, because it forced him to confront an uncomfortable truth that conflicted with the worldview he'd set up for himself about the Elves - and about Sirius. Even twenty years later, Kreacher is still attempting to self-harm after failing to follow Regulus' orders, and it's safe to assume Regulus didn't tell him to do that.

At this point, Hermione breaks down too, and she asks them - Harry and Ron - to see what she sees. "Oh don't you see how sick it is, how they've got to obey?" And for the first time, Harry sees it. On a grand scale, he sees it. It's raw, it's awkward, it's painful to confront. But Harry comes to realize that Hermione is right. (As in most things.) Slavery is not okay, no matter the context. The House Elves should be free. Not just the nice ones like Dobby, but even the nasty ones like Kreacher. Because he sees Kreacher trying to "punish himself" just as Dobby has done many times...and I think it hits Harry that no one deserves that.

So he takes a chance. Because freeing Kreacher is still a risk. It gives him back his autonomy. He knows all kinds of information. He knows that Regulus stole the Locket, and that Harry is hunting for it too. If Kreacher were to turn around and backstab the Golden Trio, if Voldemort learned what he knew, everything would be lost. And Kreacher could do that. But Harry chooses to believe that he won't. And he recognizes that even that risk is no excuse to keep a slave.

Cause here's the thing. Even if jewelry "doesn't count" (highly debatable imo) that doesn't mean Harry would know that. So far as he knows, he's giving Kreacher something to wear, and he has personal experience with what that means to Elves. The entire scene reads like Kreacher is being freed. Call it a headcanon if you must but I have believed this for years.

Yes, Kreacher stayed in Grimmauld Place. Of course he did. He loves it there, that's his home. Where is he going to go? And yes, he continues to serve Harry after this and even calls him "Master." Because that's what he knows. I'm not saying Harry broke the conditioning. That kind of thing would take years. If she'd been allowed to, Winky would have carried on serving The Crouches after her dismissal. But the important thing is, Harry gave Kreacher the locket. Whatever enchantment it was that bound Kreacher in service to Harry would have broken when Harry gave him the locket.

I know everyone loves to mock the moment at the end when Harry's first thought after defeating Voldemort is whether or not his slave will bring him a sandwich, but, guys. It's a throwaway line about a sandwich. Harry isn't going to order Kreacher to do it. At most he's going to ask. Kreacher is old, and pretty set in his ways. Deprogramming might not even be possible for him at this point. But everything we see of their relationship following Regulus' tale shows Harry respecting Kreacher as a friend, not a slave. He gave Kreacher his autonomy back by freeing him, and, when Kreacher made the choice to stay, Harry treated him with kindness.

This is actually blowing my mind because for so many years I just took this as a given but I realized I'd never seen anyone else talking about it and it turns out I'm in the minority for interpreting it this way? It just seemed so straightforward to me...

[micka-of-the-psychos]

Okay but the reason I think I and a lot of other people are dissatisfied by Voldemort being an extremely one-dimensional and flat villain is that he doesn't have a particularly clear goal, what plan he does have largely seems to be "take over the world", and his motivation is very unclear besides internalized/hypocritical racism and Evil with a capital E.

In summary, he is THE Basic Bitch™ of villains. For a villain to be good, they need to have at least one of the three above things that Voldemort LACKS.

AKA just another example as to why JKR is a horrible writer.

[noperopesaredope]

I think that house-elves could have worked in a way, but the framing and execution made it confusing and off-putting. So I thought of 3 different ways (not all at once, instead just three different routes) that house-elves could have been written that wouldn’t have been as unsettling.

1) Actually depicted the slavery thing as bad.

Hermione was basically made fun of for advocating for house-elves’ freedom, and multiple house-elves (besides Dobby) actually WANTED to stay enslaved. This was pretty icky, and whether or not they are based off of the Transatlantic Slave Trade or not, it had bad historical connotations. Perhaps it should be actually portrayed as bad.

