#ootp analysis

[fresiants]

I find it interesting that Sirius and Severus exchanged numerous insults, yet it was being called a coward that particularly upset Sirius.

—when his godfather was not forcing himself to laugh loudly at Fred and George’s jokes or offering everyone more food, his face fell back into a moody, brooding expression. 

Harry was worried that Snape’s accusation of cowardice had stung Sirius so badly he might even now be planning some foolhardy trip beyond Grimmauld Place. 

(OOTP, Ch 24)

Which reminds me of a post I made a few months ago about this one scene in HBP where Harry called Severus a coward, which had a deep impact on him as well.

I swear, sometimes I found these two a little bit similar to each other.

#just me rereading ootp ch 24 for the millionth times #severus ATE in that chapter #actual girlboss #hp #severus snape #harry potter analysis #harry potter #sirius black #pro snape #pro severus snape #my take

[bluethepineapple]

Reconciling Kindness and Callousness: A Discussion on Hermione and Emotions

One of the aspects that people struggle a lot with when it comes to Hermione is how she deals with emotions. This is a struggle that I, personally, find to be fair because she is quite complex in this regard.

Hermione can analyze people's emotional states well and is often shown manipulating emotions to get what she wants. We can see this as early as Philosopher's Stone where she, for example, flatters Hagrid to get him to reveal more information about the Stone.

“Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here,” said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid’s beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. “We only wondered who had done the guarding, really.” Hermione went on. “We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you.”

As the series goes on, we will find more and more examples of Hermione perceiving, analyzing, responding, and even using other people's emotions with great accuracy and sensitivity. Most notable perhaps is her explaining Cho's emotional state to Harry and Ron in OotP, but several smaller examples are littered all over the books like her being the first to notice Neville's distress in GoF, correctly reading Harry's feelings about the Goblet of Fire, and giving a similar analysis for Tonks in HBP among other.

For as many examples as we can give of her perceptiveness and sensitivity to emotions, it also cannot be denied that Hermione commits massive social blunders over the series, many of which are attributable to emotional stupidity or failing to read the room. Most notable perhaps is her reaction to the death of Lavender's bunny where she uses it as a jumping point to try and convince her of the bogusness of Divination. There are many other examples of course, ranging from her haranguing Harry and Ron early in PS, to her approach with the house-elves, to insisting Harry teach them DADA in OotP despite his obvious discomfort.

How does one then reconcile Hermione's great sensitivity to people's emotions with her just as great callousness, both being prominent and consistent aspects of her character all throughout the series.

To me the answer is three-fold.

First, Hermione is incredibly cerebral even when it comes to emotions.

It is worth noting that Hermione's assessments of people aren't actually instinctive or even very empathetic. Rather, they are often profiles she builds about people based on observation and inference.

Let us take a look at the way she dissects Cho's feelings for example:

“Well, obviously, she’s feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she’s feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can’t work out who she likes best. Then she’ll be feeling guilty, thinking it’s an insult to Cedric’s memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she’ll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can’t work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that’s all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she’s afraid she’s going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she’s been flying so badly.”

Hermione says what Cho's feeling and then follows it up with the circumstances that might have created those feelings plus her evidence for them. She lays everything out in a clean and methodical manner very reminiscent to when she's lecturing the boys about some sort of fact in their missions.

While certainly not cold or emotionless, it does become readily apparent that Hermione processes the emotions of people around her the same way she processes most other forms of information. She "studies" people around her, and from there, builds a baseline of information against which she infers what they are feeling and decides how to respond accordingly. In many ways, people's emotions to her are information just like any other.

Secondly, as kind and as warm as Hermione is, she prioritizes problem-solving over caretaking and is amazing at compartmentalizing emotions away if that's what it takes to get things done.

The fact that she understands what someone else is going through does not always mean she prioritizes these feelings. As mentioned above, what she understands of other people's emotions is just another bit of information she holds - and how she uses these facts vary wildly depending on whichever problem she was trying to solve at the time. Whenever she makes a social blunder, it is almost always traceable to her needing to solve some problem first and insisting on solutions that require significant emotional costs from the people around her.

The most extreme version of this is probably her insisting that Ron focus on their mission right after Fred dies.

They seemed to be wrestling together, and for one mad second Harry thought that they were embracing again; then he saw that Hermione was trying to restrain Ron, to stop him running after Percy. “Listen to me—LISTEN RON!” “I wanna help—I wanna kill Death Eaters—” His face was contorted, smeared with dust and smoke, and he was shaking with rage and grief. “Ron, we’re the only ones who can end it! Please—Ron—we need the snake, we’ve got to kill the snake!” said Hermione. But Harry knew how Ron felt: Pursuing another Horcrux could not bring the satisfaction of revenge; he too wanted to fight, to punish them, the people who had killed Fred, and he wanted to find the other Weasleys, and above all make sure, make quite sure, that Ginny was not—but he could not permit that idea to form in his mind— “We will fight!” Hermione said. “We’ll have to, to reach the snake! But let’s not lose sight now of what we’re supposed to be d-doing! We’re the only ones who can end it!” She was crying too, and she wiped her face on her torn and singed sleeve as she spoke, but she took great heaving breaths to calm herself as, still keeping a tight hold on Ron, she turned to Harry. "You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he’ll have the snake with him, won’t he? Do it, Harry—look inside him!”

From the section I bolded, it is obvious that Hermione knows that Ron is grieving and that she too is feeling the horror of Fred's death as well. It is worth noting though that she doesn't actually spare any words to comfort Ron. She doesn't stop to talk him through his feelings - rather she is telling him over and over that their mission has to come first. They both watched Fred die, but her focus even now is seeing the mission through.

This leads us to the final aspect:

Hermione projects this ability to compartmentalize to the people around her, especially when she believes them to be working together.

It is noteworthy that not only did Hermione set her own emotions aside, she asked that Ron do so too. And when Ron finally calms down, she then asks Harry to go and look into Voldemort's head. Not only is she compartmentalizing her own emotions away, she expects both boys to do so too.

Once more, there are many smaller instances like the above that cropped up all over the series. The Lavender problem, her campaign with the house-elves, her insistence that Harry teaches them DADA, her many many arguments with Harry - all of these are traceable to her insistence on setting emotion aside to solve a problem.

Doing the right thing holds primacy over people's feelings - both her own and those of the people around her.

Conclusion:

Hermione is a sensitive individual who reads people's emotions well and has many times reacted with great kindness and empathy to distress. This ability to read emotions however happens in line with her very cerebral personality, and while she can be sweet and caring, when push comes to shove Hermione focuses on problem-solving. This oftens leads to a disregard for other people's feelings and a consistent streak of callousness.

All in all, I find Hermione's relationship with emotions to be utterly fascinating. It is complex and dynamic, something that we see grow with her over time. Her reactions and tendencies are not clear-cut nor easy to map. Not only does Hermione defy the false dichotomy of book intelligence versus emotional intelligence, both are integral in the way she processes and reacts to emotion.

#hermione granger #hp meta #hermione meta #my metas

[expectopatronum81]

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.

#harry potter #hermione granger #ron weasley #lavender brown #romione #hp meta #hp ladies #hp analysis

[ashesandhackles]

Chapter 1,2,3,4,5

I love this chapter for how much it pokes fun at politicians, particularly the political opponent saying, " a grim mood has gripped the country," barely concealing his grin or the detail of Fudge turning the PM's tea cup into gerbil and how it chews the corner of his next speech XD

Emmeline Vance seems to be put on guard for Muggle PM by the Order (Snape implies as much in next chapter), cos she was murdered on the PM's premises.

Kingsley is also assigned to protect Muggle PM, but by the order of the Ministry (perhaps also a move by the Order?)

meta for this chapter: democracy in wizarding world by @whinlatter

Love the moody opening shot of 2nd chapter: mist over a dirty river, the chimney: a relic of disused mill, and a scrawny fox looking for fish and chips. Bellatrix makes a quick entrance in the scene by killing that fox.

Love the juxtaposition of Narcissa's familiarity with Spinner's End to Bellatrix's utter contempt. (In this Muggle dunghill?)

Bellatrix does not expect Narcissa to hurt her: it reads both dismissive of the baby sister, but also an expectation of familial loyalty (your own sister?) She is so surprised by Narcissa jinxing her, she keeps sufficient distance between them later on.

the comparison to Narcissa looking like a "drowned person": a reference to myth of Narcissus.

Love how the narration makes a comment that Snape's childhood home is a "dark padded cell". It parallels Sirius being in Grimmauld Place, a place of childhood wounds. Both grown men in self-inflicted prisons.

Wormtail and Snape are flatmates, which is hilarious. Snape is the spy, and keeping Wormtail, his most inclined traitor in the flat is a way to keep both of them in check (Wormtail listens at doors to get information to curry favours). Of course, Snape uses this opportunity to humiliate Wormtail and make him an errand boy XD

Voldemort is really a cult leader: there is factionalism and resentment between DEs, as indicated by Bellatrix's jealousy of Snape's supposed favourable position. A feeling other DEs seem to share who apparently carry "false stories of treachery" to Voldemort.

Snape uses Bellatrix' high regard for Voldemort's capabilities against her XD most of my analysis of this interaction is here

the petty bickering Imao: Snape putting down Bellatrix for the Ministry fiasco, Bellatrix throwing Lucius under the bus and Narcissa shutting that down XD

I love the Emmeline Vance tidbit: we know she was murdered in the Muggle PM's backyard. Snape says it was on his information that Emmeline Vance was murdered, and Dumbledore says in DH: "To give Voldemort what appears to be valuable information while withholding the essentials is a job I would entrust to nobody but you." This gives an idea of how Dumbledore works: like in the Seven Potters plan - the correct date is given, but the Order having seven Harry's gambit isnt disclosed (Mad Eye dies in this ambush). I think Emmeline Vance incident worked similarly: the information given to Voldemort is broad details, and it puts an Order member in a life and death position - and unfortunately, she dies.

Narcissa and Snape, both on the floor, kneeling, while Narcissa kisses his hand and asks for an Unbreakable Vow. It is a pretty charged scene - where she is asking Snape to be Draco's protector and the vows almost read like a marriage.

Snape makes the Unbreakable Vow, knowing Dumbledore has asked him to kill him. But even then, Snape resists the idea of actually killing Dumbledore (and we know he hates doing it) - to the point the other alternative is death.

The newspaper opening of Ch3 to build details about the wizarding world is so cool. Also Augusta Longbottom giving interviews to Prophet after Neville helps Harry in OOTP lol XD she had stopped her subscription in previous book

Harry does not allow himself to hope that Dumbledore would come to rescue him and he hasn't packed. The only allowance he made to the possibility he would be rescued from Dursleys is shutting Hedwig in her cage :(

"long experience told him to stay out of his uncle's arms reach whenever possible"

"agapanthus is flourishing" - agapanthus are commonly known as Lily of the Nile. Interesting gardening note about Petunia, and memory of Lily that surrounds the house.

"we have corresponded of course" ah, Dumbledore reminding Petunia of the letter she had sent him, begging to be taken to Hogwarts.

Blacks are patriarchal. The houses are inherited via the male line.

Harry is so strikingly monosyllabic, more than usual at the discussion of Sirius' will. He really does not want to talk about it, nor think about it. But the bubbling grief within him, the anger - we see a glimpse when Harry stands up at the suggestion that Bellatrix will get Grimmauld place.

Dumbledore expresses his anger through coldness: there is a bit in the scene where he just raises a finger and strikes Vernon into silence (it could be just the power of his gesture and the dynamic in the room, it could be Dumbldore doing magic - but either way, its an effective way to show how much he controls the room).

Petunia, who had previously received kind response from Dumbledore and a Howler later when she changed her mind, is successfully guilted by Dumbledore over their treatment of Harry. She looked "oddly flushed"

The way the book begins with Dumbledore assuring Harry that he won't be attacked by saying: "You are with me" and one of the last exchanges Dumbledore has with Harry in the books is: "I'm not worried Harry, I'm with you." My heart <3

The difference in perception of Dumbledore's speed: Slughorn notices the lag, but Harry in the previous chapter couldn't tell when the wand moved. Nice way to illustrate Dumbledore's skill.

Notes from Slughorn about Lily: Charming, vivacious and cheeky. The cheekiness especially is very reminiscent of Harry.

Slughorn's casual bigotry and his token Muggleborn faves: Lily and Dirk Cresswell.

"it was hard to sympathise with Slughorn's cossetted existence when he remembered Sirius, crouching in a cave and living on rats". Stab me, why dont you:(

harry's first thought of seeing the Burrow, his second most favourite building: "Ron's in there..". Ronarry.

Harry spent two weeks in Privet Drive, refusing meals (his go to method of punishing himself), "full of chill emptiness" at the thought of Sirius' death. "It's hard, knowing he wont write to me again":(

Tonks had come in for "tea and sympathy" with Molly late at night. Molly tries to get her around when Remus and Mad Eye will be home, but Tonks declines the offer. Probably to offer Remus and herself space. She also could not quite meet Dumbledore's eyes - and I wonder if its her feelings about the mission Remus is going on speaking.

Harry spent two weeks at Privet drive refusing meals, and the moment he steps into the Burrow, he realises how hungry he is. It is very telling how much he is allowing himself to be cared for by Molly in this moment.

Molly illustrating what's wrong with Slughorn's old boys club by casually talking about how he never noticed Arthur (similar to how Slughorn would treat Ron in this book)

Molly is carrying around the clock of hers, now that wizarding world is in open warfare. The clock is in the wash basket:pleading_face:

Hedwig waiting for Harry before proceeding to go off hunting. What a cutie.

Okay, I love the scene blocking for trio here: Harry lies back down on the bed after greeting Ron, Ron pulls a cardboard box closer and sits next to his bedside while Hermione sits at the edge of the bed. There is a casual intimacy to this that I really love.

"we thought it'd be something like that?" "you did?" XD love how much Harry knows Ron and Hermione's silent language and is amused by the change of narrative tack.

the main love interest of the novel just slouches into the room looking irritable, lol. And she leaves the scene by trying to imitate Fleur's exit - "hands held aloft like a ballerina". XD

Hermione and Ginny being bitchy about Fleur is really telling moment of their friendship - especially Hermione dropping her voice to go, "She's so full of herself" XD. I love what Fleur seems to bring out in them - Ginny does not want to be patronised, and Hermione does not take kindly to what she feels is Fleur's unearned vanity. There is also an undercurrent of jealousy because of Ron's response to Fleur ("It's pathetic," Hermione says when Ron tries to tell Harry why he isnt used to Fleur's Veela aura)

"there isnt much to do here unless you like cooking and chickens" and Fleur indirectly slapping Mrs Weasley across her face with sheet of her hair lmao. Living for the pettiness.

"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror" - Hermione backing Tonks as an option over Fleur is also speaking about her feelings about what she feels Ron should value in a girl (i.e her).

Harry coming in to defend Fleur and then immediately wishing he hadnt spoken when Hermione ("Not you too!") and Ginny (I suppose you like the way she says 'Arry do you?") descend on him : "I'm just saying Phlegm - I mean Fleur-" Poor boy.

Interesting use of silence when Ron and Hermione argue over Tonks' feelings about Sirius death: Harry proceeds to eat to deflect, while Ginny is observing the whole thing without interrupting the conversation. Harry only speaking up when he finds a point of connection with Tonks with his own grief and self blame: "She thinks it's her fault he died." No wonder he tries to open up to her later in the book: "I miss him too"

Hermione is really frightened by the implications of the prophecy, when Ron tries to bring up what the Prophet says, she shushes him, and when Harry finally confirms it, she squeezes the twins' telescope hard.

Ron just really thinks of Harry as a hero: he is amazed at the prophecy, and he assures Harry that dumbledore teaching him lessons means that Harry isnt a goner. "He must think you have a chance!" It's this tiny hero worship that is there, where he puts himself down in favour of Harry that gets equalised in next book, as Harry tells him - "Stuff like that has always been cooler than it really was. I've been trying to you for years."

Hermione's entire nervous meltdown in the kitchen over OWL results is so funny. "Hermione's hands were shaking so much she made her whole owl tremble" LOL.

ooh the sweetness of this moment. Ginny nervously asking how Hermione did, and Hermione is like "not bad" and Ron striding over to her in full confidence of her genius ("oh come off it"), announcing her results and teasing, "You're actually disappointed, arent you?" Romione <3

Chapter 6,7,8,9,10

Quidditch in Orchard, and triple helpings of food: Harry is happy :(cant do without mentioning @whinlatter fantastic fic Orchards here)

Also, Hermione is SUCH a sport for playing Quidditch with them lol.

Harry, in true runaway fashion, being upset about Florean Fortescue, the man who gave him free ice creams and homework help during POA :(

Draco's first dialogue is about his mother coddling him - he clearly wanted to do stuff alone for his mission, but Narcissa is hanging on.

Harry's Sirius grief and rage coming back again: he notices in the second meeting with Narcissa that she resembles Bellatrix. He doesn't lower his wand and steps forward to intimidate her. It's a tense scene where they both imply the other can't do much - but Narcissa picks at the wound that is propelling Harry: "I expect Potter would be reuniting with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius."

Fred (and george) always being surprised when Hermione compliments their magic: "For that Hermione, you can have one for free." He respects her intellect.

Just Fred and George casually displaying their enterpreunership: capitalising on people's fears and making it funny, having a Muggle novelty section as well as the DADA line, drawn from their experience of Dumbledore's Army. Telling what kind of competence we are dealing with at Ministry if Fred and George are getting massive money for their DADA line.

Harry paying unusual amount of attention to Fred and George grilling Ginny about her dating life. We see how she is edging into the narration slightly in this chapter, on the periphery.

Ginny, the 'sporty' girl, loves cute Pygymy Puffs. <3

Borgin bowing to Draco as deeply as he once did Lucius Malfoy after Draco finishes his demands: showing Draco's status as a "man" (a status he seems to be negotiating with his mother, who he snaps at for treating him like a child)

Ron and Hermione bickering all the way to the joke shop and then presenting a united front in front of Molly about how they were not missing, but just in the back room XD

Harry and his obsessive spells and leaps of logic that neither of his friends appreciate: it was Malfoy this book, and Hallows in the next one XD he comes to the conclusion here, after pondering over Malfoy's behavior and Borgin's response- that he is a Death Eater

"I wouldn't go in the kitchen right now - there's a lot of Phlegm around" "I'll be careful not to slip in it" : there is a tenderness in how Harry responds to Ginny here, and I see it a bit of a charged moment. (@whinlatter noted how this scene is set with Ginny carrying laundry, and that would set the flowery scent association Harry would have later)

Harry wondering if Tonks would be part of his security arrangements - he is actively seeking her out, in the belief that they both share the same survivor's guilt.

Ginny's lower tolerance for Ron's crush on Fleur (she stuck her leg out when he goes to say goodbye to her): I've seen fics take it as her loyalty to Hermione and her annoyance on her behalf that her brother is behaving like this when Hermione is right there.

Harry actively seeking adults out with his suspicions and threats he feel is looming is a direct response from the communication break down from last year, when he didn't go to anyone and then Sirius died. He collaborates with adults this year to ensure those kinds of mistakes don't happen.

"Harry please. You're talking to the man who raised Fred and George." lol

Neville's new wand is made of cherry wood and unicorn hair: both emphasising his pure soul, but what I found interesting is that it matches Harry's holly with associations to immortality/ eternal life. @saintsenara noted: "cherry is associated in lots of British and Irish folklore with the infant Christ and Mary, and I love it as a reference to Neville's own motherlessness, and the fact he could, as we know now, also have been the Boy-Who-Lived"

Harry coldly refusing Romilda Vane by saying Luna ("looking like a multi-coloured owl") and Neville ("whose bottom was sticking out of his pants") are his friends, is a direct contrast to the last time he was in a compartment with them and was embarrassed that Cho saw him with them.

Slughorn missing out Belby while handing out pies after Belby revealed that he is not all that well connected to his uncle, oh boy. Anyway, this is a good meta to have as reference for Slughorn's old boy club.

Zabini is so pissed off at Ginny's intervention on Harry's behalf ("Yeah Zabini, because you're so talented.. at posing") that he actually gives Harry a "filthy look" once they leave and Harry "returns it with interest".. the understated sexual rivalry Imao.

How interesting that how quiet Neville's story is - even Malfoy can't guess at what could interest Slughorn. Given that it is essentially what his aunt went to Azkaban for.

"I wouldnt touch a filthy blood traitor like her, whatever she looked like" Blaise is still burning from Ginny's insult XD He doth protest too much. And Pansy is threatened enough by Ginny to actually watch Draco's reaction about her.

This meta by @indigo-scarf breaks down Draco and Blaise interaction better.

The brutality of Draco's ambush at the end of the chapter. It felt more personal than it had ever been before.

I love the illustration of Tonks' competence even while she is very clearly "unsmiling and miserable looking". She finds Harry because she noticed he hadn't come down from the train, and she checked the compartment where the blinds were drawn. (Although she very obviously does not care about appearances - her own, or Harry's in the moment. Hermione cleans up the dried blood on Harry's face later in the chapter and it just shows how much energy Tonks has in the moment to not think of this).

Harry's keenness to leave the "new, gloomy" Tonks behind shows how much he is avoiding his negative feelings (there is a self aware moment from him later in chapter where he admits he clings to blaming Snape for Sirius' death, because it feels satisfying. The weight of what happened in OOTP is too much for him to bear alone). This is the year where he redoubles his focus outside of himself - the obsessive spells over what Malfoy might be upto, trying (in his own way) to take care of Ron and Hermione.

Snape disparaging Tonks' Patronus while his own Patronus is a reflection of his love for Lily: classic Snape lashing out at anything that reminds him of himself lol. But ofc, he intends for the jibe to be his opinion of Remus.

Snape taking the Unbreakable Vow, Dumbledore giving him the jinxed DADA post. They both have really prepared for this year lol.

So begin the Lavendar shenanigans. Rowling sets up the teenage drama by having Lavendar interrupt the usual Ron-Hermione back and forth over free periods and Fanged Frisbee, with a "loud giggle." It's an interruption in their usual conversation rhythm, but Ron, who feels unseen and is insecure, is pleased with her attention.

Last book, Neville kicks away his father's wand in shedding of his legacy. McGonagall steers further away from the family legacies and expectations by asking him to drop Transfiguration (which he doesnt enjoy but is asked to take cos of his Gran), and do Charms instead. McGonagall reaffirms this with: "It's high time your grandmother learns to be proud of the grandson she has rather than the one she thinks she ought to have." (I also love the suggested familiarity of McGonagall going to drop a line to his gran about her failed Charms Owl)

Parvati is "crestfallen" that Firenze is no longer taking Divination. Lol, woman has her priorities straight.

Love the tiny moment here in Snape's class where Snape makes an implied jab about Harry's mind power and looks at Harry, and Harry looks back. And Snape has to look away - uncomfortable most likely by Lily's eyes glowering at him for too long. (I must say, Harry's redoubled antagonism for Snape is actually quite enjoyable to read, it lends an intensity to their scenes, plus it is also the year Harry "befriends" teenage Snape via his book and by the end of HBP, culminate in what I think is among the most complicated scenes in the series)

Hermione drawing parallels between Harry and Snape's words ("Isnt that what he is saying? That it comes down to being brave and quick thinking?") and the narrative will even more parallels by Deathly Hallows, setting them up as fellow abandoned boys, like Tom Riddle.

Amortentia is in a gold cauldron. Aesthetically pleasing as well for Harry XD While Harry is like, "it has something that I might have smelled at The Burrow", Hermione already knows her answer. She turns pink and does not complete her sentence. The reaffirmation of her attraction to Ron by a love potion nonetheless, is among other things that propels her to make a move.

In close proximity to Amortentia, Ron's feelings for Hermione is also on the surface and he gets annoyed when Hermione is radiant that Harry told Slughorn that she is the best in the year. There is a subtle element of competition from Ron for Hermione's attention/validation even in the beginning of the chapter. They both are not outwardly doing anything about it, but their feelings are bubbling to the surface even more this year.

In OOTP, Harry was so disconnected from Ginny's inner life that she had to remind him about her possession. Here, when she is alarmed and angry about him "taking orders from a book", he knew "what was on her mind at once." Speaks to the comfort and wavelength the dynamic reached over the summer.

The theme of competition is really strong in this book, with neither Ron and Hermione appreciating Harry's top position in class. Although, Harry astutely read it as Hermione thinking that what he does is akin to cheating, but not only is cheating is aggravating for Hermione, but cheating is even more aggravating when he gets to be top of the class (a position she does enjoy, and only gives up "coolly" if the win was fair). She becomes "increasingly bad tempered when her Potions yield poorer results than the Prince." For Ron, however, Slughorn increasingly treats him like he is invisible.

I also love how resilient the trio friendship is that they snipe at each other, but it immediately swings back to "ooh tell us what Dumbledore says! We will wait up for you." It shows a very healthy tolerance for conflict and tension between them (a point even Harry has reached after much development), even though fandom fixates on the dsyfunction lol.

I wonder what Harry thought when he recognised the graveyard - the place Voldemort was resurrected and site of his trauma - from a distance.

The setting of the Gaunt house is such that the entire house is hidden beneath the tangle of trees (probably to hide from 'busybodies, intruders, filth'), and it even blocks the light out. What a miserable sounding place to grow up i.

"now i come to think of it, i have seen noses like yours in the village" "i dont doubt it, if your son has been let loose on them" I love the humour in the proceedings, the beginning where Harry is wondering why Odgen is not understanding Morfin when he is perfectly clear by brandishing a knife in one hand and wand in the other XD

Merope's abuse is being illustrated so clearly in this chapter: her fear of her father, who keeps berating her and calling her a Squib (and also by the end of the scene nearly strangles her). And her brother, who attacked Tom because she was attracted to him. And of course, her cooking for them while they do nothing in a largely neglected home. It paints a stark, gendered picture. (as both @whinlatter and @saintsenara - there is a deeply troubling implication of incest here. I would also refer to @saintsenara top tier works on Merope Gaunt here)

Tom and Cecilia pass by, and while Tom shows his class snobbery, it is juxtaposed with the Gaunts being proud of their heritage and heirlooms that come from Slytherin himself.

"The shock of her desertion lead to his early death - or perhaps he simply never learned to feed himself" lol

Harry is so quiet after Dumbledore declares how Tom Riddle never cared to find out about his son. There is a lovely pause in the scene here, and a mood setting. But Voldemort's abandonment by his father is something Harry understands. He is also eager to know more, and seemed reluctant to leave the office. A new mystery.

Chapter 11, 12,13,14

Although Ron's "I'm tall" is played for laughs when Hermione is dispassionately listing out why Harry has become extra popular, there is a fluidity to Ron and Hermione's relationship this chapter which goes back and forth and is very accurate to teenage experience. Hermione didn't spare him her attention when he was seeking it, so when Lavender gave him a wide smile, he nearly "strutted" in his pleased confidence (a fact that amuses Harry and makes Hermione "cold and distant" to the point she doesn't wish Ron good luck). But when Ron makes it as a Keeper, he grins when Hermione finally comes and effusively praises him ("you did brilliantly Ron!" and we can see Lavendar leaving with Parvati looking grumpy) and Ron is specifically pointed out as being "taller than usual".

However, Ron's feelings of inadequacy around Harry rears its head again ("What are you two doing?" Ron asks suspiciously), when ironically Harry is confronting Hermione in private about Hermione confunding McLaggen - in her words, because a) he pissed her off by the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny b) realising he wont be a good teammate. And this feelings of inadequacy is exacerbated by Slughorn treating him as completely invisible by end of the chapter, so we see Ron staring over at Lavendar Brown before going to bed ("As I am not invited to any parties, I'm going to bed").

Harry immediately hoping for Bellatrix Lestrange's arrest. Again, the ripple effect from previous year.

Harry to Buckbeak: "How are you? Missing him? But you're Ok with hagrid, arent you?":( the way Harry opens up to the Hippogriff Sirius was on the run with as someone who'd understand what missing Sirius is like.

"Since when have yeh called me sir?" "Since when have you called me Potter?" The way he immediately knew how to turn tables on Hagrid when he shouted Potter, he deliberately emphasised the word "sir" to disarm Hagrid. The cheek (and slight manipulativeness) of this boy <3

Arthur actually acting on Harry's tip off and raiding Malfoy manor. As @messybutsheiskind pointed out- one of the first time an adult takes harry's suspicions seriously once confided in them, and checks it out. Harry later attempts to tell his (outlandish) suspicions to McGonagall.

Ron's exception for Hermione: "Reading textbooks in bed is an indecent behavior in everyone except Hermione, who was simply weird that way."

"Levicorpus" is a spell that caused Snape some trouble. I wonder if the non verbal modification came in later? It was apparently all the rage at some point in Hogwarts, per Remus. I cannot imagine the spell spreading unless it was performed verbally a few times, and then Snape revises it to a non-verbal spell.

I love the moment Harry wonders if the Prince is actually James (and actively pushes away the thought his father was a pureblood) - this is, once again, the loss of Sirius shining through. Sirius' letters can no longer bring him comfort, so could this funny, imaginative textbook be his new father figure?

Hermione makes a correlation between the spell and the one used by Death Eaters during the world cup, suggesting darker connotations not only for the spell, the Prince but also James himself. Harry gets a "sinking feeling" about not only his dad's use of it in SWM, but Hermione's judgement of it. You can tell this is one of the reasons he never tells Ron and Hermione about the memory.

Boy do I have feelings about Slughorn ignoring Ron as though "he were a display of Cockroach Cluster". Clearly, Harry also has strong feelings about it, which is why he schedules his Quidditch practices whenever he gets an invitation. (although hilarious that Ron, Ginny and him are merciless about Hermione spending nights with Zabini and McLaggen). I also like that both Harry and Hermione know that the encounter upset Ron, and they both try little ways to engage him (Harry showing extra interest in Sugar Quills, or Hermione asking Ron where he would want to go next).

Harry's Sirius wound bursts open in the Mundungus scene in a scary way. All my feelings about this very underrated scene that people should talk more about here.

Hermione thinks Harry is angry that Mundungus was stealing his stuff, when Harry is actually really angry about Mundungus disrespecting Sirius. It shows how much of his grief he has withheld from Ron and Hermione.

Ron attempting to get attention from Madam Rosmerta, and Hermione's waspish response to his "nothing" is : "I expect nothing's in the back getting more Firewhiskey" (related to the plot, Rosmerta is giving Katie the necklace). She is bothered by it enough that she keeps flickering her eyes between Ron and the bar. The kind of insecurity displayed here is very teenage-ish. (the author obviously finds jealousy very funny - given that she invokes it in Arthur/Molly next book, but I do kinda imagine older, more secure Romione being okay with knowing that they each find other people attractive and joke around about it. #bestfriend vibes)

Another effect of Sirius' death and the events of the previous book is that Harry is going to adults with every suspicion of his - unlike the last book where he keeps his thoughts to himself. From telling Arthur to check the Malfoy manor again, to telling McGonagall about his suspicions about Malfoy giving Katie the necklace, and even giving details like following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes

Harry's conversation with Hagrid and how he outplays Hagrid. It is more of an honest disarming of Hagrid than outright manipulation, but it displays a streak of knowing people and knowing what buttons to press. He does this with greater effect in Felix Felicis with Ron (ofc it backfires on romione, but lol). It's why he recognises Tom's very subtle and careful manipulation of Slughorn in the Horcrux conversation.

Harry witnessing Katie incident and suspecting Malfoy, Snape and Dumbledore meanwhile conspiring to save Draco's soul and Snape saving Katie's life. For my feelings about the trifecta of Harry, Snape and Dumbledore, my meta covers this.

I think it was pointed out in this reread before, about how Phineas Nigellus' feelings about Sirius' death: "the last of Blacks is dead?" + how incensed he is about how a criminal is treating Black family heirlooms, vs Harry's grief is about someone disrespecting Sirius' memory: "What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?"

Harry's indignation that Burke paid only 10 galleons to Merope (and his immediate understanding of Voldemort's anger at Smith casually talking about his mother being robbed) and his pity for his parent's murderer ("She wouldnt stay alive for her son?") surprises Dumbledore. Striking parallel: Harry's rage at someone robbing Sirius' heirlooms vs Tom's knuckles whitening over the locket.

Merope refusing to do magic reads like guilt, her penance for her enslavement of Tom Riddle Snr. Dumbledore also proposes an alternate, and it is meant to parallel Tonks: "attendant despair sapped her of her powers, that can happen".

I like how comfortable Harry is getting - pushing boundaries with Dumbledore and his own surprise at Dumbledore welcoming it. ("Where were you this weekend?" and Dumbledore promising to tell Harry in due course and of course, Harry's unthinking "Nice suit sir" and Dumbledore merely chuckling)

I like the detail of Mrs Cole looking "anxious rather than unkind" and of course, she very much reads like a woman with too much on her plate and no time for herself (it's why Dumbledore's attention prompts her to relish telling the story). The place is shabby with mismatched furniture, but also spotlessly clean. There is sterility and functionality to descriptions here. (also love the detail of Dumbledore not only enchanting Mrs Cole with the parchment, but also sneakily placing gin and two glasses as suggestion).

"Funny boy who hardly ever cried": a baby that is uncomfortable expressing needs, because it might not be tended to, and the baby understands abandonment. Also Dumbledore's immediate wariness and interest in Tom, knowing that the child is a bully.

Harry is shocked that Tom would try to establish a power dynamic with Dumbledore ("Tell the truth!") and Dumbledore's complete unfazement by it (which is also a power move, which Tom recognises and gets warier). Tom tries again - "prove it!" and Dumbledore merely raises his eyebrows and asks for respectful honorifics when Tom addresses him. I also love that Dumbledore recognises Tom, who is not truly sorry, being manipulative with his "unrecognisably polite voice" and then Dumbledore does something that establishes his total power in the scene: he burns Tom's wardrobe and asks Tom to open it. Dumbledore doesnt like what he sees as "instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination" and ends up dominating the scene.

Also Tom staring at Dumbledore's eyes "as though to catch each of them lying" - a perhaps underdeveloped leglimency skill that he will develop well in canon?

The moment Riddle says he believes he was special, Dumbledore stops smiling but watches him "intently". Another way that Dumbledore disliking seeing mirror version of himself in another person ("you disgust me" with Snape) and here, Tom believing himself special is a reflection of his own youthful self: "I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted to escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory."

The first time Dumbledore is gentle in the scene is when Voldemort asks about his father - he keeps the "irksome, common name" Tom in an effort for connection to his father. And his absolving (and dismissal) of his mother abandoning him: "My mother can't have been magic or she wouldn't have died."

The way Harry immediately understands that Tom is determined to impress Dumbledore with his disclosure of his Parseltongue abilities. And Dumbledore barely validates him: "It is unusual and not unheard of", but it invokes Dumbledore's curiosity in his parentage I suppose.

Harry wondering if Dumbledore would have the mouth organ. His mind already making links to what Dumbledore is showing him.

I really, really enjoy trio conversations in classroom set ups, and usually involving something weird. The physicality of the scene - the way they work together even when arguing says so much about their relationships. The Snargaluff stump set up is so much fun: you see Ron charging into protect Hermione when vines catch her hair, and Harry succeeding in solving the larger problem, which enables Hermione to get the pod.

Hermione is so pissed off: she turns bright, boiling scarlet because she had hexed McLaggen for Ron, and he is asking her to "get off" with McLaggen. So she does what she did at Yule Ball: angrily tells him that she was going to ask him. Meanwhile Harry is in the background, pounding his pod with a trowel so he doesnt have to hear them. XD Harry is ambivalent about the idea of Romione because he might either see trio falling apart or a scenario where "he was shut out for good":(

Dean Thomas, from the Muggle world with very little access and opportunity to be a Qudditch player, gets to be Chaser <3

"And Ginny, dont call Ron a prat, you're not the captain of this team" "Well you seemed too busy to call him a prat so I thought someone should" XD

Harry having the worst practices ever and telling his team, "good work everyone, I think we'll flatten Slytherin". What a cutie.

Ah the chest monster is here (which I find reallly funny device to allude to the sexual edge of his feelings)! Harry not returning Dean's shifty grin and Dean immediately being like, "lets go back to the common room"

Love Ginny and Ron fight: a lot of it speaks a lot of her friendship with Hermione. Her being privy to the knowledge that Hermione kissed Viktor Krum when the boys dont have a confirmation (Harry suspects it because in the end of GOF, Hermione returns from her goodbye with Krum completely smooth faced, an indication she is hiding something from them), her knowing Harry kissed Cho, her vicious deconstruction of how Ron behaves around Fleur (the heat and anger there could be on Hermione's behalf, apart from the fact that Ron is her brother).

I doubt Ginny knew that Hermione hasnt told the boys about Krum or of her own fight with Ron, because Hermione is "hurt and bewildered" by Ron's behavior the next day. Although it is the stress of the fight with Ron, it is interesting that when Ginny yells about how Harry's snogged Cho Chang, she sounds close to tears.

"Ron, you're my best mate, but carry on treating the rest of the team like this, I;m going to throw you off the team" love how maturely Harry handles this. Also this exchange" "it's a mental problem you've got!" "you calling me mental?" "yeah i am" XD these boys! My favourite part of this chapter is Harry's faith in Ron. He cooks up Felix Felicis scheme on the foundation of the fact that he believes Ron can save anything when he is in form. (It also shows how well he knows his friends that he works the initial scheme.)

lmao, "Hark who's talking, confunded anyone lately?" Harry's friendship with Hermione this book is so much easier and so much fun.

Harry initiates physical contact with a character and its Ginny. And I have a feeling she notices how "let go very quickly and avoided her gaze". Because that is not normal behaviour, Harry. Later in the chapter, she also tests the physical boundaries between them by patting him on his arm.

Harry darting after Hermione when he thinks she has seen Ron and Lavendar:(: (also love how Hermione brings it up with Harry, even though trio as a collective just walk around romione feelings. "Dont pretend you didnt see him, he wasnt exactly hiding it, was he?"). And Harry being horrified that it is the moment Ron walks in, how Ron cannot look at Hermione and both Harry and Ron are waiting for an imminent explosion. It is just..such a good depiction of an insular triad friendship.

Harry "thought his voice would vanish from lack of use":rofl: as he determined to be friends with both Ron and Hermione, and both are angry/defensive about what happened.

Ginny "kept cropping up in his dreams that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency":rofl:

lol @ Harry slyly telling Hermione that she knows a lot about Fred and George's Owl order service for their love potion, and she returns it with a jab: "I don't go around putting Potions in people's drinks.. or pretending to, which is just as bad" (But I love how the scene ends with them bantering about whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were in love with each other)

How interesting that Hermione views Love Potions as not "dark or dangerous", when we know in this book just how dangerous it could be. The enslavement of Tom Riddle Snr was done through means of Love Potion. As Slughorn says in the beginning of the book, that if students have lived as long as he has, they wouldn't underestimate the "power of obsessive love." Love as a weaponised thing, as something both that motivates dark things, while also behind Harry (and Lily's) sacrifice, seems to be theme in the books.

Harry goes after Hermione after she runs off to the bathroom after the Transfiguration classroom fiasco. Love that the boy could not think of any words of comfort, so he just got her things XD. And unlike the previous books, him standing up for Hermione is stronger than his quiet attempts in POA: "What did you have to imitate her for?" "She laughed at my moustache" "So did I, it was the stupidest thing I've ever seen."/ vs "Can't you give her a break?" "No- she acts like Scabbers has gone on a holiday" and Harry drops it.

Ginny is glad that Harry is taking Luna to the party, both because Luna is very excited but also because Ginny isn't threatened by Luna as a romantic interest for Harry. (lol @ the DH scene where she intervenes when Cho asks to take Harry to Ravenclaw tower and Ginny suggests Luna instead XD)

Parvati and Hermione's interaction is genuinely very sweet since Parvati felt guilty about laughing at Hermione in Transfiguration. Throughout the books, Parvati seems to be the one trying to connect with Hermione: she tells Lavendar about Hermione crying in bathroom back in PS, her attempting to tease Hermione about leaving Divination once Firenze comes along etc etc.

Hermione inviting Cormac McLaggen to piss Ron off is an A+ petty move (also the hilarious moment she tells Harry that she was also considering Zacharias Smith XD "You considered Smith?":rofl: ). She also gets a jab in to really twist the knife further into Ron (which suggests she had spoken to Ginny, who may have revealed that she told the boys about Krum): "I like really good Quidditch players"

Worple trying to manage Sanguini's blood cravings with pasty lol.

Slughorn thinking Harry's attempt at Draught of Living Death was better first attempt than Snape's. XD But interesting that Snape's first attempt wasn't as noteworthy - it shows he has really worked to get where he is at Potions.

Luna talking about Rotfang Conspiracy with Trelawney who seemed "sincerely interested" XD

The scene with Snape and Draco is great: Snape correctly reads that Draco is at this point, scared: "What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master Draco?" and Draco's resentful bravado," I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I don't want you butting in." he also loses patience after trying to negotiate with the said bravado when Malfoy accuses him of wanting his glory: "You're speaking like a child. " And it is around then, Malfoy, who does want to be taken seriously, leaves.

#hp reread #harry james potter #ron weasley #ginny weasley #hermione granger #nymphadora tonks #severus snape #tom riddle

[artemisia-black]

If Sirius survived in OotP, would he had joined the trio in DH in horcrux hunt? If he hadn't how would he help the trio, 'cos I don't think Sirius would have sat at home and wait. I think he would join the potterwatch... And also how would it affect his feelings? I love your analysis. Xoxo

Yes, he definitely would have (they would have to tie him up to stop him, and even then, he'd probably chew through the ropes).

He would have helped the trio and we probs wouldn't have had such a prolonged camping trip.

He also would have been a massive roadblock in the Harry sacrificing himself plan though.

Re: his feeling: he would be happy to feel useful again and be out of Grimmauld. And he could probably make peace with Regulus's memory. But these slightly more positive emotions would be undercut by anxiety for Harry.

#sirius black

[sendandburn]

Why did Snape hate Hermione?

"The assumption of this question is wrong. Snape never hated Hermione. But there is one thing to be noted though. While Minerva or Pomona awards points to Gryffindor when Hermione answers their questions but Snape is being mean to Hermione. Have you ever noticed why ?

“An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six,” said Snape dismissively -Severus in DADA class, HBP This is Snape’s problem with her.

Hermione is a bright witch, there is no denying that. But she never opens her mind. I am not saying this to make her look bad - it’s perfectly fine to know the course book cover to cover. But that doesn’t mean Snape should be a fan of that.

“How are you doing that?” demanded Hermione, who was red-faced and whose hair was growing bushier and bushier in the fumes from her cauldron; her potion was still resolutely purple.

“Add a clockwise stir —” “No, no, the book says counterclockwise!” she snapped.

She is seeing with her very eyes that Harry’s potion is doing better and still reluctant to take his advice. Maybe Severus is the kind of teacher who expects more from his students, who likes to push their boundaries. And that’s why he’s being mean when Hermione answers his questions from the books. And to confirm this, remember Harry’s occlumency lesson in OOtP ? He appreciated when Harry improvised by using shield charm against Snape.

“Well, Potter . . . that was certainly an improvement . . .” Panting slightly, Snape straightened the Pensieve in which he had again stored some of his thoughts before starting the lesson, almost as though checking that they were still there. “I don’t remember telling you to use a Shield Charm . . . but there is no doubt that it was effective . . .” (analysis from Reddit)

#character analysis #professor snape #harry potter #relationship analysis #hermione granger #severus snape

[sideprince]

I wrote a reply to this post but OP has deleted it and even though I should probably leave well enough alone, it got to me that I could have sworn I saw this post months ago and then realized it was actually from yesterday. This is a long reply so I'm putting it under a cut, but after I went to OP's blog and saw a post from them complaining how mean everyone was to them on this post, I replied to say I'm sorry if they got any anon hate I don't know about but otherwise none of the comments on this post were mean or hateful, they just disagreed with OP. I pointed out that this is partly because they cited non-canon events as canon, and OP immediately blocked me (this may be why I can't reblog the post even from another user, though that's not how tumblr usually works so who knows). I can't help but feel that OP's post was made in bad faith, as a result, and I've seen enough people on this hellsite who are more interested in protecting their egos than admit when they could have been approached something more thoughtfully, so I'm diving in. If you're going to say a character "is very interesting to study" while doing the exact opposite, then you'd better have the critical analysis skills and textual evidence to back it up.

I think OP has some misconceptions that are frustratingly common, and seem to stem from people not having read the books, or not read them for a long time, and conflating the movies with canon. While I mostly agree with the replies above, I want to take this opportunity to cite the text to refute some of OP's points. I often forget details from the text, but I choose to either look them up before asserting unconfirmed points as fact (Potter Search is a great tool, or you can just do a ctrl+F search if you have the books digitally), or else I usually state clearly that I'm not sure if I remember something correctly and don't have the spoons to look it up.

I saw OP say in the comments in response to someone arguing their points:

"that's your interpretation, I have mine, I think both can coexist within the material we are given."

It doesn't sit right with me that so many people think that referring to their subjective memory of what the text meant to them is the same as actually citing it and offering an explanation. OP's interpretation can't exist within the material given, because some of it doesn't exist in the material at all, and you can't interpret what isn't there. OP is essentially claiming to have done critical analysis, and although no one is required to always critique a text analytically on a tumblr post, I find it upsetting when people claim to do so while failing to cite a single source to support their argument. To me it sounds like someone trying to pass off a creative writing essay as an academic research paper, and in an age of rampant propaganda and knee-jerk reblogs that eschew critical thinking, I feel an almost compulsive need to go through OP's reply and argue it with the textual evidence they conveniently avoided, if for no other reason than to show why it's important to discern between loosely formed opinions and informed ones.

I also want to explain why I don't accept the films as canon, because while I do think that canon can exist across several mediums (such as with Good Omens, in which at least one of the writers of the text is directly involved in writing the TV series), I don't think that applies to Harry Potter because the original author was only marginally involved in the films, in only a consultant role, and had little input on the writing. The HP films are an interpretation as written from the perspective of Steve Kloves, except for OoTP, which was written by Michael Goldenberg. I've gone into it on other posts, but suffice to say these interpretations did not prioritize story and character development and were often influenced by pressure from the studio to prioritize marketing opportunities over storytelling. Important elements like foreshadowing and themes were not carried over from the text to the screen. These changes affected the storytelling significantly and left out crucial elements. This, combined with the films having been written with little to no involvement from the original author, is why I feel the films can't be taken as canon. This doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed by any means, just that they scenes that appear in the films but not in the text, or are presented differently on screen than in the text, are not a reasonable basis for character analysis.

And now, on to OP's ask:

"I think he is a very good representation of a man who felt insecure in his manhood; his male ego was permanently wounded by James' bullying and he decided to make it everyone else's problem by being the most insufferable teacher at Hogwarts."

The first thing we have to establish is that the books are told from Harry's perspective, so we have to take narrative bias into account. Calling Snape "the most insufferable teacher at Hogwarts" is a subjective statement and I can only assume it's based in Harry's biased perspective as narrator, given that he and Snape have a bad relationship from the outset. I have a brief analysis here about how Snape dislikes Harry because in their first class together he interprets Harry's ignorance of the course material as a lack of curiosity and appreciation for his gifts as a wizard, while also recognizing something of his own experiences with childhood poverty and abuse in Harry. Harry, being ignorant of these factors, just feels singled out for hate by a strict teacher, and their relationship deteriorates throughout the rest of the series, until the end of the final book.

To pull back from the narrative bias, let's look at some of the other teachers are Hogwarts:

McGonagall:

“Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?”  Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets. “Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this,” said Professor McGonagall. “I’m very disappointed in you. If you’re not hurt at all, you’d better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses.”

Philosopher's Stone, Ch. 10.

“I’m disgusted,” said Professor McGonagall. “Four students out of bed in one night! I’ve never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it’s very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.” “Fifty?” Harry gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead he’d won in the last Quidditch match.  “Fifty points each,” said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

Philosopher's Stone, Ch. 15

In just the first book we see McGonagall punish Hermione for successfully defending herself against a troll and take house points, then sends her back to her common room without getting medical attention, as if a ten year old can be responsible for assessing how badly they're hurt. A few chapters later McGonagall takes several hundred points from students in her own house (more than we see any other teacher do at one time throughout the series), and assigns the students detention on top of it. As we later see in the same chapter, the detentions aren't even served with her directly, but instead the children - again, ten years old - are sent into the Forbidden Forest at night with only Hagrid to protect them, to hunt down whatever creature is vicious and cunning enough to kill unicorns.

Although it's said that Snape favors the students in his own house, he doesn't seem to be the only one:

“Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor,” said Malfoy quickly.  “Yes, yes, that’s right,” said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. “Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?”  “A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir,” said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy’s face. “And it’s really thanks to Malfoy here that I’ve got it,” he added. 

Philosopher's Stone, Ch. 10

Not only did McGonagall make an exception to school practices and allow Harry on his house Quidditch team despite being a first year, she used either school funds or her own (unclear) to purchase a first-rate broom for him. We know the school has brooms, as first years are not allowed their own and they are provided for flying lessons, and because “Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms” (PS ch. 9). And yet, McGonagall ensures Harry has his own broom, and an expensive one, new enough to be the show model in a shop window in Diagon Alley a few months earlier:

“Several boys of about Harry’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. ‘Look,’ Harry heard one of them say, ‘the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -”

-Philosopher's Stone, Ch. 5

If we're discussing which teachers are Hogwarts are the most "insufferable" then we also have to talk about Hagrid, who might mean well and be affectionate, but is also irresponsible and dangerous.

In Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid:

Punishes Dudley, a child, for his parents' offenses, the final straw being his father insulting Dumbledore (Ch. 4). While Hagrid acknowledges that he shouldn't have lost his temper, he also admits that his intention had been to turn Dudley fully into a pig.

Hatches a dragon in his cabin (Ch. 14), tries to raise it illegally and against the animal's need of care, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione (again, ten year olds) have to fix the situation and get Ron's brother to find some friends to take the dragon away safely and prevent Hagrid losing his job (Ch. 14). In the process Hagrid endangers himself as well as the children, and it's because of this that McGonagall gives them detention and deducts hundreds of house points. Hagrid not only allows the children to endanger themselves for his sake, but to be punished and subsequently ostracized by their peers also for his sake.

The reason he even has a dragon is, as we find out in Ch. 16, because he was foolish enough to accept it from a faceless stranger in exchange for unwittingly divulging the secret to getting past the three headed dog guarding the Philosopher's Stone (and the stranger later turns out to be Quirrel/Voldemort).

In Prisoner of Azkaban, Hagrid:

Starts his first lesson with a volatile creature (Ch. 6) and, although Malfoy acted irresponsibly, Hagrid was nevertheless the teacher and responsible for providing course material consistent with the experience level and maturity of his students' age.

Gets drunk and has to be taken care of by Harry, Ron, and Hermione (again, children) (Ch. 6)

Skipping ahead to Order of the Phoenix ch. 30, we find out Hagrid

Compromised his return from the mission Dumbledore sent him on by bringing a giant back to England.

Brought said giant into the school grounds and left him in the Forbidden Forest.

Asks Harry and Hermione (still children) to look after him if Hagrid is sacked.

Although Hagrid means well, his actions are consistently thoughtless and irresponsible, requiring those around him - often Harry, Ron, and Hermione - to fix the damage he causes. Although I think it remains subjective which teacher at Hogwarts is the "most insufferable" I think Hagrid is a strong enough candidate to qualify OP's interpretation of Snape holding that title as extremely contestable. Of course, since the books are presented through the lens of Harry's narrative bias, and he's fond of Hagrid, respects McGonagall, and dislikes Snape, an uncritical reading could lead one to OP's conclusions. However, a more objective analysis of the text shows that many teachers at Hogwarts are strict, punitive, biased, and wreak havoc on students in ways that make the Snape's actions look fairly tame, or at least the norm. And this is excluding an analysis of various DADA professors like Lockhart and Crouch/Moody, who were insufferable in their own rights (Lockhart was smarmy and dishonest to the point it risked students' lives; Crouch/Moodly transfigured a child into a ferret and humiliated him with torture as a disciplinary measure and deliberately triggered Neville's trauma in class).

OP continues their reply to say:

Add to this that he is a halfblood and only his mother was around, iirc?

They don't recall correctly. Snape, whose father was a muggle and whose mother was a witch, was indeed a half-blood (as is evidenced by him being revealed to be the Half-Blood Prince - I assume I don't need to cite a source as this is a pretty well-known fact and the literal title of an entire HP book, but should you need a reference it's in Ch. 28 of HBP). Both his parents were around in his childhood:

Snape staggered - his wand flew upwards, away from Harry - and suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his: a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner …

-Order of the Phoenix, Ch. 26

‘How are things at your house?’ Lily asked. A little crease appeared between his eyes. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘They’re not arguing any more?’ ‘Oh, yes, they’re arguing,’ said Snape. He picked up a fistful of leaves and began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. ‘But it won’t be that long and I’ll be gone.’ ‘Doesn’t your dad like magic?’ ‘He doesn’t like anything, much,’ said Snape.

-Deathly Hallows, Ch. 33

We know that Snape's father was around because he's mentioned both in Snape's memories in OoTP that Harry accidentally invades during an Occlumency lesson, and when we see in Snape's memories that he gives Harry as he dies. Lily asks about his home life by referring to both his parents, implying that his dad is a consistent presence at home. We also know from JK Rowling that Snape's father "didn't hold back when it came to the whip" but this is supplementary and not mentioned in canon, so I don't expect anyone to refer to it when analyzing the text, I'm just adding it as bonus material.

Continuing on with OP's reply:

Snape, Voldemort and Harry all act like foils of each other in that sense, but whereas Voldemort fixated on his blood status as the main reason for his insecurities, Snape fixated on Lily.

So much to unpack here. Firstly, all of this should be backed up by examples from the text, as they are subjective readings that have significant bearing on character analysis.

Snape, Harry, and Voldemort don't act like foils of each other. For one thing, a character doesn't act like a foil, a character either is or isn't one. That being said, I don't know OP's background and there could be a language barrier because English isn't everyone's first language, I'm just being pedantic. Even with that in mind, the statement remains incorrect. A foil is a literary device - a character who contrasts with another character, often with the protagonist. It is not a choice a character makes or an action they take.

In Philosopher's Stone Snape is set up as a foil to Harry in order to misdirect the reader from suspecting the real villain, Quirrel/Voldemort. Snape is presented as secretive, sneaky, and nefarious, contrasting Harry's role as a protagonist who is outspoken, honest, and brave. As the series progresses, Snape, along with Voldemort, are eventually shown to have more parallels than contrasts with Harry. Snape and Voldemort were born into muggle poverty, and although Harry was raised in a middle class home by the Dursleys, they thrust poverty and neglect onto him in a way that parallels his childhood of neglect and want with that of Snape and Voldemort. Snape's father was abusive, as was Harry's guardian, Vernon Dursley. Harry, Voldemort, and Snape all had traumatic experiences growing up in muggle environments. If anything, Snape and Voldemort might be foils to Harry in that they both harbored resentment for their muggle fathers in ways that signified the separation between the wizarding and muggle world, while Harry's experiences with the Dursleys didn't color his image of muggles in a comparable way.

The contrast between Harry, Snape, and Voldemort is in the way each of them deals with their trauma. As Dumbledore says:

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

-Chamber of Secrets, Ch. 18

This becomes one of the overarching themes of the HP series, Harry, Snape, and Voldemort are all examples of how their choices took them to such different places in life from their comparable childhoods.

At school Voldemort was a handsome boy with talent, intelligence, and the recommendations of his teachers, but he chose to pursue power instead of success:

“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School. I know that several teachers, Professor Slughorn amongst them, suggested that he join the Ministry of Magic, offered to set up appointments, put him in touch with useful contacts. He refused all offers. The next thing the staff knew, Voldemort was working at Borgin and Burkes.”

Half-Blood Prince, Ch. 20

Snape chose to become a Death Eater for reasons we can only assume. We know he was in Slytherin during an era when Voldemort was in power and many of his allies had children in Slytherin house. At least two of Snape's dorm-mates, Mulciber and Avery, are canonically acknowledged to have become Death Eaters (both are present at the Ministry when Harry and his friends fight the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries in OoTP Ch. 35). It's unclear whether Snape chose to become a Death Eater out of admiration for them or out of peer pressure, or perhaps a lack of other options, while at school:

'… thought we were supposed to be friends?’ Snape was saying. ‘Best friends?’ ‘We are, Sev, but I don’t like some of the people you’re hanging around with! I’m sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev? He’s creepy! D’you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?’ Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face. ‘That was nothing,’ said Snape. ‘It was a laugh, that’s all -‘ ‘It was Dark Magic, and if you think that’s funny -‘ ‘What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?’ demanded Snape. His colour rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment.

-Deathly Hallows, Ch. 33

It's unclear what Snape thinks of Avery and Mulciber, as his reply to Lily is downplaying but doesn't defend their actions. We see Snape's indecisiveness later in the argument he has with Lily after he calls her a Mudblood:

'It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends - you see, you don’t even deny it! You don’t even deny that’s what you’re all aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?’ He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. ‘I can’t pretend any more. You’ve chosen your way, I’ve chosen mine.’ ‘No - listen, I didn’t mean -‘ ‘- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?'

-Deathly Hallows, Ch. 33

Although Snape does ultimately choose to become a Death Eater, we see in his reply to Lily about both Avery and Mulciber and later her assumption that they all want to become Death Eaters that Snape doesn't argue for or against her accusations, but instead is evasive and unsure of himself. He opens his mouth to speak when she accuses him of wanting to become a Death Eater, but then closes it again without saying anything - he can neither argue against her point, nor state clearly, let alone with any kind of conviction, that this is indeed his ambition. It can be argued that it's the passivity of his choice that lands him with a Dark Mark on his arm, and it's the active choice he makes to risk his life in order to defect from Voldemort's ranks and turn spy that defines his character and without which Harry could not have defeated Voldemort.

Harry, as the protagonist, is also significantly defined by the theme of choice:

'But, sir,’ said Harry, making valiant efforts not to sound argumentative, ‘it all comes to the same thing, doesn’t it? I’ve got to try and kill him, or -‘ ‘Got to?’ said Dumbledore. ‘Of course you’ve got to! But not because of the prophecy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you’ve tried! We both know it! Imagine, please, just for a moment, that you had never heard that prophecy! How would you feel about Voldemort now? Think!’ Harry watched Dumbledore striding up and down in front of him, and thought. He thought of his mother, his father and Sirius. He thought of Cedric Diggory. He thought of all the terrible deeds he knew Lord Voldemort had done. A flame seemed to leap inside his chest, searing his throat. ‘I’d want him finished,’ said Harry quietly. ‘And I’d want to do it.’ ‘Of course you would!’ cried Dumbledore. ‘You see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! But the prophecy caused Lord Voldemort to mark you as his equal … in other words, you are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy! But Voldemort continues to set store by the prophecy. He will continue to hunt you … which makes it certain, really, that -' ‘That one of us is going to end up killing the other,’ said Harry. ‘Yes.'

-Half-Blood Prince, Ch. 33

There's a clear point made by the author through Dumbledore as her proxy here, that choice is what matters, not fate. It's Harry's choices that make him the person he is and lead him to eventually defeat Voldemort. While Snape, Voldemort, and Harry all can be contrasted through the lens of their choices, this does not make them foils, as it is the the theme of choice and how it is exemplified by each character that makes them unique, but their experiences and many of their character traits (boldness, bravery, a personal sense of conviction) that make them parallels of one another. Each of them occupies their own place on the spectrum between the light and dark that the series establishes, Voldemort at the dark end, Harry at the light, and Snape in the grey area between them.

OP goes on to say:

His character is all about male entitlement, he was obsessed with her at Hogwarts and then showed to have no boundaries as he went into her house to cradle her dead body in front of her traumatized kid.

There's a lot to unpack here, and it's particularly challenging because you can't provide textual evidence for something that didn't happen in the text. After the above scene from Ch. 33 of DH in which Lily ends her friendship with Snape, we never see them interact again:

'No - listen, I didn’t mean -‘ ‘- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?’ He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole … The corridor dissolved, and the scene took a little longer to reform: Harry seemed to fly through shifting shapes and colours until his surroundings solidified again and he stood on a hilltop, forlorn and cold in the darkness, the wind whistling through the branches of a few leafless trees. The adult Snape was panting, turning on the spot, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, waiting for something or for someone …'

-Deathly Hallows, Ch. 33

The scene in the corridor in front of Gryffindor Tower between a fifth year Snape and Lily leads directly into the scene where Snape begs Dumbledore to protect the Potters (which I wrote an analysis of a few months ago but is too long a subject to derail this post for). We see no more interactions between Snape and Lily, and therefore there is no canonical support for the idea that Snape behaved obsessively or failed to respect her boundaries.

There's also no mention of Snape going to Godric's Hollow at all after her death. Snape holding Lily's dead body is only shown in the film version of Deathly Hallows, and as mentioned, the films are not canon. That moment doesn't exist in the text and can't be considered in an analysis of Snape's character. The scene on the hilltop leads directly into the scene of Snape crying in Dumbledore's office:

The hilltop faded, and Harry stood in Dumbledore’s office, and something was making a terrible sound, like a wounded animal. Snape was slumped forwards in a chair and Dumbledore was standing over him, looking grim. After a moment or two, Snape raised his face, and he looked like a man who had lived a hundred years of misery since leaving the wild hilltop. ‘I thought … you were going … to keep her … safe …’ ‘She and James put their faith in the wrong person,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Rather like you, Severus. Weren’t you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?’ Snape’s breathing was shallow.

-Deathly Hallows, Ch. 33

This is the only depiction of Snape immediately following the Potters' deaths. The scene of him cradling Lily's dead body was Steve Kloves' invention and has no basis in canon. If anything, Snape's actions in canon can be interpreted to show that he respected the boundaries Lily set, and that even when her life was at risk he chose to go to Dumbledore - who he thought might kill him on sight - rather than talk to her directly after she ended their friendship. In addition, in all the information the text gives about the night Voldemort fell in Godric's Hollow and Hagrid collected Harry to take him to Privet Drive, there's no mention of Snape whatsoever.

There isn't much in the text to support the interpretation that Snape exemplified male entitlement either. So far we've seen him being as strict, if not milder, than other teachers at the school, his favoritism is also comparable to that of other teachers - implying it's more of a norm than an example of entitlement - and there are no canonical examples to support the argument that he was obsessed with Lily or violated her boundaries. Snape struggles to argue with Lily when she accuses and berates him, and the usual markers of patriarchal entitlement - silencing women, gaslighting, dismissing women's opinions, talking over them - are all nowhere to be found in any of their interactions. The only time we see him lash out at Lily is when he calls her Mudblood (OoTP Ch. 28) which, while inexcusable, he does under traumatic duress, and is not indicative of his usual interactions with her, as exemplified by the fact that she ends their friendship over it. As cited before:

'No - listen, I didn’t mean -‘ ‘- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?’

There's a clear implication that Snape has never called her this before. An argument can also be made that it speaks volumes of Lily's own biases, or perhaps her own affection for Snape (who, not long before this, was still her best friend), that she excused this behavior from him when it was directed at others, and only took issue with it when it was directed at herself. That, combined with Lily's own acknowledgment that they were "best friends" shows that Snape's relationship with her was a balanced, consensual one even when it became strained, up until their friendship ended.

Continuing with OP's points:

He only saw Lily as a trophy to be possessed, which you can see from the way he hated Harry, because Harry reminded him Lily wasn't his and that Lily had sex with another man.

There's no support for this in the text anywhere and is pure conjecture. I can appreciate it being OP's headcanon, but it's certainly not a result of studying the text and relying on it to form opinions, but rather seems to be OP projecting pre-conceived notions onto Snape as a character and trying to find justification for it. I've written a whole post extrapolating Snape's first class with Harry, but the tl;dr is that Snape, who grew up in muggle poverty and knew Aunt Petunia enough to guess that Harry didn't fare well in her care when he showed up at school bearing signs of neglect, likely expected Harry to have the same hunger for learning that he himself did at Harry's age. Instead, Harry couldn't answer a single one of his questions and showed no curiosity or enthusiasm towards being a wizard as far as Snape could tell.

Nevertheless, even though Snape did seem to dislike Harry, hate is an awful strong word given that it is revealed at the end of Deathly Hallows that Snape has risked his own life to protect him. This isn't particularly surprising when you consider that this goal was established as early as Philosopher's Stone, when Snape protected him, which Harry initially interpreted as Snape trying to kill him:

Harry couldn’t take it in. This couldn’t be true, it couldn’t. ‘But Snape tried to kill me!’ ‘No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I’d have got you off that broom. I’d have managed it before then if Snape hadn’t been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you.’ ‘Snape was trying to save me?’ ‘Of course,’ said Quirrell coolly. -Philosopher's Stone, Ch. 17

Again, the story is told through the lens of Harry's bias, but that doesn't mean his opinions of Snape reflect Snape's character. As another example, there's an implication in OoTP that Snape, having seen some of the Dursleys' abuse of Harry through his memories during Occlumency lessons, passed this information on in an effort to protect Harry, and that this is the reason why several Order members (Arthur Weasley and Moody in particular) show up at King's Cross at the end of the schoolyear and threaten the Dursleys to stop mistreating him. There seems to be no other explanation in the text for why these adults are suddenly aware of the abuse Harry experiences, except that Snape, who was abused as a child himself, and who is an Order member himself, is the only adult in the series who we see witness Harry's mistreatement firsthand. At no point in the narrative do we see Harry complain about the Dursleys to the adults he trusts or ask them for help, merely to spend his holidays away from them without explanation.

While Snape did indeed dislike Harry and often compared him to his father, his dislike for James had much more significant roots in bullying and trauma than in his concern for Lily's relationship with him. It's established in canon that James Potter and Sirius Black dislike Snape from the outset (as in the scene on the Hogwarts Express in DH Ch. 33). In their fifth year, Sirius - annoyed that Snape is so curious about where Lupin goes each month - tricks Snape into following the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, as Lupin tells Harry:

'Professor Snape was at school with us. ... Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me -‘ Black made a derisive noise. ‘It served him right,’ he sneered. ‘Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to … hoping he could get us expelled …' 'Severus was very interested in where I went every month,’ Lupin told Harry, Ron and Hermione. ‘We were in the same year, you know, and we - er - didn’t like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James’s talent on the Quidditch pitch … anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me towards the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree-trunk with a long stick, and he’d be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he’d got as far as this house, he’d have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, who’d heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life … Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden to tell anybody by Dumbledore, but from that time on he knew what I was …'

-Prisoner of Azkaban, Ch. 18

From this we can deduce that Sirius intended for Snape to die, or at least get severely injured, and that even as a grown adult Sirius doesn't regret trying to mete out this punishment to him as retaliation for curiosity. We can also deduce that Lupin was unaware of Sirius' intention and did not consent to be used as a weapon. For his part, Snape never did reveal that Lupin was a werewolf while at school, or even during that school year, until after Lupin ran amok on Hogwarts grounds, endangering others' lives, including Harry's.

There are other meta posts that go into Lupin's insecurities and vulnerabilities, but in short, he was grateful just to be allowed into the school as a student, let alone to have friends, and was in no position to challenge James and Sirius. Even as a prefect he didn't curb their behavior, as we see when he allows James to bully Snape later that year after their O.W.L.s:

'Leave him alone,’ Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. ‘What’s he done to you?’ ‘Well,’ said James, appearing to deliberate the point, ‘it’s more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean …’ Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn’t, and nor did Lily. ‘You think you’re funny,’ she said coldly. ‘But you’re just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.’ ‘I will if you go out with me, Evans,’ said James quickly. ‘Go on … go out with me and I’ll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.'

-Order of the Phoenix, Ch. 28

James acknowledges that he has no real reason to bully Snape and uses violence as a bargaining chip to coerce Lily into going out with him (James' behavior reflects much more entitlement than Snape's, in my opinion). He also chokes Snape with a bar of soap and then assaults him by dangling him upside down and removing his trousers (threatening to remove his underwear but we don't see it happen).

Lily herself refers to James as arrogant, and it's this trait, along with the trauma from James' bullying of him, that Snape perceives in Harry. He doesn't resent Harry for looking like his father because it reminds him that Lily had sex with another man, he resents him for it because of all the trauma James inflicted on him. The conflict-laden relationship between Snape and the Marauders is a significant driver of the story through several of the books and OP seems subjective to the point of being problematic in ignoring it completely and instead focusing Snape's dislike of Harry onto an invented idea of sexual jealousy that doesn't exist in the text.

It's never stated whether Snape had romantic feelings for Lily, or vice versa, only that they were friends. The closest we see to a hint of this is when “The intensity of his [Snape's] gaze made her [Lily] blush," or when “The moment she [Lily] had insulted James Potter, his [Snape's] whole body had relaxed, and as they walked away there was a new spring in Snape’s step …”

Lily's blush could be interpreted as implying she was attracted to him, or conversely that she didn't and felt awkward thinking he might be attracted to her. Similarly, Snape's relief at her insulting James can be interpreted as indicative of his attraction to her, or of him simply being worried about a friend hanging out with people he perceived as dangerous and was relieved to learn she wasn't putting herself in the way of danger by becoming friends with them. Although JK Rowling has said that her intention was for Snape's affections towards Lily to be romantic, and that she may have returned his affection had he not chosen the path he did, this is - like the note about Snape's father whipping him - extratextual and more of an interesting fact than a bit of canon to be extrapolated from the text.

Finally, OP says:

His interest in the Death Eaters was only secondary to his obsession with Lily and I think Lily rejecting him pushed him toward joining the Death Eaters, because, once again, his male ego was bruised and he needed to replace it with something else.

We've already seen that Snape's interest in joining the Death Eaters was a big part of Lily's reason for ending their friendship. Therefore, logically, Lily's decision didn't push him towards becoming a Death Eater, but rather isolated him from having any support system outside of the DEs. She didn't reject him, because rejection is the refusal or dismissal of another person's advances or proposal. They were friends, meaning they had a mutually consensual platonic relationship. Lily therefore didn't reject Snape, she ended their friendship and, as already stated, nothing in canon implies he didn't respect her boundaries.

As we have also seen in canon, Snape was bullied at school and had, at best, a neglectful and dysfunctional home environment in his childhood. In addition, he shared a dorm with students actively interested in becoming Death Eaters, and his one social lifeline away from them was cut off when he called Lily a Mudblood. What OP interprets as Snape's male ego being bruised is actually a much more complex set of social and emotional factors being described throughout the series to eventually reveal the profile of a character - young Snape - who was a vulnerable youth primed for radicalization by a violent faction of zealots. Although the enforcement and upholding of patriarchal norms is often a huge element of these kinds of social movements, that didn't seem to be the driving force for Snape based on everything we learn about his character. Instead, what we see is a boy who comes from abuse, lives in abuse at school, who loses all the support systems that might give him an alternative to the fascist cult he's being radicalized into which - if it's like most hate groups - would have been more than welcome to both take him in and help him cut his ties to anyone else in his life he might escape from them to.

It also goes against the argument that Snape was sexually obsessed with Lily that he continued to risk his life in order to protect her son an defeat her murderer for almost two decades after her death. He knew it would neither bring her back from the dead nor bring about forgiveness, and it goes without saying that sex was no longer an option. Framing Snape's motivation as obsession dismisses the realities of the complex and meaningful relationship we form as people, and the lasting, transformative influence we can have on each other, which is what Snape and Lily's story illustrates.

Finally, OP concludes with:

He remained mysterious up till the end and his back-and-forth with treason was very compelling to read about. So I hate him (as a "person") but he is such a good character narrative-wise and he is very interesting to study

OP openly admits to hating Snape, ie. having a bias against him, while stating he is "interesting to study" - except no part of their answer has shown that they've actually done so. Their arguments are unsupported in several ways, one being that they don't offer any evidence, and the other being that none can be found in the source text. What's ironic is that OP seems to resent Snape's subjective bias against Harry (and misinterpret his reasons for it in baseless ways) while also showing the exact same kind of bias against Snape themselves. You don't have to like a character by any means, but claiming that the kind of unfounded, superficial, and unsupported opinions that OP stated in their response have a basis in any kind of study of his character is ludicrous and an insult to the intelligence of anyone reading it.

#long post #I'd say sorry to OP for ripping into their post like this but they think people disagreeing with them politely is mean and hateful so #but yeah sorry not sorry when your argument is so unfounded that it can be shredded with an entire cited essay then maybe #reconsider the claim that your opinions have any basis in study #and look I don't think OP is stupid by any means I think they knew exactly what they were doing and that's why I decided to argue them #even if they won't see it #I usually don't tend to argue with haters and prefer to spend my allotted hellsite time delving into meta but this one got to me

[joannerowling]

I'm in the process of rereading OOtP and gods, I forgot how <i>funny</i> it is. I mean, sure, the book is really dark and full of emotions, but despite that there is still so much humour(just like the other 6, but here I feel like it's much more needed given all the darkness-and speaking of that, honestly I think it's the darkest in the series, I know people often say DH is the darkest, but tbh I'd say OOtP is darker but that's a story for another day lol)

Also I'd say it's the best in the series, although my personal favourite is HBP.

I agree with your analysis, DH is dark but it ends on a high note and is pretty action packed, and has a general feeling of being a spiritual journey against a specific enemy who represents "evil"; meanwhile the despair in OotP feels much more real and raw, all-encompassing and harder to beat because it's a fight against the stupidity and casual cruelty of ordinary people who refuse to listen to what Harry's saying because it's uncomfortable, despite all he's done to prove himself (saving the school like three times at this point!!). And what Harry gains - people finally accepting that Voldemort is back and he's not a compulsive liar - pales in comparaison to what he's lost to get there. Plus the fact that Harry's still a kid and he's so insecure and guilt-ridden by the end, whereas Harry in DH feels like a near-adult who has a lot more confidence.

Which means, yeah, the humour is especially sharp in OotP because it comes a lot from the narration or characters themselves highlighting how ineffectual the Ministry is acting. Like, Fudge being utterly convinced that Dumbledore is out to get his job - infuriating, but also pretty funny! Similarly, the extremes to which Umbridge is willing to go to in order to stop the DA makes her look completely insane. And how the whole school (including maybe the building?) basically becomes The Résistance™ via quiet support or malicious compliance.

Then there are all the characters who have a more detached or pragmatic approach to the situation and bring a bit of levity to it, like Mundingus, or Phineas. Or the weird allyships of circumstances. I love the moment where Hermione asks Harry to meet her with Skeeter and Luna and he's like "what the hell is going on right now??" (I think Hermione's insanity ramping up in OotP deserves its own post tbh she's absolutely hilarious and brillant in this one.)

Also this gem after the boys fail their Divination exam:

RIP the running gag of Harry and Ron trying to figure out the mysteries of the future.

#replies #anon #ootp #hp

[dufferpuffer]

Just read about you okaying one of the anon ask about random ships. Because just like so many people I too like your analysis...

I know that this might be out of your usual circle of favorite characters. Or a little strange ship too...

But I always found it interesting to think about two rebels of rhe family. One from house of black and one from house of Weasley.

Sirius Black and Percy Weasley.

I think the fandom has slept on Percy's potential as a lead character for good story.

Harry dislikes percy right along ron and twins etc but if we see from certain angle he was nit wrong in not trusting dumbles. And he having trust in ministry and authority figures and not wanting to be part of a vigilante group is also not bad thing.

Him having fights with parents is also nothing new, we all at certain age think that we know better than them.

Percy is a gryffindor though. He didn't say no because he was scared to fight. He said no because he didn't like Dumbledore approach. Again understandable as order was full of teens and ya with bright future if not for albus pushing them to fight

Mr and mrs Weasley make it seem like they don't want their children to fight but since they are affected by the war we can't say them no too. But they did everything in front of children in ootp. R + h+ h will be the front warriors because of harry but twins and Charlie and bill do follow their parents' foot steps..

The dynamic bw Sirius and percy I would like to explore but my brain is not much help in it as to what will be the interaction be like.

I mean with Sirius having seen with his own eyes that under Dumbledore regime they are all like sitting ducks, dumbles not helping his own unlawful imprisonment situation, making things difficult for harry.

What if the two join forces.

I too dont like age gap romances but in Wizarding word people live more that 150 years so what is a 14-15 year age difference.

If you are irked about a romantic relationship bw the two than you can share your thought on them platonically joining forces to help each other...

Sirius has a unique situation because he understand what it feels to just move away from your family. That it is not all sunshine and roses. That it is a tough decision. He also has been wronged by order and it's leader by ignorance and indifference, same as percy who like a typical middle child feels left out.

Sirius knows that though ministry is useless, this time he also doesn't wants to bet all his chances of win on Dumbledore like last time...

If you are interested I will like to hear your thoughts 🤔💭

Ok, first of all - I do not mind age gaps. It would be pretty hypocritical if I did, since my partner is 17 years older than me lol I cannot blame Percy for fucking a hot old man when I, too, fuck the hot old men. I find the whole concept of 'age gaps being irksome' demeaning - not to mention rooted in sexism, homophobia and ableism. An adult should be able to love another adult. Period.

That being said - Percy and Sirius... an interesting concept.

Overall I think, while they have ALOT of similarities, they have some aspects that would grind against each-other. That doesn't mean I don't think they can work, I just think they have a hump to get over: - Sirius' judgemental nature and being a playful bully. - Percy's pride and protective nature (being like his mother).

Sirius is an understanding, compassionate guy... but there are things that crawl right up under his skin: - Like 'abandoning' the people you love. He isn't an idiot, he can tell Percy hasn't abandoned his family, but he would think he is wasting his time at the Ministry of all places rather than actually being there physically and emotionally for them. - He also can't stand stiffs. His parents, his brother - even Molly herself, doesn't want the kids to do anything... He is a firecracker. He likes to poke sleeping bears and break some rules. - Percy is proud, to a ridiculous level. He will close his eyes to the truth in order to keep pushing. He has decided on what he will do - and even if everyone he loves says no. He has the childish desire to be a Big Grown Boy which leaves his ego easily bruised... and Sirius would find that naive, and perhaps a little too much like his brother. Percy may be an adult, but he acts like a snotty little brat.

The main dynamic I could imagine them having - Is Sirius being annoying, like a third Twin, someone that pokes fun at Percy's expense for a laugh... but with a burning, caring desire to not let Percy become another Regulus... or another HIMSELF. Facing the pain of having to lose a sibling before he has the chance to reconcile with them - just because he was stubborn.

I think Sirius would want to SAVE him from his own mistakes... and for Percy, having yet another person see his ambition as a mistake would be aggravating. Sirius' earnestness with his concern would harm his pride. And that's an interesting dynamic to work through. Perhaps, forced to abandon his pride - like being fired from the Ministry - would open Percy up to listening to an old dog who has seen the 'truth' of the world...?

Maybe spending more time with Sirius and seeing how the Ministry has treated him - how they continue to treat him - would disillusion him to the Ministry. He believes when his family says Voldemort is back, and he believes Sirius when he says he was innocent... and so he finally has to make himself wake up from his dreams and put his burning passions to a different goal.

Sirius is trapped in his house... but Percy is free. Maybe it starts as just running errands, but turns into a team. The both of them working together - maybe Percy even working within the Ministry, spying for Sirius specifically. Spending all that time alone together, moping about becoming jaded, drinking about their dreams going up in smoke... I mean if you want intimacy or romance that's a perfect launchpad.

I know in the extended text below its alot of negative stuff but I would DEVOUR a good fic about them. I would LOVE that. If you are planning on writing one WRITE IT - and if you aren't... any recs?

Extended thoughts below (900ish words)

Firstly... I love Albus. I stand by him and most of his decisions... though I agree that Sirius is probably not the biggest fan and for good reasons... but I don't think we actually see him disagreeing with Albus much in canon...? I might be forgetting something. Sirius is DEFINITELY keen on the 'child-soldier' thing. He FIGHTS for Harry and the kids to be involved when they are underage. If Percy wants his entire family out of the war, especially his siblings... Sirius wants them in. An interesting conflict.

~~~

I don't think Percy didn't join the Order because it was 'full of teens' - it wasn't. It had 3 teens that visited sometimes - and they were kept in the dark until they were 17. Dumbledore wasn't making child soldiers, aside from Harry - but what choice does he have? "...with bright futures if not for albus pushing them to fight" They won't have ANY future if they don't fight for their lives. By the end of GoF it isn't a question of if, but when: When will Harry be forced by fate to fulfill the prophecy? When will the Burrows' protective charms fail and expose them? When will Hermione fight for her life as a muggleborn? These events are guaranteed. Not hypothetical.

I know this is a tangent, but Albus fought in possibly BOTH Muggle World Wars and three Wizarding wars. He knows the horrors of war. He tried to shelter Harry, to keep him at arms length, unaware of politics, hidden in safe places... but he couldn't do that forever. Especially not when the Ministry was unhelpful, most of the Wizarding World was blinded by propaganda - and he was dying.

Shit I talked about Albus too much again, what was I saying? Oh yeah - I don't think Percy didn't join the order because of that. I think he simply had faith in the Ministry and Pride in himself. His older siblings left the country, leaving him as the eldest. His father stayed in a low-paying job he was constantly putting at risk... and wasn't trying to be promoted. He wanted to turn his families life around. He LOVES his family.

~~~

While Sirius knows how difficult it is to leave family you have a complicated relationship with - he left his family because he rejected them. He numbed himself to their fates the best he could.

Percy left because he loves them. He wants to support his little brothers and sister. He wants to make his Mother proud and earn his fathers respect. He was going to work his ass off in these turbulent times and work his way up to being Minister of Magic.

...Sirius would think that is very cute. He is jaded. "You really think Cornelius Fudge got to his position through 'hard work'' and 'honest effort'...? Oh, you sweet boy... how naive." But I also think it would bamboozle him a little: "You love your family, but you left them? You aren't fighting with them? You're messing about at the ministry instead of being their knight...? You're being a cute little secretary or whatever to the same old bastard that pushed for me not to get a trial??" Sirius is loyal to a fault. He would acknowledge Percy's drive as admirable but think he is putting it all in the wrong place. Sirius could see Percy's heart, his intent, his love - in a way that others don't... but he doesn't relate. Percy's heart is good - but he's off chasing silly dreams. This isn't the time for dreams. This is war.

~~~

Percy was a proud prefect and Head Boy - exactly the sort of rule-enforcing snob Sirius would terrorize for fun. That's not a deal-breaker or anything - but Sirius is more like Fred/George. An interesting dynamic since Percy can't stand bullying.

~~~

Percy has faith in the Ministry, enough to stick with them all the way until the last book - and thus, has little faith in Sirius Black. He isn't going to out him, but he doesn't see him doing much either: 'Sitting drinking in your mothers house... Not exactly trying to clear your name, are you?' He might even feel some embarrassment for how the Ministry failed Sirius, which could come out in all sorts of victim-blamey ways.

~~~

Percy doesn't have many people on his side, but he doesn't feel like he NEEDS them on his side. He is a big tough man all on his own! Sirius might show him compassion and some understanding, but I don't know if Percy would care to listen to him. He is a bit independent man now - and, for awhile, people trying to show him compassion and understanding might make him feel patronized.

~~~

Just the image of Percy sending back his christmas jumper, disowning his family... Sirius would go off his rocker. He knows what family pressure is like - but he also knows what the Weasley dynamic is. He knows what Percy is pushing away from and it is pathetic. They love him in all the ways Sirius' family never did, and for Percy to reject that would hurt Sirius, too. "...You made your mother cry, Perce. And Molly isn't like my mother."

~~~

Also sorry this took awhile I wanted to both give it good thought - and shit got busy, I fostered an injured bird for awhile

#hp #sirius black #percy weasley

[in-flvx]

This isn't gonna be a deep analysis, but I keep thinking about it: the fandoms relationship to attractiveness as showcased by Sirius and Remus respectively.

We have the text. In which Harry and some unnamed girl from the marauders year find Sirius attractive. Vs tonks pining through at least 2 if not 3 books for Remus.

Harry generally seems to be attracted to people who are perceived by the general public as attractive (see: Cho, ginny, Bill, Cedric). He is our point of direction for this.

The fandom at large seems to have taken this as confirmation that Sirius is vaguely attractive, in the most general sense. Good looking, but in the end boring bc he fits some arbitrary criteria of general beauty. In a way that nobody who spends time getting to know him would even consider his looks at all, bc his character is so genuinely abhorrent that he's barely acceptable. And then only bc Remus is delusional, and bc James feels like he has to keep him in his friend group bc nobody else would even consider it. Also bc sirius will give 150% to overcome all his shortcomings (that fanonically start with his inability and disinterest in knowledge at large, and end with him gambling all his friends lives away for a laugh)

Meanwhile, Remus has canonically far less descriptions to hold onto. He has brown hair with streaks of white in his early 30s, and by this point he looks both sickly and poor (Harry mentions both for him in swm as well, but immediately follows it with plausible deniability for his preconceived opinions about either of them so I don't give it too much merit, even though I know most people have taken this as direct and unchangeable confirmation that he didn't have any kind of money at all all his life. But I don't ascribe to that, so don't even start with me)

But the fandom seems to take their respective popularity throughout poa and ootp as both direct confirmation as to how generally most people find Remus attractive for his sickly and unusual looks, and his general popularity based on the way Molly and the students react to him.

Meanwhile Sirius has the derision of both hermione and Molly, and his descriptions after azkaban working against him, as well as the fact that no one other than Harry and that one girl in their class was actually shown to be attracted to him. That, and the blurb from extra Canon in which Remus talks about how hot and sexy Sirius has been.

This is generally not smth I care too much about. Go for it, if you want to take these plot point to point out how attractive either of them is. If you live in a world in which Remus is just generally more attractive than Sirius, and everybody thinks so, that is okay.

But pls. Please. I beg you. To not act like it's the other way around when you make everyone in their general vicinity unable to talk about anything other than how Remus is the sexiest person to ever exist, and how each and everyone of them (even the lesbians) would have a go at him if given the chance. And if you have Remus go on dates several times during your fic, or have everyone who is interested in Sirius be first, or more, attracted to Remus.

If you want to have Sirius be just a mid looking guy whom nobody really likes, and who can't do too many things at all. Who has nothing to go for him other than his money and his obsession with Remus, and the fact that remus also finds him attractive (even though he is the only person who thinks so).

If you want Sirius to be this, just go with it. Let him be mid. Let Remus be the hottest person ever. Let Sirius know that he isn't really all that hot, and let him rely on his mind. Honestly just give him anything. Don't give him something you tell us he is good at, when all you end up doing is negating it directly by telling us that remus is the hottest person in school, that James actually likes him better, that remus is the only one able or interested in reading.

If you want Remus to have all of that going for it, don't act like this is some arcane knowledge, especially when you have not a single person in your fic or au who has anything positive to say or think about Sirius.

#Sirius Black #Remus lupin #I may have drunk some wine before posting this

[whinlatter]

Just seen your Dean analysis and agreed with it wholeheartedly, but just a follow up question, if Ginny/Dean didn’t get together before the end of the summer do you think they would’ve got together? Or if they got together and there wasn’t a summer break so they actually saw eachother over the summer would they have broken up earlier? From canon we can assume they didn’t see eachother at all over the summer and whilst they would’ve written letters it’s not the same as being together is it?

fun question thank you anon!

i think ginny left school end of hbp relieved to be shot of michael, excited about her relationship with dean, and telling herself she was glad her and harry were becoming closer mates. you know you're in denial about being into someone and you insist like 'no we're just really close mates it's nice that we're such good friends that's exactly what i want' and your mates are like lol ok babe we will let you have your lovely little delusions. just like that.

then she had a brilliant summer high low key flirting with hjp, got into that carriage on the hogwarts express with dean and was like, fuck! i liked dean a lot before the summer what changed! and ofc nothing had changed, the boy's a delight. it's just he wasn't young harold, was he. ginevra was kicking herself. so i think if they hadn't got together by the end of ootp i don't think they would have gotten together in hbp and maybe h/g would have happened sooner. but harry's also a clueless clown who needed to see ginny lipsing someone else to know he was in love with her so who knows!

(side note tho... i actually like the idea that ginny did see dean over the hbp summer. like maybe she went up to london for the day in the fortnight harry was at the dursleys. i'm afraid i just really like the idea of dean and ginny on an extremely teenage date in london. like dean taking her round camden market and them getting off with each other at the bus stop? them holding hands on a bench on regents canal? ginny telling her mum bill's taking her into central cos she's interested in a career as a curse breaker but actually bill's in on it and just drops her off like, don't do anything i wouldn't do?? dean's mum ironing his favourite jumper for him??? cute sorry! it's cute! maybe i will write this actually.....)

#i feel i should clarify i do know harry's name is NOT harold #headcanons #dean thomas #ginny weasley #ask #thanks anon! #meta

[ginisbetterthanfirewhisky]

Harry's sense of humour

Seeing that I have too much of free time on my hands, I decided to make an analysis of Harry's sense of humour.

Harry's sense of humour is my favourite in the series. It's a really dry and deadpan, very *British* sense of humour. He also acts self-deprecatingly at times and makes fun of the darker things in his life. His sarcasm is of the sort that doesn't go well with many people (for example, Hermione hates it when he jokes about his impending doom). I've always believed that this sassy humour and cutting one-liners are a defence mechanism, seeing that he had been mercilessly bullied by Dudley and his cronies for the first eleven years of his life. Here are some of my favourite one-liners...

“No, thanks," said Harry. "The toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it— it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.

~PS

■

“Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute — in case you get too near a Dementor." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."

~PoA

■

"Congratulations, Harry!' [Rita] said beaming at him. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt facing that dragon? How do you feel now about the fairness of the scoring?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," said Harry savagely. "Goodbye!”

~GoF

■

"You're watching the news? Again?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "It changes every day, you see."

°

‘Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher. There was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head!’

°

"You see, I [Draco], unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

°

"Harry, don’t go picking a row with Malfoy, don’t forget, he’s a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you ..."

"Wow, I wonder what it’d be like to have a difficult life?" said Harry.

°

"Well, hello there!" [Lockhart] said. "I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?"

"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.

°

"An interview?" said Umbridge. "What do you mean?"

"It means a reporter asked me questions and I answered them."

"I know what an interview is, Mr. Potter!"

°

"You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles; all they want is an OWL in Muggle Studies: Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience and a good sense of fun!'

"You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle,' said Harry darkly. 'Good sense of when to duck, more like."

°

“Malfoy glanced around. Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers. Then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, “You’re dead, Potter.” Harry raised his eyebrows. “Funny,” he said, “you’d think I’d have stopped walking around."

~OotP

■

"I wouldn't go in the kitchen just now," [Ginny] warned him. "There's a lot of Phlegm around."

>"I'll be careful not to slip in it." Harry smiled.

°

"Promise me you'll look after yourself. . . stay out of trouble. . . "

"I always do, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "I like a quiet life, you know me. "

°

I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."

Harry looked mockingly all around the shop. "Wow... look at that... he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"

°

"Yeah, Voldemort and I would've been best mates if he weren't trying to do me in."

°

"Do you remember me telling you we are practising *nonverbal* spells, Potter?"

"Yes," said Harry stiffly.

"Yes, *sir*."

"There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor."

°

[Fleur]'snot that bad," said Harry. "Ugly, though," he added hastily, as Ginny raised her eyebrows, and she let out a reluctant giggle.

~HBP

■

"I think mum thinks if she can stop the three of you from getting together and planning, she can delay you leaving"

"Then what does she think is going to happen? Someone else will defeat Voldemort when she is holding us here making vol-au-vents?"

~DH

●●●

#harry potter #hp meta #harry is awesome ok

[thegirlwhowrites642]

From Book 1(or From book they were introduced) to 7 -changes following characters(some are minor) goes through(characters arc) :-

Harry ,Ginny,Ron,Hermione,Remus , Tonks, Percy, Fleur, lavender

I remember reading this ask and being like "is this a challenge?". I could write books on some of these characters and on others there's very little to tell.

But you know what? As Barney Stinson would say:

Challenged accepted.

I'll need to be very synthetic which is not something I'm good at.

Lavender Brown

Lavender does not sustain any relevant change through the story, she's always painted as very girly and in contrast to Hermione. It's not surprising seeing that she's not a particularly relevant character. The only change we see is that at the start of OotP she doesn't believe Harry but then she's at the first meeting of the DA. She is not stupid or a coward but it's not a revelation of her character, she's always been a clear Gryffindor.

Fleur Delacour

Fleur doesn't really change, we just see new sides of her. In GoF, Harry finds her unlikable, and only when he saves Gabrielle, she warms up to Harry and we discover that she's not that bad. In HBP the Weasley women go through the same thing, with the addiction that seeing that she will be a new member of the family and they have to live with her, her unlikability is far heavier on them. One change that I guess we could see is when in DH before the Battle, when Percy comes back, she's the one that tries to break the tension by asking about Teddy to Remus. This shows an ability to read the room, and as basic as it is, it does seem to be an improvement for her. Most of the rude things she says to the Weasleys in HBP seem to not come from hatred but an inability to have any type of social filter. In an analysis of her character, we could see how this may be linked to her being part Veela.

Percy Weasley

Percy is always presented as an ambitious and smart character who is very academically driven. This does not change. I do not personally recall and have not found any declaration of loyalty towards Dumbledore in the early books (but please correct me if I'm wrong) so him taking the parts of the Ministry is not a change for him. There's on the other hand an interesting change in his relationship with Arthur.

Percy feels a connection with his father for his job at the Ministry and even seems to share Arthur's biggest interest. In the second book, he tells Harry that the optional subjects he should choose are divination and muggle studies. Percy has actually taken all the optional classes because we know he got 12 owls, so these are the ones he really likes and values more (I find it really interesting that the other is divination personally). Now, this is important because when Percy gets away from his family, he mainly rows with Arthur and shows resentment towards him. This seems to be a change due to Percy working at the Ministry for a year and having to deal with having "Weasley" as a surname but of course, we'll never know for sure. He could've bottled up those feelings against his father for years.

Percy needs the Battle of Hogwarts to come back to his family. As every Gryffindor he has braveness but also a lot of pride and stubbornness. By this point, he has no problem addressing his excessive ambition and his wrong behavior toward his family.

Nymphadora Tonks

Tonks is another of those characters that we don't really see changing, we just see different sides of her. If in OotP she's vibrant, funny, and energetic, in HBP she's depressed because of the whole Remus matter. I've seen people during the years say that the way she acted in HBP was out of character and my question is: based on what? How can you say that when we didn't know anything about her intimate emotional sphere? Between the scene in the infirmary and the one written by JKR outside the books, her attitude towards Remus doesn't seem to change. She's extremely sad but she doesn't sulk in silence. In DH she seems to return to her OotP-self which is coherent with her being now married to Remus. We don't know how she reacted to Remus going away, just that eventually they patch it up.

Remus Lupin

Remus is the incarnation of self-hatred. We see it from his very first appearance in PoA, just think about how he stays away from Harry for years and he keeps that attitude even when he becomes his professor. This is a central part of his character, something he constantly battles with and he seems to have a real improvement with the birth of his son. Remus is incredibly happy, he seems to finally start to see himself as worthy of love. Personally, I've always interpreted Remus making Harry Teddy's godfather as a sign of gratefulness for setting him back on the right path.

I've always found Remus's death very fitting because it made sense for me that at the end of the story all the Marauders died but that death is also an enormous tragedy for Remus' character because he's killed when he has finally started accepting himself and had in front of him years of happiness. It kind of cuts his arc right in the middle.

We could talk about the "marauders era" but I feel like I'd be going too much into speculation. What we can say is that surely Halloween of '81 caused a regression in his self-esteem, despite that, I think it's important to remember that it's suggested that Remus always had a sense of gratefulness towards the Marauders (specifically James) on a level that indicates a sense of feeling undeserving of their support.

Hermione Granger

Hermione is not a character that changes a lot, actually. Especially if you consider how much page space she has. But nonetheless, let's dive into what we have.

Managing stressful situations -> In PS we see Hermione not being able to act straight under pressure, in CoS she is not really involved in any action but she seems to be able to handle herself in PoA. Though PoA is also the book in which she goes completely out of control about the optional subjects. The narrative seems to imply that Hermione made a crazy choice taking them all, but we know that both Bill and Percy did it which means it's possible. This implies that Hermione didn't know how to deal with the pressure that all that work required, maybe because some of the subjects were difficult for her, like divination? We'll never know. From GoF, this trait of her seems to disappear.

Social skills -> We meet Hermione as someone with very poor social skills and who has a hard time making friends. I do not consider her becoming friends with Ron and Harry a sign of improvement because the event has very little to do with her social skills. I think in this aspect her friendship with Ginny, and to a minor degree, Neville and Luna, is far more significant. They are born in a more natural way even if still in forced circumstances, like all the time she spends at the Burrow. By the end of OotP, she even learns to not attack Luna on her beliefs. I do not consider the advices she gives Ginny (about Harry) and Harry (about Cho) improvement because I do not think she ever had a problem understanding situations as a third party, she doesn't know how to act when she's directly involved.

Family -> Hermione progressively distances herself from her parents spending constantly more time with the Weasleys to the point that one wonders where she would have spent Christmas of 1996 if she hadn't fought with Ron. It's not clear what are her motivations and feelings about it. In OotP we know that she cares about them knowing she became a prefect because at least they know what that means. The apex is her wiping away their memories of her but we know she eventually restores them. She's accepted by the Weasleys as family but through Ron, instead of that unconditional way in which Harry is a Weasley. If and how much she feels grateful for the Weasleys is not clear.

Ron -> I don't think her view of Ron changes much frankly, she was always more susceptible to his behavior. She seems to officially develop romantic feelings for him during CoS because, by the start of PoA, she obviously likes him. She always seemed pretty aware of her feelings but not open to making the first move. In HBP she invites Ron to the Christmas party which is surely an improvement but she remains very vague and in fact, we all know what happens. She does kiss Ron first but considering that they are three minutes away from a very likely death I don't think it can be considered character development. She also shows repeatedly that she's aware of Ron's insecurities but doesn't really act accordingly with the exception of her complimenting Ron about his idea of the fangs before the battle, could they have possibly talked about what happened with the locket? I suppose the real end of the arc, even if we jump from a first kiss to marriage, is her marrying Ron and having children with him.

House-elves -> The information we know about what she does after the books suggest that she eventually learns how to properly deal with the house-elves matter. While her feelings about the issue in the books are correct, her way of dealing with them is deeply wrong.

Ron Weasley

Ron is a character that consistently messes up and consistently improves himself afterward. From the start, we are made very aware of Ron's insecurities and his need to prove himself.

Insecurities regarding Harry -> From the first book we are made aware that Ron's aspiration is having glory, and success, in short: what Harry has. These feelings arrive at a peak in GoF when Harry becomes one of the champions, Ron eventually understands his error and apologies. Since then he really tries his best to suppress his insecurities about Harry and besides a comment about height in HBP, he needs a Horcrux to bring them up again. The destruction of the locket is symbolically Ron finally completely getting over this insecurity. It's made quite obvious by the story, especially when Harry says that he just knows it must be Ron who destroys the Horcrux.

Insecurities regarding his siblings -> He feels the weight of being the sixth son and the confrontation with Ginny who is the only girl, he constantly feels overshadowed and like he's not enough. The twins seem to be the main source of his insecurities, as suggested by Hermione. Like the ones about Harry, these too find a moment of resolution with the destruction of the Horcrux. The final push in the direction of understanding that he's not the least loved could probably be attributed to what Bill does for him during the period he is separated from his best friends during the seventh book. But we can already see significant growth by the end of OotP where he becomes very open to the idea of Ginny being included in his group of friends. By this point, he has won the Quidditch Cup and the twins are not around anymore. It's interesting to notice how he will end up working alongside George for life, unfortunately, though, the factor of Fred being dead can't be ignored.

Hermione -> Already in the first book, we see an arc with these two. Ron goes from being mean to Hermione to becoming her best friend. During the second year, he already manifests romantic feelings toward her. But as PoA makes it clear, he has absolutely no grasp on what he feels for her, for that we need to wait for the Yule Ball, and even there there's still a solid level of denial. By the fifth book though, Ron's attitude suggests that he has become aware of his feelings. In the sixth, I do not think that Ron doesn't know what Hermione feels for him. Hermione's attitude is far too explicit. I think he doesn't believe to be enough for her, as his reaction to Hermione kissing Krum suggests. If she was actually with the famous Victor Krum then the moment they get together she'll realize that he's not enough, right? This is reinforced by the whole Felix felicis mess. His relationship with Lavender seems to bring a new level of maturity to Ron as we see blatantly at the start of DH. Ron here also repairs his error of not inviting Hermione to the Yule Ball. Yet we know that he won't be completely rid of his insecurities until he comes back and destroys the Horcrux. After we'll also have the first moment in which Ron openly acknowledges his feelings for Hermione with Harry with a quote that I absolutely love: "All's fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both" (and then he married her and they had babies).

Career choice -> Ron stopping to be an Auror, a lifelong dream due to his need of proving himself, suggest an ability to finally overcome all those insecurities that he had, despite the fact that he will inevitably remain in part a person inclined to develop insecurities, he does a great job on himself.

Prejudices -> Ron is a character that grows up in the wizarding world and as a pureblood, despite the Weasleys being quite accepting and progressive we see him retain some prejudices, specifically against werewolves and half-giants. But because he's Ron, he soon overcomes his bias. While he never treated them badly, we also see him becoming sensible to the enslavement of the house-elves.

Luna -> Ron also becomes consistently more friendly with Luna. If in HBP he still calls her "Loony", in DH he shows a strong affection for the girl, highlighting Ron's great improvement in terms of maturity after the Lavender situation.

Ginny Weasley

Ginny is a pretty easy character to follow through the story, because of the role she covers in Harry's life her presence is usually well defined.

Confidence -> We are first introduced to Ginny in the form of a young girl with a strong personality, a need to not be left behind by her brothers, and a strong fascination for the famous legendary Harry Potter. Already from the scene where she runs after the train, we see the definition of her personality, both strong and sweet: she half laughs and half cries. Ginny's big expectations for Hogwarts are completely destroyed in this second book. We discover her as someone who has some strong insecurities regarding Harry and has a hard time fitting in. These insecurities that she could have probably easily gotten over considering her previous attitude are instead increased by Riddle's diary. This is a very different Ginny from the one we'll discover in OotP where she's outgoing, popular, and confident, the Ginny we'll keep seeing for the rest of the story. In between, we had PoA where she faded into the background, and GoF where she was already a lot more outgoing, her main insecurity remaining Harry, this is the year where she finally decides to get over him and starts dating Micheal. [for more about Ginny's insecurities check this post]. It's also interesting to note that during the progression of the books she becomes less and less open to being shoved aside because she is the girl or the youngest, her disagreement is consistently more and more strong. Becoming the mother of a youngest sibling who is a girl offers her the opportunity of ending that cycle.

Trauma -> At the tender age of eleven, Ginny goes through an enormous life-changing trauma that many readers during the years have described as "mind-rape". We see frequent glimpses of how this negatively affects her during the second book. By the end of CoS Ginny seems to be feeling pretty well as for the very start of PoA (the trip to Egypt probably helped). She has a regression that leads her to fade into the background due to the dementor incident, this and her being a lot more out-going in GoF suggests that her second year was the one dedicated to resolving the major part of her trauma. She goes back to being herself but with the inevitable changes of someone who lived through something so dark. She becomes quite guarded with her own feelings and has strong responses to people not respecting her boundaries.

Harry -> Ginny grew up hearing stories about the famous Harry Potter, and soon her fascination with this boy develops into full romantic feelings, probably a combination of Ron's stories and actually meeting Harry. It's important to notice how her feelings are never dismissed as a crush, she's said to have always been "quite taken" with Harry (GoF). And Harry is canonically the person who understands her perfectly so we have this on good authority. Ginny is overwhelmed by her feelings for him which make her uncharacteristically shy. Her insecurities when it comes to Harry contribute to her being subjected to Riddle. By the end of CoS, she seems more comfortable around her future husband. But PoA reminds us that she still has feelings for him and is still shy about it, even if she has a moment of boldness with the singing card. GoF is what changes everything, the combination of Harry's crush on Cho and Hermione's advice brings her to try to live a little and start looking at other fish in the sea, even if we know that deep down she never really gave up on Harry. During her fourth year, finally able to act like herself in front of him, she becomes quite an essential part of Harry's life. In the summer of '96, they officially become close friends, and during HBP we see glimpses of Ginny becoming increasingly worse at hiding her feelings for Harry while dating Dean. By the time of the break-up at Dumbledore's funeral, we know for sure that she's in love with him (that "I like you so much" is the worst disguised I love you in the history of time). DH reminds us that, in case someone had forgotten, Ginny has come a long way from the shy little girl, and clarifies with Harry that she's going to wait for him. And she did, ladies and gentlemen, she did.

Defender of the marginalized (Neville and Luna) -> In GoF she's embarrassed about going to the Ball with Neville, in OotP she defends him. At the start of OotP she calls Luna "Loony" (not with ill intention but it shows she has not taken the time to get to know her) by the end of the book they are friendly and in HBP she outright defends her from bullies. [for an insight into her relationship with Neville and Luna, read this post] This theme has a continuation with what she does at Hogwarts during the war.

Fleur -> In HBP she has an arc in her relationship with Fleur who she detests. At the end of the book, she begrudgingly accepts the girl in her family. [a clear nod to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" if you want my opinion]

Quidditch -> She goes from training herself for years in secret to entering the house team as a second option in a position she doesn't prefer, to becoming the life and soul of the team and finally, she becomes a professional player and then a sports journalist. The theme of "coming out of the shadow" is very dominant in her character.

Writing -> Through the series, Ginny manifests an interest in creative writing. An activity strongly linked with her biggest trauma but we see a complete reappropriation of this passion when she becomes a journalist. While maybe due to her fading into the background in PoA, it's still interesting to note that the year dedicated to her emotional recovery is also the only one where in the book there are no elements that associate her with creative writing.

Harry Potter

I'm writing the summary of the summary of the summary of the summary for Harry because I could write seven other books on him.

Family -> Harry lives with a constant need of having a family as we see in the first book very explicitly. At the start of the series we see Harry hating the Dursleys (mainly Vernon) but still having some sort of need to connect with them, they are technically his family, after all. It ends when Sirius arrives in the picture and Harry completely takes him in as a parental figure, relying on Sirius' official role as his godfather. How Harry reacts to the argument between Sirius and Molly in OotP shows how the Weasleys are like family to him, but Sirius is family. With Sirius' death, the role of Harry's family falls exclusively on Ginny as made explicit in DH [for a bit of an insight on this, read this post]. Harry concludes his story as a husband and a father, finally achieving his heart's greatest desire.

Ron and Hermione -> Harry is never particularly confrontational with them, not surprising considering how he grew up. He avoids calling out Ron and he takes Hermione's nagging internalizing his annoyance towards her and fundamentally ignoring her. In the fifth book, he has a lot of understandable pent-up rage and he takes it out on them. Probably because they stick with him through that, in HBP he feels a bit more comfortable at occasionally criticizing Ron and manifesting verbally his annoyance towards Hermione. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but still, there's a bit of a change. Through the books, Harry also becomes progressively more aware of Ron's insecurities but he finally really grasps how deep they are rooted only with the destruction of the locket.

Ginny -> Harry's journey with his feeling for Ginny is more of a finding out something that was always there instead of about acquiring it. Since the first book Harry has a certain pull toward Ginny. In PS, PoA, and GoF is quite subtle, in CoS is honestly kind of thrown in the reader's face, it's very obvious even if Harry has no idea about it. But it's only in OotP that Harry's subconscious is finally given a full justification for this attraction he has for Ginny because she finally shows herself to him completely. By the time Harry kisses Cho, it's becoming quite difficult for Harry too to keep ignoring how superficial his feelings for the Ravenclaw girl are, and not coincidentally right after, it starts to become impossible to ignore Ginny in the book. Harry is reminded of their connection with darkness, she establishes herself as Harry's source of optimism, and the growing feelings that Harry has for her are nearly revealed to him in the easter eggs scene. At the end of the book, Harry's protectiveness toward her comes back all the way from CoS. Through HBP Harry's feelings for Ginny become constantly more impossible to ignore until the big revelation. Harry has a denial phase, a very long pining phase and then he finally kisses her. Their relationship is blissful oblivion (;D) and it's made quite clear that it's far from a casual teenage romance. Then there's the break-up, which funnily enough shows how much Harry loves her, and in DH, he associates more than once Ginny with marriage and family. His fight with Ron in the tent forces Harry to think about how uncertain he left things with Ginny and of the possibility of her being in danger. Before the final battle, Harry is open to losing Ginny's trust if that means her being alive. As we all know she is his last thought before dying and so it's not surprising then that Harry's story ends with him married to Ginny with kids.

Touch -> Harry is clearly someone that is not exactly comfortable with physical affection, clearly due to his upbringing. The first person he hugs in the series is Ginny in HBP. Touch is a strong component of their relationship and Harry seems to become a little more open to touch with other people too thanks to Ginny. In DH he hugs Mrs. Weasley and Ron and he doesn't feel uncomfortable when Hermione takes his hand in front of his parents' grave (admittedly he had more pressing matters at that moment than feeling uncomfortable but still). If we look at Harry's last thoughts of Ginny before dying there's once again touch ("[...]and the feel of her lips on his—"). Emotional conversations though seem to remain something he's comfortable only with Ginny and I suspect that to remain true for a very long time.

Being the hero -> While for us it's always obvious that Harry is the hero of the story, we're reading books named after him, in the story it goes a tad differently. PS establishes Harry has a natural hero, fighting evil is part of who he is, a concept remarked by Dumbledore and Ginny (his mentor and his soulmate, not exactly two random people). When he arrives in the wizarding world, Harry has this old fame and there are hints of him not being an average wizard, but it's only in CoS that Harry starts seeing that there's something out of the ordinary about him. Harry grows progressively more aware of his own role in the story and also of his own nature, GoF besides being the book that changes everything in the tone of the story and officially creates the need for conclusion in the HarryVSVoldemort situation, is also the book in which Harry starts thinking about being an Auror. OotP is the book in which he knows that he's not normal, status accentuated by his PTSD and survivor guilt, but everybody keeps telling him that he has to act like he is. When he finally learns about the prophecy in a way there's a sense of calm that settles in him, at least it all finally makes sense. And in HBP he is finally let into the big scheme, he works with Dumbledore. The sixth book is the best written one of the series because it's the more structured. Harry Potter lives both as Harry and the Chosen One with a constant back and forth between these two realities. The Harry one is strongly linked to Ginny, in fact, the break-up is symbolic of the Chosen One burying Harry deep down. In DH the Chosen One keeps being dominant over Harry and all the moments in which he allows himself to think of Ginny are the moments in which despite the Chosen One best efforts he can't hide Harry underwater. The death (where non coincidentally Ginny is brought up again) is in some way the actual death of the Chosen One. His mission is completed, the one that comes back is a Harry who actively chooses the take upon himself the mantel of the hero. It's Harry Potter that kills Voldemort, not the Chosen One. That chapter of his life officially closes with Ron and Hermione who in a way are also saying goodbye to the Chosen One and to their roles as his helpers. Harry saying that he needs to talk to Ginny is an indicator of this new Harry who is finally whole, merging the different parts of him, he's grown into himself, let's not forget that this is a coming-of-age story before anything else. This new Harry is the one we fully see in the Epilogue, aware of his identity as a hero but also free to finally make his own choices.

Dumbledore -> Harry for the first four books is very trusting of Dumbledore, but as for a lot of other sub-plots, then everything changes. OotP is the book in which Harry starts seeing that maybe Dumbledore is human after all and in fact, during HBP he is open to the possibility of Dumbledore being wrong. Harry is devastated by Dumbledore's death who was both his mentor and a grandfather sort of figure. His last protection is taken away and he has to step into the real world. Through DH Harry discovers another side of Dumbledore and that, added to his frustration and depression, leads him to become quite frustrated with Dumbledore who, at the end of the book, it turns out, had one last card hidden from Harry. Then there's a final reconciliation in the metaphysical King's Cross where Dumbledore owns up to his mistakes and Harry, in typical Harry's fashion, forgives him.

James and Lily -> since the very beginning of the story Harry craves the idea of meeting his parents. He particularly looks up to James and hopes to be like him, he finds pride in the idea. This is true until Snape's worst memory where feels a bit like a fool for all the years he looked up to his father. He also has a first real approach to Lily and he likes how she behaved in that situation. At the end of OotP, we see Harry reconciliation with his father, accepting that after all, it's part of being a human being flawed, yet from then Harry looks more at his mother like we can easily see when he talks to his parents and Sirius and Remus before walking to his death.

Neville and Luna -> Harry sometimes is a teenager like everybody else and so he looks down on people like Neville and Luna who are kind of the losers of the situation. But thanks to the two of them going to the Ministry with him he learns better, after all, he values courage above everything else and he grows to really respect them. This is underlined by the contrast in his feelings about riding the train with them in OotP and HBP.

.

Note: Before someone starts with the "But you didn't talk about this and that!": it's a synthesis.

#now you guys understand why it takes me so much time to answer? #I've re-written this thing a million times #lavender brown #fleur delacour #percy weasley #nymphadora tonks #remus lupin #hermione granger #ron wealsey #ginny weasley #harry potter #remadora #romione #hinny #thegirlwhowrites642HPmeta

[artemisia-black]

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.

#kingsley shacklebolt #harry potter #hp analysis

[midnightrings]

Ship Analysis: Remus & Tonks (Part 1)

Some time back when I’ve been writing a oneshot for Remus and Tonks, I thought about doing a quick analysis of their relationship. I finally found the time to do so – even though I don’t have the books with me right now (so I hope I remember everything correctly lmao). I don’t think I’ve ever done this but because this fandom is so big and they barely have any scenes together, I feel like canon, fanon and fan theories get confused a lot, so I thought it would be interesting (for me, at least) to just kinda look at what’s actually in the text and to try and interpret those parts.

Even though they don’t actually have that much content, I still split up the posts in two different ones, because I never know when to add read-more but also don’t want to disrupt anyone’s timeline with a long ass post. So the first post will cover OotP and HBP, the second one the last book and my final thoughts :)

Also, I basically already stated this before but just for clarification: when I mean ‘canon’ I’m talking about what’s actually in the books. All those extra information published outside of the books are just that: extra information, but not canon (for me, at least).

Order of the Phoenix

Tonks makes her first appearance during this book, and while her and Remus appear in several scenes together they hardly ever interact with one another. One of the few times they do is in the beginning of the book, when Remus introduces Tonks by her full name and she says her most recognizable line “Don’t call me Nymphadora”. The second one is a conversation they are having at Grimmauld Place, before Harry’s trial. They also carry Harry’s luggage together and get the kids back to Hogwarts after Christmas. It’s clear they don’t dislike each other, but there is not much more to their relationship. It could range from being mere colleagues to friends to even (secret) lovers.

I think it’s safe to say that their relationship wasn’t planned and most likely a last-minute decision as there would probably be more hints to the nature of said relationship otherwise. Which isn’t a bad thing btw, just an observation.

Half Blood Prince

Now, we get actually introduced to their relationship. Interestingly, they don’t interact with one another until the very end (actually interact less than they did in OotP, probably). Remus is on a mission, so we only see him appear a few times, and while we see Tonks more often, her character is written more like a red herring (that honestly wasn’t resolved/written that well imo).

Nonetheless, there are many hints towards their relationship throughout the book. When we meet Tonks for the first time here (and realize she isn’t doing too well, to put it lightly), she declines an invitation made by Molly, which also mentions Remus would be present, showing she has no interest in seeing him, at least not publically. Shortly afterwards, as the trio and Ginny discuss Tonks and her current state, Hermione talks about her suffering from survivors’ guilt and that apparently Remus has tried talking her out of it. How Hermione knows that remains a mystery but he was clearly mentioned on purpose here. However, there is no context on what that purpose was or when it happened. Perhaps it was simply made to show the reader that they are clearly close (prior to revealing how close), considering their relationship was not very defined during OotP.

Later on, we learn that Tonks’ Patronus has changed, which Snape teases her about. This was definitely written re: Tonks as a red herring, but I find it quite interesting that Snape (out of all people) knows what’s going on between them, so it's clearly not a secret. Obviously, we later learn that basically everyone in the Order knows, but I find it hard to believe that neither Ginny nor Hermione or even Ron know about it. Yeah, Harry is not very observant – though he does show quite an interest in Tonks throughout this book (for plot reasons, mainly) – but none of the others knowing feels a bit unlikely to me, tbh.

Anyways, at Christmas, Tonks is mentioned two times to Remus. One is by Harry re: her Patronus change, which Remus is clearly uncomfortable about. The other one is Molly, telling Remus (angrily) that Tonks declined her invitation. Two things I find interesting here: First, Tonks declined an invitation by Molly that involved Remus for a second time, showing that she’s probably been trying to avoid him. Second, Remus doesn’t really react to Molly’s ‘accusation’ but is uneasy around Harry’s question. Now, this is probably overanalyzing this lmao but I find it an odd choice writing wise to not have him react. Perhaps, he simply tries to block out Molly’s attempt to guilt trip him here (and is probably annoyed by it too, as I doubt that was the first time), but when Harry is mentioning the Patronus, he is essentially confronted with something that shows the genuineness of Tonks’ feelings for him.

Later, we meet Tonks in extreme distress at Hogwarts after she heard about a werewolf attack. Interestingly, she tried to reach Dumbledore (who wasn’t there), hinting that perhaps he has provided her with information about Remus’ whereabouts prior. It also shows how much Remus’ absence and mission are affecting her emotionally.

Eventually, we reach the hospital wing scene and their first interaction in this book. The scene reveals that Tonks’ character change had been due to Remus, because she was in love with him, but he rejected her. However, he did not reject her because he did not replicate her feelings, but because he was ‘too old’ (they have an around 10 years age gap), ‘too poor’ (he’s been unemployed for the majority of his life) and ‘too dangerous’ (he’s a werewolf). Tonks states that she does not care about any of this, and again seems in clear distress. Remus can’t look her in the eyes but everyone else seems to be on Tonks’ side (well, Arthur and McGonagall, as well as Molly, though not in this scene iirc). At the end of the book, they are shown to be together, as they are holding hands at Dumbeldore’s funeral, and Tonks has regained her metamorphic abilities. Both of those things – holding hands and Tonks regaining their powers – are obviously used to show they are in a relationship now without directly telling it, though it also hints at Tonks losing her powers due to Remus’ rejection.

So, there’s a bit to unpack here. First, Tonks’ emotional (and mental) state. She seems to be suffering from depression throughout the book, which can be seen through her change in personality, numbness as well as irritability. Hermione states in the beginning that she has been badly affected by Sirius’ death as she feels like she could’ve prevented it if she had won the fight against Bellatrix. She has a breakdown when she is unable to reach Remus after fearing he might be in danger, so his mission (and it’s danger as well as his absence, possibly) is affecting her emotionally as well. And last, we see her regain her metamorphic powers when Remus und her start dating, meaning that his rejection most likely fueled into all that as well.

What is also noticeable is that Tonks was clearly trying to avoid him, declining invitations by Molly on two different occasions. Why was never stated, though considering how she reacted when they were together in the hospital wing scene, perhaps she wanted to avoid any drama and/or knew how that might impact her (and everyone involved, considering guilt is often also a major part of depression) negatively. We do not know whether Remus was avoiding her too. He is on his mission throughout majority of the book. In the beginning, Hermione stated that he had tried talking to Tonks, but we obviously don’t know the context of it. The way Hermione talked about it means it probably happened after Tonks was already showing signs of depression, probably already losing her powers, but in what context of their relationship he tried to talk to her, we simply don’t know, so it could’ve been prior to him rejecting her. Later, at Christmas, after Molly said Tonks declined her invitation, she asks Remus if he talked to her recently, which he replied with by saying he had barely any contact to anyone. I think it is to some extent safe to assume that they have been avoiding each other, though Tonks perhaps more than Remus, and that they most likely have not talked to one another for almost a year.

Perhaps this could present one explanation on why Remus changed his mind in regards to dating Tonks. If he had rejected her several times throughout the year. Essentially, we see them argue and then the next time they are together they are holding hands, with no explanation whatsoever. If, however, he had rejected her and then they had not talked for months, that could explain why – now that he saw her again, and after probably missing her a lot – he would change his mind and start a relationship with her. The fact the he could not look her in the eyes adds onto that, as he probably had trouble pushing her away, and was most likely heartbroken (and possibly feeling guilty) at seeing her like this. A counter-argument here is however that Tonks states in the hospital scene that she has 'told him a million times' that she does not care about his arguments against the relationship. So they definitely had that discussion quite a few times before, though we do not know when.

Mainly I believe the reason he reconsidered was due to the war and Dumbledore’s death. The entire theme and setting for the rest of the book is basically ‘the calm before the storm’: They all know they are at war now, a war that is just getting started, and they won’t know who will survive and what will become of their world. Taking McGonagall’s words and their storyline in the last book into consideration, Remus probably just ignored his own doubts and worries for a moment because he realized they did not matter either way anymore (basically just said ‘fuck it, let’s do this’).

-> Part 2

#harry potter #remadora #remus x tonks #remus lupin #nymphadora tonks #if you read all that and thought it was interesting -> #part 2 will probably be up in the next few day #i've only made some notes so far but i still have to write it all down #if you have anything to add (or there's something you disagree with) feel free to do so :) #also let me know if i got something wrong cuz like i said i don't have the books with me rn and i haven't read them in years haha #books #meta

[pebblysand]

I was going through you favorite character list, and I was pleasantly surprised to see you call Hermione as who you'd consider the bravest character in the series. Especially since Harry is your favorite and boy is courage defining of him! Would you mind elaborating some more why you think so? Or if this opinion has changed if ever? I'm really curious on your thoughts about Hermione and courage.

hi! wow, that's a very old post, i'm impressed! it's such an interesting question as well, so thanks for asking!

as this goes beyond my fics and is more about canon in general, i will state at the outset that i am not a meta person. i think there are so many different ways to view/understand a character depending on where you're standing (in your life and as a person) that i really don't think i hold any bigger truth on the potter series, or on hermione in particular. i also do not pretend to have anywhere near the amount of knowledge of canon required to write good meta and frankly, there are people who know A Lot More and do this much better than i ever would. i've been tempted in the past to write peaky blinders meta but i think this is because a) i know the show much better (i could probably quote it from memory) and b) it's a show, not a book. since school, to be honest, literary analysis has always bored me. so, in short: i'm a fic writer, not a meta-er - keep that in mind. i'll answer your question but just know this is my general vision and understanding of hermione's character - nothing more. just a jumble of random thoughts, lol.

i however think question is very interesting and while i don't think my opinion has changed since then, i do think i drafted the post you're referring to a bit quickly and didn't care for my words very much. i used "brave" as a general expression as we often do, without really giving much thought about the difference between courage, and bravery.

i think, per this definition, you're probably right: harry is the bravest person in the series. we see him many times stand up against oppressors, put himself in dangerous situations to save himself and others, etc. he does these things because it's right, because he feels it in his gut, because: it's who he is. but harry is someone who a) holds very little regard or fear for the consequences of his actions (i.e. he just acts in the moment and doesn't care if he's punished) and b) feels like he doesn't have a choice. a lot of harry's actions, as perceived by himself, would be explained by: 'well, i didn't have a choice.' when he stands up umbridge, he probably thinks 'well, i wasn't going to let her say that, was i?' or, when he fights with voldemort - 'well, it was me or him.' to him, there is very little choice in fighting. it's just who he is and what he has to do to survive. there is no alternative to consider.

i don't think it makes him any less noble. firstly, because, as dumbledore often points out, harry makes a lot of other choices, which are very noble. they're not necessarily brave in the way that they don't put him in danger, but he is kind. he is thoughtful. he loves people and other humans despite everything that has been done to him. he disapproves of his father's actions in ootp. he enjoys the company of people who are underdogs, like luna or neville. he could have had a very different life, made very different friends, been much more of an arsehole. those are very important, beautiful qualities in a human being. it's not necessarily brave, but it doesn't have to be. secondly, i also think that while to him, there is no choice in the brave acts he takes part in, objectively, that's a much more debatable point. because, of course, looking at it from the outside, he could have let everyone else die. he could have run away. but, he didn't. and harry himself probably thinks he couldn't have done it any other way, but of course, that's a very biassed point of view. and, tbh, that's something i definitely explore in my writing, and something i'm very interesting in. how much of a choice did harry really have in the risks he took? how much of a choice do you have when you have a gun to your head? honestly, i don't know. i don't have answers. but that's an absolutely fascinating concept to explore and play with as a writer.

however, still per the above, i believe hermione is the most courageous person in the series. because hermione not only has a choice, but she knows she has a choice, which in my opinion sets her apart from harry. they are both willing to sacrifice everything (including their lives) for the cause, but have very different reasonings. hermione is intellectual. she draws lists in her head of pros and cons. she is incredibly clever and analytical and she wasn't born into this. she didn't have to make the choices she made, there was never a gun to her head to begin with. she made all of her decisions consciously and thoughtfully because they are right. hermione looked at the options she had, and decided. she could have very easily gone with her parents to australia, she could have gone to muggle university, lived a normal life, but she didn't. and i don't think for a second that it was because magic intellectually interested her. she is interested in a million different things that would have brought her the same amount of satisfaction. she did it because she wouldn't have been able to live with herself and with the choices she made otherwise. she chose to fight despite her fears. she chose to stay with harry despite her broken heart. because those were the Right Things. there is a line in castles where harry says: "There are tears in her eyes and he’s suddenly struck with memories of last year, when he realised that she could cry herself to sleep every night and still get up every morning and carry on." and, i think that's what's so, so interesting with hermione. she is the ultimate figure of choice in the series, in my opinion. and, i'm also fascinated with that. because: why? why do you make that choice?

anyway, this is all i'll say for now as random ramblings, but i do want to state for the record that i will be writing fic about this. there is a ROAR fic brewing about hermione, and choice, and friendship. i'm hoping to finish it and publish it early next year :).

#asked and answered #hermione granger