Author: Rockygirl
(Originally Posted May 24, 2004)
There's a speculation that has run rampant in fandom for some time, and that is that Ginny Weasley is still haunted by the voice of Tom Riddle, and that he's never left her thoughts.
I find the possibility intriguing, as well as Riddled (pardon the pun) with opportunity. The potential to add alot of depth to her character is immense, as is the potential to actually make her "turn from the light", so to speak. Many have used this possibility to write angst laden fanfics of a Ginny who hides her "true nature", a girl/woman who has a secret alliance with those who would destroy Harry Potter and his allies. Some have even said that Harry's inattention exacerbated this fall from grace. Yet others have used it as a basis to add complexity, and give our youngest Weasley an understanding of evil and pain beyond her years. This in turn forms the basis of romantic attachments. One to Draco Malfoy, who would look upon her inner turmoil as something attractive and easily dominated, or perhaps he would see someone who would understand his own darkness. The other is to Harry Potter who, in seeing her spirit rise above the darkness that others might have succumbed to, finally learns to appreciate the strength and beauty of a girl he has heretofore dismissed. Someone who would, again, understand the darkness that permeates a soul tormented with guilt.
I will admit my own selfish reasons for liking this idea are because of the potential attachment to our favorite Ferret. But what are the chances that Riddle still resides in the subconcious of the youngest Weasley? With the destruction of the diary it was assumed that all traces of his younger self were destroyed. But is it that simple? We know Ginny had a terrible reaction to the presence of Dementors aboard the Hogwarts Express, and I think it can be reasonably assumed that this was due to the ordeal she suffered in her second year. But was this reaction due to the ghostly memories, or did the whispers of a dreaded enemy momentarily grow stronger?
With the advent of Order of the Phoenix I think we can safely say that she doesn't outwardly appear to be suffering any ill affects, but the theory that this increases her understanding of Harry has turned out to be true. In fact, she was repeatedly one of the few characters who could snap him out of his rages and back to reality. Her calm manner as she questioned Harry about whether or not he'd been possessed spoke volumes on how much she's matured and learned, but her cool reply of "Lucky you" when Harry mentioned he'd forgotten her own ordeal suggests she still suffers on some level. Understandable considering what she went through, but vague enough to leave us wondering just how much it still affects her.
I myself hope it's small, as Ginny has always been one of my favorite characters. But what do you think is possible, or likely?
Author: Rockygirl
(Originally Posted May 24, 2004)
In OotP, the Sorting Hat warned that the houses must unite or face doom and gloom. Since OotP has made it eminently clear that Draco won't be heading over to the good side any time soon, to which Slytherin (or group of Sytherins) will this task fall?
Why nott not Theodore Nott? He's not one of Malfoy's goonies. He's never been on Harry's radar, which means he doesn't go out of his way to make life difficult for Harry or the Gryffindors in general. He's seen as being at least as powerful as Malfoy. And, according to JKR, he's quite clever - more so than Draco. How much more is open to debate, but I actually doubt JKR would have mentioned it if it weren't an important detail.
Up to now, I myself have become a little disillusioned about the Slytherins, about how one dimensional they've remained from the first book to now. I think I'd be the first person to urge caution when it comes to hoping for a Death Eater's son to be different. Still, the fact that Nott's reaction to Harry wasn't shown in OotP is rather interesting.
If anything more was needed to complete Harry's happiness, it was the reaction he got from Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. He saw them with their heads together later that afternoon in the library; they were with a weedy-looking boy Hermione whispered was called Theodore Nott. They looked round at Harry as he browsed the shelves for the book he needed on Partial Vanishment: Goyle cracked his knuckles threateningly and Malfoy whispered something undoubtedly malevolent to Crabbe.'
Order of the Phoenix - Chap. 26, page 583 U.S. Edition
This could mean that Harry simply wasn't paying attention to Nott - only to his known enemies. But part of me wants to think that JKR had her own reasons for subtly concealing Nott's thoughts.
Still, I have to ask myself if I'm being fair. Nott senior is a Death Eater, and this means that Theodore will have been raised with all of the ideas that his father has. The fact that he's confident enough not to need the approval of his peers speaks of a strong minded individual, however. All the makings of a Slytherin counter - leader if you ask me. Of course, it could be Blaise or some other Slytherin we haven't met yet, if JKR is going in the direction I hope. But this is far from proof that Nott doesn't believe as his father does. But Slytherin House isn't a strong force at Hogwarts, and the Sorting Hat itself has warned that the school must unite or fall. I know the rest of the houses wouldn't be sorry to see Slytherin go, but I believe that Slytherin House is just as vital as Gryffindor. And the other houses didn't always hate Slytherin. Does Nott see or realize this? He just might.
This may, of course, be pure wishful thinking on my part, but I've longed to have more insight into the house of green and silver, and I can't help but hope that T. Nott will provide this in future installments.
Author: Rockygirl
(Originally Posted February 22, 2003)
I have been pondering what to contribute as an offering to the Harry Potter blog, and have decided to start safe, with a familiar character. The following is an attempt to discover why Draco Malfoy's character has enjoyed such popularity.
Of all the characters in the HP universe, Draco Malfoy has enjoyed the most popularity. Whether this is due to his attitude of "I'm so bad, I'm good", or because his character is being portrayed by a hot piece of work named Tom Felton, is open to question. But it can't be denied that, in all of fandom out there, no one character has enjoyed more fan clubs, fanfics, poetry, or fan art than the Blond Ferret.
So what's behind the fascination? What could make millions of fans lose their heads over an openly prejudiced, bitter, snide, mean hearted, unfeeling, selfish, self absorbed, and arrogant little rat like Draco? What could make any nice, self respecting person dive in and revel in his badness, or pray for his eventual redemption? Time and again it's proven that his greatest love is his reflection, followed by anything that could ruin someone else's day. His tendency to whine is well documented, as is his habit of hiding behind his friends when he bullies his enemies. Still, it's been observed that, while his canon character is quite loathsome, it does possess a certain style.
Most fanfictions have sought to put the Pale Prince in a more sympathetic light, and have openly pulled him from the edge of falling in with the Dark Lord. A much smaller number have him resigned to his fate, but with his character redeemed by virtue of unwillingness. Still others fluff him out disgustingly, adding about fifty pounds of sugar to his personality. This group is actually rather large, and can be pointed to as the main culprits in Draco's rise to fandom popularity.
Some will site Draco's snide sense of humor as their favorite trait. Others will say bad boys are cool. I say his attitude is magnetic in a very bad way. The guy who's all wrong, so of course you must have him. He drawls as he speaks, he leans against walls, he smirks. Anyone remember Billy Idol? The "I'm too cool for you, and aren't you privileged to know me?" attitude is both infuriating and, in some strange way, compelling. Like a jigsaw puzzle, and about as difficult to fathom. For some the compulsion is difficult to resist, and the mystery only adds to the appeal.
He's obviously intelligent, with a sharp wit. He cuts with it regularly, as any fan of the Harry Potter series knows. One of my personal favorites is;
"If brains were money, Longbottom, you'd be poorer than the Weasleys. And that's saying something."
And yet perhaps because of remarks such as the above, we also love it when he gets his own back. I will openly admit my affection for the Sneering Sycophant, but I had to chuckle with glee when a) Hermione slapped him and b) He was turned into a ferret by Professor Moody and bounced all over the corridor. Such punishments are undeniably well deserved, as Draco's propensity for causing misery seems to increase with each new book.
In the end, I can offer no definitive answer as to why Draco has enjoyed such a huge rush of popularity. Perhaps it is as simple as the fact that a handsome young man was cast in the role of Draco's character. But for many, including myself, there is a bit more to it. There's something about a confident, powerful bad boy that makes one idealize him. Usually it's only personal experience with them that shakes you back to reality.
(You can read Rockygirl's new essay on Draco - "The Ferret's Flipped! A Closer Look at a Confused Bad Boy" - Here. Warning, there are HP6 Spoilers .)