In this version, only rich purebloods tend to have house elves (Hogwarts would simply hire them), and other characters like Ron and Harry would agree with Hermione, she would simply be the most passionate about it.

That’s basically it for that. Just portray it correctly.

2) Connect them to their origin folklore.

House-elves are based off of Brownies, a creature in Scottish folklore, and they are actually pretty interesting. Apparently, Brownies aren’t really slaves, they are just really dedicated to their house. They have a connection to it, and are actually quite picky. They also might change houses if the home owner annoys them. Giving them clothes is basically evicting them.

Maybe just show it like that, but Dobby was cursed in some way, and can’t leave unless he gets kicked out like that. That way, his story line can still work and some characters will make more sense, like the house-elf in the Black’s house. He doesn’t give a crap about the people, he just cares about his house.

Also, get rid of the Hermione thing entirely.

3) House-elves intentionally (and magically) swear loyalty to people

So I made up some of my own lore that would keep most things in the books the same (even the Hermione thing), but make it much less gross whilst explaining certain things. Basically, in my version, house-elves aren’t exactly slaves. Instead, house-elves are simply very loyal, and have an intense desire to help others.

They often need a “master” or leader of some sort, basically a boss. So if they find a family that they deem worthy of their loyalty, they may ask to swear loyalty to said family. The will make some sort of magical oath type thing that will bind them to the family and they will follow that family’s orders. It really is more of a follower type thing then a slave thing, but the house-elves choose to be binded to a family. You know how Dobby was extremely dedicated to protecting Harry and basically wanted to serve him? It’s like that, but also using a spell that declares that house-elf a “servant” of that person or family.

Unfortunately, Dobby choose a bad family by mistake, thinking that they were trustworthy. But they abused that trust and his loyalty. He eventually wanted to leave, but his oath prevents him from doing so. The only way to break the oath is through the clothes thing.

So the theme of that would be more about loyalty and trust, how people can use it against you, and how sometimes doing the right thing can be most important.

