Very much DISagree about Drarry- but boy oh boy
I Goooootta disagree about Harry and Ginny REAL HARD, yâall.
I highly disagree on Hinny being âforced fake and rushedâ- no no no, friends.
Still, hey, speaking of Draco- even HE calls Gin Harryâs girlfriend in book 2.Â
âLeave him alone, he didnât want all that!â said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy.
âPotter, youâve got yourself a girlfriend!â drawled Malfoy.
;) I kid, I kid! But, hey-Â Howâs that for romantic foreshadowing? :)
Seriously, though. Hinny was lead up to for 5 books, son! :) In no way is that rushed.
Harry and Ginnâs love story is basically one of bad timing, where themes, foreshadowing, language and characterization have been used to slowly establish Ginny as special in Harryâs life, and forge the foundation on which their relationship is built in book 6.
Book 1 - first girl he meets
sheâs the first weasley kid/first nice kid he even hears speak actually, thereâs this brief description of him watching her I find very poetic:
The train began to move. Harry saw the boysâ mother waving  and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed; then she fell back and waved. Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner.
Book 2- giant book of foreshadowing
So, this book ties Ginny and Harry thematically, establishes certain patterns with them, ties Gin to the main themes of the books very inextricably, ties her to Harry in a way no other character is tied, and also establishes her as a future love interest for Harry.
In NO way am I saying Harry had romantic notions about her at this point in the series (heck no! Heâs just 12!)- but rather from a writing perspective, things were put in place to establish future H/G goodness.
From the get go, she is described, again, in somewhat cute/âpoeticâ language
At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, red-headed figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.
Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.
Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun.
âOh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?â Harry asked Ginny. She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Fortunately no one saw this except Harryâ
So sheâs this adorable little winsome gal who Harry (established as pretty effing rude about most girls/women he describe), is giving language Iâd love to have written about me even now, as a full-grown married woman.
So, of course we start off book 2 with Ginny being a shy little sister, who has a a crush on her brother best friend/is enamored with the boy hero. Even though she could have been written as burdensome or annoying to Harry- he never once feels that way about her (even when tackled by that cupid dwarf with her singing valentine.)
To the contrary, heâs always quite sweet with her, giving her his books, notices when sheâs out of sorts, pulls out his wand to expeliarmus Draco when heâs taunting Ginny by holding her diary (which mirrors Ronâs going after Draco when Draco was calling Hermione mudblood), Â and then he freaking saves her.
The language when he saves her, again, has emotional resonance than he had for almost anyone else in the series for the first few books NOT ROMANTIC- just establishes a theme of how Harry considers her and has a softspot for her (seriously, read this, then go back and read his underwhelming reaction to Ron possibly being severely injured in PS/SS with the chess match⌠like⌠for reals):
He couldnât not go, not now they had found the entrance to the Chamber, not if there was even the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Ginny might be alive.
And between the feet [of the statueâs robes], facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.
âGinny!â Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. âGinny â donât be dead â please donât be dead ââ He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginnyâs shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasnât Petrified. But then she must be â
âGinny, please wake up,â Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginnyâs head lolled hopelessly from side to side.â
Also, in this book, though itâs quick little bits here and there, they establish also how Harry and Gin instinctively âgetâ one another, despite their lack of interaction- like when she defends Harry to Draco with âhe didnât want all thatâ- or when he keep Ron from prying after he saves Gin
âIâll explain when we get out of here,â said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever.
âLater,â Harry said shortly. He didnât think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet whoâd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny,
This is how they work later in the series- they just get each otherâs motivations/needs- hints of it established - as hey, some people just get one another- even when they are platonic childhood friends.
So on top of all the above, sheâs connected to him in that she knows horcruxes and Tom Riddle basically better than anyone, really. (I was sort of bummed they didnât use this more later, though DAMN is she doesnât sass Harry out of yelling in book 5 over it :D). She introduces one of the most important things in the series- needing to know Voldemort, Voldemortâs soul imprints, and how to defeat horcuxes.
