This is how I avoid doing homework!
So! For the second time in my life, I've finished reading the Harry Potter series. What can I say? I laughed. I cried (a lot). The series is amazing at pulling at the heartstrings and teaching you excellent lessons, and always keeping you interested.
Shipping, amiright? There's always this one specific point in each book where I'm not really sure what happens, some big climactic scene, either preceded by or followed by copious amounts of exposition. It can get ridiculous! The scene in the graveyard of Goblet of Fire was downright egregious with the exposition. The battle in the Department of Mysteries left me feeling pretty confused. But shipping! I can be down with shipping. I can understand shipping.
Harry/Ginny: While I think this one had a nice set-up, I feel frustrated that it wasn't made more obvious that Harry was attracted to her sooner. The books often remind us of Tom Riddle's handsome face, and even sound a little concerned when he starts splitting his soul and loses his handsomeness. No such luck, no such reminisces, from Harry on Ginny's part, until bam, there it is, they're making out in the common room. There were little hints here and there, that you only caught when you read the book a second time. In Deathly Hallows, there are frequent references to their spending time in hidden corners of the school -- hey, way to show that in Half-Blood Prince when they were actually dating, Rowling. I was delighted to see that his thoughts frequently drifted to Ginny in Deathly Hallows, which was when I started supporting the ship properly. Ditched lovers are frequently forgotten about until the end of the story, when they welcome the hero back with open arms, but not so here. Still, wish it had gotten more development in the fifth and sixth books.
Ron/Hermione: Ho boy. For almost the entire series I gritted my teeth and took it. I hated the ship. Hated hated hated hated it. I despise the Belligerent Sexual Tension trope. I despise it when arguing and jealousy gambits are used to make it obvious that two characters are OMG SO IN WUV! I didn't have a clue who else I wanted them to end up with -- I briefly supported the Harry/Hermione ship instead, being cheered by how they were able to support each other with maturity beyond their years -- but Harry is not the rock that Hermione's lover would need to be, and Ron is that. We just don't see it until Deathly Hallows, when Ron and Hermione drop the stupid act and get together, and become incredibly respectful and supportive of each other, and that's when I started feeling pleased with them.
Neville/Luna: I don't support this ship. It's not canonical, thank god, but to hear the internet talk you'd think it was. Luna marries a fellow Naturalist named Rolf Scamander, while Neville marries Hannah Abbott. I guess I'm okay with Neville and Hannah, but actually, I found myself rooting for Luna to hook up with Dean Thomas! I know they meet under horrible circumstances, locked in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, held captive by Death Eaters, but they developed a friendship afterwards. Dean actually sought out her company. Not even the Trio did that, unless they had a great need. They're both artistically-minded too. It would have worked.
Remus Lupin/Tonks: Arrrrrrgh. Badass wizard cop moping for a year because a man rejects her, almost disappears from the story after they get hook up, pretty much just being referred to occasionally, then dies offscreen tragically leaving her son behind? Excuse moi? No. No no no no no no no. And no. What was this, why was this even...While it's nice to know that poor Lupin got some action...gah.
Remus Lupin/Sirius Black: I do not understand this one at all. Then again, I don't understand why some women like Teh Gay of two dudes doing it, so *shrug*
James Potter/Lily Evans: I kind of like that we don't get to see the intervening years, between James being a jerk at school and Lily despising him, to James and Lily being wonderful, loving parents to Harry and loving each other. It's not set up in a Belligerent Sexual Tension kind of way, it just shows that people grow up, people change, maybe in small ways like James going from jerkass to good guy, or large ways like Dumbledore going from arrogant and power-hungry to working towards a genuinely loving, kinder world for everyone, especially his students, and particularly muggle-born and muggles.
Albus Dumbledore/Grendel Grindlewald: It certainly puts an interesting spin on their two-month friendship, eh? It would help explain why Albus, never a truly bad man, would be willing to overlook Grindlewald's...faults.
Harry/Draco: I can...kind of see it...they are oddly obsessed with each other, aren't they? Harry never shuts up about him in the sixth book, and Malfoy taunts Harry about the weirdest things. Ultimately I think that incompatible orientations means this never means much.
Draco/Hermione: I get this one even less than Lupin/Sirius. I kind of...maybe understand it more through A Very Potter Musical, where Hermione threatens Draco and he's basically kind of turned on by the violence? I don't really get it.
Harry/Susan Bones: I admit I squeed a bit when Susan admitted to understanding a little of what Harry feels, when her aunt become briefly famous in (I think) The Order of the Phoenix.
