Well, the thread was clearly dead, but since I'm not the one that bumped it, I'mma contribute.

I don't like the Weasley twins. That probably comes from the fact that I don't like pranks. Even when they are just "in good fun," they always seem mean-spirited and juvenile to me. Also, I hate the back and forth talking every writer makes them do.

Also, fuck Snape.

 

The fan following Draco has accumulated baffles me. He's a petty, cruel coward who only backs out of siding with Voldemort because of said cowardice. But apparently having something resembling a spine isn't necessary to gain a cult of tween girl fanfiction writers.

 

Neville (and to a lesser extent, Luna).

Maybe it's because I read the 1-4 books like six times, and the last two only once, but I don't like Neville at all. Yeah, he got his moment of awesome in the last book, and the movie actor turning up handsome certainly increased his popularity, but the sheer amount of HP fics lately where Harry chooses to befriend the first year Neville (and first year Luna when he's in second year) is disgusting.

For the first few years, Neville was the unpopular fat kid nobody liked. Think back to your own elementary school years or whatever. Did you want to willingly befriend that guy, even at the cost of your popularity? I don't think too many kids would have made that choice. Now we know that Neville grew up fine, but the extent Harry goes in so many fics to help Neville out is kind of disgusting. And it's always Neville and Luna who replace Ron and Hermione, if it's one of those fics and Harry isn't in Slytherin.

 

Umm...Harry, Ron and Hermione helped him out in the first book. They taught him to stand up to Malfoy, he and Ron got into a fight with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle during the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, and later it bit them in the ass when the confidence they helped cultivate led to him trying to stop them from going after the Stone at the end. And then of course those efforts were vindicated when Neville's principled stand won them the House Cup at the end. So yeah, don't know where you get the idea that Harry helping Neville is somehow OOC.

 

What did Neville do in books 2-4, though?

Harry helping Neville, or treating Neville like a classmate or even a friend is fine. But fics where Harry intentionally, almost forcibly befriends Neville on the train, stands up for him, prevents bullying and hurtful comments, coaches him to be more confident, tutors him in magic, realizes he's using an unsuited wand and gets him a new one fairly early... that's what I find extremely annoying. It's based on foreknowledge the author has but the character doesn't.

 

Well, I try to avoid stories where the character interactions are that forced in general. But still, a misfit who lacks confidence, doesn't feel like he belongs, who's a favorite target for bullies, and who has unreasonable expectations put onto him to be like his parents he doesn't remember? If nothing else, you definitely see how Harry could relate to that, at least. It is confusing how he mostly fades into the background for three books.

 

Ginny- Her only role in the story seemed to be that she was to be rescued by Harry, and go on to marry him, have his children, etc. She seems to constantly be described as feisty, fierce, etc., when she is really just rude about "phlegm" and willing to follow Harry to the Ministry even when she'll be more of a hindrance than a help.

 

I'm no fan of Draco, but I think it's a bit extreme to characterise him as being flatly petty and cruel. I suspect that much of the 'pettiness' you ascribe to him is the courtyard-bully behaviour of his formative years; by this metric, one could also call James Potter 'petty and cruel' - would that be a fair indictment of him?

In his sixth and seventh years he had to endure a burden far more strenuous than anything someone his age would conventionally experience and was delegated to perform tasks that would be emotionally draining on a well-constituted adult. I don't think it'd be fair to call his bungled executions of said tasks as mere cowardice; I reckon it's merely his latent conscience manifesting under stress and subverting him from being able to actualise a malevolence that he previously romanticised and ideated on through the vantage point of teenage naiveté.

He doesn't have the gall of many of the protagonists, true, but he does perform some implicit and mutedly valorous acts, such as refusing to identify Harry to his father & Bellatrix, as well as saving Goyle in the Room of Requirement.

What's appealing about Draco, then, is not the fact that he potentially has a latent bravery which can be extrapolated to moisten the panties of tween girl writers, but that his traumatic past coupled with his highly conflicted but ultimately ethical conscience gives him a sort of appealing gravitas, as well as sombreness for those inclined to hurt/comfort kind of fics

 

Draco probably has one of the most realistic and interesting character arcs in the entire story, minus a few select characters of course.

Remember that we view the characters of Harry Potter through Harry's eyes and that comes with the biases he has. We never get to see how Draco felt.

Draco was born in a wealthy home. He had everything with a simple wag of his finger. Not only this but his entire family were proud to be in Slytherin; they placed this expectation on him as well. He grew up seeing his house elf routinely abused and his family's hatred of Muggle Borns. His own aunt was thrown into prison for torturing Neville's parents, and I doubt that his parents ever showed any hatred towards Belatrix for this.

So you have this child who grew up with these hardwired beliefs go to school. He really wanted Harry to be his friend the first time they met, spewing out the same hatred for the Weasleys his family did. To be viewed by Harry as someone beneath naturally irritated him. And then, after all of his hard work gathering house points by the end of his first year, to have Dumbledore's favoritism shun this was maddening! It's no wonder he grew to dislike (and envy) Harry.

Everything he did from that year to the sixth year was trying to one up Harry to show him that he was just as great as Harry was.

 

That is one interpretation, which we have no way to substantiate.
Not that it makes him any less of a shit.

 

He was definitely a shit. That's my interpretation of his character, given that we have little to nothing to go on. But considering how his character evolved throughout the rest of the series, I feel like Draco's bullying ways was more nurture than nature.

 

I don't get the hype about Fleur. I have never liked her and I'm sure people only like her for her looks.

 

All the other pairings were done already, and I suspect there's the kink of 'sexy older girl' to exploit.

 

That's exactly why people like her. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

The entire Knight Bus crew. They are intensely annoying and the whole concept of the Knight Bus is just bullshit.

 

There's hype about them?

 

No but this is morphing into pet peeves.

 

I'm late to this discussion; are we talking about McGonagall?

 

Scottish Brogue and a Mother's Love by wox2d

Summary: Distraught after his godfather's death, Harry searches for answers from the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Though many are unwilling to help him in his troubled time, he finds both mental and physical comfort from two unlikely sources: Minerva McGonagall and Molly Weaslely. Rated 'M' for graphic sexual scenes. 240k words, 80 chapters.

Looking for a beta.