Only four characters have ever had the mental influence of a horcrux, that we know of- Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Of them all, only Harry and Ginny ever really got perspective on Riddle/Voldemort- vs Ron and Herm were influenced, not sharing back and forth. This makes Ginny stand out thematically from any other character in the series- that she shares this connection with Harry.
Harry saves her in probably the most traditionally romantic/fantasy driven/fairy tale way- literally the hero saves a damsel in distress from a giant reptile with a sword- but Rowling subverts this by having them literally have no romance build from there for another 4 books- because they are kids.
So yeah- sheâs established early on, writing-wise, as a future flame for him, and tied them very closely.
Book 3 - briefest of shared moments
Ginny is barely present in this book, but despite her crush making her rather mute in front of him- they have a share moment of humor (which seems to be a big connection for the two of them- the two always catching each otherâs eye and smirking at eachother later in the series.)
âAh, thereâs Penelope!â said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again. Ginny caught Harryâs eye, and they both turned away to hide their laughter as Percy strode over to a girl with long, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldnât miss his shiny badge.
Both are deeply affected by dementors (along with Nev, though his is just mentioned as being pale along with Gin) on the train.
Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt, gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around her. âBut didnât any of you â fall off your seats?â said Harry awkwardly. âNo,â said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. âGinny was shaking like mad, though⌠.â
And she gives him another card when heâs in the hospital (which he keeps, even though he hard to literally keep it under a fruit bowl so it wonât sing anymore- heâs dispationately thrown out Hagridâs rock cakes and Ron and Hermioneâs gifts he actually enjoyed before- so here he is, still having a tender (but platonic) spot for Ginny.)
Book 4- character establishment and missed opportunities
So, again, Ginny isnât around much in this book. She still blushes around him a little, but is able to smile and talk with him much more easily, especially about the twinsâ joke shop endeavors, and definitely has a lot more of her sass come out (fleetingly saw a couple of times of it in book 3).
Sheâs still not included in any of the trioâs antics (not even being told about Siriusâs innocence)- and they mainly establish that she has a great sense of humor like her brothers, laughing a lot at things Harry and Ron do (while Hermione canât bring herself to laugh, b/c itâs hermione), and being compassionate as per usual to people and animals alike (as in book 3).
Anyways, the main thing that stands out in this book- is the missed opportunity for all the main characters to go out with their future romantic partner/s.
Ron and Hermione donât go to the ball.
Harry and Ginny donât go to the ball.
Harry and Cho donât go to the ball.
Itâs a big missed moment for them all, really. :P
So yeah- we all are very aware of all that yule ball, who is going out with who drama-
Anyways, another moment I like is Weasleys are always his escape - and sheâs a part of that. :
Fred, George, and Ginny came to sit next to [Ron and Harry] too, and Harry was having such a good time he felt almost as though he were back at the Burrow; he had forgotten to worry about that eveningâs task, and not until Hermione turned up, halfway through lunch, did he remember that she had had a brainwave about Rita Skeeter.
Book 5 - Establishing the foundation through interactions, themes and language.
So, this is where we get to see full-out Ginny. No longer is it just hints at her sass, pieces of her compassion, tiny shared moments between her and Harry- oooh no. This book is where we finally have Ginnyâs full glory out and about, and itâs awesome. She is ballsy, she is cool, and lord help me, I love her so much. JKR establishes a very very firm foundation for a romantic relationship between them to blossom in this book.
From the get go, Ginny is on point.
So a quick exploration of how awesome Ginny is:
The door opened and a long mane of red hair appeared. âOh hello, Harry!â said Ronâs younger sister, Ginny, brightly. âI thought I heard your voice.â
This is after he was screaming, and had just been teased by the twins for it. Again that poetic language is used for her, and sheâs now part of his gang- and intimate along with Ron and Hermione (or as close as anyone can get) with his plans and life.
