One comment about HBP... while my cat goes nuts chasing paper balls...

[icarus]

Telegram to JKR:

HBP needs more Percy. Stop.

Still waiting for Percy to be caught in fling with wizard. Stop.

Do explain Percy's continued survival in the Ministry post-Fudge. Stop.

Please resolve Percy situation with Death Eater status, actual death, severe maiming, humiliation or family resolution. Stop.

Currents hints of Percy tantalizing. Stop.

Comments

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

Word. I soooo wanted more Percy. I hope he's not be sent "upstairs" like they do in soap operas and then you never hear from the character again. I wanted pissiness, arguments and what the hell Percy is now thinking. Is he still in denial or just too damn stubborn?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I think the Weasley's are too important as Harry's surrogate family to be completely rid of Percy or allow him to disappear.

Though this is how he would react, right or wrong, sticking to his guns.

I really don't blame him for leaving that Christmas. After the twins continued to abuse him and the rest of the family (besides his mum) made it clear he wasn't welcome.

He in all likelihood decided he would help the Ministry cause by bringing the Minister there, and he probably wanted to demonstrate what an important person he is now without them. They showed him no more respect than before, and even humiliated him in front of the Minister. Throwing parnips at him like second-years. Barbarians.

It was probably hard for him to allow the Minister to see his "humble beginnings." Ooo, Percy's proud.

Icarus

[cheshyre]

He in all likelihood decided he would help the Ministry cause by bringing the Minister there.
I disagree.

I got a definite impression that Percy was there unwillingly, on the Minister's orders (not that he would've protested very much, but he wouldn't've volunteered and if he could come up with a better plan, he would've suggested that as an alternative).

It was probably trivially easy for Scrimgeour to know that Harry was Xmassing at the Weasleys. From a distance, Harry could easily rebuff his requests, but face-to-face he'd get a chance to speak to the boy privately. And who would turn away family at Xmas? So RS talked Percy into dropping by the Burrow and bringing him along.

Because of Arthur's accusations that Percy was hired as a way of spying on the Weasleys, Percy would've been particularly mum about his family on the job to prove that wasn't the case. He wouldn't be bragging about family connections to get in good with the Minister, because that would prove that his father was right and he was unworthy.

Poor Percy. He really must be good at his job, though. [Think about it, at 18 years old, he effectively ran a major department during the Triwizard tournament, which can't have been easy. True, he missed that Crouch wasn't himself, but until that was revealed nobody noticed or knocked his performance.]

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

Dude, spoiler cut!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

What? Spoiler where?

Oh shit. I see it now.

Icarus *mortified*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that. I changed what I was originally going to write, which was going to be completely off the wall.

Icarus

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

No worries - just beware the spoiler police, you know :D

[monzz.livejournal.com]

*sighs* I expected much more Percy this time around. Come on JKR, I want my Percy, damnit.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

How the hell did he survive? He only got his position as Fudge's lackey because Fudge wanted an inside scoop on the Weasleys and the order.

Or did Percy deliberately cut that tie to demonstrate that the line to the Order was not what got him the job? Because he didn't lose it once he and his family weren't speaking.

He was definitely Fudge's man, yet there he was, in the next Minister's retinue. The only time he was used for his Weasley connection was his visit to the Burrow.

I starting to suspect political competence on Percy's part. He also must be very well-connected, beyond his family now, to have survived.

Cordelia suggested that possibly he helped oust Fudge, switched camps and justified it to himself, as Fudge "was not capable of protecting the Wizarding World. We need a strong leader in this times."

Icarus

[cheshyre]

Percy Weasley, the Kingmaker...

[biichan.livejournal.com]

I actually think he earned his promotion the hard way and the rest of the family is just bitching about him because he had the gall to doubt that the only reason someone could promote him was to spy on Arthur the continual fuckup.

[monzz.livejournal.com]

It's okay honey. Let it all out. *grins*

I agree with your theories, though.

[herlifeisbroken.livejournal.com]

So. Freaking. Agree. OMG.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Of course, cordelia_v is quite correct in that "fanfic abhors a vaccuum."

How the hell did he survive the change of Ministers? If Fudge were the only reason he got his job and spying on the Weasleys the entire reason he was promoted -- what is he doing in the next Minister's entourage?

