The Truly Forgotten Weasley

by Molly

It has been nearly eight years since the finale of the Harry Potter series, the bewitching novels that took the entire world by storm. Even though the Golden Trio will go on no more adventures, and the movies’ casts have all gone their separate ways, there are still many readers out there who love to analyze every word of the text. For those truly intrigued by the series, there has come a phenomena known as the “Forgotten Weasley”.

When talking about “the forgotten Weasley”, most are referring to the elusive Charlie Weasley, who was mentioned only scarcely in the books and only received a minor cameo in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Remember this guy?

The Harry Potter film series dropped Charlie Weasley from the plot altogether, which was probably a good plan. As having been introduced to so many red-headed young Weasley boys throughout the course of the series, it was beginning to become difficult to keep them all straight in our heads!

As much as we all would’ve liked to have known more of Charlie, though, the Weasley I’m referring to is Percy. I am, and always have been of the opinion that we as a fandom have never given the guy enough credit. When you really begin to analyze the text, you’ll quickly begin to realize that he is both the most underappreciated and underrated of all the Weasleys.

Percy Weasley is often looked at as being one of the minor antagonists of the Harry Potter series. However, this could not be any less the case. Percy is, in fact, what most of us are and strive to be. What could I possibly mean by that? Here are a few of his character traits, which JK Rowling was so clever as to layer in.

• He leaves his family behind because he has different beliefs and opinions.
• He fearlessly follows those in charge.
• In the end, family really is the most important thing to him.

Let’s break this down.

First of all, after his graduation from Hogwarts, he went directly into work for the Ministry of Magic, more or less becoming the Minister’s personal coffee-fetcher. While his family began to realize that the Ministry was not working in their favor, he refused to believe it. He was even estranged from the Weasleys for nearly a book and a half due to having sided with the Ministry. He literally lost everything he ever had while clinging tightly to his belief and faith in the Ministry. This is something that hardly any of us could even imagine doing. When the going gets tough, many of us want to run away with our tail between our legs. Not this guy. Even when the entire Wizarding World was against his beliefs, he clung to them.

In the end, though, he realizes (as all protagonists do), that family meant most. So, before the Battle of Hogwarts began, he came tumbling into the Room of Requirement, a disheveled mess, begging to make amends with his broken family.

That, ladies and gentlemen, in my opinion, makes Percy Weasley one of the most relatable characters in the entire series. Unfortunately, though, most of us glance right over him, because on the surface, he’s just a “filler” character. Let me fill you in on a little something, though. There is not one character in the Harry Potter books that is there to simply take up space! Every one of them has a distinct purpose. You may have to analyze a bit to find it, but I promise it’s there! It is clear that JK Rowling took great care when creating this character. I think the fact that he is so much like so many of us, is the reason behind why we love to hate him.

So, there’s my opinion. What’s yours? Who do you think is the most underrated character of the Harry Potter series? Leave an answer in the comments below!

...And Then There Was Shipping.

by Molly

We’ve all had those time when we’ve found a book series or a movie or even a band that we just can’t get enough of. Then when said book series, movie, or musical group comes to an end, we are all left thinking, “I wonder what would happen if things had ended differently...” Thus, fanfiction was born!

Some fandoms have been more receptive to this new facet of their fan base than others. The cast of The Vampire Diaries has even gone as far as to read (and write) some of the nonsensical work themselves (See here). The show’s writer had become so accustomed to hearing about new “ships” that she actually began to find ways of incorporating them into her scripts. For those who are fans of The Vampire Diaries, you will be interested to know that this is actually how the Klaus/Caroline plot line came to be!

For those of you who don’t know what “shipping” is, this is the accepted definition, cerca internetslang.com:

“ n. short for romantic relationship, popularized in fanfiction circles;         to endorse a romantic relationship.”

We get very serious about our fandoms, clearly. I mean, I’ve been known to creep around an RPG or two in my time. Seriously, though - have we ever put any thought into what the authors and actors think about their fandoms?

For example, Benedict Cumberbatch was said to have been “flattered” after having found Sherlock fanfiction on the web. There are other performers, however, who find the entire idea of the thing completely awkward. And I would have to say that I agree with them. I mean, some of that stuff can get pretty raunchy. I’m not saying that writers shouldn’t write. I’m just saying that if you think to yourself, “Would I be embarrassed if my mom found this?” and the answer is yes, then you should probably banish it to the farthest reaches of your external hard drive where it belongs, only to be taken out once a year for ComicCon.

Some fandoms do have more ships than others, and these are the ones that I find particularly befuddling. The Harry Potter series, for one, has more than 300 characters in its entirety, and nearly every single one has a “ship”. There are the “normal” ones that everyone has thought of, such as Dramione (Draco/Hermione), Snily (Snape/Lily), and Drarry (Draco/Harry). Then there are the ones that, as I mentioned earlier, should’ve been buried in the recesses of the originator’s computer. These include Honks (Harry/Tonks), Vinny (Voldemort/Ginny), or even Dermione (Dumbledore/Hermione).

While it is very enjoyable some times to mess around with your favorite characters in those “‘What If...?” scenarios, a lot of the time it is smart to just leave it in your files. Because remember the old saying: Once it’s on the internet, it’s out there forever.

Do you really want to run the risk of one of your employers finding that LiveJournal or Tumblr account where you posted your raunchy Les Miserables fanfiction when you were fourteen? No?

Just keep in mind, it’s totally fine to have your “ships”. It’s totally okay to have your secret Tumblr account that you go to to fangirl over Glee every once in a while. But unless you’re banking on becoming the next E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey), I would be wary and keep it sanitary!

What fandoms are you part of? What ships do you sail? What are some of the best (and worst) fanfictions you’ve ever seen? Let me know in the comments below!