This thread is dedicated towards helping authors on the internet in creating a 'realistic' personification of the relatively unknown character of Daphne Greengrass.

Personally, the 'unknown' element of her character makes her a favourite of mine because she can be written with allot of creative freedom, but I've also noticed that a lot of authors write her in a somewhat unrealistic fashion, e.g., Mary Sue'ing her, so I'm hoping this thread and its resulting discussion/refinement can help others in either improving or helping to develop their Daphnes.

I've seen many stories on FanFiction.net where Daphne is either a 'good-Slytherin' helping Harry or falling in love with him for no reason, her simply a cold hearted Death Eater spawn or her being deeply routed in the 'pure blood' ideals. Ironically enough, I personally can see her leaning towards the aforementioned latter two.

Let's start with the known, canon facts and possible conjecture from those facts as well as the canon clichés constantly used about her:

She has a sister, Astoria, who is younger than her, making her the known eldest scion of the family.

As her sister Astoria was a pure blood who had married Draco Malfoy in the 'Crapilogue', this means that she is also a pure blood. Unless she's the half sister of Astoria with a non-pure blooded mother or father -which I personally doubt because of the implied nature of pure blood society/value on bloodlines- this means that she's a pure blood, through and through.
Draco's spawn was also described as being a pure blood, this simple fact also reinforcing the evidence.

She hung around with Pansy P's 'gang of girls', mentioned in the Order of the Phoenix. As Pansy and her cohorts firmly believed in blood purity, for her to be accepted so easily into this group also implies that she also is a firm believer in the 'pure blood Slytherin' ideals.
This leans against any theory of her being the 'Sirius rebel' in the Greengrass family, like how he himself had done with the Blacks.

Her house also adds some water to this line of reasoning.

Her sister marrying Draco also leans against her being the 'anti-Sirius' of the family, with them being light and her being dark.

However, although Draco might have stuck to the 'pure blood ideals' in contracting/marrying Astoria, we know little of how they actually met.

According to JKR, Draco's experiences in the war sobered him and his once 'black and white' views, and he did not marry Pansy after the war, who was as 'in deep' as him with her views. This could of been because of his families actions during the final battle, making either him or her disgusted with the other in the aftermath.

If his views had 'lightened' somewhat, this could mean that the Greengrass family wasn't as extreme or 'purely dark' as it was once previously thought...they could be either 'neutral' with the pure blood ideals, or 'dark neutral', and not 'purely dark' like the Death Eater families. If Astoria was as dark as Pansy once was, the newly sobered Draco wouldn't of married her if he had a choice in the matter, unless he was forced to/contracted to do so. If Draco's father's/mother's views had sobered too, this makes a forced contract less likely.

Some writers have had her as the so called 'Slytherin Ice Queen'. It's cliché, but it could easily work if written correctly: her being cold and distrusting towards her fellow classmates and Slytherins would make sense, especially if she wasn't as extreme in the pure blood 'cause' as her 'purely dark' house mates.

One point that goes against this, however, is her being around Pansy's 'gang', indicating that she's not that much of a loner...at least in that specific case.

There's a possibility that she had only gravitated towards Pansy and her gang after the Dark Lord's resurrection, for many possible and different reasons including either fear or a potential for self-gain.
The 'Ice Queen' title could also mean she was uninterested in either boys or relationships in general, either seeing relationships as a potential weakness/vulnerable area, or that she was uninterested with their characters, e.g., immature, pigheaded, arrogant, etc.

Spell casting/'puppet master' potential: if one goes with the 'Ice Queen' cliché, it would be logical to assume that she would know some pretty damn nasty spells in order to fend off either (or both of) her house mates in the 'den of snakes' and/or boys in general, who wouldn't take "No" for an answer.

Many people also peg her as being a mistress of manipulation on par with Dumbledore and Voldemort: this veers dangerously into Mary Sue territory, so let's look at any potential flaws that could be used in order to keep her realistic.

Arrogance and overconfidence at being the so called 'Ice Queen' could be a critical flaw of hers, even if she is pretty powerful/cunning. She could miscalculate, or overestimate herself. Don't make her overly so, however: it doesn't take a hurricane to knock down a house of cards...just the slightest of minuscule breaths that can collapse an otherwise perfectly executed plan. A lack of empathy could also be a character flaw. Heck, her being a borderline/'toeing the line' psychopath or sociopath could be one, too.

One of the most refreshing pieces that I read that deviated from the typical 'Daphne fanon' formula is 'Ice Princess', by the author 'Luan Mao' on FanFiction.net, even if I did find his other characterizations a bit OOC.