Also, get rid of the Hermione thing in this version.

~~~~

So those are potential routes you could take house-elves.

Now, I would say that this is all just small suggestions and I think JKR is still a good writer (other than this and like, a lot of other stuff), but I kinda hate her, so actually this is made of hate and malice.

Anyways, hope you think this is interesting, and I’d love to hear other people’s ideas.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Harry Potter is Actually Really Clever

So often, I feel like Harry is underrated in his own series and I want to talk about how much I love Harry James Potter. Harry is my favorite character in the books and I want to showcase some moments of Harry proving the Sorting Hat knew what it was talking about when it comes to Harry possibly doing well in Slytherin and even Ravenclaw.

(I have more moments listed in my notes, and I'm in book 6 in my current reread, so I definitely am not covering everything)

Let's start then with the words of the Sorting Hat itself:

“Hmm,” said a small voice in his ear. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting….So where shall I put you?” Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin. “Not Slytherin, eh?” said the small voice. “Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that

(Philosopher's Stone, page 88)

The Hat says Harry is brave enough for Gryffindor, clever enough and talented enough for Ravenclaw and has the ambition and thirst to prove himself for Slytherin. And the hat isn't wrong about it's assessment of Harry. Harry is clever and talented and I so often find it underplayed in fics, or ones that do include it, acting like it's fanon characterization when it's really isn't.

Harry Potter is canonically a BAMF.

So, here I'm going to talk about his cleverness and give some moments of Harry being clever from the books.

(I'll have a different post for his magical prowess.)

Harry Has Brilliant Memory

So, Harry James Potter practically has close to an eidetic memory, and no one really seems to mention it.

An eidetic memory is described as an almost perfect recollection of images or events. And Harry actually shows himself as being very capable of it:

Angelina: “…Harry, didn’t you do something to your glasses to stop the rain fogging them up when we played Hufflepuff in that storm?” “Hermione did it,” said Harry. He pulled out his wand, tapped his glasses and said, “Impervius!”

(Order of the Phoenix, page 379)

In thus scene its raining during a Quidditch match and Angelina asks Harry about a spell he used a year before. Harry remembered that moment, remembered Hermione was actually the one who cast the spell, a spell he himself never cast before this moment, and he then casts it perfectly from memory.

Harry remembers the incantation and wand movement perfectly enough to succeed on his first try.

Actually, almost every time we see him cast spells he gets the wand movement and incantation right on the first try (even his first attempt at a patronus worked, the happy memory just wasn't strong enough)

In general, they moments we see Harry fail at casting spells on the first try is when he overthinks it and fails himself like that.

Harry stared at the letters in brackets. Nvbl . . . that had to mean “nonverbal.” Harry rather doubted he would be able to bring off this particular spell; he was still having difficulty with nonverbal spells, something Snape had been quick to comment on in every D.A.D.A. class. On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far. Pointing his wand at nothing in particular, he gave it an upward flick and said Levicorpus! inside his head. “Aaaaaaaargh!”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 239)

Harry tends to fail potions, and nonverbal spells when Snape is breathing down on him expecting him to fail, though, in this example, the moment Harry feels he can succeed the spell and isn't overthinking it, he casts it perfectly and nonverbally on the first attempt.

He is the same with potions:

Snape, meanwhile, seemed to have decided to act as though Harry were invisible. Harry was, of course, well used to this tactic, as it was one of Uncle Vernon’s favorites, and on the whole was grateful he had to suffer nothing worse. In fact, compared to what he usually had to endure from Snape in the way of taunts and snide remarks, he found the new approach something of an improvement and was pleased to find that when left well alone, he was able to concoct an Invigoration Draught quite easily. At the end of the lesson he scooped some of the potion into a flask, corked it, and took it up to Snape’s desk for marking, feeling that he might at last have scraped an E.

(Order of the Phoenix, page 660)

When Snape wasn't breathing down his neck and stressing him, even without the Half-Blood Prince's superior instructions, Harry is good at potions. He accomplishes the potion to a level of Exceeding Expectations easily. The problem is never his skill, memory, or talent; usually, it's stress, being stuck in his own head, or carelessness (did anyone diagnose him with ADHD?)

Another example of his eidetic memory in OOP:

“Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds,” said Hermione fairly. “I suppose something in that snake’s venom dissolves them or something. . . . I wonder where the tearoom is?” “Fifth floor,” said Harry, remembering the sign over the Welcome Witch’s desk.

