Okay, I think the anti-Quibbler people (I know there are those of you out there) put an Imperious Curse on me to prevent me from writing. I have never had such block in my life than trying to slave through this topic…It took forever, I know. But hey, I am a college grad now. I have spent the past few months graduating college, looking for a real job, planning my wedding, and trying to elect a new president here in the States. Basically, a lot has been going on in my personal life and I had to get some things straightened out.

One of the more popular subjects for the Quibbler that I receive in feedback is to do some bit on Harry’s classmates, other peers, and their potential significance to the septology. We like to hear about Ginny, Luna, and Lavender, and the romances that could be surrounding the trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. If you have always wanted to know about this, then here is your answer!

Let us begin with the characters that we know best: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron was one of the first wizarding children that Harry met. He met Draco Malfoy in Diagon Alley, but Ron was really the first one who warmed up to Harry and vice versa. Ron comes from a pureblood family and has several siblings. He and Harry have been best friends since their first year. Harry even joined the Weasleys at their home during the summer holiday following his second year at Hogwarts. So what significance could Ron have to the septology? For those of you who are loyal Quibbler readers, you know that my favorite character is Ron. For anything bad to happen to him would kill me. Personally, I believe that out of the three main characters (Ron, Harry, and Hermione), Ron is the least likely to die, and Hermione is the most likely.

So will Harry find love after Cho? I believe that Cho and Harry will become sort of friends again, but their romance is over for sure. Cho is a surprisingly huge ally when it comes to what may happen among the houses in future books. Being a Ravenclaw, she does have some animosity toward Harry because they are natural rivals, especially because of Quidditch. Deep down, however, Cho will look to Harry as an ally because of what they have in common; they are both popular, athletic, and talented. Cho holds the keys to allies in Ravenclaw, if not other houses. Even through the embarrassment of the kiss, Cho continues with the DA and holds very little ill will toward Harry. A lot believe Cho to be a spy, but I really believe she will be more valuable than anything will further in the storyline.

What is up with Malfoy? Our favorite Draco has been acting a little strange lately. His angst is at an all-time high, and of course, he still has severe disdain for Hermione. He resents Harry for exposing his father’s Death Eater secrets, but will perhaps be a little more humbled now that Lucius is in custody. We must remember as we read these books to look at the relationships from the surface-level up and not the other way around. We need to remember that in the Harry-Draco relationship, Harry was originally the person who did not want to be friends. Malfoy, being the popular and wealthy kid that he is, will always feel too good for Harry, and resent the fact that Harry turned down the offer to be his friend. On the surface level, their relationship has basically been competitive and full of jealousy. Now, since the Department of Mysteries fiasco, Malfoy feels that it his duty to protect his father’s image, not just his own. One of two things can happen with Malfoy: He decides that he must do whatever he can to protect his family’s name, even if it means killing the one who tarnished it, or he will delve into his father’s activities and decide that his father is evil, and turn to an ally with Harry. Many people believe it will be the latter of the two options, but I believe that Malfoy is too obsessed with his family’s name and image to turn against it. Besides, Harry needs the male peer antagonist to keep him focused in school on hunting down Voldemort.

Neville Longbottom. His character has been sadly downplayed in the movies, despite his importance in the books. Neville is a somewhat fickle character, in the best sense, because we are not sure whether he is significant or not. In Order of the Phoenix, he is the “new” important character as Ginny Weasley was in Chamber of Secrets. Neville is much like Harry in several obvious ways, but we learned about his courage in the latest book. Overall, it is too hard to tell what significance Neville will play in the last two books, but I think it is safe to assume that his involvement in the Department of Mysteries was just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of Harry’s peers have been loyal to him and will remain loyal, such as the members of the DA, especially Luna, Ginny, and a few others. Others will have to see past the label that Harry has been given as an attention-seeker to remain his ally, such as Seamus. I personally felt that Rowling’s choice of Seamus to be the doubter was a little strange, but again, he demonstrates the tip of the iceberg in how others will see Harry in the near future.

I am going to do a little more research and finish up in more detail next week. If you have any feedback or comments that you would like to submit to help me out for additional angles, please use the feedback form. I will keep writing as much as I can, so please be on the watch for more of the Quibbler. Again, I apologize, and thank, all the fans out there who had awesome patience with me as I trucked through some personal things.

Next week will be Part 2 of Harry’s Peers and Their Roles.

1/15/05