Icarus

[wickedelf.livejournal.com]

I understand him leaving at Christmas (although the only reason he was there in the first place was as a tool for the Minister), but not coming to Bill's side? Although I guess if he didn't come to the hospital for his father or Ron, might as well continue the trend. But that's going to make family resolution pretty difficult.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, family resolution is quite out of the question I think. Although Dumbledore has his finger on it: this is a question of pride. Truthfully, if it were just Molly and not the twins and Ginny and the rest of the family, this would already be resolved.

But the real problem is that his brothers (especially the twins) have always treated him like shit, and his mother set him up as a target by constantly pointing out Perfect Percy as an example. Which made the twins nastier. Percy's stinging from a lifetime of insults, humiliation, and pranks. The twins targeted him because he was brittle and easy to harrass.

His success and affirmation was always outside the family. He's a grown man now, but the twins by flinging parsnips at him treated him as if he hadn't changed, as if he were still the same target.

We have a much colder picture of Percy at this point, and he must be politically competent, even shrewd, to have survived Fudge's demise.

Icarus

Idle Percy thought

[cheshyre]

Molly Weasley's clock. Supposedly all the hands were on mortal peril (except when Arthur was travelling) -- does that mean Percy's in danger too, or has his hand been removed from the clock?

Re: Idle Percy thought

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, given how Molly feels about Percy and worries about him -- that means he's in mortal peril, too. Of course, it may be that everyone in the Wizarding World is in mortal peril at the moment.

Icarus

Re: Idle Percy thought

[(Anonymous)]

Harry mentions all nine hands still being in place, so yeah, Percy's still there. I don't think you could pay Molly to take him off--in fact, I wonder if perhaps the hands don't come off until the person's death.

Welcome with open arms

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I've just gazed happily at your icon, waiting for the Percy pic.

It's like a vicious cycle...Percy is proud, certain family members (namely Fred, George, Ginny...not so much Ron, but he really hasn't been an active participant lately) treat Percy like crap; Percy becomes even more proud in his defense, and so on and so on.

Absolutely. And you know, I think Molly sees that her beloved family chased Percy away. That's why she's so torn, because she couldn't protect him and now her little star is doing well, but he's out of reach.

Oh, and as a side, you wonder why Percy continued in the Ministry post-Fudge...I wonder what the hell Miss Hem Hem Umbridge is still doing there at all!?!?!

Not surprising actually. She wasn't specifically connected to Fudge like Percy was. Some people are just entrenched. Percy's a little young to be so entrenched though, too closely connected to Fudge.

Icarus

[gail-b.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU!

At the book store,in line waiting for my copy of HBP, I adamantly defended my boy Percy to this woman who thought he was a complete git.

Well, yeah...he is a git, but not without reason. Like I read in the comments here, at Christmas, it was clear that he was being used by the Minister of Magic to get to Harry, but my heart broke when he stood in the doorway of the Burrow, looking very uncomfortable. And what the hell did Percy say or do to deserve parsnips flung on him? It's like a vicious cycle...Percy is proud, certain family members (namely Fred, George, Ginny...not so much Ron, but he really hasn't been an active participant lately) treat Percy like crap; Percy becomes even more proud in his defense, and so on and so on.

I spend my time thinking of scenarios where Percy and his family reconcile themselves to one another...for some reason, it's very VERY important to me that he does.

Wish I could write JKR and have her tell me, please, what's going to happen to Perce.

I'm going to make/have somebody make an icon for me that says, "I don't care, I still LOVE Percy"

Oh, and as a side, you wonder why Percy continued in the Ministry post-Fudge...I wonder what the hell Miss Hem Hem Umbridge is still doing there at all!?!?!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Clearly there's an answer to this problem, and that is:

Fanfic.


Icarus

[mark356.livejournal.com]

I know! There were so many aspects of HBP where she either spells out what we've been waiting for or just leaves a comfortable amount of space to write fanfic in, unlike OoTP, but with the Percy, it's not so at all; there's just the one scene, and all of HBP-Percy has to be extrapolated from there. It's so annoying!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I feel like starting a Percy fic challenge and just flooding the market with Percy....

I do have this lovely Percy site (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/percyness) in the works (still not ready, I'm uploading stories). The new home for the Percy Fic-A-Thon.

What do you think? Shall we throw it wide open with a challenge?

Icarus