(Order of the Phoenix, page 508)

When Harry describes St. Mongos for the first time (about a week before the above scene) he reads a sign that describes what is located in each floor of the hospital.

A week later, without reading that sign again, Harry can recall where the tea room is since he has that sign he read once a week ago, memorized.

Harry is Sneaky

Harry is a proper sneaky slythein and actually has more cunning moments than some slytherins in the books. Here are a few examples I have from my notes:

“Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.” Harry had a sudden idea. “Peeves,” he said, in a hoarse whisper, “the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.” Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock.

(Philosopher's Stone, page 197)

Harry is a good liar and scared of Peeves like this in his first year.

“…He likes to keep in touch with me, though . . . keep up with my news . . . check if I’m happy. . . .” And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon’s face, Harry set off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 435)

But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather — for Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.

(Goblet of Fire, page 24)

Again, Harry lying and tricking the Dursleys so they won't hurt him. Leveling Sirius as a threat against them.

“Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess — I let you pass. Answer wrongly — I attack. Remain silent — I will let you walk away from me unscathed.”

[the riddle and Harry thinking through it]

“Spy . . . er . . . spy . . . er . . .” said Harry, pacing up and down. “A creature I wouldn’t want to kiss . . . a spider!” The sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass. “Thanks!” said Harry, and, amazed at his own brilliance, he dashed forward.

(Goblet of Fire, page 629)

I skipped the sphinx's riddle, now the riddle isn't a hard one, but still, Harry isn't stupid. But he thinks he is. He even tells himself during that scene:

Harry’s stomach slipped several notches. It was Hermione who was good at this sort of thing, not him. He weighed his chances. If the riddle was too hard, he could keep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternative route to the center.

(Goblet of Fire, 629)

But it's just Harry and his low self-esteem. He solves the riddle quickly thinking aloud near the Sphinx and he does solve it, and is amazed by it because he doesn't think of himself as smart, even though he is.

Most of the riddles to the Ravenclaw common room are probably along this line of difficulty too. It just goes to show he isn't stupid.

“There,” she said, handing it to him. “Drink it before it gets cold, won’t you? Well, now, Mr. Potter . . . I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night.” He said nothing. She settled herself back into her seat and waited. When several long moments had passed in silence, she said gaily, “You’re not drinking up!” He raised the cup to his lips and then, just as suddenly, lowered it. One of the horrible painted kittens behind Umbridge had great round blue eyes just like Mad-Eye Moody’s magical one, and it had just occurred to Harry what Mad-Eye would say if he ever heard that Harry had drunk anything offered by a known enemy. “What’s the matter?” said Umbridge, who was still watching him. “Do you want sugar?” “No,” said Harry. He raised the cup to his lips again and pretended to take a sip, though keeping his mouth tightly closed. Umbridge’s smile widened. “Good,” she whispered. “Very good. Now then . . .” She leaned forward a little. “Where is Albus Dumbledore?” “No idea,” said Harry promptly.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 630)

Harry is clever enough to recognize drinking anything Umbridge gives him is a bad idea, so he doesn't. And he does so without her realizing.

“even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?” “Umbridge’s office,” said Harry quietly. He had been thinking about it for a fortnight and could think of no alternative; Umbridge herself had told him that the only fire that was not being watched was her own. “Are — you — insane?” said Hermione in a hushed voice. Ron had lowered his leaflet on jobs in the cultivated fungus trade and was watching the conversation warily. “I don’t think so,” said Harry, shrugging. “And how are you going to get in there in the first place?” Harry was ready for this question. “Sirius’s knife,” he said. “Excuse me?” “Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that’ll open any lock,” said Harry. “So even if she’s bewitched the door so Alohomora won’t work, which I bet she has —”

(Order of the Phoenix, page 658)

Harry can and does strategies. He planned how to get into Umbeidge's office. He employed his friends and actually led them. Being a leader and a strategist — rules we see him grow more into later.