Ron/Luna: I think Luna had a crush on Ron for a while, what do you think?
Shipping, amiright? There's always this one specific point in each book where I'm not really sure what happens, some big climactic scene, either preceded by or followed by copious amounts of exposition. It can get ridiculous! The scene in the graveyard of Goblet of Fire was downright egregious with the exposition. The battle in the Department of Mysteries left me feeling pretty confused. But shipping! I can be down with shipping. I can understand shipping.
Harry/Ginny: While I think this one had a nice set-up, I feel frustrated that it wasn't made more obvious that Harry was attracted to her sooner. The books often remind us of Tom Riddle's handsome face, and even sound a little concerned when he starts splitting his soul and loses his handsomeness. No such luck, no such reminisces, from Harry on Ginny's part, until bam, there it is, they're making out in the common room. There were little hints here and there, that you only caught when you read the book a second time. In Deathly Hallows, there are frequent references to their spending time in hidden corners of the school -- hey, way to show that in Half-Blood Prince when they were actually dating, Rowling. I was delighted to see that his thoughts frequently drifted to Ginny in Deathly Hallows, which was when I started supporting the ship properly. Ditched lovers are frequently forgotten about until the end of the story, when they welcome the hero back with open arms, but not so here. Still, wish it had gotten more development in the fifth and sixth books.
Ron/Hermione: Ho boy. For almost the entire series I gritted my teeth and took it. I hated the ship. Hated hated hated hated it. I despise the Belligerent Sexual Tension trope. I despise it when arguing and jealousy gambits are used to make it obvious that two characters are OMG SO IN WUV! I didn't have a clue who else I wanted them to end up with -- I briefly supported the Harry/Hermione ship instead, being cheered by how they were able to support each other with maturity beyond their years -- but Harry is not the rock that Hermione's lover would need to be, and Ron is that. We just don't see it until Deathly Hallows, when Ron and Hermione drop the stupid act and get together, and become incredibly respectful and supportive of each other, and that's when I started feeling pleased with them.
Neville/Luna: I don't support this ship. It's not canonical, thank god, but to hear the internet talk you'd think it was. Luna marries a fellow Naturalist named Rolf Scamander, while Neville marries Hannah Abbott. I guess I'm okay with Neville and Hannah, but actually, I found myself rooting for Luna to hook up with Dean Thomas! I know they meet under horrible circumstances, locked in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, held captive by Death Eaters, but they developed a friendship afterwards. Dean actually sought out her company. Not even the Trio did that, unless they had a great need. They're both artistically-minded too. It would have worked.
Remus Lupin/Tonks: Arrrrrrgh. Badass wizard cop moping for a year because a man rejects her, almost disappears from the story after they get hook up, pretty much just being referred to occasionally, then dies offscreen tragically leaving her son behind? Excuse moi? No. No no no no no no no. And no. What was this, why was this even...While it's nice to know that poor Lupin got some action...gah.
Remus Lupin/Sirius Black: I do not understand this one at all. Then again, I don't understand why some women like Teh Gay of two dudes doing it, so *shrug*
James Potter/Lily Evans: I kind of like that we don't get to see the intervening years, between James being a jerk at school and Lily despising him, to James and Lily being wonderful, loving parents to Harry and loving each other. It's not set up in a Belligerent Sexual Tension kind of way, it just shows that people grow up, people change, maybe in small ways like James going from jerkass to good guy, or large ways like Dumbledore going from arrogant and power-hungry to working towards a genuinely loving, kinder world for everyone, especially his students, and particularly muggle-born and muggles.
Albus Dumbledore/Grendel Grindlewald: It certainly puts an interesting spin on their two-month friendship, eh? It would help explain why Albus, never a truly bad man, would be willing to overlook Grindlewald's...faults.
Harry/Draco: I can...kind of see it...they are oddly obsessed with each other, aren't they? Harry never shuts up about him in the sixth book, and Malfoy taunts Harry about the weirdest things. Ultimately I think that incompatible orientations means this never means much.
Draco/Hermione: I get this one even less than Lupin/Sirius. I kind of...maybe understand it more through A Very Potter Musical, where Hermione threatens Draco and he's basically kind of turned on by the violence? I don't really get it.
Harry/Susan Bones: I admit I squeed a bit when Susan admitted to understanding a little of what Harry feels, when her aunt become briefly famous in (I think) The Order of the Phoenix.
Ron/Luna: I think Luna had a crush on Ron for a while, what do you think?