Like, I could go on forever about how cool Gin in this book, but Iâve literally written pages at this point. Suffice it to say- she kicks arse - like, sheâs hangin with the twin and being cool in Grimmauld place, sheâs kicking butt at quidditch, sheâs flying into Smith when heâs an arse, sheâs known for her bat bogey hex.
âYeah, size is no guarantee of power,â said George. âLook at Ginny.â âWhat dâyou mean?â said Harry. âYouâve never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?â
And sheâs compassionate too, as sheâs kind to Luna and Neville a whole bunch in this book
âIâm nobody,â said Neville hurriedly. âNo youâre not,â said Ginny sharply. âNeville Longbottom â Luna Lovegood.â
She and Harry share grins and laughs throughout the book
Well, hello there!â [Lockhart] said. âI expect youâd like my autograph, would you?â âHasnât changed much, has he?â Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.
So yeah, Ginny is amazing, so itâs not really a surprise that the next book, when Harry is no longer crushing on Cho, he takes notice.
The main points of connection between Harry and Gin are a few times in this book he relies on her to help him emotionally, or she just steps up to do it- at times she does it better than any other pier of his, including Ron and Hermione.
First moment where she really helps Harry out is on the Hogwarts Express:
The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood. âShall we go and find a compartment, then?â Harry asked Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.
âWeâre â well â Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage,â Hermione said awkwardly. Ron wasnât looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
âOh,â said Harry. âRight. Fine.â
âI donât think weâll have to stay there all journey,â said Hermione quickly. âOur letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time.â
âFine,â said Harry again. âWell, I-I might see you later, then.â
âYeah, definitely,â said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. âItâs a pain having to go down there, Iâd rather â but we have to â I mean, Iâm not enjoying it, Iâm not Percy,â he finished defiantly.
âI know youâre not,â said Harry and he grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks, and a caged Pigwidgeon off toward the engine end of the train, Harry felt an odd sense of loss. He had never traveled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron.
âCome on,â Ginny told him, âif we get a move on weâll be able to save them places.â
So back to school they go, and poor Harry is all alone and a bit lost as to what to do with himself when Ron and Hermione leave him for prefect stuff. Ginny immediately takes charge and is super sweet, finding him a compartment, hanging with him and Neville and Luna. Iâd like to point out, she didnât HAVE to help him out at all. She has her own friends in her year (who hail her over the second theyâre in the great hall) and a boyfriend- sheâs just being awesome.
She then comforts him about Cho for a sec (as she gets the whole trying to look cool
Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. He would have liked Cho to discover him sitting with a group of very cool people laughing their heads off at a joke he had just told; he would not have chosen to be sitting with Neville and Loony Lovegood, clutching a toad and dripping in Stinksap.
âNever mind,â said Ginny bracingly. âLook, we can get rid of all this easily.â She pulled out her wand. âScourgify!â The Stinksap vanished.
Ginny, unlike the other young ladies in Harryâs life, has the ability to bring calm to the storm at times with pointed humor. Like the first DA meeting, when Luna and Hermione break into a fight that derails the whole thing:
âYes, heâs got an army of heliopaths,â said Luna solemnly.
âNo, he hasnât,â snapped Hermione.
âYes, he has,â said Luna.
âWhat are heliopaths?â asked Neville, looking blank.
âTheyâre spirits of fire,â said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. âGreat tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of ââ
âThey donât exist, Neville,â said Hermione tartly. âOh yes they do!â said Luna angrily.
âIâm sorry, but whereâs the proof of that?â snapped Hermione.
âThere are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because youâre so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you ââ
âHem, hem,â said Ginny in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm and then laughed. âWerenât we trying to decide how often weâre going to meet and get Defense lessons?â
Ginny is able to calm him where no one else can when heâs afraid after heâs had the dream with Mr Weasley- not only de-escalating him, but also cheering him up, while standing up to him full on and able to snap him out of it and make him listen:
[Hermione] sat down next to Ginny, and the two girls and Ron looked up at Harry. âHowâre you feeling?â asked Hermione.
âFine,â said Harry stiffly. âOh, donât lie, Harry,â she said impatiently.
âRon and Ginny say youâve been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungoâs.â
âThey do, do they?â said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed. âWell, you have!â she said. âAnd you wonât look at any of us!â
âItâs you lot who wonât look at me!â said Harry angrily.
âMaybe youâre taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other,â suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching. âVery funny,â snapped Harry, turning away.
âOh, stop feeling all misunderstood,â said Hermione sharply. âLook, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears ââ
âYeah?â growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. âAll been talking about me, have you? Well, Iâm getting used to it⌠.â
âWe wanted to talk to you, Harry,â said Ginny, âbut as youâve been hiding ever since we got back ââ
âI didnât want anyone to talk to me,â said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.
âWell, that was a bit stupid of you,â said Ginny angrily, âseeing as you donât know anyone but me whoâs been possessed by You-KnowWho, and I can tell you how it feels.â Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he turned on the spot to face her.
âLucky you,â said Ginny coolly.
âIâm sorry,â Harry said, and he meant it.
âSo ⌠so do you think Iâm being possessed, then?â
âWell, can you remember everything youâve been doing?â Ginny asked. âAre there big blank periods where you donât know what youâve been up to?â Harry racked his brains. âNo,â he said.
âThen You-Know-Who hasnât ever possessed you,â said Ginny simply. âWhen he did it to me, I couldnât remember what Iâd been doing for hours at a time. Iâd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there.â
Harry hardly dared believe her, yet his heart was lightening almost in spite of himself.
[Herm and Harry give input on how he was in bed the whole time and no one apparated into hogwarts]. Iâm not the weapon after all, thought Harry. His heart swelled with happiness and relief, and he felt like joining in as they heard Sirius tramping past their door toward Buckbeakâs room, singing âGod Rest Ye Merry, Hippogriffsâ at the top of his voice.
So yeah- Ginny was able to bring him peace of mind in a way LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE COULD.
She goes on to bolster him about his quidditch ban (and is the only person to really do so, it seems) and then again shows her ability to âgetâ him:
âGood catch,â Harry told Ginny back in the common room, where the atmosphere closely resembled that of a particularly dismal funeral.
âI was lucky,â she shrugged. âIt wasnât a very fast Snitch and Summerbyâs got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once youâre back on the team ââ
âGinny, Iâve got a lifelong ban.â
âYouâre banned as long as Umbridge is in the school,â Ginny corrected him. âThereâs a difference. Anyway, once youâre back, I think Iâll try out for Chaser. Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway.â
Harry looked over at Ron, who was hunched in a corner, staring at his knees, a bottle of butterbeer clutched in his hand. âAngelina still wonât let him resign,â Ginny said, as though reading Harryâs mind.
Then she inspires hope in him, yet again:
âItâs Easter eggs from Mum,â said Ginny. âThereâs one for you⌠. There you go⌠.â She handed him a handsome chocolate egg decorated with small, iced Snitches and, according to the packaging, containing a bag of Fizzing Whizbees. Harry looked at it for a moment, then, to his horror, felt a hard lump rise in his throat.
âAre you okay, Harry?â asked Ginny quietly.
âYeah, Iâm fine,â said Harry gruffly. The lump in his throat was painful. He did not understand why an Easter egg should have made him feel like this.
âYou seem really down lately,â Ginny persisted. âYou know, Iâm sure if you just talked to Cho âŚâ
âItâs not Cho I want to talk to,â said Harry brusquely.
âWho is it, then?â asked Ginny.
âI âŚâ He glanced around to make quite sure that nobody was listening; Madam Pince was several shelves away, stamping out a pile of books for a frantic-looking Hannah Abbott. âI wish I could talk to Sirius,â he muttered. âBut I know I canât.â More to give himself something to do than because he really wanted any, Harry unwrapped his Easter egg, broke off a large bit, and put it into his mouth.