Here's the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5864749/1/Ice_Princess

Appearance: some people have her black hair and violet eyes, others have her with blonde hair and cold, blue eyes...as there's no canon set appearance for her, anything can go, really.

Her sister Astoria -in the final film's 'Crapilogue', at least- is a brunette with dark brown eyes, so it is possible that her sister also follows this genetic trend, too.

However, the Black sisters -Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda- also vary in appearance: whilst Andromeda looks similar to Bellatrix with more brunette/brown/'kinder features' than raven black, Narcissa -despite having the trademark Black 'aristocratic' features- also has blonde hair and blue eyes.


Normal families also have these sort of traits: one sibling might have blonde hair, inherited from a grandparent/parent, whilst another could have jet black hair and green eyes from an ancestor further back.


Another prime example would be the Potter/Weasely spawn, seen in the 'Crapilogue'.

If the Greengrass family -and other pure blood families- are akin to the Blacks (although it is possible they're an exception due to their rather extraordinary, fanatical nature) in any way, it's possible that this genetic variance could occur with the two Greengrass siblings, too.

The mental description that people would most likely form in their minds with the 'Ice Princess' cliché, though, is that of someone who looks both cold and hard. Light and cold colours/descriptions, such as that of 'critical' or 'cold, sapphire blue eyes' and 'fair, blonde hair' create such a mental image, as does (if also possibly combined with the former) 'high cheekbones' or 'aristocratic features'. Making your Daphne overly beautiful isn't a crime, but it can lead into the dangerous Mary Sue territory.


Another fanon point is that she's friends with Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini, a half-blood and pure blood respectively. I'm not sure if there's any canon evidence to support this, however, as I do not have any book but the last two on hand at the moment. (I'm doing a research project in preparation for a fan fiction rewrite/AU of the last two books, and I'm noting down all of the canon mistakes/fuck ups).


Some good reads on those possible friendships are here:


http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Tracey_Davis
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Blaise_Zabini


Well, I can't think of anything else to add right now as I'm pretty tired (two hours of sleep will do that to you), and I've probably made many spelling/syntax mistakes due to my tired state of mind, so I'm finishing this post here. I'll come back and fix the spelling errors and such later, when I can actually see them.


What's 'your' Daphne like? Judging from a certain member's avatar, his mental view on her physical appearance is pretty obvious.

 

Vlad's interpretation of Daphne Greengrass is the only acceptable one. Go read this immediately.

 

That was an amusing read, and I wish that he'd of continued it. The Omake...that sort of made me feel ill since it was her sister.

I really like Daphne/Harry stories.

Although her being an airhead like that is a possibility, (as I mentioned before, nothing is really known about her), I somehow feel that Vlad's Daphne is unrealistic...but that's just my personal view. I really wish that he'd of expanded it, though: it's got potential.

It's a good example for this thread, methinks. I don't suppose you know of any more decent stories like that, would you? I've searched Google, devoured the ones at FF.net and done a quick search in the Library, but I had little luck...

 

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2705350/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Bad_Luck

Now this is a good read: missed it because the pairing wasn't listed in the titlebar for search usage...

This is the Daphne that I see.

 

I actually used to imagine Daphne as a redhead thanks to the Scooby Doo shows I used to watch when I was younger. XD Now though, I picture her as a blonde due to someone's avatar. Although personally, I always thought of Tracey Davis as being a blonde, so in stories where the two are friends her hair is generally brown, red, or some shade of dirty blonde in my mind.

Obviously, my mental image of Daphne is fairly flexible.

 

No offense (lawl), but I already dislike you. And Daphne's tits are better than anything you could produce anyway, so GTFO.

While any gentleman worth his literary salt will appreciate full well the realities of perfection concerning HBPI!Daphne, the end result is that she's a completely blank slate and the only important thing an author must keep in mind is that she be written as a real human being (well, that and be hot.)

That, and Astoria is totally the type who would seduce Daphne in such a way that Daphne wouldn't even realize it. So you're wrong about that, too.

 

This thread is so fucking bad. -_-

OP Protip time. You're trying to analyze a character that to my knowledge doesn't have a single line in the books.

You could do the same for Morag McDougal and it would mean the exact same. Shit all. I'm a fan of H/Daphne fics but this is poor.

 

Daphne is only mentioned once, the exact line is "Hermione's name was called. Trembling, she left the chamber with Anthony Goldstein, Gregory Goyle and Daphne Greengrass. Students who had already been tested did not return afterwards, so Harry and Ron had no idea how Hermione had done."

None of her friends are mention, nor allies. It stands to reason though that she would be friends with people in her year in her dorm.

When I think of Daphne, I don't have any real reservations on how she is written. Being Harry's girlfriend though, we tend to give him the best.

