Tumgik
#hp analysis
whinlatter · 4 months
Text
sirius and ginny: a meta (part 1)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
“Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!” said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.’
are you a very brave, very reckless, very hot self-destructive rebel with a treacherous sibling and a flair for christmas decoration, harbouring complex feelings about your mother, close ties to crookshanks the cat and spend your days plagued by the memory of your worst mistakes and dark past? do you find yourself constantly being begged to stay in a state of protective confinement to save your life by a young man with a lightning scar, bad hair and crippling abandonment issues? if so, congratulations! you might be one of harry potter's chosen family members, sirius black and ginevra molly weasley! 
Tumblr media
basically - i want to talk about sirius and ginny. these are two characters who don’t share a lot of scenes in canon but who, i think, have some clear (if overlooked) parallels: stubborn, fiercely protective of harry, self-sacrificing, admired, principled, haunted (in different ways) by traumatic pasts and betrayals, with complicated relationships with their families and entirely uncomplicated devoted relationships with someone else’s cat. their narrative arcs are successive, with ginny ascending in significance in the series during sirius’ period of decline and ultimate death. and ultimately, they’re also the two people who become, over the course of the canon series, family to a protagonist desperately seeking to build one. sirius and ginny are the two people harry in canon most worries about, wants to protect, and thinks of as someone who embodies the promise of family and home.
sirius and ginny aren’t mirror images of each other. ofc, ginny also has parallels with the only other family members harry claims in the series, lily and james (i mean, especially james - she’s literally a cocky funny flirtatious chaser with a years-long debilitating mega crush who can also catch a snitch like a champ. come on now). it’s also clear in canon that sirius means more to ginny as a hero/role model/ally against her mother than ginny ever means to sirius. nevertheless, the text puts in work to let the reader know we should think about these characters together as somehow aligned. from the beginning of ootp, there are clues and signals in the text that foreshadow ginny’s emergence as someone important to harry, and that subtly let the reader know that the baton of being harry’s ‘person’ is about to be passed from sirius to ginny, two kindred spirits, after sirius’ death. so that's what this meta is about! (consider this my 700th attempt to show that, as the popular fandom complaint/all of reddit still insist, ginny as a character, and especially the harry/ginny romance, did not ‘come out of nowhere’.)
the following meta is part one of two (and yet it's still too long! sorry about it). o in this part, i look at the period from the end of goblet of fire thru the start of half blood prince, exploring how the text sets up the sirius and ginny parallels as a way of foreshadowing ginny’s emergence as harry’s main love interest and place as a family substitute. the second part (tbc) will be what the memory of sirius does for harry’s view of his relationship with ginny, and the kind of positive - and negative - ways this shapes harry’s ideas about love and what family do for each other. i wrote this meta as a way of thinking through some characterisation choices for my current WIP, beasts. if you're following along with that fic, this meta can be seen as a companion piece especially to my thinking behind chapters ten and eleven, so hope proves helpful for some of my thinking behind the sirius and ginny friendship that appears in that project. it's also dedicated to @ashesandhackles, queen of metas, who has reminded me to post this meta precisely 9 million times because she is a long-suffering saint.
ok - sirius and ginny. let’s goooooo!
Tumblr media
sirius and ginny before ootp
before OotP, ginny is absent from any plot connected to sirius. ginny doesn’t know the truth about sirius’ innocence, nor does she know that harry, her brother and her friend are in regular contact with sirius and that harry now as a surrogate father/big brother figure to confide in and seek comfort in.  in fact, in one of ginny’s few appearances in GoF, the narration is unusually insistent that the reader knows how little ginny knows about sirius:
“And have you heard from — ?” Ron began, but at a look from Hermione he fell silent. Harry knew Ron had been about to ask about Sirius. Ron and Hermione had been so deeply involved in helping Sirius escape from the Ministry of Magic that they were almost as concerned about Harry’s godfather as he was. However, discussing him in front of Ginny was a bad idea. Nobody but themselves and Professor Dumbledore knew about how Sirius had escaped, or believed in his innocence. “I think they’ve stopped arguing,” said Hermione, to cover the awkward moment, because Ginny was looking curiously from Ron to Harry. “Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?” 
the only other tiny crumb of sirius and ginny we get is the news that the owl sirius bought in PoA and gifted to ron as a replacement pet for scabbers has been embraced and named by ginny. sirius gifting a tiny little spitfire of an owl that annoys ron? it's giving foreshadowing, your honour.
the reader, though, knows who sirius is to harry by GoF. throughout this book, for the first time in the series, harry has a person he can claim as something like a family: someone to worry about, someone who cares about him,who can advise, guide and mentor him, as well as offer him support and consolation in difficult times (‘someone like a parent…’) although sirius has not been able to offer harry a stable alternative home to the dursleys due to his status as a wanted man, he’s still filling a role that previously had been vacant in the series: he’s harry’s person, the surrogate parent chosen for him by james and lily. he’s close by, either by the floo or eventually living (at great personal cost) as padfoot in hogsmeade, and he’s present emotionally for harry in ways that prove incredibly meaningful to his young godson. in times of great of distress, sirius is there for harry to meet emotional needs that ron and hermione (understandably, no shade to them) can’t always meet. the floo scene early on in GoF, during harry’s row with ron, is a particularly good example of this:
“Never mind me, how are you?” said Sirius seriously. “I’m —”  For a second, Harry tried to say “fine” — but he couldn’t do it. …Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he’d talked in days — about how no one believed he hadn’t entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn’t walk down a corridor without being sneered at — and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron’s jealousy . . . Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern… He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption’.
harry derives enormous comfort from sirius’ presence in his life during GoF. he writes to sirius, he repeatedly turns to him for advice, he worries for him more than he does any other person. sirius fulfils harry’s desire to be kept abreast of important information about voldemort and death eaters, doesn’t sugarcoat news for harry, and makes him feel important, cared for and understood. (harry even shows off to sirius telling him about how much of a slay the first task was. ugh). by the time of the third task, sirius is sending harry daily owls, a constant flow of reassurance and concern (‘He reminded Harry in every letter that whatever might be going on outside the walls of Hogwarts was not Harry’s responsibility, nor was it within his power to influence it. If Voldemort is really getting stronger again, he wrote, my priority is to ensure your safety.’) when harry returns from the graveyard at the novel’s end, it’s sirius who races to his side to advocate for him and offer him both words of comfort and physical affection as he processes the traumatic series of events that constitute the climax of the book’s plot. (my personal favourite part is where harry says ‘wormtail cut me with a knife’ and the text says sirius made a ‘vehement exclamation’, which i can only assume is children’s book speak for ‘fucking hell’.) harry goes to bed: sirius stays with him, a literal guard dog as he recuperates. after the most traumatic events of the series to date, the reader is at least consoled that harry potter has a person now, someone he loves for him to worry about and to worry for him, who catches him on the other side of traumatic events and makes them that bit much more bearable.
Tumblr media
sirius and ginny during ootp
with sirius' role in harry's life established in GoF, OotP begins with harry, cooped up and restless at privet drive, angry with ron, hermione, sirius, and dumbledore for abandoning him at privet drive and keeping him in the dark. harry arrives at grimmauld place to find an anxious ron and hermione, with whom harry is angry and frustrated for having left him out of their summer hangs and having neglected him, by his assessment, in surrey. it’s the most conflict we’ve seen in the trio in terms of harry vs ron and hermione, and sets up one of the important themes of the book, which is harry no longer being solely emotionally fulfilled by the people he is closest to, including his two surrogate parents best mates but also his godfather. when he encounters sirius for the first time after the order meeting, he finds him surly, bitter, and depressed, furious that he is confined to his childhood home, and (understandably) much less able or willing to offer harry much in the way of comfort, apology or cheering words (‘Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted how hard and bitter Sirius’s voice sounded.’) in this sense, the book opens with harry disappointed and/or more distant from all the people on whom he most depends and is usually closest to, and that there therefore is already an absence of a certain kind of emotional support in harry’s life that the plot demands be filled.
fresh off the back of harry’s row with ron and hermione is ginny’s reintroduction to the reader. after years of being so shy in harry’s presence she was often nearly mute, the reader finds that ginny is not only now speaking, but that her presence turns out to be remarkably refreshing. from her opening scene where ginny enters harry’s bedroom at grimmauld place, the reader discovers the new ginny is confident, up to no good, in cahoots with her most troublemaking brothers trying to intercept the order meeting, enterprising in her mischief (and very happy to lie to her mother’s face about it). she’s thoroughly unfazed by harry’s great display of rage that has just startled and upset ron and hermione. (side note: in both ootp and hbp, ginny’s opening scene is her entering harry’s bedroom, which is the kind of foreshadowing i personally find delicious). everyone else is behaving pretty much as they have been up to this point, but it’s ginny who is showcasing behaviours new to the reader, a signal that she might be about to play a different role in the series than she has done up to this point.
cut to the dinner scene. sirius and ginny are in the room together for the first time. sirius is moody: though he’s still able to laugh, enjoying displays of mischief and humour (the twins and the knife), he’s more bitter than harry and the reader have seen him since PoA. it’s an important scene for lots of reasons (not least the sirius v molly beef), but it’s also one where sirius and ginny are repeatedly drawn into mental association in the reader’s mind. it’s also a great scene because the behaviour of crookshanks the cat literally serves to foreshadow the behaviour of harry james potter in ways that are frankly extremely fun.
so! the sirius and ginny hints start small. from the start of the scene, ginny is amused by mundungus the crook (a man, we will learn, so disdained by her mother):
“Some’n say m’ name?” Mundungus mumbled sleepily. “I ’gree with Sirius. . . .” He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused. Ginny giggled. “The meeting’s over, Dung,” said Sirius, as they all sat down around him at the table. “Harry’s arrived.” 
sirius and harry, sat at the end of the table, are both greeted by crookshanks, sirius’ old accomplice from PoA:
'​​Harry felt something brush against his knees and started, but it was only Crookshanks, Hermione’s bandy-legged ginger cat, who wound himself once around Harry’s legs, purring, then jumped onto Sirius’s lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absentmindedly behind the ears as he turned, still grim-faced, to Harry…
when fred and george’s levitation goes awry, flinging a knife at sirius (now that’s how you foreshadow a death), crookshanks bolts: 
‘Harry and Sirius were both laughing… Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, from whence his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness…’
during the meal, ginny’s with hermione, having a laugh with tonks, a character harry has just met but whom he has already decided to both admire and like. after the meal, when harry’s cheered up a bit and had his crumble (the man loves dessert), crookshanks finally emerges from his hiding place, having been coaxed out from his sulk by - you guessed it - one g. m. weasley:
‘…Ginny, who had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling butterbeer corks for him to chase.’
a grouchy character, initially drawn to sirius, but prone to lashing out and locking himself away, only to be lured back out into comfort and safety by ginny weasley? wow………. radical
after dinner, the argument between sirius and molly kicks off. sirius is arguing hard for harry’s right to know, though he makes no attempt to advocate for any of the other weasleys or for hermione. ginny’s noticeably singled out in her reaction to this scene, the text highlighting that she is particularly struck by this conflict as if it is of particular personal resonance, including someone standing up to her famously overprotective mother for once:
‘Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George’s heads turned from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin’s eyes were fixed on Sirius.’
of course, molly loses the argument: harry gets to stay for juicy order deets (‘Sirius was right, he was not a child.’) after the row, ginny is the only person forbidden from hearing information about the order’s activities. suddenly, the roles are switched: it’s ginny who’s now furious and bitter to be kept out of the action:
‘“Fine!” shouted Mrs. Weasley. “Fine! Ginny — BED!”  Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs. Black’s earsplitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait to restore calm. It was only after he had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke. “Okay, Harry . . . what do you want to know?”’ 
it’s not just the parallels of confinement between harry, sirius and ginny that are so revealing, it’s also the dual maternal conflicts. ginny loud raging at her own mother sets off the howling relic of sirius’, serving to underline two characters who continue to grapple with maternal relationships that are complex and full of conflict, though by no means solely negative (sirius i see you sleeping in your mother’s bedroom babe. don’t think i think your relationship with walburga is just one of straight hate ok). when ginny later gets knocked down the stairs by fred and george, there’s more direct mrs weasley/walburga parallels, with the two of them literally shouting over each other during the ordeal lol. as such, the readers see that the conflicts being set up for sirius’ character in this book - frustration at confinement, conflict with a mother figure, drawn to more reckless and arguably irresponsible characters (mundungus, the twins) and courses of action - are also conflicts subtly playing out with the new ginny we’re meeting, too.
