Harry and Ginny

[Freak of nature]

I haven't read the whole thread, well because it is pretty long by now. ;D
My humble opinion is that Rowling should have left Harry Ginny relationship to fanfiction writers even if it had been in the making ever since book 2.

Reason 1. In my opinion Harry and Ginny are excellent characters, but together they are boring. I would have loved something totally outrageous, like Luna, for Harry Potter. I think Luna's eccentric ways would have evened their relationship... you know how different personalities attract each other and that stuff... a girl can dream eh...

reason 2... fanfic writers do it better. In the books I was a little dissappointed that they ended up together, it was rather anticlimatic.

[ginny88]

Originally Posted by Padfoot_Prongs

If JKR had put them together earlier, I think it would have made for quite a poor romantic story. Harry and Ginny would end up together, the end. We wouldn't have had the suspense we had--not really knowing if they would end together or not.

After Harry's break up with Cho, many thought his next love interest is Luna or Hermione. And then - surprise, surprise - it's Ginny who caught his attention. If people just picked up the Ron - Hermione bickerings as "attractions", then people wouldn't get confused. Since COS, it's obvious to me it's Ron-Hermione (the eat slug scene when he defended Hermione on Malfoy's taunts that she's a mudblood). But Harry, well he's clueless so yeah, you wonder who'll be his LI after Cho.

I think JKR wrote the story much more realistically. Harry was so young at first, too naive to see what was right in front of him along. As he matured throughout the books, he began to notice Ginny for what she was--that is, more than just Ron's younger sister. Just like any teenager, it took Harry a while to sort out all of his feelings and understand the situation as a whole.

It started as a children's book, then these children are growing up with the books, so they somehow understands Harry's dilema, that when they reached a certain age, awareness of the opposite sex kicks in. In the case of Harry, it was Cho, but he learned the hard way that good looks is not enough - he wants a girl with a happy disposition , temperimental yes, but he's also like that.

I know many people feel upset about the fact that JKR left out a lot of the scenes between Harry and Ginny (such as after their first kiss). But, I'm also really glad JKR did it that way. Many on this thread have complained about JKR's lack of ability to write romance, and although I don't completely see it, I'm afraid of what would have happened to the books if she had included those scenes. If she truly can't write romance, then I wouldn't have wanted the more "kissy" scenes in the books.

I beg to disagree with those who think that Jo can't write a good romance. I felt, because HP started as a children's book, and her audience grew up with it, in writing the romance aspect of the book - she intentionally made it light weight, because her characters are teens. So we had her chest monster thing But as an adult, reading between the line, we know what that means

Basically, I'm happy with the way JKR wrote the Harry/Ginny relationship.

Good for you canon love

[Padfoot_Prongs]

Originally Posted by Freak of nature

I haven't read the whole thread, well because it is pretty long by now. ;D
My humble opinion is that Rowling should have left Harry Ginny relationship to fanfiction writers even if it had been in the making ever since book 2.

Reason 1. In my opinion Harry and Ginny are excellent characters, but together they are boring. I would have loved something totally outrageous, like Luna, for Harry Potter. I think Luna's eccentric ways would have evened their relationship... you know how different personalities attract each other and that stuff... a girl can dream eh...

reason 2... fanfic writers do it better. In the books I was a little dissappointed that they ended up together, it was rather anticlimatic.

If you're saying that JKR should not have written the H/G romance because you think fanfiction is better, then I disagree with you 100%. Not everyone reads fan fiction. Not every one likes fan fiction. So what about all the Harry/Ginny fans who prefer the way JKR wrote the books?

"Leaving it to fan fiction writers", in my opinion, is an incredibly upsetting thing. Why would you want to leave something so precious, something so good, to people that have NOT written the Harry Potter books?

I read and write fan fiction, so that is not what upsets me with what you are saying. I just don't understand how you can say that JKR should have left Harry's relationships up to fan fiction writers--people like you and me, who have not had this story planned out in their heads for over 10 years.

[Freak of nature]

Originally Posted by Padfoot_Prongs

If you're saying that JKR should not have written the H/G romance because you think fanfiction is better, then I disagree with you 100%. Not everyone reads fan fiction. Not every one likes fan fiction. So what about all the Harry/Ginny fans who prefer the way JKR wrote the books?

"Leaving it to fan fiction writers", in my opinion, is an incredibly upsetting thing. Why would you want to leave something so precious, something so good, to people that have NOT written the Harry Potter books?