Harry’s mind was racing. The Death Eaters wanted this dusty spun-glass sphere. He had no interest in it. He just wanted to get them all out of this alive, make sure that none of his friends paid a terrible price for his stupidity . . . The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange’s face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow. “You need more persuasion?” she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Very well — take the smallest one,” she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. “Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I’ll do it.” Harry felt the others close in around Ginny. He stepped sideways so that he was right in front of her, the prophecy held up to his chest. “You’ll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us,” he told Bellatrix. “I don’t think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?” She did not move; she merely stared at him, the tip of her tongue moistening her thin mouth. “So,” said Harry, “what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?” He could not think what to do but to keep talking. Neville’s arm was pressed against his, and he could feel him shaking. He could feel one of the other’s quickened breath on the back of his head. He was hoping they were all thinking hard about ways to get out of this, because his mind was blank.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 783)

This is a bit of a long quote, but I really like it. Harry gets the Death Eaters at an impasse because they can't destroy the prophecy. Then, when they threatened Ginny, he changed tactics and got them talking to buy time.

And even when he says his mind is blank:

“What?” whispered Hermione more urgently behind him. “Can this be?” said Malfoy, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, “Smash shelves —”

...

“NOW!” yelled Harry. Five different voices behind him bellowed “REDUCTO!” Five curses flew in five different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart

(Order of the Phoenix, pages 785-786 and 787)

He's still the one coming up with plans and pulling them out of there.

And if we look at his grades:

(Half-Blood Prince, page 102)

He is very far from failing academically. Actually considering how little studying Harry actually does, he receives very high grades, even for Hogwarts' abysmal education standards. Harry is naturally smart enough and talented enough that with the bare minimum of effort, he can get almost exclusively Es (his failing being in History, an exam he didn't finish, and Divination, which Harry has only been thought bullshit in).

Makes me wish we saw him put in an active effort. I bet it all would've been Os with his memory.

Even Potions, which Harry is supposedly bad at, he got an E...

I just... Harry is just really smart and it kind of frustrates me how I don't see enough fics that treat Harry being clever and with a cunning streak as if it's canon, even though it very much is.

I don't know, maybe I'm just reading the wrong fics...

[alenablack]

In Defense of Peter Pettigrew: an analysis

The rat

In all things Peter is considered inferior. He isn’t handsome, or witty, or magically powerful. His biggest accomplishment is his friends. If they’re a blazing bonfire, Peter is a candle in a window. Small, and hardly seen.

The tag along friends

In multiple instances throughout the series James and Sirius are described as inseparable and easy to mistake as brothers. This leaves Remus and Peter as the add on friends, the back up, the followers. The rise of fandom culture has promoted Remus to the same level as James and Sirius in terms of friendship. However canon does not fully support this.

Example one: ‘This was in contrast to the only wizarding photograph on the walls, which was a picture of four Hogwarts students standing arm in arm, laughing at the camera. With a leap of pleasure, Harry recognised his father; his untidy, black hair stuck up at the back like Harry's and he, too, wore glasses. Beside him was Sirius, carelessly handsome, his slightly arrogant face so much younger and happier than Harry had ever seen it alive. To Sirius's right stood Pettigrew, more than a head shorter, plump and watery-eyed, flushed with pleasure at his inclusion in this coolest of gangs, with the much admired rebels that James and Sirius had been. On James's left was Lupin, even then a little shabby-looking, but he had the same air of delighted surprise at finding himself liked and included ... or was it simply because Harry knew how it had been, that he saw these things in the picture?’

Even Harry is capable of recognizing that the real core of the marauders were Sirius & James, and that both Peter and Remus experienced feelings of inadequacy and as though they did not belong; despite being devoted to Potter & Black.

Example 2: 'You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta, murmured Professor McGonagall. 'Do you remember who his best friend was?' 'Naturally, said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. 'Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here - ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!' 'Precisely,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course - exceptionally bright, in fact - but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers -*... 'You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!' chimed in Professor Flitwick. 'Inseparable!'

When remembered by professors and town folks it is Sirius Black and James Potter who are both remembered for their intellect and close connection to one another. Peter and Remus are spoken of less, and often less favorably.

While the marauders were a gang; the truth was they were four children who shared a dorm and formed a bond based upon proximity and a mutual interest in causing chaos.

The stupid and foolish boy