as the rest of the summer at grimmauld wears on, there are more examples of sirius and ginny foreshadowing. the scenes where the two characters interact serve to place ginny and sirius firmly in the same camp of people harry admires and has fun with, the troublemakers and the rebels. over the prefects issue, ginny not only is sat chatting with the troublemaking adults harry likes most, but actively draws sirius into conversation on the issue, likely knowing the answer will comfort harry, but also showing a curiosity and interest in sirius that suggests she admires him:
“I was never a prefect myself,” said Tonks brightly from behind Harry as everybody moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato-red and waist length today; she looked like Ginny’s older sister. “My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities.”  “Like what?” said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato. “Like the ability to behave myself,” said Tonks. Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of butterbeer and choking on it.  “What about you, Sirius?” Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back. Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual barklike laugh…’
ginny’s choice to try and draw sirius into the conversation bears fruit: sirius confirms james was never a prefect, and harry’s sour mood is suddenly lifted. (‘All at once the party seemed much more enjoyable; he loaded up his plate, feeling unusually fond of everyone in the room.’) ginny is thus beginning to provide harry with subtle comfort and reassurance, especially as sirius, struggling with his own confinement,  is taking a less active role in trying to cheer harry up. what i also like is that we have evidence of how ginny views sirius - she’s curious about him and his past, she clearly thinks he and the other new rebellious adults are cool as shit, and she’s drawn increasingly away from her mother’s cautious overprotective approach towards these resistance fighters who prioritise the fight over safety. (it is noticeable to me that ginny does not become a prefect in HBP, suggesting sirius' example proved instructive).
we see more small parallels between sirius and ginny during the cleaning scenes. the battle against grimmauld place is an important symbol of one of the important themes of OotP as a book: a battle over past traumas and their persistent and unwieldy symptoms that are seemingly never-ending. while it’s harry’s experiences that, of course, take centre stage, sirius’, too, loom omnipresent throughout the text. it’s significant, then, that ginny’s own past gets brought up for the first time in three books here, albeit briefly: 
'They found an unpleasant-looking silver instrument, something like a many-legged pair of tweezers, which scuttled up Harry’s arm like a spider when he picked it up, and attempted to puncture his skin; Sirius seized it and smashed it with a heavy book entitled Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. There was a musical box that emitted a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound, and they all found themselves becoming curiously weak and sleepy until Ginny had the sense to slam the lid shut…'
in this moment, we see sirius and ginny singled in the larger group as quick-thinking, shrewd characters, with a good instincts and common sense (if a bit of a tendency to get scrappy). their respective dark pasts are subtly alluded to. sirius whacks a spider trying to attack harry with a book that might as well be entitled my big book of family trauma. ginny, meanwhile, steps in when everybody present starts to be enchanted by a mysterious object luring them into danger by whacking it shut (gee i wonder why!) given this is the book that will see ginny mention the events of CoS for the first time in errrrr three years, it’s significant that the text is careful to draw ginny into this broader theme that unites sirius and harry, the constant reminders of traumatic pasts at every turn. we also see here the revelation that regulus black was a death eater. coming after news of percy weasley’s betrayal, sirius’ bitter dismissal of his younger brother deliberately mirrors ginny and the other weasleys’ attitude towards percy, this sense of pureblood families split over wizarding politics, often fatally. 
while harry fears his expulsion from hogwarts prior his hearing, he continues to fantasise about coming to live with sirius at grimmauld, and about being with a family member and finding an alternative home to hogwarts. sirius, as hermione astutely observes, tries to manage harry’s expectations and not to get his own hopes up: still, when harry is exonerated, sirius is visibly depressed, showing the beginnings of an emotional dependency on harry that harry feels great guilt over.when leaving grimmauld for the start of the school year, sirius, as padfoot, accompanies harry to king’s cross: unlike in GoF, though, he is spotted, and harry begins to worry much more actively about sirius’ vulnerability to capture, about his recklessness and about his judgement. concerned for sirius, and absent ron and hermione, who are in the prefects carriage, the person who stays with harry and offers him company is ginny. she sacrifices her own train journey (presumably with her own boyfriend) to find a carriage with harry and make sure he’s not lonely, bringing him to neville and luna and sorting him out after his embarassing cho run-in. it’s not a coincidence that once again we see ginny here taking care of harry crookshanks:
'“Where’s Crookshanks?” “Ginny’s got him,” said Harry. “There she is. . . .”  Ginny had just emerged from the crowd, clutching a squirming Crookshanks. “Thanks,” said Hermione, relieving Ginny of the cat. “Come on, let’s get a carriage together before they all fill up. . . '
once harry’s back at school, having left sirius behind to languish miserably in london, we see he's more isolated and alone than ever. he’s tormented by umbridge, endlessly (though often unfairly) frustrated with ron and hermione, ghosted by dumbledore, yet absent the more stable, reassuring sirius he came to know in GoF, unable to write candidly to him and faced with a much less well sirius in the opportunities they do have to speak face-to-face. as sirius’ mental health declines as he is shut up at grimmauld, his ability to support harry and comfort him starts to falter, and he becomes a much more uneven source of advice and support, particularly during his car crash floo appearance, where he’s much ruder than he has previously been (cutting off, ignoring their pleas for him to be more cautious, the infamous ‘the risk would have made it fun for james’ moment). this new sirius, clearly struggling, is much more happy to do up guilt trip to his godson than we have seen him to up this point (‘I’ll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?’ - you petty little shit, padfoot). all of this serves to increase harry’s anxiety about sirius’ wellbeing and reinforce harry’s sense of emotional isolation. even sirius’ encouragement on the DA is, as hermione points out, partly bound up in more selfish motivations (‘I think he’s really frustrated at how little he can do where he is… so I think he’s keen to kind of… egg us on.’)
ginny’s largely absent in this section of the novel. in the brief moments she does appear, it’s to inject humour (eg. her impressions at the DA meeting) and in little reminders that she now has a boyfriend, no longer harbours romantic feelings for harry, making sure the reader continues to hold her mentally apart from harry. harry, meanwhile, misguidedly tries to seek out a relationship with cho chang, who is showing clear signs of her own emotional distress and inability to meet harry’s emotional needs given her own grief. still, among this, there’s still room for some small subtle sirius/ginny parallels. once the DA plot picks up, we have another little sign that ginny weasley and sirius black think somewhat alike:
“Yeah, the D.A.’s good,” said Ginny. “Only let’s make it stand for Dumbledore’s Army because that’s the Ministry’s worst fear, isn’t it?” 
“Trained in combat?” repeated Harry incredulously. “What does he think we’re doing here, forming some sort of wizard army? “That’s exactly what he thinks you’re doing,” said Sirius, “or rather, that’s exactly what he’s afraid Dumbledore’s doing — forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic.” 
with harry's isolation and need for more emotional support established in this first term, christmas at grimmauld offers more opportunity to subtly develop the sirius and ginny parallels, as well as to highlight ginny’s ability to fill the gaps left by sirius’ decline. after the attack on arthur weasley, the group arrive back at grimmauld:
‘Sirius was hurrying toward them all, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes; there was also a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him. “What’s going on?” he said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. “Phineas Nigellus said Arthur’s been badly injured —” 
could this be sirius literally lifting ginny up into plot significance? why yes it could
ofc the weasleys then argue with sirius about their right to go see their father. despite his own frustrations at being trapped at grimmauld, sirius proves the voice of reason and rational decision making against both ginny and the twins’ hotheadedness (ginny asks to borrow cloaks to go to the hospital: sirius: ‘Hang on, you can’t go tearing off to St. Mungo’s!’) crucially, though, when sirius points out that there are bigger things at stake - the work of the order and the resistance movement - it’s ginny who listens:
“Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won’t thank you for messing things up for the Order!” said Sirius angrily in his turn. “This is how it is — this is why you’re not in the Order — you don’t understand — there are things worth dying for!”  “Easy for you to say, stuck here!” bellowed Fred. “I don’t see you risking your neck!”  The little colour remaining in Sirius’s face drained from it. He looked for a moment as though he would quite like to hit Fred, but when he spoke, it was in a voice of determined calm. “I know it’s hard, but we’ve all got to act as though we don’t know anything yet. We’ve got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?”  Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny, however, took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and shrug, and they sat down too. The twins glared at Sirius for another minute, then took seats on either side of Ginny.  “That’s right,” said Sirius encouragingly, “come on, let’s all . . . let’s all have a drink while we’re waiting…’
there’s a lot going on here: ginny’s willingness to follow sirius’ orders, but also her willingness to accept an argument based on some idea of the greater good before any of her brothers. she and sirius are aligned here, and it’s her decision to accept sirius’ reasoning that proves the catalyst for her brothers to follow. we see here how ginny has come to see sirius: someone she looks up to and admires, an adult whose judgement she trusts and whose worldview she subscribes to. (as a character prone to hero worship - see her view of her big brother bill - i think this is noteworthy, and is behind a lot of my characterisation choices for ginny towards sirius in beasts). but we also see that ginny agrees with sirius' worldview. there are some things worth dying for, and self-sacrifice is part of that.
when harry goes to sirius for reassurance about witnessing arthur’s attack, he finds sirius unable to properly console him and convince him that he was not to blame for arthur’s attack. the reader gets the impression of sirius withholding information from harry (‘He could only see a sliver of Sirius’s face; the rest was in darkness’), and the scene ends with sirius clapping harry on the shoulder and leaving him ‘standing alone in the dark’. while sirius throws himself into christmas preparations, obviously delighted to have company, harry shrinks from the cheer and isolates himself. in the end, ofc, the only person that manages to pull harry out of his dark, brooding thoughts is ginny. the text is careful to note she’s sitting beside him on the tube back from st mungo’s, when he looks very unwell. then, in the ‘lucky you’ scene, she showcases some of the same skills harry first came to appreciate in sirius in GoF. she tells it to him straight: she’s sympathetic, but not overly gushing, and she reminds him of her own intensely frightening experience which she endured alone, something harry can relate to, even if the experience of possession is not.  it’s an important scene for lots of reasons, but it’s also, crucially, the intervention that causes harry’s mood to lift, and he gets to enjoy a christmas with his godfather, the thing he had most wanted in the run-up to christmas, and which becomes the only holiday period harry and sirius ever spend together: 
‘I’m not the weapon after all, thought Harry. His heart swelled with happiness and relief, and he felt like joining in as they heard Sirius tramping past their door toward Buckbeak’s room, singing “God Rest Ye Merry, Hippogriffs” at the top of his voice.’
of course, once christmas is over, sirius slips back into a depressed, gloomy state. harry wants a better goodbye than he gives him, merely giving him a quick one armed hug (there’s a real theme throughout harry and sirius’ relationship of very sparing physical contact on sirius’ part, which is obviously a hole in harry's life ginny will fill in - er - a big way). back at school, harry returns to umbridge’s increasingly draconian rule, maks a disastrous attempt at forging a relationship with cho, and continues to feel lonely, paranoid, and angry. unable to speak to sirius properly via letter or floo - and unwilling to open the present sirius has given him to communicate directly with him, the two-way mirror - harry is increasingly sullen, a mood that only worsens after seeing snape's worst memory.
the easter egg scene is obviously important for hinny for lots of different reasons. but here i just want to highlight how the scene serves to show ginny as both the conduit to sirius for harry, and someone whose behaviour echoes that of sirius in GoF when harry first began to open up to and seek comfort in him. harry is distressed by his now complicated feelings both towards the father he previously revered and towards sirius, who seemed to encourage james’ bullying behaviour. ginny hands harry a chocolate easter egg covered in snitches: chocolate, a canonical source of comfort against dark thoughts, and an egg that reminds him of the love of parent. the act makes him suddenly emotional, though he at first denies he’s upset. ginny presses carefully and sensitively, asking the right questions to get him to confess the source of his worry, waiting for harry to take his time to speak - all behaviours that echo sirius’ own effective listening techniques. ginny’s acquaintance with sirius, and knowledge of how significant he is to harry, is important here, too, and a subtle sign to the reader that he trusts ginny with knowledge about sirius after a long time of having her in the dark about his godfather.  the reader leaves the scene having seen ginny breakthrough to harry emotionally in a way for the second time in the novel, in a way no other character has done (‘he felt a bit more hopeful…’) 
of course, the course of action ginny has set in motion is itself risky and reckless (‘anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve’ is very marauders as a philosophy). the decision to go ahead with the plan the twins come up with is one harry sees as a decision on whether to be more like james and sirius - a risk taker - or to abandon the hero worship for the marauders he has lived with for so long. in the end, of course, it’s a win for the reckless troublemakers: he chooses to go ahead with the plan the twins have crafted and that ginny has set in motion, and to speak to sirius.
and yet. sirius is still alive - there is not need for ginny yet. for the remainder of the book, ginny has to beg to be included in the trio's plans and to be allowed to be a part of the plot to rescue sirius. she’s is often in conflict with harry, showing a lot of sirius’ bitterness at attempts at containment and to keep her out of the fighting. she grates against harry’s insistence that she is too young and inexperienced, and having to remind the trio that she, too, has come to care about sirius and wants to see him safe: 
“I’ve got a broom!” said Ginny.  “Yeah, but you’re not coming,” said Ron angrily.  “Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!” said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking. 
of course, it all ends in tragedy: sirius, desperate to go to harry’s aid and absolutely gunning for a fight after months of confinement, is killed, leaving harry alone. there a subtle clues that something has shifted in ginny’s relationship to harry and the trio in the scenes after sirius’ death, including ginny positioned as the mirror image to harry in the hospital: 
‘Harry was sitting on the end of Ron’s bed and they were both listening to Hermione read the front page of the Sunday Prophet. Ginny, whose ankle had     been mended in a trice by Madam Pomfrey, was curled up at the foot of Hermione’s bed…’
despite this, in the immediate aftermath of sirius’ death, harry is extremely alone. he is unable to work out what he needs (‘Whenever he was in company he wanted to get away, and whenever he was alone he wanted company.’) he tries to go to hagrid’s, but regrets it (‘He was starting to wish he was alone again’), leaving after hagrid reminds him of sirius’ core traits, an inability to stay out of the fight when he believes in the cause:
“But still, Harry . . . he was never one ter sit around at home an’ let other people do the fightin’. He couldn’ have lived with himself if he hadn’ gone ter help —” 
unlike at the end of GoF, harry is isolated by his grief and the revelation of the prophecy's contents by the end of this book. he goes alone to a secluded corner of the lakeshore, ‘sheltered from the gaze of passersby behind a tangle of shrubs’, and ‘[stares] out over the gleaming water’, and cries alone. there is no sirius or other person to catch him and console him in his grief. his person has died, and there’s a gap in his life again, just waiting to be filled: 
‘Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him. So much of what he had wanted before Sirius’s death felt that way these days. . . . The week that had elapsed since he had last seen Sirius seemed to have lasted much, much longer: It stretched across two universes, the one with Sirius in it, and the one without.’