I read and write fan fiction, so that is not what upsets me with what you are saying. I just don't understand how you can say that JKR should have left Harry's relationships up to fan fiction writers--people like you and me, who have not had this story planned out in their heads for over 10 years.

Well then we just have to agree to disagree on this matter. It's just that I have read so many fanfics in which this particular relationship has been written better than what JK did. If people like the way it was written in the books, well more power to them, I just don't like it.

okay 'nuff said.

[maquislady1388]

While I am a loyal Harry/Giny fan I was disapointed that almost the enitre relationship happens "off screen". I find it hard to believe that they ended up together when there was no interaction to suggest that Ginny felt the same way Harry did. The only evidence we have of the couples feelings for each other is Harry's teenage Angst moments while gazing longingly at Ginny's name on the map. Mabey if there was some kind of moment between them in the Great Hall, a look, a kiss, something, then the relationship would feel more realistic to me.

[ginny88]

Originally Posted by Freak of nature

I haven't read the whole thread, well because it is pretty long by now. ;D
My humble opinion is that Rowling should have left Harry Ginny relationship to fanfiction writers even if it had been in the making ever since book 2.

I have several favorite fanfic writers who really are that good in creating the magic between Harry and Ginny. But if Jo will be given the chance to write their romance for adult readers, I think she'll be excellent at it. She's fabulous in creating the HP world so I have no doubt she'll be great at it. HP books are written for children and young teens, who also grew up with the books, so I believe she toned it down a lot. She just gave us the general idea but no explicit details (the Ginny-Harry bday passionate kiss is the most that we get that's a bit, ehem).

Reason 1. In my opinion Harry and Ginny are excellent characters, but together they are boring. I would have loved something totally outrageous, like Luna, for Harry Potter. I think Luna's eccentric ways would have evened their relationship... you know how different personalities attract each other and that stuff... a girl can dream eh...

reason 2... fanfic writers do it better. In the books I was a little dissappointed that they ended up together, it was rather anticlimatic.

I don't find Harry and Ginny a boring couple. In fact there's always a lot of (physical) tension between them and both share the same sense of humor. I find them a passionate couple, not only in temperament (yeah, have nasty temper when piqued, but these are teenagers who can't control yet their emotions). Both are also very competitive people. But what's important is they connect emotionally. Ginny understand him better because of the Tom Riddle connection. She knows when to back out, or tell him off if he's being difficult. Ginny is sociable, and Harry needs to get used to be a part of a big community outside Hogwarts.

I love Luna, she's very close to Ginny, yes she and Harry also connect emotionally (losing their mother when they're still both young), but he's not attracted to her physically. He thinks of her as a good friend (and Hermione as his sister). I have the impression that Luna is an outcast because of her odd behavior. If Harry will go out with her, well, it pains me to say this, but people will laugh behind their backs all the time because of her eccentricity. Not a lot of people know the wonderful side of Luna's personality, her having a different take on the world. And I believe, the trio, Ginny, and Neville, made a lot of adjustments to truly appreciate her as a loyal friend.

[katishere]

ginny88: I agree with everything you said to the letter.

To add onto the Luna thing--I love Luna too just to make that clear before I go on--a major problem is that Harry is sane, Luna....not so much. Harry can find comfort in sharing a little of Luna's eccentric but at least calm world where everything can be answered (however absurdly) when he needs peace from the insanity in his life or when he stumbles upon things that he can't answer with normal human logic but his relationship with her doesn't go far beyond that. Luna represents more of a fantasy world he can escape to run away from his problems but during the times when things aren't so bad she really has nothing to offer but to drive him crazy. She's lovely and sweet but she doesn't really have any sense of humor (at least not purposefully) and she's a very one-track character focused on her own world and she's so imbedded in it already there's really no likelihood of her venturing out of it when Harry doesn't feel like being in 'nargle-land'. Ginny and Harry are on the same page, in the same world, with the same depth of understanding of the world and how very dark it can be as well as how very good it can be. Despite all these similarities they are essentially opposites in base personality-Ginny is emotionally strong, she's more of an optomist, she's extroverted and she can see the bigger picture whereas Harry is more emotionally charged, pessimistic, introverted and tends to view the world through more of a fixed point. They balance each other out in every way while sharing each other's point of view and sense of understanding perfectly. I don't think they're boring, but I can see how they're compatibility might appear boring in comparision to Ron and Hermione's more 'combustible' relationship.