When the motivation for Peter’s betrayal come up the discussion generally revolves around his lack of courage or weakness in character. While an important aspect to contribute it’s also important to factor in how he felt about his place within both his side of the war as well as his place within the marauders. Let’s take a look at some moments that display how he is viewed by others prior to his betrayal.

Example 1:

Peter Pettigrew: "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail, but I couldn't think what else —"

James Potter: "How thick are you, Wormtail? You run round with a werewolf once a month —"

Peter’s intelligence is often disregarded or degraded by his friends, despite the fact that Peter was successfully able to become an animagi at the same time as his friends, he is referred to as thick for simply taking more time to decide on his shape. James doesn’t speak kindly to his friend in any flashbacks or scenes we’re privy to; leading to the probability that this was a normal occurrence.

Example 2:

“Professor Minvera Mcgonagall described Pettigrew as a "stupid and foolish boy" who hero-worshipped Sirius and James. She also stated that Pettigrew was a less than average student and was not capable of fighting with Sirius. She was somewhat harsh with him during their years of student-teacher relationship.” (Pulled from the wiki)

This is another occurrence of how Peter was viewed by people meant to support him. If we circle back to the earlier quote by Mcgonagall we can see that she describes Sirius and James in a much more positive light.

Example 3: Peter being chosen as the Potter’s secret keeper. The whole premise of this stems from Peter’s lack of closeness to his friends; he wasn’t considered close enough to be chosen for such a role and therefore would serve as good protection.

What do these examples show us? Even prior to Peter’s betrayal he is viewed in a negative light.

In particular, his intelligence has always fascinated me. How is it that someone who is described as stupid, not magically powerful, or anything more than a follower is able to pull off his betrayal so completely? Not even Dumbledore himself suspected Peter as the spy, while this can be attributed to people’s low opinion of him. How exactly would someone without some level of cleverness keep up such a ruse? How could frumpy, mild mannered, second rate Peter Pettigrew capable of fooling the most powerful wizard alive and the entirety of the order? How could the rat frame the bright admired Sirius Black and murder 12 muggles if he was magically weak?

These complexities are what makes Peter both so fascinating and pitiful. They lead one to believe the general view of him was either grossly misinterpreted or overtly wrong. Was he just a stupid foolish boy who was weak with fear? Or was he a loyal devoted friend for a decade; who protected his creature friend for years, supported sirius through his estrangement from his family, and willing became the secretkeeper to the potter’s despite the target it placed on his back, who despite all this was simply tired of being treated poorly by the people he put first?

Ultimately we’ll never know, but what an interesting character develops from these contrary qualities.

Conclusion

Finally; let’s discuss the betrayal and the events that follow. Was the betrayal of his entire friend group horrific? Absolutely. Was it really that surprising after one dives into the inner workings of that said friend group? I’d said no. Peter is shown to have deep regret for his actions afterwards and in a turn of events helps Harry, but Peter never betrays Voldemort. Even when he is defeated and presumed dead, Peter stays loyal to him. He performs the ritual to bring back Voldemort himself, a magical feat in of itself. What does this say about Peter’s character? It shows both warring factions within himself but also how he is trapped between loyalty and cowardice. Peter is deeply loyal, firstly to the marauders despite their treatment of him, and later to Voldemort despite the fear and mistreatment he experiences.

Would the circumstances of Peter been different if he felt valued by his friends?

Or was he always destined to serve as a traitor?

[chaztalk]

People of this fandom say that Ron and Harry’s friendship is one the best friendships in fiction. And they go as far as to compare them to Sam/Frodo’s friendship in LOTR. I’m not an LOTR nerd yet so I can’t really compare the two, but I can look at fictional friendships I do know, like Cory and Shawn from Boy Meets World or Will and Chuckie from Good Will Hunting. Harry/Ron’s friendship cannot compare to these friendships. Not every friendship should be written the same as others but I feel as though is missing elements to what makes a strong friendship.

Here are the problems I have with Harry and Ron’s “friendship”:

-Ron never gets him to open up about his feelings over anything

-They rarely ever talk about girls, never confide in each other over crushes nor give any advice over their romantic advances to the girls they like. It’s even worse when Ron gives Harry the “12 Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches” book

-They rarely talk about their future ambitions together

-There’s a lack of meaningful or motivational discussions between the two

-Poor communication, which is not common in their relationship, but rears it’s ugly head in DH

-Ron obnoxiously ruining Harry and Ginny’s moment