Tumblr media
ginny and sirius parallels in HBP and DH
after sirius’ death, the parallels between sirius and ginny become more important as ginny moves into the centre frame as a character. at the start of HBP, harry arrives at the burrow and discusses his grief over sirius’ death with dumbledore in the burrow broom shed, acknowledging how profoundly the loss of a family member who cares singularly about him is affecting him. ('He felt stupid for admitting it, but the fact that he had had someone outside Hogwarts who cared what happened to him, almost like a parent, had been one of the best things about discovering his godfather . . . and now the post owls would never bring him that comfort again. . . .' beasts readers: there's a reason harry clings to letters!) of course, having reminded the reader of the gap in harry’s life that now needs to be filled, harry goes to sleep, the active reflection on his grief for sirius put to one side so the novel's plot can get underway. he'll go to bed mourning sirius and wake up in a sunlit bedroom. of course, ginny will walk into this bedroom too, only now things will be different: harry potter is back to the search for a loved one, for a family, and he's about to realise ginny is the one he wants to fill it. thus the start of the plot of ginny stepping into the role vacated by sirius beginneth.
so much of who ginny is in HBP is reminiscent of sirius. she frequently leaps into battle as harry’s protector (‘You’re taking orders from something someone wrote in a book?’, ‘Give it a rest, Hermione’), she’s scrappy (RIP zacharias smith), she’s funny and laughs easily in a way that less recalls sirius in the time harry knew him than sirius as harry sees him as a young man, in photographs or memories. she's the one who commits to the insane christmas decorations, determined to cheer everyone up over the festive period as sirius did the year before. she even enjoys the widespread admiration and lust of her peers, a trait that directly recalls sirius being eyed up by his peers in snape's memory. by the novel’s end, after dumbledore’s death, it will be ginny who goes to harry’s side after the climax of the plot and catch him in his grief just as sirius did in GoF, this time over dumbledore’s death: 
‘He did not want to leave Dumbledore’s side, he did not want to move anywhere. Hagrid’s hand on his shoulder was trembling. Then another voice said, “Harry, come on.’ A much smaller and warmer hand had enclosed his and was pulling him upward. He obeyed its pressure without really thinking about it.’
their breakup has sirius all over it. taking place at the lakeshore, the place where harry wept alone over sirius a year prior, harry draws on the circumstances of sirius’ demise as a reason he must break up with ginny (‘Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to.’) the breakup does little to shift what ginny has become in harry’s mind, though, and he spends all of DH thinking of her as he once thought of sirius: the person whose safety he most craves, the person he misses, someone he claims as his, and whom he associates with (now banished) hopes of a home and a family:
“It’s not a problem,” said Harry, sickened by the pain in his head. “It’s your family, ’course you’re worried. I’d feel the same way.” He thought of Ginny. “I do feel the same way.”
of course, echoes of sirius will also come into play during open war. it’s now ginny, not sirius, who is the one left behind for her own protection: in the run-up to the battle, harry finds himself once again faced with the prospect of confining his loved one for their safety, despite their desperation to fight and do the right thing. but these are thoughts for part 2…….
Tumblr media
252 notes · View notes
expectopatronum81 · 3 months
Text
Analysis: Was Hermione really shown to be superior to Lavender in HBP?
The whole 'Hermione vs Lavender' thing, aka uplifting the nerdy girl over the girly girl doesn't exist in the books, it is entirely fan made.
People often talk about how Lavender, a girly girl (who giggles, is interested in divinition, loves unicorns etc) was put down in the books just to uplift Hermione, someone who isn't particularly feminine and who's nerdy and intelligent with regards to their relationship with Ron in hbp. This literally never happened though, Rowling went to elaborate lengths to establish that all 3 of them were incredibly immature and hormonal teenagers
Rowling might hv been partial to Hermione in a lot of instances but this isn't one of the. Hermione is portrayed to be just as immature and teenage-like as the other 2, in ways that don't strike as 'uplifting'. Rowling even crosses the line doing this, like with the bird attack. Ron and Hermione bicker due to terrible communication, then Hermione cries alone in a classroom when she sees Ron kissing lavender, and is thereafter described as 'mysteriously vanishing' every time Ron and Lavender are together. She's constantly shown to be really jealous and angry with this.
“He’s at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes,” said Hermione. “I really couldn’t care less.” She raised her quill and dotted an i so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Harry said nothing"
She then teases Ron and runs to the bathroom crying when he teases her back, then debates picking between Cormac McLaggen and Zacarias Smith- she ends up picking Cormac as 'he'd annoy Ron the most' (Cormac being Ron's 'rival' for the post of Keeper in Quidditch).
In what way does this qualify as 'shown to be superior'!?
Harry constantly complains about Hermione's pettiness. The book literally says:
Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.
The use of the word girls in plural shows that in no way does the plot or the narrative think that Hermione is superior to Lavender. They're both the same: teenage girls being petty and dumb asf, Hermione in a vindictive way and Lavender in an overly romantic way. Harry, who doesn't discriminate girls for being feminine (eg. Fleur), is also sick of Ron and Lavender. Even Parvati, who's just as girly as Lavender, was tired of them.
“Hi, Harry,” said Parvati who, like him, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends.
Lavender was never shown as weak just because she was feminine or pitted against Hermione. She joins the DA in OotP, was one of the first few girls to join the DA and Neville into hiding in fear of being targeted by the Carrows in DH (implying that she'd rebelled against them all year), and stayed back at Hogwarts to defend the castle after Voldemort's warning.
All of this wasn't written to uplift or put down anybody, both the girls were just written as teenagers. And for me that's what makes their last interaction so heartbreaking in DH
Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground a gray blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen. “NO!” shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly struggling body of Lavender Brown.
Its not Ron who protects her, its Hermione. That shriek in capitals and the 'deafening blast' seem so devastatingly personal. This was the girl she'd spent 6 years sharing classes with and living in the same dormitory with.
Its the fans that pit the 2 against each other, while the narrative does the exact opposite. Both girls were very young. They went from being petty teenagers fighting over a guy to fighting in a brutal war and seeing unimaginable horrors.
83 notes · View notes
Text
you're telling me that sirius black spent 13 years in azkaban with dementors and has no memory loss??? the man that half the fandom hcs as having adhd, depression, and/or anxiety?? that guy??? i don't think so
give me sirius who isn't immediately comfortable around remus because his strongest memories are of the end of the war when they each thought the other was the spy
give me sirius who is super weary about dumbledore because he can't remember his good deeds, only the manipulation
give me sirius who instantly, i mean, the very second he escapes, runs straight to the dursleys to take harry because he only knows the horrible stories lily told them and how they acted at james and lily's wedding, and thinking about harry is one of the only things he could do in azkaban
give me sirius who barely considers regulus a brother because he can only remember him as their parents' lackey
give me sirius who hates snape even more than he already did in series because only their worst fights come to mind when he thinks of the other man
give me sirius who fights with everyone in the order because, don't they remember all the horrible things dumbledore did??
give me sirius who has panic attacks and constant anxiety in ootp because grimmauld place is literally a house of horrors to him
give me sirius who can barely look his friends and harry in the eye because he only sees death and despair
give me sirius with fucking trauma
342 notes · View notes
artemisia-black · 1 year
Text
Character analysis of Kingsley Shacklebolt 
Because I've been chatting so much about him on the @harrypocter's Discord server, here is my character analysis of Kingsley
1.0 Ambition and cunning, with a moral compass
He is obviously a very skilled wizard and must be ambitious to reach the point in his career where he can lead the hunt for Sirius. His skill is confirmed by Voldemort himself during the battle of the seven potters (where his talent is deemed to be second to Moody’s) : 
“You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to,” sniffed Tonks. “Mad-Eye said he’d expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley.” DH
Furthermore, Kingsley deliberately feeding the ministry misinformation about Sirius, shows two key things about his character: 
-First, unlike other ambitious law-enforcement agents such as Barty Crouch Snr, he is willing to risk his career to do the right thing. 
- Second, he demonstrates a high level of cunning as no one in the ministry ever suspects him (granted, they are all fairly incompetent, but nobody ever questions him). His ability to play his role well is best demonstrated during his dialogue with Arthur: 
“Morning, Weasley,” said Kingsley carelessly, as they drew nearer. “I’ve been wanting a word with you, have you got a second?”
“Yes, if it really is a second,” said Mr. Weasley, “I’m in rather a hurry.”
“Here,” said Kingsley brusquely to Mr. Weasley, shoving a sheaf of parchment into his hand, “I need as much information as possible on flying Muggle vehicles sighted in the last twelve months. We’ve received information that Black might still be using his old motorcycle.”
Kingsley tipped Harry an enormous wink and added, in a whisper, “Give him the magazine, he might find it interesting.” 
Then he said in normal tones, “And don’t take too long, Weasley, the delay on that firelegs report held our investigation up for a month.” OoTP
Notice the use of words like ‘carelessly’ and ‘brusquely’ to describe his tone, both of which imply that he’s used to commanding authority. 
And this brings me to my next point. 
2.0 A sacred 28 Pureblood 
The Shaklebolts are a member of the sacred 28 (a list which excluded the monied Potters and the pureblood Weasleys); therefore, Kingsley is part of the wizarding upper-crust. 
It is interesting to note that he is the only member of the Order, other than Sirius, who openly questions Dumbledore’s judgment. 
“... why Dumbledore didn’t make Potter a prefect?” said Kingsley.
“He’ll have had his reasons,” replied Lupin.
“But it would’ve shown confidence in him. It’s what I’d’ve done,” persisted Kingsley, “’ specially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days...” OoTP
This could hint at the idea that Dumbledore is able to exercise more power over those on the lower rungs of wizarding society. In contrast, Kingsley and Sirius have more ingrained confidence (from the privilege they grew up with) to question him.  
Furthermore, he carries himself so well that even the wizard-hating (and class-obsessed) Dursleys take to him. 
“This, and the fact that Kingsley had mastered the knack of dressing like a Muggle, not to mention a certain reassuring something in his slow, deep voice, had caused the Dursleys to take to Kingsley in a way that they had certainly not done with any other wizard.” DH
Kingsley also demonstrates a very astute knowledge of how pureblood supremacy leads to radicalisation: 
“I’d say that it’s one short step from Wizards first’ to ‘Purebloods first,’ and then to ‘Death Eaters,’” replied Kingsley. 
And this understanding echoes what Sirius says about his parent’s beliefs. Kingsley then goes on to give more strategic insight into Voldemort’s plans: 
“Which suits him, of course,” said Kingsley. “The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself.” DH
3.0 The fire beneath the Ice
In almost all of his appearances Kingsley is described as having a stoic, calming presence. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a dark side. 
While not actively fighting to kill, he reports it in a matter of fact manner. 
“Followed by five, injured two, might’ve killed one,” Kingsley reeled off. DH
He then shows a tendency towards a dark sense of humor: 
“Stan?” repeated Hermione. “But I thought he was in Azkaban?”
Kingsley let out a mirthless laugh.
“Hermione, there’s obviously been a mass breakout which the Ministry has hushed up. Travers’s hood fell off when I cursed him, he’s supposed to be inside too.