Attractive; this can be a wide range of preferences, and doesn't even have to include physically attractive, but I think most of us like to read her as such (But is not always the case)

Intelligent; this can also have a lot of meanings. Sticking with the tried and true 'Smarter than Harry' always works, but sometimes it is okay to go with 'Smarter than Hermione' approach too. This does not always matter, but Harry/Retard is not really my cup of tea (see Rowlings published works)

The "Ice Queen" cliche is usually a direct result of Daphne being super hot, yet uninterested. The cliche doesn't really bring anything to the table, But I still read these stories anyway. Because over 50% of them use this stereotype It is very bothersome, but that is how most people see the character.

Her hair color does not matter to me. In my Daphne story I wrote her as black haired. On the other hand, I wrote my story before I discovered this site and it shows. I did everything wrong short of giving him a magical trunk. Story 1. Sequel. Don't read unless you have very low standards. I wrote them out of the fact that there were not any good Daphne stories, and yet I still botched it up.

My avatar is almost exactly how I would picture Daphne on any given Tuesday or alternating Thursday. It is an artists rendering, and not a real picture. That gets over the bump of "So and So would make an excellent Daphne" (even though I am partial to Kagney Linn Karter!Daphne)

The good news (or bad) is that I am working on another new Daphne story. This one is going to partake in the 'secret Harry/slytherin relationship' formula and no one of importance finds out about it until its too late. It is being adapted to the "On the Wings of a Phoenix" rewrite I mentioned in that thread. With luck, this story will bring a breathe of fresh air to the genre.


In the end though, Daphne really is an OFC. The only thing we can same assume is that she is female, in same year as Harry, and a pureblood.

-I remember someone saying that all the good HP/DG stories were taken off of ff.net. So I never really got to read any really amazing ones I guess. Does anyone have links (OTher than the two stories allready linked?) My personal favorite one right now is The Grass is Always Greener It it's really just average compared to other stories out there.

 

We can't assume she's a pureblood, it's just that most people write her like that. It's the same as that "Ice Princess" shit - someone way-back-when wrote it once, then everybody copied it, and now it's fanon.

Also, Daphne Greengrass is totally Stacy Keibler.

 

No matter how much Draco has atoned, I don't think he would marry a halfblood. I find it very unlikely that Astoria was anything but a pureblood, and I would find it difficult to believe that her sister would not be the same. Sure, it's possible, but nothing like that has happened in canon. I'm sure there is a fic out there where she is a product of rape or something...

All we really got is this http://www.hp-lexicon.org/about/sources/source_hpm.html which doesn't really say much and is not necessarily canon

 

Oh, Daphne.

I kinda liked that one 'fic that portrayed her as average-looking and borderline-retarded, just because it fucked with people like the OP who think there's a 'right' and a 'wrong' way to write a character who didn't even merit a physical description in the books.

 

And Daphne got her breast implants when?

Seriously folks, the one thing you can say about Daphne is that she was unremarkable. Tracey Davis distinguished herself as brainy by being in Arithmancy with Hermione. Daphne didn't draw enough attention for Harry or his mates to drool over her, so she's effectively a wallflower.

Since Draco married her younger sister, I still contend that Daphne would therefore be the uglier girl, as the blond ponce wouldn't marry at all if it was for second-best. No one was fighting for her attention at the Yule Ball (again, Draco took Pansy, indicating a lack of better options). Even Blaise Zabini waxes poetic over GINNY versus the other girls of Slytherin.

 

She did? I call bullshit.

 

Damnit, I tripped on my own fanon assumption. Well called.

 

LOL. If I remember correctly, the only time Tracey Davis is hinted at is in that interview above, where here name is on the list of firsties. I don't think the words "Tracey Davis" are ever written in the books.

 

Exactly that, though the HP Lexicon suggests at least that Davis was meant to be half-blood and Daphne a pureblood.

The only other Daphne comment I can make is that she can't be an ice-queen if she's trembling openly when called to take her OWL exam.

(Now I've got fanon all over my shoes...)

 

...except for the characters featured in canon, you really can't assume anything.

For instance, there is virtually no physical description of anyone not in Gryffindor or Slytherin (Cho and Luna are noticeable exceptions), and even within those two houses only a few key characters are described.

For all we know, Ginny is the ugliest of her roommates, but the other four wear burkas so no one knows what they look like.

In short, Daphne is what the author makes of her. She could be practically Merope Gaunt take two, or incredibly attractive with an intellect that makes Hermione look like Ron. She's a blank slate, and it will be the skill of the author to sell her character.

 

We all have our vices, but that seems to be the state of ff.net Daphnes at the moment. Large breasts = unapproachable = ice queen according to some.