[Freak of nature]

Originally Posted by katishere

ginny88: I agree with everything you said to the letter.

To add onto the Luna thing--I love Luna too just to make that clear before I go on--a major problem is that Harry is sane, Luna....not so much. Harry can find comfort in sharing a little of Luna's eccentric but at least calm world where everything can be answered (however absurdly) when he needs peace from the insanity in his life or when he stumbles upon things that he can't answer with normal human logic but his relationship with her doesn't go far beyond that. Luna represents more of a fantasy world he can escape to run away from his problems but during the times when things aren't so bad she really has nothing to offer but to drive him crazy. She's lovely and sweet but she doesn't really have any sense of humor (at least not purposefully) and she's a very one-track character focused on her own world and she's so imbedded in it already there's really no likelihood of her venturing out of it when Harry doesn't feel like being in 'nargle-land'. Ginny and Harry are on the same page, in the same world, with the same depth of understanding of the world and how very dark it can be as well as how very good it can be. Despite all these similarities they are essentially opposites in base personality-Ginny is emotionally strong, she's more of an optomist, she's extroverted and she can see the bigger picture whereas Harry is more emotionally charged, pessimistic, introverted and tends to view the world through more of a fixed point. They balance each other out in every way while sharing each other's point of view and sense of understanding perfectly. I don't think they're boring, but I can see how they're compatibility might appear boring in comparision to Ron and Hermione's more 'combustible' relationship.

Hmm... when you put it that way. I think I cannot help but agree. But yeah I am still dissappointed at how it was in the books.

[stumps101]

I do get where people are saying when they say they found them to be a boring couple because we never really got any real tension between them in the books but really, I think there would be quite a bit - they are both strong, stubborn, independent, aggressive ( Harry had to deal with the Dursleys and Ginny had to somehow get her voice heard in an overprotective male dominant family) and passionate people who have a similar sense of humour that can be dark at times and both can really hurt each other with words if they want to. In reality, I think things could get very tense between them .. which is what makes it even better for me

One of my main complaints with their relationship was that the darker aspect wasn't shown ... we got the good stuff : both have similar interests and enjoy spending time together and there's this sexual attraction and they have this sense of humour that makes them laugh ( I truly love that part ) but the whole shared Voldermort connection wasn't ever touched upon .... that's where I really love the existence of fan fic

Originally Posted by ginny88

After Harry's break up with Cho, many thought his next love interest is Luna or Hermione. And then - surprise, surprise - it's Ginny who caught his attention. If people just picked up the Ron - Hermione bickerings as "attractions", then people wouldn't get confused. Since COS, it's obvious to me it's Ron-Hermione (the eat slug scene when he defended Hermione on Malfoy's taunts that she's a mudblood). But Harry, well he's clueless so yeah, you wonder who'll be his LI after Cho.

Honestly, I think it's also a matter of what you see and what you look for. I've always thought it was going to be Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione .. since about CoS. But when I really started thinking of it after GoF, in Ootp, I thought JKR made it very clear what she was going to do in the next book or how the series was going to end ... perhaps because I saw things I looked for ? Like for Harry/Ginny, there was also the moments he gave her description, they laughed together, the symbolic "trumping" of Cho moments and of course the moments where she's the only one who stands up to him and where she's the only one he confides in. Basically, when she helps him to meet with Sirius and then reminds him of the Voldermort connection I was just like okay, it's definately going to be H/G. But then I entered the fandom. I already knew there were Harry/Hermione shippers and Ron/Hermione shippers, many of whom were also Harry/Ginny shippers but the idea of Harry/Luna completely escaped me ..... it was only when I entered the fandom some time later that I saw people were shipping the two together and I was surprised and like wow, I never considered that at all, I thought she was going to hook up with Neville if anything. And then there were all sorts of combinations that were being shipped and still are - Ron/Hermione with Harry/Luna and Neville/Ginny or Ron/Luna with Harry/Hermione and so forth and I was amazed. I had never considered it at all. So in a way, I think I saw those moments between the two couples and so were expecting them to happen because I was looking for them ?

Originally Posted by katishere

I died when I read that. It took every word right out of my mouth and I've never found anyone sho agreed so exactly with me. Ron and Ginny are my favorite characters too--for exactly those reasons, word for word. Bravo.