In conclusion, Kingsley  is a  sharp, intelligent, cunning, ambitious, privileged, commanding character, who has a wry sense of humor. He also has a dark edge to him, and is willing to take great risks to do what is right. And this is now a Kingsley stan account.
241 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media
Thank you anonymous!
The idea that Harry didn’t appreciate Ron’s friendship is the biggest mischaracterization (scratch that almost that biggest) of Harry I’ve ever seen. The evidence that proves the opposite is so much I can’t even include it all in one post, but I’ll include the biggest points
As soon as Harry and Ron meet and become friends, we see Harry value having a friend basically immediately. He’s happy to have someone to share his treats with, he comforts Ron about his family’s financial situation, shares with Ron how alone he feels and how he doesn’t know any magic and feels like a fraud because he doesn’t even remember what he’s famous for
Than when Draco shows up asking to be friends with Harry and insults Ron in the process, Harry turns down Draco’s friendship offer. It’s not only because of Draco’s attitude in the robe shop, it’s also specifically because he insults Ron. Harry turns down the ability to have a few more friends to stand up for a kid he just met. You don’t do that unless you appreciate that person
When Ron and Hermione are feuding in book 3, Harry takes Ron’s side. Yes, he tries to get them to stop fighting, but when it comes down to it the books note he told Hermione that Crookshanks probably did eat Scabbers and she should say sorry. He stopped talking to Hermione for a little while because her and Ron were fighting and not speaking and Harry appreciates Ron’s friendship so much that he wasn’t going to do anything that would make him upset
In Goblet of Fire, Harry is completely devastated that he and Ron are fighting now. Not only do the books literally say that he likes Hermione but he misses Ron as his best friend, but the fact that he and Ron aren’t talking is what the majority if these next few chapters are about. And he also immediately forgives Ron and they immediately go back to the way they were
Same thing in the deathly hallows when they’re fighting, Harry is extremely upset and how much he misses Ron takes up a lot of the next chapter. He becomes like, unfunctional he is so upset. And than again, immediately forgives Ron when he comes back
If Harry didn’t appreciate Ron’s friendship, he wouldn’t mouth off to Malfoy when he comes for Ron and his family. If Harry didn’t appreciate Ron’s friendship, he wouldn’t immediately forgive him after two massive fights. If Harry didn’t appreciate Ron’s friendship, how much he misses Ron wouldn’t become all he thinks about when they’re not speaking
And more than anything else, if Harry didn’t appreciate Ron’s friendship, he never would’ve said, in response to Ron saying “Dumbledore knew I would leave you guys”, Harry would have never said “No, he knew you would always come back”
26 notes · View notes
chocfrog-enjoyer · 8 months
Text
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:
Tumblr media
18 notes · View notes
bikelock28 · 1 year
Note
i'd like to hear your additional wolfstar thoughts, and thoughts on the queerness of sirius and remus
Thank you for this Ask! I got a bit carried away with this answer so it's very rambly long and detailed.
General disclaimers :
Content Warnings: Homophobia, teenage sex, brief mentions of sexual assault.
This is a LGBTQ+friendly blog which supports all queer identities :)
I'm going to refer to Sirius and Lupin as MLMs. "Queer" is too general given I believe both are cis, and MLM encompasses gay/bi/pan/ etc.
I'm a cishet girl woman so none of what I'm saying is from my own personal experience
More specific disclaimers:
While all sexualities have always existed, the language for them hasn't. We're dealing with 2 dudes in the 90s, who were born in the 60s, so they'd be unlikely to refer to or even understand their sexuality in the way we do now.
Actual Canon: what happens on the page in the book. Facts.
Possible Interpretations: self-explanatory. There will be multiple of these and they will be contradictory!
Bikelock's Interpretation: Which of the Possible Interpretations I believe.
These days it's tempting to read queerphobia into all of JKR's writing. Personally I disagree with this because mars critical analysis, and because it's a sweeping generalisation based on her recent transphobic tweets and comments, not her writing of fictional MLMs 15+ years ago.
Some of the evidence is from when Sirius and Lupin were teenagers. Therefore it's easy to say "well they hadn't figured their sexuality out yet". This is true, but also that's the evidence we have to work with, so we have to go with it.
Is Sirius Black An MLM?
Here I will look at Sirius in isolation (without Lupin I mean, not like when he was in Azakaban).
Actual canon: "Several posters of bikini-clad Muggle girls" on his bedroom walls. Harry notes that he "had to admire Sirius' nerve". Possible Interpretations: 1. He isn't really into girls in bikinis as the main point is to piss of his parents, not to lust over. 2. He is into girls in bikinis and can lust over them while pissing off his parents. Win-win.
Actual canon: "The girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though we didn't seem to have noticed". I love this! Possible Interpretations: 1. Sirius has so many girls after him that he doesn't notice. He's got that cocky, "Oh hey? Didn't see ya there" swagger (this is more commonly known as Being A Prick). 2. This moment is a representation of Sirius not being into girls in general.
Bikelock's Interpretation: I reckon both interpretations for both the above are very plausible. I do think JKR intended Sirius to be straight, but I believe and enjoy the MLM readings of them.
Actual canon: "He was very goodlooking" "Still-handsome face", "Looking haughty and bored, but very handsomely so" etc etc etc. Honestly, the narrator is always banging on about how goodlooking Sirius was/is (JKR, stop crushing on a teenage boy BORN FROM YOUR OWN MIND, you absolute weirdo). But we never hear about a girlfriend? That's a bit odd. Possible Interpretations: 1. The constant spelling out of how sexy Sirius is is the narrator implying his womanizing, 2. It's a deliberate omission of romantic interest because he's gay, 3. While we see a lot of photos etc, we only see pre-Azkaban Sirius do stuff in Snape's Worst Memory, and Sirius' love life was not relevant in that scene, 4. Sirius' handsomeness isn't anything to do with who he's going out with, it's more about his arrogance- being goodlooking can be about YOU, not your relationship with others! Bikelock's Interpretation: I think JK intended 3 and 4, but as a Basic Straight Girl I'm a sucker for fictional and irl too bad boys, so I also think 1.
Is Remus Lupin an MLM?
Here I will look at Lupin in isolation.
Actual canon: Carries a Big Secret which will affect his job and his security if anybody finds out. In general is a private person who lives with shame. Possible Interpretations: 1. How very sad that this secrecy and shame can be interpreted as a signifier for queerness :( 2. It is more about infection, illness/disability, Snape being a dick, the structure of leading up to the PoA finale, than an metaphor for queerness. Bikelock's Interpretation: 1.
Actual canon: Big Secret publicly revealed by Snape in an act of revenge. Possible Interpretations: Snape outs Lupin. 1. Metaphor of outing of queerness. 2. This is, like, a thing that generally happens in dramatic fiction, and not necessarily queer coding. Bikelock's Interpretation: Err, both.
Actual canon: Married a woman and had sex with her at least once. Possible Interpretations: 1. Lupin is sexually/romantically attracted to women, meaning he: 1A. Is straight, 1B. Is MLM who is bi/pan etc. 2. HOWEVER:
Actual canon: Lupin is literally never seen happily interacting with his wife on-page after their wedding. Yep, that's right. Go back and check if you don't believe me. Possible Interpretations: 1. Lupin doesn't really want to marry Tonks (1. 1...but he was pressured into it by Tonks, Molly, and like, all the others (evidence for all this being in the hospital wing in HBP), 1.2. And/or because it was a crazy time, he was grieving for Dumbledore, he was scared, he was doing mad shit). So yeah, it's possible to argue that even though Lupin marries a woman, he could still be gay. In fact, I actually think this kind of makes sense with everything else we know about Lupin's self-hatred, shame, commitment-phobia r.e Tonks, and general appalling decision-making. Bikelock's Interpretation: Despite everything I just said, when it comes down to I believe that Remus is in love with Tonks and did want to actually marry her.
Actual canon: Lupin ditches Tonks twice, including when she's pregnant. He "made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks, and have regretted it very much ever since". Oof, not a good moment this. Possible Interpretations: 1. Remus Lupin is a character who has experienced trauma, the effects of which makes him a dreadful boyfriend/husband to Tonks, especially when he is terrified he has subjected her and their child to lycanthropy. This man is a walking disaster, and I don't mean that in a cute "this smol lil catastrophe bean" way. His bewilderment, self-loathing, shame, fear and experiences of abandonment and grief, are the reason he is so changeable regarding Tonks. 2. See above bullet-point: he never wanted to marry her. Bikelock's Interpretation: First one. Lupin is an awful husband for reasons explained by his Actual Canon lycanthropy, not reading into it that he didn't want to be with her in the first place.
Actual canon: After 4 books of the narrator banging on about how old, grey and ill Lupin looks, when Teddy is born he "looked younger than Harry had ever seen him" and "seemed dazed by his own happiness". Omg i'm dying reading this bit, it's so lovely. Possible Interpretations: 1. Heterosexual marriage and parenthood appear to have metaphorically cured Lupin of his infirmity and misery. Does this heteronormativity stretch into homophobia? 2. This joy is everything this beautiful man deserved. Of course he would be happy after the birth of his child! A key HP theme is parents and children and the love between them- here's JK demonstrating it. This is especially important given A. Harry being orphaned as a baby, B. Lupin (and Tonks) being killed off, leaving Teddy an orphan. It is key that Harry witnesses this love from a new parent about his child, both as part of A. Harry's own understanding of himself as an orphan and his relationship with his parents, B. The father-figure role he will play in Teddy's life.
Wait, What About ALL Of OotP?
I'm putting this separately because a lot of Wolfstar's situation in OotP applies to them both:
Actual canon: Secretly living together and despite being outcasts, Sirius and Lupin are father figures to Harry together. They even get him a joint Christmas present! Possible Interpretations: 1. ...gay subtext af. 2. Harry has many father figures, there are plenty of people are barging in and out of 12GP not just Lupin, Sirius is stuck inside and Lupin is skint so in terms of practicality they had to share the present, and it's just part of adventure stories that characters have to hide in secret. Stop reading so much into this! Bikelock's Interpration: No2.
Actual canon: The 40-Line Stare. A classic of Wolfstar shipping. Possible Interpretations: 1. Staring at someone is not a signifier of romantic attraction. 2. Staring at someone is totally a signifier of romantic attraction. Bikelock's Interpretation: First one.
Actual canon: Sirius and Lupin's interactions in Snape's Worst Memory are negligible. Possible Interpretations: 1. They weren't together at this point but would be later. 2. They were together at this point but it was a secret. 3. They weren't together at this point and never would be.
Other Stuff
Actual Canon: "Lupin walked to Black's side, seized his hand, and pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother". Another Wolfstar classic. Possible Interpretations: 1. He embraced Black like a brother. 2. This is from 13-yr-old Harry's understanding, and they actually may have embraced more like lovers. Bikelock's Interpretation: No1. "Brother" is what it says on the page. I think to cast the “misinterpreted a lover’s embrace” aspersion on Harry's viewpoint is grasping at straws. Think about irl the last time you hugged a sibling, friend or romantic partner...would a a bystander know the difference?
In fact, that whole scene in the Shrieking Shack arguably has lots of Wolfstar Hints dropped. But think about what's going on in that moment. It's batshit crazy! It's the dramatic climax of the book so the characters are all heightened. I just don't think any of the alleged Wolfstar Hints can be counted as legit given the circumstances.
The two characters are very close friends. Staring, hugging, caring for each other, avenging a friend's death, nagging each other, going to places together staying inside together, being distraught when the other one dies- these are all ordinary/understandable things for old, close friends to do. Personally I am irked by the idea that these actions can only be explained if the two characters are romantically involved. I think that's a disservice to Sirius and Lupin's friendship. It also demonstrates a pretty negative view of male friendship in general. Male friendship isn't just "wheeyyy football Quidditch booze bantz bantz". It can be caring and meaningful, like Lupin and Sirius'. Moreover, in general imo platonic relationships are just as important as friendships. Sirius and Lupin don't need to be romantic lovers for their love to be valuable.
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20050305162545/http:/www.livejournal.com/users/elwing_alcyone/11152.html
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/12/10/harry-potter-and-the-secret-gay-love-story/
https://soundcloud.com/quibblerpodcast/ep-95-gender-revelio
OK You've Rambled On Long Enough, What Do You Actually Think?
Bikelock's Interpretation- Lupin: Easy for me. I interpret him as bi. The Big Secret and outing in PoA is a clincher. I don't think it was intentional by JKR but in my view it has a clear MLM reading (poor Lupin, the main signifier of his queerness is something upsetting, shameful and vengeful). I also like the idea of him as bi because he is so far from the Chaotic Sex-Mad Bisexual stereotype.
Bikelock's Headcanon- Lupin: (this is stuff I've made up myself with less/no canon evidence): Lupin is bisexual het-romantic (though, he wouldn't refer to or consider himself this way). I don't like the idea that he has had zero romantic/sexual relationships by the time Tonks turns up. It just...it's a bit cliché, a bit easy? (also a pain from a Remadora fanfic-writing perspective).
If you've read Pluto you'll know I write Lupin as having a poor relationship with sex. Although actually, I reckon it's mostly a poor relationship with heterosexual sex. See more in this post. The gist is, Lupin he believes he is a potential sexual predator because he is a werewolf. He would therefore feel more safe from himself when having sex with another man, because blokes are generally bigger and stronger and would have a better chance of fighting him off if he were to lose control. (It therefore a was a real twist of the knife to have JKR pair him off with a girl a lot younger than him). So, I think for the 12 years between the Potter Deaths and PoA, he was occasionally jacking off/blowjobs with random blokes met in pubs. Not to stereotype here, but that casual sex is a bit more common amongst MLMs than The Straights. Also I like the idea that our quite sweet, mild Prof Lupin has sucked off some dude behind a wheelie-bin. I think this would probs be Muggles because A. Lupin presumably spent a lot of time in the Muggle world, B. More anonymity.
Any girls ever? I think so. As I said, I don't want Tonks to be the first woman Remus ever slept with. I think his mates may have parlayed him into some action at school, and maybe after. Of course he would be very anxious about if/how/when to tell them he's a werewolf, and very guilty if/when he didn't tell them. This pre-Potter Death version of Lupin was a bit cheerier and less ashamed than the version we meet in canon, so his view of het sex wouldn't have deteriorated to the point I explained in the above para- that would happen after the Potter Deaths. In the 12 years after that, I reckon there probably was a girl or two, but ngl I struggle to come up with scenarios. She'd almost certainly be Muggle.
I dislike the fact that this headcanon of mine carries with it the homophobic implication of "had sordid and unfulfilling gay sexual encounters until monogamous het marriage and fatherhood made him truly happy". But, err, I guess that's how it is and idk what to do about it.
Bikelock's Interpretation- Sirius: I have less to say about Sirius. I fancy him see him as a very annoying, cocky, arrogant, womanising straight fuckboi. But I also think the MLM interpretations are plausible and fun.
Bikelock's Headcanon- Sirius: When I wrote Sparkling I wrote him as both interpretations. Defo having my cake and eating it BUT I plausible imo, and Sirius would have his cake and eat it too, wouldn't he?! I see teenage Sirius as a speedball of "wanna do it all, say it all, fight it all" so it's not a huge jump to "fuck it all", especially if he's getting lots of offers from girls. Plus, power is a big thing for Sirius and I think he'd enjoy the power element of sex, especially ditching girls once he's done with them. I think the MLM side of things would be more disconcerting for him, as it would for any boy in the 1970s.
Wasn't This Meant To Be a Post About Wolfstar?
Oh right yeah, sorry.
Bikelock's Headcanon: I think at Hogwarts Wolfstar could have happened. Generally such relationships between boys are A Thing at boarding school (although maybe less so at a mixed-gender boarding school) and I find that interesting and...kind of cool?
Pre-Potter Death Lupin is more fun and light, and boy is he happy to be cajoled into naughty fun with his friends. So I can see him copping off with Sirius, even if it was just as experimentation/boredom/horniness (remember, they are teenage boys!). Surely he'd actually feel better experimenting with a close friend? As for Sirius, I think if he sensed Lupin was MLM he would use that to his advantage. Not in a predatory way, he'd just...yeah, also participate. Likewise, if he's getting all this attention from girls but suspects he's MLM, he might feel better exploring that with a friend, who he knows won't be (too) weird about it or out him.
I don't know why I don't see them as legit "in love". Maybe because most 17-year-olds aren't?! It's something I find frustrating about Harry's gen. And you don't need to be in love with the person you're getting off with at school!
Lupin’s situation means immediately post-Hogwarts he HAS to crack on and start making money to clutch at whatever stability he can find. Sirius' upbringing was materially stable and financially privileged, but emotionally shit, so I bet he wants/needs the opposite to Lupin: to get out there, see the world, have adventures. Lupin has to be more pragmatic than to want those things. A long-term romantic relationship would therefore not work. Being in the Order would change things too.
I also like the idea that James is always Sirius' BFF. His romantic relationship with Lupin was separate, perhaps less close- see my above point about the value of platonic friendship.
Wolfstar could not possibly be A Thing by the time the Potters went into hiding ABSOLUTE LATEST. Sirius suspects Lupin of betraying the Potters to Voldemort! Lupin wasn't told about the change in Secret-Keeper. Obviously that's Best Practise Secret-Keeping, but think about how many huge secrets the Marauders kept at school: werewolf, map, Aminagi, Snape incident. Lupin not being informed of the switch is therefore a big deal demonstrating major distrust.
Fats-forward to OotP. Imo it's too much time past, they're too different, they weren't even together particularly romantically or for very long as teenagers, and even that was now a lifetime ago. Therefore it doesn't make sense for Wolfstar to be together in OotP. Also, it doesn't fit timeline-wise with Lupin/Tonks (who are Actual Canon!).
However, I do like to imagine touch-starved Sirius being, like, weirdly physical with Lupin, like putting his head on his shoulder a lot, maybe he kisses him goodnight sometimes. But, more in a strange, sad, lonely way, than a romantic way.
The End. Phew, that was a long post! Thanks for reading- even if you just skipped to the bottom. In case you possibly need more of my rambles, here's a plug for some of my Wolfstar fanfic, or at least fanfic involving the characters:
53 notes · View notes
biquinntile · 4 days
Text
Regulus Black's Patronus
if you hc, something different I totally respect it. I know I've seen a lot of folks pick a lion, with him being named after the brightest star in Leo, but I'd like to give my arguments for why I think that isn't the case. I will be using wizard in a gender neutral sense since the Old Hag didn't want us to have a gender neutral term for magic-user smdh
Firstly, it's very hard to not associate the lion with Gryffindor, and I think that an important part of Regulus as a character is the fact that he is a Slytherin. Our leading Slytherins have this running theme of redemption and forgiveness. Regulus's story was really brought up during Draco's time as a Death Eater apprentice or whatever, when Draco was battling with his morals and his duty and his fear. It was supposed to be this parallel because Regulus was the same age when he was recruited into the Genocide Gang. Like, I cannot stress enough how important it is to his character that he was a Slytherin, he was a Death Eater, he was from an elite pureblooded family who were no strangers to dark arts let me tell you that. He had no reason to question his beliefs, to rock the boat, to step to the Baddest Baddie of the time, especially when I'm sure Regulus knew better than anyone what he was capable. Let's remember that not every Death Eater had a dark mark...but Regulus did. And he did it anyway, knowing he could and would day. He did it like a Slytherin too, using trickery and telling no one. Working in darkness. Kreacher was the only being for over a decade that even knew how he'd really died. Tell me that's not a Slytherin at work smdh. And thank Merlin for his Slytherin work ethic. All this to say I loathe any implication that Regulus should have been in Gryffindor or he would have been in another world. He was a Slytherin AND a good person. That's who Regulus was.
Secondly, I think a very important detail about Regulus is the contrast between him and Sirius. The House of Black is a well-known, established family of pureblooded wizards, predominantly Slytherin to boot. They're the elite, the wealthy, and their family's reputation holds a weight in wizard society. People know who the Blacks are, and Walburga and Orion aren't exactly great parents, if how they deal with Sirius shows us anything. I might be drawing too much from my own experience with a judgmental and strict household of dickhead parents, but while some's reaction to a toxic and strict household was to rebel and fight back and go toe to toe with their parents, like Sirius, I felt I related more to Regulus. Being as perfect as you can, never disagree, figure out how to do what they want before they even ask so they can never get upset and mistreat you. Regulus is obeying where Sirius would break the rules, despite them both being able to acknowledge that the rules are broken and/or wrong. They were too different to be able to understand each other, both attributing the other's reaction to a gluttony for misery. Regulus, to me, represents a person that had their entire life laid out in front of them by his family, and yet his final moment is about choice, his ability to decide for himself what he believes is right and wrong. For me, I feel like him being in Slytherin is important because he would have believed that the Sorting Hat decided for him because he was from the Black family, but we all know that the Sorting Hat gives suggestions more than anything. He chose to be a Slytherin the same way that Sirius chose Gryffindor, but they couldn't understand each other's choices. Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Brothers turned strangers by the hands of Fate, molded by their experiences without any understanding of what the other person was making. It's devastating.
Thirdly, I'm sure you're thinking, "Okay, tough guy. So his patronus isn't a lion! So what is it then?" Honestly, I'll sign on to anyone who has evidence for why. Patronuses actually tell you a decent amount of information about what kind of wizard you're dealing with. I think his would be a fox because the fox embodies a lot of the more positive qualities of a Slytherin: cunning, quick wit, mysterious. There's a playful mischief there, which is what I imagine Regulus has when he starts getting comfortable, smoking weed in Barty Crouch Jr.'s basement, you know what I mean? I also have this really strong headcanon that Regulus and Sirius were very close before Sirius went to Hogwarts, but with Sirius gone and absorbed in his new Gryffindor friends, Regulus spends those two years hanging out with Kreacher and getting deeper in the pureblood propaganda his parents spit out, driving a huge wedge between them...but before all that, I like to imagine that Sirius used to try to comfort and protect Regulus from the shittier parts of their family, and I imagine that he'd open up the big windows and tell Regulus stories using the constellations, something they both grew up connected to by their family's tradition. I think that Sirius would not have paid attention to all the stories though, and I could see him grabbing from whatever stories he could remember. I like to imagine him telling the story of the Fox and the Hound, unlikely friends, that go up against Narcissus, the flower that was obsessed with its own reflection or The Banshee, the angry mother that would scream until your ears bled. Silly stories told slightly different by Sirius's embellishments and stitching in things he'd forgotten. I don't know it's a soft headcanon but apparently strong enough that I am here making this post, advocating for his patronus to be a fox. So. there's that.
All this to say, don't listen to me if you don't want to! Believe whatever you like, none of this is real. I just kinda wanted to organize my thoughts about it because I've been thinking about him for a long time, and I feel very strongly about this...clearly...lmao
4 notes · View notes
caffeineheroes · 5 months
Text
Today is Halloween 2023. Do you remember where you were on this day in 2012?
Visualize it.
Tumblr media
Now imagine your best friends were just murdered. You were betrayed and falsely imprisoned for their deaths.
You're still in prison and your name is Sirius Black.
Not until next summer do you finally escape, living off rats in a dilapidated house on your old school's property while hunting the man who framed you.
Freedom is snatched away a second time and you go back on the run, but at least you don't spend the summer in prison. Yet as the leaves bloom red and gold, you find yourself living in a cave, begging for scraps at a nearby village through frost and snow.
The following summer, you go back to the childhood home of your nightmares where you were physically and emotionally abused until you ran away for good. Or so you thought. You spend the next year locked inside, not allowed to leave. Visitors come and go, sometimes staying a few nights or even weeks. But the rest of the time you are alone with the literal screams of your mother's cursing and slurs echoing through the empty house.
Your last summer arrives, but you don't know it yet. You leave the house to save your godson and never return. You're 37 when you pass through the veil.
You were 33 when you escaped from prison.
And you were only 21 when your bright future was snuffed out.
---
We forget how young Sirius was when he went to Azkaban. Or what 12 years really means until we look back on how young WE were 12 years ago. How much we've changed and the experiences that shaped us. That whole time, Sirius was trapped in a time capsule of his darkest depression. And after all that time, he barely lived at all.
4 notes · View notes
Text
So I came across a TikTok about a guy who made the argument, using canon references, that the Weasley family was no better or still held some of the Death Eaters' ideologies.
Now I'm thinking about all the fanfic stories I've read that portray that side of the Weasley's not accepting Hermione as a member of the family and treating her with barely composed contempt when she married Ron, clearly preferring Harry as a dearest member of the family rather then, as he was a Half-blood, which would be considered in their beliefs begin preferable than a muggle-born alone becoming so closely associated with their family.
That makes far more sense, I believe, since we're able to observe all of that begin pretty explicitly in a few of the canon dialogues—which reminds me of the particular situation with Dumbledore's character, as many people as they grew up apparently began to seriously reconsider the words and actions of the Greatest Wizard of His Time, beginning to consider him as frightening and cruelly manipulative such as the book series' villain, Voldemort, himself.
So, I'm left wondering: Were all of us mistaken in assuming that the Weasley's could be so different, so devoid from the most deeply rooted cultural values and beliefs that characterized the Purebloods (and perhaps even the Death Eaters...?), If they still were a Pureblood family, for all the means, from the start...?
Some articles and fans' personal opinions have already indicated that the author's work is full of ambiguities and morally grey characters. That even characters who should be considered only good or bad had morally ambiguous moments throughout books that were presumed to be children's literature.
Does this however now imply that the very warm and inviting Weasley family is also included in this grey zone of the series?
4 notes · View notes
fanfictionroxs · 2 months
Text
People try to put down Jily because James was horrid to Sev and yes I agree.. but imagine being Lily.. your best friend betrays you for your oppressors who hate your very existence, your sister too hates you for your very existence and you seem to have no place where you are fully accepted. And then there's this dude who has always been an immature ass.. but who stands by you like a rock against those discriminating assholes.. this guy you've always hated is the one guarding your back as you guard his on the battlefield where you're outnumbered 20 to 1... this guy who could have carried on his shitty bullying habits into the future, but instead chose to fight against the monsters who want to eradicate you when your own best friend left you for them... this guy who loves every bit of you from the magic to the non-magic and to your very bones he worships the hell out of you... he will die for you and he does.
I don't know man, but that level of character development is an understandable reason to marry a dude ❤
396 notes · View notes
whinlatter · 1 year
Text
Harry’s thoughts of Ginny in the Forest: a meta
Tumblr media Tumblr media
‘Nothing too big, because you wouldn't be able to take it with you... I wanted you to have something to remember me by.' - DH, p. 99 (UK edition)
Here I am, on a rainy Thursday, doing re-reads for some writing and thinking about the parallels between Harry and Ginny's kiss on his birthday, and Harry’s thoughts of Ginny as he goes to his death. 
I’m thinking differently about Ginny’s motivations for the kiss these days. I used to think about her words to Harry that morning, and the act of kissing him, as a promise she’ll wait for when he comes back. Lately, I’m wondering if it’s not something sadder, and more profound. I think what Ginny does on Harry’s seventeenth is the act of a person who is starting to process the fact that the person she loves is likely going to his death — that he might not be coming back. It's a scene of a person bracing for grief and thinking about love after death, and it will set the stage for how Harry meets his own death in the Forest.
So here’s a much-too-long meta to help me think through these ideas - about the kiss, Ginny’s suspicions about Harry’s fate, and what it means that Harry returns to the memory of Ginny at the end of his life. (Stick the kettle on for this one and if you worked this all out long ago before me, just give me an eye roll and forgive me).
I’ve always taken Ginny's words to Harry before their kiss at face value. I thought of it not quite as a fun scene - it’s certainly sad - but sweet, a little sexy, and sort of reckless, even a bit mischievous on Ginny’s part.
It’s the birthday of the boy Ginny loves. They’re not together anymore. She knows he's going away. She wants to give him a birthday present, but she doesn't want to give him something he has to haul around or might lose. She does want to let him know that, despite their separation, her feelings are still the same. She craves a moment with him before he goes. She is still in love with him, she is deeply attracted to him, and part of her still feels a bit possessive. Although she’s not really concerned Harry’s going to crack on with some Veela, she does want him to have a memento of their time together. She wants him to have a happy memory, of physical intimacy and emotional comfort, to keep him going while he's away, to feel less alone.
Most of all, I used to think of the kiss (and whatever Ginny imagined might come after the kiss) as a promise. I still love you. Even though we’re not together and I respect why you have to go, I’m still all in on this. I’ll wait for you for when you come back. I want you to have the memory of this, as proof.
Harry’s reveal
But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think about the context of when this kiss happens, after Harry and Ginny's last conversation before his birthday. It's the one a few days before, when Harry and Ginny are laying the table for dinner, and Harry lets slip to Ginny what he, Ron and Hermione will be doing when they leave:
'‘And then what does she think’s going to happen?’ Harry muttered. ‘Someone else might kill off Voldemort while she’s holding us here making vol-au-vents?’ He had spoken without thinking, and saw Ginny’s face whiten.‘So it’s true?’ she said. ‘That’s what you’re trying to do? ‘I - not - I was joking,’ said Harry evasively. (DH, 78-9, UK edition)
This is a desperately sad scene, but it’s also an important moment. Harry, so used to having his guard down with Ginny, realises he’s accidentally confessed something big: that he’s going on the run to try and kill Voldemort himself, with Ron and Hermione’s help. 
Ginny is shaken by this. As a character, she tends to either take things in her stride, or yells first, processes later. But this catches her off guard. Her words suggest there has been speculation about what it is the three of them are going off to do (‘So it’s true?’ suggests that Ginny, and perhaps other members of her family or the Order, have been speculating about this for some time). But both she and Harry realise here that he’s flippantly confirmed something huge that Ginny did not already know for sure. He’s spoken aloud the task is that Dumbledore has left him. 
It is a sign of how close Harry feels to Ginny, how safe he feels in her company, and how difficult he finds managing keeping secrets from her, that he lets this slip. He won’t come as close to telling the truth to anyone else, even people he trusts. The scene before this, in his conversation with Mrs Weasley, he didn’t let on nearly as much (though he admits that he found affirming the importance of secrecy difficult when he looked at Mrs Weasley and saw Ginny’s eyes staring back at him):
‘Well, Dumbledore left me . . . stuff to do,’ mumbled Harry. ‘Ron and Hermione know about it, and they want to come too.’ ‘What sort of ‘stuff’?’  ‘I’m sorry, I can’t—’  ‘Well, frankly I think Arthur and I have a right to know, and I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Granger would agree!’ said Mrs. Weasley. Harry had been afraid of the “concerned parent” attack. He forced himself to look directly into her eyes, noticing as he did that they were precisely the same shade of brown as Ginny’s. This did not help… ‘Dumbledore didn’t want anyone else to know, Mrs. Weasley (…)  I didn’t misunderstand,’ said Harry flatly. ‘It’s got to be me.’ (DH, 77-8)
Later, he’ll also refuse to give any information to Lupin, for the same reason. 
'‘Can you confide in me what the mission is?’  Harry looked into the prematurely lined face, framed in thick but greying hair, and wished that he could return a different answer.  ‘I can’t, Remus, I’m sorry. If Dumbledore didn’t tell you I don’t think I can.’  ‘I thought you’d say that,’ said Lupin, looking disappointed.’ (DH, 173-4)
But with Ginny, he’s accidentally gone much further. He hasn’t said Horcruxes, but he’s as good as. The trio are setting off to try to kill Voldemort, the most dangerous task imaginable in this war. He tries, in vain, to undo it, but the damage is already done. Ginny knows more now than she did before: that the journey he’s about to go on is one that very likely will claim his life. 
What does Ginny know about Harry’s fate before this moment? 
It's clear from this interaction that Harry has never discussed any of this with Ginny before. In their breakup scene, Harry repeatedly said that he was breaking up with her for her own safety. He said he did not want her to be used as bait, as she already had been previously, and as Sirius was: 'Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up...' (HBP, 602). The focus was entirely on the risk to Ginny's life, a risk Harry says he cannot live with.
Ginny’s remarks at Dumbledore’s funeral told us something about how she, at that point, understood the path ahead for Harry. She made her half-joke that Harry was always busy saving the Wizarding World, and says she thinks he 'would never be happy', never fulfilled or satisfied, unless he were 'hunting Voldemort' (HBP, 603). She showed she interpreted his actions as choices being made by someone brave, determined, and personally committed to bringing about the end of Voldemort, not someone destined to. Harry’s motivations and reasons are ones she respects and empathises with. She knows the path ahead is dangerous. She doesn’t yet think of it as lethal. 
Harry didn’t respond to her assessments at the funeral, neither correcting nor confirming them. He didn’t let her know, at that stage, exactly what it is he is going to set off to do. The closest Harry came to revealing the road ahead for him in the break-up scene was this:
'It’s been like… like something out of someone else’s life, these last few weeks with you,' said Harry. 'But I can’t… we can’t… I’ve got things to do alone now.' She did not cry, she simply looked at him.’  (HBP, 602)
This is a pattern throughout their relationship, both as friends and later as romantic partners. Ginny knows a little, but not a lot, about Harry’s path. She thinks of it almost entirely as a decision he has made himself. Conversations about Harry’s destiny - about the Prophecy, about being the Chosen One, and, eventually, about the Horcrux hunt - happen near Ginny, but never with her. She does not seem to believe that Harry is the Chosen One or in any way bound to Voldemort's own fate. At the start of HBP, on the train in Slughorn’s carriage, Ginny states publicly her belief that any speculation about Harry being the Chosen One is nonsense: 
‘We never heard a prophecy,” said Neville, turning geranium pink as he said it. ‘That’s right,’ said Ginny staunchly. ‘Neville and I were both there too, and all this ‘Chosen One’ rubbish is just the Prophet making things up as usual.’ (HBP, 140)
Ultimately, before DH, Ginny has been given very little information. We can assume that she’s decided to respect Harry’s decision to keep any information from her and not to push for it. She has reason to fear he might be in danger, but she doesn’t yet know the full extent of it.
Ginny’s response
The immediate aftermath of Harry’s confession at the Burrow is very telling. 
‘They stared at each other, and there was something more than shock in Ginny’s expression. Suddenly Harry became aware that this was the first time that he had been alone with her since their stolen hours in secluded corners of the Hogwarts grounds. He was sure she was remembering them too.’ - DH (79)
It’s important that, immediately after this confession, Harry’s mind immediately takes him to private time spent alone with Ginny at the end of HBP. His certainty that Ginny, too, is reminiscing about them is typical of their wordless displays of understanding. They both reach for memories. And the memories of the last time he was alone with her, when they were still together, suddenly trigger an intense emotional and sexual tension. They are soon interrupted, and the dinner afterwards is extremely awkward. Harry wishes he were further away from Ginny, and tries, with great difficulty, to avoid touching her at the dinner table. The energy between them is intense and charged, anticipatory and frustrated. There are lots of ‘unsaid things’ that have just passed between them, and both are aware of it (DH, 79).
There are important themes being introduced here. Whenever Harry thinks about memories of his time with Ginny in DH, he does so consistently in two clear ways. To him, those times were private, intensely intimate moments which carried huge personal significance. It is strongly implied those were moments of sexual intimacy between the two of them, and where they shared an emotional closeness neither has found with any other character. But those moments with Ginny are also something Harry feels he was wrong to take. His relationship with her was something that, in retrospect, he embarked upon against his better judgement. He now feels it was something he was not entitled to, on account of his own burdens and obligations. Those were ‘stolen hours’ that were ‘something out of someone else’s life’. If we look to the wedding scene, we can see this most clearly:
‘‘Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely,’ said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. ‘But I must say, Ginevra’s dress is far too low cut.’  Ginny glanced around, grinning, winked at Harry, then quickly faced the front again. Harry’s mind wandered a long way from the marquee, back to afternoons spent alone with Ginny in lonely parts of the school grounds. They seemed so long ago; they had always seemed too good to be true, as though he had been stealing shining hours from a normal person’s life, a person without a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead…’ (DH, 121) 
There are certain tropes at play here, that will that recur again and again in Harry’s thoughts of Ginny until the point of his death: the memory of time alone, the feeling of shared emotional and physical intimacy, to an intense degree; the sense of their time together being something stolen, both in the sense of it being snatched from within darker times, but also being forbidden, given with Harry’s fate when it comes to Voldemort. That Harry recalls these moments at a moment as two other characters make lifelong vows of marriage to each other is not insignificant: all is set up to maximise the sense of tragedy.
Ginny processing Harry’s fate
Ginny is not naive. Harry’s confession seems to change something about how she thinks about what he’s about to do. She may once have dismissed the prophecy of Harry as the Chosen One as nonsense. But she now has reason to suspect that might not quite be true.
She may well re-trace what she does know. After all, she was at the Department of Mysteries two summers prior, where she learnt that Voldemort, at least, thinks there is a prophecy of significance that involves Harry directly. She knows Harry has been having one-on-one lessons with Dumbledore: she even gave him one of the invitations (HBP, 228). She also knows that Harry and Dumbledore left school for a secret mission alone on the night the Astronomy Tower was attacked and Dumbledore was killed. She observed how Harry saw Dumbledore’s death as a catalyst to prepare for a path that required him to step back from her. Above all, we also know that Ginny is a character who understands Tom Riddle intimately. She is one of the people who comes closest to understanding the stakes of your life being bound, in some way, to Voldemort.
It is also significant that Ginny is a character canonically intrigued, and touched, by death, and by powerful Dark magic. The diary, and her own near-death experience, is the most obvious example. But in the Department of Mysteries during OotP, we are told she is also one of the characters most drawn to the veil, despite having far less direct experience of loss and grief than Harry, Luna, or even Neville:
‘[Harry] took several paces back from the dais and wrenched his eyes from the veil. ‘Let’s go,’ he said. ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to — well, come on, then!’ said Hermione, and she led the way back around the dais. On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too. Without speaking, Hermione took hold of Ginny’s arm, Ron Neville’s, and they marched them firmly back to the lowest stone bench and clambered all the way back up to the door.’ (OotP, 775)
I don’t mean to suggest Ginny knew what was coming for Harry, that she foresaw him having to go to his death. She knows nothing of Horcruxes, she doesn’t know the contents of the Prophecy, and she certainly doesn’t know Harry himself is a Horcrux. Harry, of course, doesn’t yet know the certainty of him going to his own death, at this point in the text. But given the information she alone has been handed, inadvertently, by Harry, she has plenty of reason to begin to suspect the path Harry is on is one that might end in death, moreso for him than for an anyone else in this war.
Ginny doesn’t appear much in the following pages, other than in her role helping to prepare the house for the wedding. Over the next few days, she has lots of time to consider Harry’s words. We know she’s also sharing a bedroom with Hermione, who is actively preparing for their imminent departure, and watching the three of them try to sneak off together to make plans. This is time for Ginny to start to digest the information Harry has unwittingly divulged. She can now begin to think about how she ought to respond to the prospect of him leaving for a mission that will, likely, cost him his life.
The kiss itself
We can see Ginny has planned this interaction with Harry in her bedroom. The false casualness of how the scene opens - ‘Harry, can you come in here a moment?’ - and the actions of the bedroom’s other occupant, Hermione, suggests some level of premeditation and collaboration. For the first time, Ginny brings him into her bedroom, with the door closed. The setting is obviously intimate and suggestive.
Harry describes Ginny as seeming nervous, but purposeful, like she is readying herself for something - she ‘[takes] a deep breath’. She is looking at him ‘steadily’. Harry is nervous, too: he cannot bring himself to look at her, finding it almost painful, like ‘gazing into a brilliant light’ (DH, 98). Her trademark blazing look is in full force. She doesn’t entertain his attempts at small talk: she is serious about what she’s about to do.
‘‘I couldn’t think what to get you,’ she said.  ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’ She disregarded this too.’ (DH, 98-9)
Ginny opens by revealing how difficult it has been for her to work out what she could give him, under the circumstances. She is, in her own way, acknowledging how hard she is finding processing what it is he has to do now. She has been struggling with the prospect of Harry’s departure, and the possibility, even the likelihood, of his death. But she has decided she wants to make that path easier for him. Despite his reassurance, she insists she wanted to give him something. 
‘‘I didn’t know what would be useful. Nothing too big, because you wouldn’t be able to take it with you.” He chanced a glance at her. She was not tearful...' (99)
These lines are so significant. The first two lines in particular are deeply profound. They read very differently to how I first thought of them, if seen in this light. I didn’t know what would be useful, she says, because she doesn't know what she can say that will be useful. What could possibly make this easier, to help Harry think about the enormity of his situation, or to help guide him on a path requiring him to accept his own likely death? 
She doesn’t want what she gives to him now to be too heavy, too sad, or too serious, because she knows Harry will not be able to deal with it (‘nothing too big’). Anything too declaratory, too sentimental, or too enormous, would be impossible for him to leave with. In the last part of the sentence, her words are deliberately vague: because you wouldn’t be able to take it with you. 
I think this is the most poignant part, and it suggests the part of Ginny's mind that believes in, and is curious about, what happens beyond, after death: the voices on the other side of the veil. I think there is some part of her that thinks Harry might be going somewhere she can’t reach him - what Dumbledore will later call going on. Ginny does not openly speculate about where Harry will be taking whatever she gives him. That it could be to his own grave, or beyond, is left unspoken. He looks at her, finally, after these words, because he seems to understand, on some level, what she is trying to say to him.
‘She took a step closer to him. ‘So then I thought, I’d like you to have something to remember me by, you know, if you meet some veela when you’re off doing whatever you’re doing.’’ (DH, 99)
Ginny has decided: the thing she will give him is a memory, one that he can take with him when they part. Something to remember me by. She wants the memory of her, of them, to be useful, to serve him in some way, and to be something that he might be able to take on with him after death. She tries to soften what she’s trying to convey, with the joke about the veela. But both seem to understand what she is really saying: that she isn’t really asking for his loyalty or fidelity. She doesn’t say she’s giving him ‘something to remember me by’ for when he comes back and they can be together again. Her words are very final. The joke is supposed to make it easier for him to hear what she is saying: she’s telling him, quietly, how to think about her when he leaves, whatever leaving might mean.
Harry, for his part, continues the joke. (‘I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty thin on the ground, to be honest.’) She plays along, sort of, in a very sad way (‘there’s the silver lining I’ve been looking for’). But both seem to know that there is no real silver lining to this. 
And then there’s the kiss itself: 
‘There’s the silver lining I’ve been looking for,’ she whispered, and then she was kissing him as she had never kissed him before, and Harry was kissing her back, and it was blissful oblivion, better than Firewhisky; 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 —’ (DH, 99)
It all comes to a head here. Harry recognises that this kiss feels exceptional, unlike any other they’ve ever shared - that Ginny has never put so much into a kiss before. It is ‘blissful oblivion’, this moment of extraordinary intensity, where she kisses him and allows him, for a moment, to think only about her and them together. It’s heady and sexual (‘the feel of her’). It’s a gift for Harry  to be able to forget everything and let this moment be a vacuum, to focus only on her. The crescendo effect of the short causes and run-on sentences allows the moment to build and build, a crescendo effect that anticipates something to come. 
Of course, their moment gets interrupted, again. Unlike when Ron interrupted her with Dean, Ginny doesn't rage at him this time: she is subdued, a response that is far more appropriate for her processing the fact that she may have just had her final kiss with the boy she loves. Harry suspects she has started to cry, something he notes is out of character. Ginny had imbued a lot of meaning into this interaction: this is a portrait of a character whose heart is breaking.
When Harry and Ron are discussing the kiss outside on the lawn, after the initial shock of being yelled at by Ron for going anywhere near Ginny, Harry has his own, shattering realisation of what all of this means for himself and Ginny:
‘Yeah, but you go snogging her now and she’s just going to get her hopes up again—’ ‘She’s not an idiot, she knows it can’t happen, she’s not expecting us to— to end up married, or—’  As he said it, a vivid picture formed in Harry’s mind of Ginny in a white dress, marrying a tall, faceless, and unpleasant stranger. In one spiralling moment it seemed to hit him: Her future was free and unencumbered, whereas his . . . he could see nothing but Voldemort ahead.’ (DH, 100)
Thinking aloud, Harry says it would be idiotic for he or Ginny to imagine they could be together, either now, or at any point in the future. He expects her to find someone else; he cannot even begin to imagine a future for himself after the task set out for him. He does not say his inevitable death - he has not yet embraced that reality - but he remains caught in the certainty of an existential battle with Voldemort that he knows he may well not survive.
Later that day, Harry will receive the snitch from Dumbledore’s will. Though he doesn’t know it yet, he now holds the resurrection stone, the item that will open at the close in the forest. It is a birthday that starts and ends with hints about what little time he has left: the stage is set for an arc that, now, has to end in his own death.
Foreshadowing Ginny and the Forest
Moments foreshadowing the significance of the forest are all over Deathly Hallows. Sometimes, they mirror the moment of his own death; often, they are related to Ginny. When they leave the Ministry, with Ron splinched, clutching the Horcrux locket, they arrive in a forest. For a moment Harry’s heart ‘leaped’ at the thought that they were back in Hogwarts’ grounds, the site of so much of his earlier happiness with Ginny (DH, 221). When the trio hear that Ginny, Neville and Luna tried to steal the sword of Gryffindor, it is the Forbidden Forest they are sent to by Snape as punishment (248-9). Harry does not fear the Forest, and is consoled by the thought of Ginny serving detention there rather than anywhere else.
In the Forest of Dean, the scene where Ron returns begins with Harry thinking of Ginny. He sits at the mouth of the tent, wanting to look for Ginny on the Marauders’ Map, until he remembers it’s Christmastime and she is at the Burrow (297). Later, in a moment that mirrors his later walk to his death, he follows his mother - Snape’s patronus, the doe - into the woods, in order to recover and destroy the Horcrux, inching Harry’s own life closer to its close:
Though the darkness had swallowed her whole, [the doe’s] burnished image was still imprinted on his retinas; it obscured his vision, brightening when he lowered his eyelids, disorienting him. Now fear came: Her presence had meant safety. “Lumos!” he whispered, and the wand-tip ignited. The imprint of the doe faded away with every blink of his eyes as he stood there, listening to the sounds of the forest, to distant crackles of twigs…  He held the wand higher. Nobody ran out at him, no flash of green light burst from behind a tree. Why, then, had she led him to this spot?’ (DH, 299)
Foreshadowing Harry's end in the Forest means also foreshadowing Ginny's own appearance at the moment of his death.
Harry’s ‘death’ in the Forest 
In the final battle, Ginny is the last person Harry sees before he begins his walk into the Forest. He takes the words she says to the child on the ground as her final act of comfort. Harry hears them as if they are being spoken to him: 
‘He was feet away from her when he realised it was Ginny.  He stopped in his tracks. She was crouching over a girl who was whispering for her mother.  ‘It’s all right,’ Ginny was saying. ‘It’s okay. We’re going to get you inside.’  ‘But I want to go home,’ whispered the girl. ‘I don’t want to fight anymore!’ ‘I know,’ said Ginny, and her voice broke. ‘It’s going to be all right.’  Ripples of cold undulated over Harry’s skin. He wanted to shout out to the night, he wanted Ginny to know that he was there, he wanted her to know where he was going. He wanted to be stopped, to be dragged back, to be sent back home (...) Ginny was kneeling beside the injured girl now, holding her hand. With a huge effort Harry forced himself on. He thought he saw Ginny look around as he passed, and wondered whether she had seen someone walking nearby, but he did not speak, and he did not look back.’ (DH, 558-9)
Harry believes that this is his final moment with Ginny before he goes to die. A part of him wants her to know that it’s happening: he is leaving, at last. But he can't call to her, because he worries she will try and stop him, and he might let her. Instead, he walks on, and doesn’t look back. After watching Ginny comfort the girl crying for her mother, Harry then goes on to the Forest, and summons his own mother, his own family, to walk with him to his death.  
‘His body and mind felt oddly disconnected now, his limbs working without conscious instruction, as if he were passenger, not driver, in the body he was about to leave. The dead who walked beside him through the forest were much more real to him now that the living back at the castle: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and all the others were the ones who felt like ghosts as he stumbled and slipped toward the end of his life, toward Voldemort. . . .' (DH, 561-2)
Harry is already preparing to go on from this world: his living loved ones are the ones he now feels furthest from. He stands now with the dead he has summoned, who recognise him and seem to have memories of him. He doesn't fear the dead: he is going to join them.
It’s the death scene itself that I think has subtle, but important parallels with the kiss scene much earlier. In both imagery and in writing style, the scene recalls that earlier moment, where Harry found himself on the edge of another kind of oblivion. There is this mounting, febrile sense of anticipation. There is a tension that is almost sexual, a dynamic injected into the scene through descriptions of Bellatrix’s body language and behaviour towards Voldemort:
‘Bellatrix, who had leapt to her feet, was looking eagerly from Voldemort to Harry, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort’s head.’  (DH, 564)
The ugly parallel of Bellatrix and Voldemort is not supposed to show the pair as the mirror image of Harry and Ginny. Rather, it is a theme that recurs throughout the series to demonstrate the gulf between Harry, with his immense capacity for love, and Voldemort, with none. Bellatrix and Ginny are memorably paralleled twice in the series: once, at the Department of Mysteries, where Bellatrix moves to ‘torture the little girl’, and Harry steps in to prevent her (OotP, 783), and again in the final battle: 
'Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Harry’s attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch—  He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort, but before he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways…’ (DH, 589)
As Harry waits for the killing curse, we see the most direct parallel with Ginny's final kiss to him:
‘None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his — ’ (DH, 564)
There's such an intense physicality and breathlessness to the whole scene, and an enduring pseudo-sexual tension, with Bellatrix audibly panting. Even the sentence structure even invokes the kissing scene: the run-on build up of clauses, the repetition of the present participle to actively hold the reader in one present moment, building and building and ending on a dash, the promise of something more.
At the end of his life, Harry returns to the memory Ginny gave him. She meant for it to be useful, if he was to go to his death. And at the close of his life he chooses to use it, as he prepares to leave her behind in this world and depart for the next. Just as the Resurrection Stone helped accept death, so too does the memory of Ginny. He feels the memory of her, the sensation of physical touch and of being kissed, the look she gives him that he knows as one of love and great courage. As he is killed, he remembers her last gift to him, the certainty of her love for him impressed upon him.
--
There's a line in OotP that I think is such an underrated line that sums up who Ginny is as a character. Harry is trying to get to Umbridge's fire to speak to Sirius when he thinks the latter is being tortured at the Ministry; Hermione suggests using Ginny and Luna as a distraction, despite Harry's objections:
'Though clearly struggling to understand what was going on, Ginny said immediately, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it,'... (OotP, 736)
This is who Ginny is. It's especially who she is to Harry, during the war. She doesn't fully know what's actually being asked of Harry (and, by extension, what is being asked of her, as the person who loves him, and who has most to lose if he is to die). But even when kept in the dark, she is enormously selfless, and her biggest act of bravery is extremely quiet. She keeps the secret Harry accidentally bestows on her, and she realises, in some sense, before he does, what it will likely mean for his life. She chooses to let him go on, knowing that he is loved, to make the path that he is on a little bit easier, even when she has realised that it will take him away from her for good.
543 notes · View notes
hollowed-theory-hall · 2 months
Text
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:
Tumblr media
(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...
192 notes · View notes
Text
it always makes me cringe when people talk about sirius being an irresponsible adult in the hp series or that he's too harsh and should know at this point in this life how to treat house elves and the people around him, and i just...no?
i mean, think about it. sirius grew up with walburga and orion as parents. he probably didn't learn anything about compassionate/kind/gentle human interaction until he started at hogwarts (except maybe trying to figure out how to be a good brother to regulus), and he was still just a kid, trying to survive in a death eater household.
and while he may have figured out how to treat house elves at hogwarts, there is no reason he would realize he was supposed to apply that to kreacher. honestly, why would he even want to? kreacher was desperately devoted to walburga. he spouted all the same shit she did, and he probably helped walburga hurt sirius. so even if sirius knew better about house elves, the way he treated kreacher was probably a defense mechanism (don't get me wrong, i'm not excusing it. i'm just saying there's something deeper going on.)
as for the bullying, there's really no excuse for that. i will never support it, but snape gave as good as he got. and i have other thoughts on that, but i'll save that for another post.
and back to him being irresponsible - he went into azkaban at 22. he lost his entire life at 22. he was completely removed from society at 22. how the hell would he have figured out adulting by the time he was out of azkaban? plus, after azkaban, he spent two years on the run, again, away from society (15 years now), and then another year stuck in grimmauld place (16 years now), literally the house of his nightmares, with his dead mother even screaming at him occasionally, with the house elf that may have had a hand in his abuse that also served as a constant reminder of his dead brother whose death he still feels guilt over, unable to help his godson, who also serves as a constant reminder of his friends he was unable to save. plus - remus. literally a living symbol of all the years he missed, all the moons he was away, all the time they could have had together, but remus was forced to move on, and sirius hadn't even had the chance to realize the people who were his peers, had to move on (while he was sitting in a torture chamber). all this while peter is running free, the man responsible for most, if not all, of his misery the last 16 years. beyond that, in azkaban, all he did was relive his worst memories, most of which would be from his teenage years. looking at it that way, when he got out of azkaban, his mind was nowhere near mid 30s. at most, he had the mindset of early 20s. he never even had the opportunity to grow up, let alone be responsible for himself and his godson.
in my opinion, he was doing very well for what he went through. he was definitely doing his absolute best, and that's all we can ask of him.
195 notes · View notes
smilingformoney · 11 months
Text
A very important question
In this scene, everyone is in their pyjamas except for Snape:
Tumblr media
so: why is he not in his jim-jams?
three possibilities:
he took his time to get dressed first: in-character, but Dumbledore no doubt emphasised the urgency of the situation, and we know from GoF that Snape’s not adverse to coming out in his PJs in a midnight emergency
he sleeps in his robes: a funny image but again in GoF we see him in his ‘jamas so we know he does allow himself the small luxury of jammies
he was already dressed: most likely. man does not sleep. when he does, it’s for about one REM cycle and then he’s up again. caffeine and spite are all he needs to keep going. sleep is for the weak.
in conclusion: severus snape does not sleep
thank you for your kind attention
669 notes · View notes
polaroidcats · 5 months
Text
Ugly crying & the marauders generation - a pseudo-scientific approach (my marauders crying PhD abstract)
Abstract
In recent days, there have been a variety of claims as to who the prettiest and ugliest crier in the marauders generation could be. This paper aims to address the recent surge in opinions on the matter, and categorize different approaches as well as add a new approach to the scientific examination of ugliness/prettiness when it comes to crying. I hope to provide readers with an overview of the current state of research and encourage all marauders scholars to add their own and I intend to make a contribution to the discourse by committing to the bit and writing a pseudo-academic paper about it instead of actually working on my thesis.
Introduction
In the following paper, the discourse about 5 marauders era characters will be examined in regards to their various levels of perceived ugliness whilst crying. Scholars who may ask why Peter [Pettigrew] is not included in this analysis are advised to refer to acclaimed marauders ugly crying scholar @lynxindisguise's (2023) original poll on the popular blogging website "tumblr.com" which did not include Peter, but rather two non-marauders characters named Lily and Regulus. This paper will follow that approach, since Peter is the nastiest skank bitch I have ever met, I do not trust him and he is a fugly slut. The characters included in this approach are as follows: James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Regulus Black.
Following the scientific criteria for ugly crying, as stated by lynxindisguise et. al (2023), the question of the ugliest crier can be answered by observing the crying person and assessing their ugly-levels on the following parameters: (1) unbecoming facial expressions, (2) facial swelling/blotching, (3) unsettling noises, (4) snot factor, (5) tear volume, (6) general loss of dignity, (7) glistening eyes/lashes, (8) Victorian heroine factor, (9) elegant tear-wiping, (10) post-cry glow (ibid).
Criteria (1)-(6) can be categorized as the ugly crying parameters whereas (7)-(10) are pretty crying parameters, creating a false binary between ugly and pretty crying, which may be problematised and addressed in another the paper. In contrast to lynxindisguise’s original 10 criteria to measure the aesthetics of crying, this paper proposes to add (11) explosiveness of cry as another ugly crying parameter, in order to get a more clear assessment of where on the ugly-pretty crying scale a character falls.
The ugly crying parameters
(1) Unbecoming facial expressions
James Potter is mentioned in this category by several marauders scholars: @jaylienpotter talks about his red face and ugly sobbing, @artbyace mentions his “scrunched up cry face” and @sectoren claimes “james (…) is that one handsome guy that when the waterworks get going becomes like. Cartoonishly ugly”, raising the question of upkeeping toxic masculinity in order to avoid having to witness more of James Potter’s crying “mug”.
Though James Potter features heavily in this category, another character who is also mentioned just as often is Remus Lupin: @kaaaaaaarf, @appreciatedmoron and @http-starboy all emphasise that Remus Lupin is the one with a red and blotchy face.
(2) facial swelling/blotching
While there is a definitive overlap between the categories of facial swelling/blotching, unbecoming facial expressions and snot factor, Sirius’ and Regulus’ victorian heroine complexions, which give them an advantage in the homonymous category, may be to their disadvantage in the “blotching” category. This will require further research by other scholars.
(3) unsettling noises
James Potter is mentioned in this category by Jaylienpotter (2023), claiming he not only hiccups when crying but also that “his cries are one of the most heartbreaking things you’ll ever hear” and similarly, artbyace states that “James loves and feels so loudly”, whereas “Sirius is silent”, both sentiments are reminiscent of znelda’s (2023) statements that James “was allowed to feel his emotions freely in a loving household” and “Sirius (…) [is] used to hide [his] feelings and [has] become stoic”.
With several other scholars, among them also @jamesunderwater (2023) raising the point that James may be the ugliest crier due to him being “the only one well adjusted enough to have access to his feelings” this raises the question of possibly introducing another category, maybe of emotional awareness/stability to be able to measure this parameter more efficiently, though emotional vulnerability may also just be a part of the unsettling noises parameter, suggesting that there is a correlation between noisiness and the existing environment being welcoming to and accepting of various expressions of emotions.
(4) snot factor
The most popular winner in the snot factor category seems to be Remus Lupin, with several scholars agreeing that his sobs are the dampest and snottiest out of all the candidates. kaaaaaaarf (2023) writes “he turnes all red and blochty and snot drips out of his nose (…) he cant (sic) not cry with his mouth open as well so there is a lot of spit”, and appreciatedmoron (2023) agrees with kaaaaaaarf on this.
It only seems right to me to include spit in the snot category as well, seeing as they’re both crying-related bodily fluids that add to the ugly-cry factor. http-starboy (2023) also mentions snot in regards to Remus Lupin, which compared to both their comments in (1) opens up the question of how unbecoming facial expressions, more particularly redness of the face and snot factor may be related, as several authors seem to write about both specifically in relation to each other. Whether this is just pure coincidence or not would need further research, for which we currently do not have enough funding. This is only one of the many research gaps in the relatively new field of marauder’s ugly crying studies, which cannot fully be addressed in this paper.
James Potter is also mentioned in the snot category, namely by the marauders scholar artbyace (2023).
(5) tear volume
Artbyace (2023) claims James Potter is “full on bawling” which can only be assumed to refer to tear volume, but the most convincing argument for tear volume comes from the acclaimed marauders scholar @fruityindividual (2023), stating that “tsunami warning tones go off in sirius’ brain anytime remus is close 2 (sic) tears” which already indicates high levels of tear volumes. The author then goes on to specify the volume by claiming that “indeed the ocean wishes rj lupin would jump in and help contribute 2 (sic) rising sea levels”, further emphasizing the volume of Remus's tears.
(6) general loss of dignity
@pastaplatypus (2023) writes about James Potter not being able to do a Melodramatic Bollywood Cry, which is perceived as inherently racist by the crier.
I would like to argue that Sirius Black also deserves to be mentioned in this category. While as of today, with less than 1 hour left to vote, 15.5% of voters agree that Sirius is the ugliest crier, the more outspoken voices all argue for different ugly criers. Due to their upbringing, I am tempted to name both Black brothers in the “loss of dignity” category and look forward to reading future contributions to this discussion.
The pretty crying parameters
(7) glistening eyes/lashes
Undoubtedly Sirius Black deserves to be mentioned in this category. I believe his dark lashes and glimmering eyes are part of what makes him the prettiest crier. Whereas Remus’s eyes also sometimes glisten or appear red, and it is usually attributed to be caused by drug consumption, which more often than not is a wrong assumption, but he happily goes along with the pretense of being a weed-smoking bad boy in order to hide his ugly crying damp tendencies.
(8) Victorian heroine factor
It almost seems superfluous to even mention Sirius (and, to a lesser degree, Regulus) Black in this category. This category was made for Sirius, as is apparent when reading lynxindisguises (2023) description of the victorian heroine factor, in response to a question by the scholar @plecotusauritus:
“the Victorian Heroine Factor is a deeply scientific assessment of the Vibes. Is this person giving tragically beautiful, windswept Victorian Heroine, sobbing gently into their hands while sprawled across a boulder or a well or a fountain of some sort? When they look up at you, do their tear-plumped lips part elegantly as a single tear slides down their cheek?”
(9) elegant tear-wiping
There hasn't been a lot of research in this area, but I would like to propose handkerchiefs with embroidered initials and family crests as another potential factor in favor of the Black brothers scoring high marks in this category as well as the Victorian heroine factor.
(10) post-cry glow
Artbyace (2023) claims “lily is always beautiful (…) even when crying”, which is echoed by znelda’s (2023) earlier claim that “Lily (…) [is] a woman and no woman is ugly when crying.”
Sirius is the other popular choice by marauders scholars for this category, with @in-flvx (2023) stating that he “handsomely handsomes while dying after 12 years of torture hell and another year in shackles”, which would mean that “a few tears would[n’t] stop him from being the hottest person in the room at all times” (ibid).
Additional parameters
I am suggesting to introduce an additional metric in order to further specify and better assess the ugly-crying levels:
(11) explosiveness of cry
@felixantares (2023) introduces the idea that Remus “is the type that very few people have been seen cry because he ignores every difficult emotion hes (sic) ever had (…) and it all explodes at once and its horrible to watch when he breaks down”, a sentiment shared by several of the other authors mentioned above in various other categories.
Further opinions & conclusions
The most popular consensus seems to be that Sirius cannot be the ugliest crier, sometimes also in direct comparison to his brother: @spindrifters (2023) answers the question of the ugliest crier with “obviously it’s regulus”, elaborating that “at least [it’s] definitely not sirius bc (sic) reg is canonically less handsome in all ways” which brings up the question if regular beauty plays into ugly crying. This is contrasted by lynxindisguises argument, that Sirius may be an ugly crier because he’s so gorgeous, and his ugly crying subverts the expectations of beauty:
“the most beautiful man alive looks hideous while crying, and his deeply awkward and perpetually damp bf (sic) is literally in his element while crying – dampness becomes him, you might say.”
This statement raises yet another question – does regular crying make the crier more or less ugly? Can an ugly crier become a pretty crier by practice or are we all born either ugly or pretty criers, condemned to this fate for life?
While this paper has given an overview of the current state of research to ugly crying/pretty crying, it has also raised many more questions. Other topics which may be addressed in future papers also include the philosophical question whether ugly crying is in the eye of the beholder and if it is possible to ugly cry without being perceived, and if it is possible to ugly cry if the person perceiving you doesn’t find it ugly. Since the research field of ugly crying is a relatively new one, we can only hope to read many more opinions on these and other topics in the future, and I look forward to reading different scholar’s approaches to these highly relevant topics.
169 notes · View notes