-Harry feeling “corrosive hatred” over his best friend and not sympathizing Ron in his situation in DH

-Them working as an idiotic duo most of the time. Imagine if they were co-captains in 6th years, utilizing Ron’s strategist skills. Missed opportunity

I’m probably gonna get a lot of hate for making a post like this, but these reasons above are why I don’t think Harry and Ron are the “pinnacle of bromance”.

[fresiants]

As much as I love Severus and Lily's friendship, I couldn't help but realise how toxic they were together. Their inability to understand each other in The Prince's Tale is honestly astonishing.

The fact that many Snaters are labeling Severus as "obsessive and controlling" for simply wanting Lily to stay away from the Marauders is baffling to me. As someone who has experienced bullying, I would be devastated if my best friend ever became close to, let alone defended, any of my bullies. Him wanting Lily to keep her distance from the Marauders and to stop defending them were not unreasonable requests, and he had every right to feel hurt by her actions.

The same can be said for Lily. She had every right to feel hurt when Severus chose to befriend Mulciber and co who believe in blood supremacy and openly looked down on Muggleborns. These two experienced discrimination and bullying yet still failed to see each others' point of view. Still failed to put themselves in each others' shoes.

I mean, take a look at this scene :

"We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary MacDonald the other day?" Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face.

"That was nothing," said Snape. "It was a laugh, that's all —"

"It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny —"

And this :

“They don’t use Dark Magic, though.” She dropped her voice. “And you’re being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever’s down there— ”

Snape’s whole face contorted and he spluttered, “Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends’ too! You’re not going to— I won’t let you— ”

Why was it necessary for these two to make excuses for these people? When they know goddamn well their best friend was effected by these people's actions.

Who the fuck cares if James Potter and Sirius Black had never use a single dark magic? They still use bunch of harmful spells to attack people. And given all the relentless bullying that Snape suffered from James and the others, he wasn't under any obligation to feel grateful to James for "saving" him that night.

It's also baffling that Severus found Mulciber's behavior amusing, given that he himself had experienced bullying firsthand. I feel like they need a third party to get involved and help them understand each others' point of view in order to keep their friendship from crumbling apart. Smh.

[chocfrog-enjoyer]

TRELAWNEY ISN’T A FRAUD!

So as we “know” or so we believed Trelawney was a total liar. Well allow me to show you that she was in fact not at all. Most of the times we know of at least, because she did have a habit of talking big about small things which I’m not counting here.

So first let’s ignore the 2 obvious prophecies and the times she would tell about the Lavenders rabbit dying or Hermione dropping the class as those could be blamed on chance. Sybill does have a sort of “inner eye” but sadly the way she tells the information accompanied by her usual “mysterious” style makes them pretty unbelievable.

But after some analysis allow me to show you this post. This is all I could think about for now in the case of her divinations.

Let’s first analyze the subject of Divination itself. As quoted:

“ Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, 'So you may have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..

[…]

‘Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future,’ “

Divination is a strong emotional subject. Mainly based on feelings, interpretation and beliefs. Small glimpses of probable future yet to be interpreted to ones mind.

That’s why it is indeed one of the hardest subjects as it is impossible to understand by reading. In divination you have to rely on your instincts and feelings when using “future-telling” methods.

So let’s get to the actual interesting parts.

“ ... the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding towards them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honour of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversize dragonfly.

‘Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!' said

Dumbledore, standing up.

'I have been crystal-gazing, Headmaster,' said Professor Trelawney, in her mistiest, most faraway voice, and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the prompting of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness..'

‘Certainly, certainly,' said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. 'Let me draw you up a chair -'

[...]

Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream.

'I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!' “

[ HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban ]

This doesn’t seem important does it? Especially that when Harry and Ron stood up nothing happened. Oh just another one of Trelawneys pointless ramblings. It is in fact not! Just look:

This is an assumption as I don’t think it was ever confirmed but it’s reasonable enough that I find it true.