âWell,â said Ginny slowly, helping herself to a bit of egg too, âif you really want to talk to Sirius, I expect we could think of a way to do it⌠.â
âCome on,â said Harry hopelessly. âWith Umbridge policing the fires and reading all our mail?â
âThe thing about growing up with Fred and George,â said Ginny thoughtfully, âis that you sort of start thinking anythingâs possible if youâve got enough nerve.â Harry looked at her.
Perhaps it was the effect of the chocolate â Lupin had always advised eating some after encounters with dementors â or simply because he had finally spoken aloud the wish that had been burning inside him for a week, but he felt a bit more hopeful⌠.
So on top of ALL THAT- there are literary themes tying Ginny and Cho together. His current flame is somehow always getting cocurrently talked about or written about with Ginny flitting around in there. Ginny and Choâs lives mirror each other, or they are inexplicably linked in scenes. We see scenes where they intersect, Ginny and Cho are in competetition (note, Ginny always wins), and their love lives seem to twist into one anotherâs. Coincidence?! I think not! :D
âGinny used to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesnât like you, of course,â she added kindly to Harry while she examined a long black-and-gold quill. Harry, whose head was still full of Choâs parting wave, did not find this subject quite as interesting as Ron, who was positively quivering with indignation, but it did bring something home to him that until now he had not really registered.
âSo thatâs why she talks now?â he asked Hermione. âShe never used to talk in front of me.â
âExactly,â said Hermione. [hermione shops]
Ron still breathing down her neck. âRon,â she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, âthis is exactly why Ginny hasnât told you sheâs seeing Michael, she knew youâd take it badly. So donât harp on about it, for heavenâs sake.â
âWhat dâyou mean, whoâs taking anything badly? Iâm not going to harp on about anything âŚâ
Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was muttering imprecations about Michael Corner, âAnd talking about Michael and Ginny ⌠what about Cho and you?â
Somewhat to Harryâs disappointment, it was Ginny who managed to find Cho Chang and her friend first
âThe Defense Association?â said Cho. âThe D.A. for short, so nobody knows what weâre talking about?â
âYeah, the D.A.âs good,â said Ginny. âOnly letâs make it stand for Dumbledoreâs Army because thatâs the Ministryâs worst fear, isnât it?â There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.
âAll in favor of the D.A.?â said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. âThatâs a majority â motion passed!â
Harry glimpsed Ron and Ginny skimming over the stands and felt a horrible pang that he was not up there with them⌠. âYou really miss it, donât you?â said Cho.
âYeah,â said Ron slowly, savoring the words, âwe won. Did you see the look on Changâs face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?â
âI suppose she cried, did she?â said Harry bitterly.
âWell, yeah â more out of temper than anything, though âŚâ
Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Choâs eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ronâs knight.
âWhatâs â er â going on with you and her anyway?â Ron asked quietly.
âNothing,â said Harry truthfully.
âI â er â heard sheâs going out with someone else now,â said Hermione tentatively. Harry was surprised to find that this information did not hurt at all. Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him. [paragraph about Siriusâs death]
âYouâre well out of it, mate,â said Ron forcefully. âI mean, sheâs quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful.â
âSheâs probably cheerful enough with someone else,â said Harry, shrugging.
âWhoâs she with now anyway?â Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.
âMichael Corner,â she said. âMichael â but ââ said Ron, craning around in his seat to stare at her. âBut you were going out with him!â
âNot anymore,â said Ginny resolutely. âHe didnât like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead.â [âŚ]
âWell, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot,â [Ron] said, prodding his queen forward toward Harryâs quivering castle. âGood for you. Just choose someone â better â next time.â He cast Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it.
âWell, Iâve chosen Dean Thomas, would you say heâs better?â asked Ginny vaguely. âWHAT?â shouted Ron,
SO THERE YA GO- ALL THAT BUILD UP- :) was it fast and out of nowhere? no way! Reread and see it right there in the books, mates!Â
Like, you can not like their ship- but there is no denying the buildup.
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