Haha thanks ! I do agree with you on a lot of things you say as well. In fact, I think you said something like as much as you love Harry/Ginny, you sometimes think Ginny could do better or that she deserves someone better or she's put up with a lot and stuff like even though common and popular opinion is the other way around and I swear I squealed ... I have never ever met someone else who has thought that before ! Well apart from my younger sister but that may have been because I influenced her thoughts a bit

[HitokiriChapin]

I want to know if any of you think that Ginny would ever consider not dating Harry because he was not "normal" and would always be famous. Would she ever consider that she was living under Harry's shadow in a way? Would she resent being known as Harry Potter's wife?

[Magi]

No, I don't think she will be or was ever bothered by that.

Ginny seems to be the sort of person who takes life as it comes. A very happy-go-lucky sort of attitude. She doesn't really seem to care much for fame or her own ego, and that I think makes her immune to any negative influence Harry's fame might have.

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by HitokiriChapin

I want to know if any of you think that Ginny would ever consider not dating Harry because he was not "normal" and would always be famous. Would she ever consider that she was living under Harry's shadow in a way? Would she resent being known as Harry Potter's wife?

Personally, I can't see Ginny being overshadowed in any way at all by Harry. The character is too fiery and feisty for that!

Interesting question, though.

I like the way that, in the Epilogue, young Al doesn't seem to realise how famous his father is. To me that said that Harry had tried - very wisely - to shield his children from the fame their family would have attracted. Go Harry!

[USNAGator91]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Personally, I can't see Ginny being overshadowed in any way at all by Harry. The character is too fiery and feisty for that!

Interesting question, though.

I like the way that, in the Epilogue, young Al doesn't seem to realise how famous his father is. To me that said that Harry had tried - very wisely - to shield his children from the fame their family would have attracted. Go Harry!

I agree that Ginny would not harbor resentment over her husband's "fame", but I'm still puzzled as to how the children remain sheltered from the reality. The problem isn't what Harry and Ginny are able to control, but the reactions of people they can't control. Remember Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid? Everyone was stepping over themselves to talk to Harry.

I think Ginny's acceptance of Harry's lot in life has a lot to do with her own makeup, she was resilient and was the only person who really got the vulnerable side of Harry. It also has to do with how Harry looked at Ginny. He finally understood that she "got" him.

[sparkly]

Originally Posted by HitokiriChapin

I want to know if any of you think that Ginny would ever consider not dating Harry because he was not "normal" and would always be famous. Would she ever consider that she was living under Harry's shadow in a way? Would she resent being known as Harry Potter's wife?

I think Ginny became famous in her own way. She was a professional Quidditch player and later wrote for the newspaper. She definitely was not living in Harry's shadow - if anything, Harry might be known as Ginny Potter's husband!

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by USNAGator91

I think Ginny's acceptance of Harry's lot in life has a lot to do with her own makeup, she was resilient and was the only person who really got the vulnerable side of Harry.

I'm not sure that Ginny was the only person who got that side of him. I often think that Hermione understands this side of him very well ... and, no, I am not a H/H shipper! I'm thinking of Harry's despair in DH, when he doubts if Dumbledore ever loved him, and the gentle way in which Hermione tries to reassure him ... and her sympathetic support when they visit Godric's Hollow together.

Ginny is certainly resilient.

[ronjalina]

Originally Posted by maquislady1388

While I am a loyal Harry/Giny fan I was disapointed that almost the enitre relationship happens "off screen". I find it hard to believe that they ended up together when there was no interaction to suggest that Ginny felt the same way Harry did. The only evidence we have of the couples feelings for each other is Harry's teenage Angst moments while gazing longingly at Ginny's name on the map. Mabey if there was some kind of moment between them in the Great Hall, a look, a kiss, something, then the relationship would feel more realistic to me.

I personally found the image of Harry longingly looking at Ginny's dot on the Marauder's map very strong and it conveyed deep feelings to me.

Since JKR chose to present the story mainly through Harry's eyes, it's not that easy to evaluate the other character's feelings. However, there are means to do so and I think JKR has done that very good. So, as to Ginny's feelings, I think there were some scenes which showed them. Those were not necessarily couply interaction, but it was visible that Ginny deeply cared for Harry, IMO. What comes into mind is the 'breaking-up' scene in HBP. From her reaction, her completely understanding him, her words to him we can see that Harry isn't just a teenage crush for Ginny.

[Chris]

Please see Harry and Ginny: Joint Character Analysis for a continuation of the discussion .