We were given a list of all the people sitting at the moment. Dumbledore, McGonagal, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, Filch, 3 other students and of course Harry, Ron and Hermione.

12

Or at least it might seem like that…

We know that this was the time that Crookshanks was after Scabbers. It is said in this exact same chapter that Scabbers was constantly staying in Ron’s pocket. The thing is that Scabbers is not a rat. And so if he was present at the moment there were already 13 people sitting at the table!

But what’s so special about it, nothing happened to Harry or Ron anyway? Well that is because they weren’t the ones who stood up first at that moment.

“ ‘Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!' said Dumbledore, standing up. “

Everything checks out. Out of all the people present at the table ( counting Scabbers/Wormtail ) Dumbledore was the first one to die

But as I said this is just a very probable assumption. The next one isn’t.

Remember that time on Order of Phoenix when Molly and Sirius had an argument?

“ ‘He's not your son,’ said Sirius quietly.

‘He's as good as,’ said Mrs Weasley fiercely. ‘Who else has he got?’

‘He's got me!’

‘Yes,’ said Mrs Weasley, her lip curling, ‘the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?’

Sirius started to rise from his chair.

‘Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,’ said Lupin sharply. ‘Sirius, sit down.’ “

There were also 13 people sitting at a table at that moment. Sirius was the first one to stand up and he was the first one to die.

That’s what I got with the 13’s for now but If I missed a prediction like this I’d love to see someone who has found it.

Continuing to the Goblet of Fire:

“ 'I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,' said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words.

"Born under -what, sorry?' said Harry.

"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!' said

Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn't riveted by this news. 'I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth. Your dark hair... your mean stature... tragic losses so young in life... I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in mid-winter?'

"No,' said Harry, 'I was born in July.' “

[ HP and the Goblet of Fire ]

When I was younger and I read this scene it made me laugh. But when re-re-re-…re-reading it as I am much older it made me think. Trelawney isn’t wrong here. The problem is she doesn’t sense this in Harry.

What is this person talking about you might think? Allow me to elaborate. As we already agreed Divination is no clear-answers and easy interpretations. So Sybill thought that what she sensed was about Harry, while in fact it wasn’t!

‘[…] Your dark hair... your mean stature... tragic losses so young in life... I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in mid-winter?’

Let’s think who else fits that description.

It is no one else than Tom Marvolo Riddle. Dark Hair, mean stature, and a tragic loss ( mother dying shortly after birth ) young in life. But most importantly Tom Riddle was born on 31st December. Mid winter.

And as we later know Harry is a Horcrux of Lord Voldemort aka Tom. Harry has part of Voldemorts soul inside him and that’s why Trelawney thought it was Harry.

“ ‘Harry proceeded through deserted corridors, though he had to step hastily behind a statue when Professor Trelawney appeared round a corner, muttering to herself as she shuffled a pack of dirty-looking playing cards, reading them as she walked.

‘Two of spades: conflict,' she

murmured, as she passed the place where Harry crouched, hidden. 'Seven of spades: an ill omen. Ten of spades: violence. Knave of spades: a dark young man, possibly troubled, one who dislikes the questioner -'.

She stopped dead, right on the other side of Harry's statue.

‘Well, that can't be right,' she said, annoyed, and Harry heard her reshuffling vigorously as she set off again, leaving nothing but a whiff of cooking sherry behind her. “

[ HP and the Half Blood Prince ]

This is the book where Sybill is a bit unstable due to her previous trouble with Umbridge, the current state where there are 2 Divination teachers and Dumbledore kind of avoids meeting with her.

For me the quote above talks about Malfoy. She’s getting hints, but at her state she can’t interpret them well enough.

Why Malfoy? Well at that time Malfoy was trying to kill Dumbledore remember? He was a Death Eater. A dark troubled young man. The rest of this talks about the events that Malfoy causes in attempts to get rid of the headmaster.

“ ‘If Dumbledore chooses to ignore the warnings the cards show -

Her bony hand closed suddenly around

Harry's wrist.

‘Again and again, no matter how Ilay them out -

And she pulled a card dramatically from underneath her shawls.

"-the lightning-struck tower,' she whispered. Calamity. Disaster. Coming nearer all the time…’ “

Well taking out a disaster where did Dumbledore die in the end? On top of the astronomy tower. Lighting-struck tower

“ A JET of GREEN LIGHT hits Dumbledore squarely in the chest. For a second he

hangs, suspended upon the ramparts, and then... the night swallows him.

Bellatrix raises her wand to the sky and a DEAFENING BLAST shakes the castle, masking Harry’s cry. The CLOUDS EXPLODE with GRIM LIGHT, mutating into a SKULL. “

And for the end here’s a lil drawing I made of Sybill: