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Yet Another Get Your Facts Straight - Haircolours in the HP-verse

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by Stan, Apr 12, 2015.

  1. Stan

    Stan Order Member

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    Death before Dishonor updated for the first time in months.

    Overall, decent chapter, if nothing special. The story continues to remain solid if unspectacular. A few spelling errors here and there, but nothing too jarring.

    Nice to finally get an explanation for Harry's pitiable finances. That had been bugging me for a while.

    Also, Daphne's a redhead in this? Well, fuck you fanon. I don't mind at all (after all, it seems better suited to canon Harry's tastes), but then I have no idea how Daphne fanboys imagine her to be.

    (I have no idea how could anyone be a fan of a blank slate character either, but since when did insignificant things like that stop the shippers?)

    Her characterization is decent (if unspectacular) here so far, so I don't mind. It will be interesting to see what the author does with the pairing. I am far more interested in Harry's bookie group than Daphne though -- I do hope we get to see more of them soon.


    EDIT by Minion:
    Follow up discussion of the stoy can be found here: https://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=28739


    EDIT EDIT by Minion:
    This once was part of the Almost Recommended thread. As the haircolour question started a deep and interesting debate, I moved it into this thread.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 14, 2015
  2. A.K.$J6-J5

    A.K.$J6-J5 Seventh Year

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    She was blonde in Canon
     
  3. Stan

    Stan Order Member

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    She was? Source?
     
  4. A.K.$J6-J5

    A.K.$J6-J5 Seventh Year

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    This and the sorting hat scene in the books
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2015
  5. Hiraelle

    Hiraelle Third Year

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    The movies are an interpretation of the books - the actress they chose is blonde, yes, that doesn't mean she can't have been a redhead in the books (proof that movies are not a proof of colouring : Harry Potter's eyes are not blue in canon), and she's not mentioned in the Sorting Hat scene.
    The only mention I find of her in the books is : "Trembling, she [Hermione] left the chamber with Anthony Goldstein, Gregory Goyle, and Daphne Greengrass."
     
  6. Ghosthree3

    Ghosthree3 Unspeakable DLP Supporter

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    True, however she wasn't redhead in canon either. And the fact that redheads seem quite rare in canon and I can't think of any ever being mentioned in Slytherin I'm going to say she most likely had Blonde, Brunette or Black hair.
     
  7. Hiraelle

    Hiraelle Third Year

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    We don't know that, since her hair color was never mentioned.

    Red hair, green tie seems interesting, for what is written at the moment. Thanks for the recommandation.
     
  8. Ghosthree3

    Ghosthree3 Unspeakable DLP Supporter

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    If you read what I said again, I said it wasn't red in canon, that doesn't mean it couldn't have been. Just that no where were we told it was.
     
  9. Anarchy

    Anarchy Half-Blood Prince DLP Supporter

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    Peeps, all we have in canon is a name (mentioned exactly once, in the exam scene mentioned above). I've personally written her with 4 different hair colors, and any one of them could be true.
     
  10. Sesc

    Sesc Slytherin at Heart Moderator

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    I raise you that I wrote her with three different hair colours in one story. My personal dig at that topic -- I dunno that anyone noticed though XD


    And yes Stan, all that saying "I like Harry/Daphne" means is that there is some sort of nebulous fanon-staple-version of her that the speaker in question likes. It doesn't really make sense without that stipulation.

    I thus typically substitute that for Harry/SlytherinGirl, myself -- at least that has some sort of meaning, based on the Canon-traits (leaving aside, of course, that 99% of all stories can't do those traits justice, be it in girls, in Harry, or in general).
     
  11. sirius009

    sirius009 Minister of Magic

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    You're joking right? There are 9 characters from the books that have red hair. Considering we only get physical descriptions on like 20 characters I'd say red heads are quite common, at least as far as we know.
     
  12. Ghosthree3

    Ghosthree3 Unspeakable DLP Supporter

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    Seven of them are from the same family... I don't personally think that counts.
     
  13. Blinker

    Blinker Seventh Year DLP Supporter

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    Not that I have any investment in this topic, but we know of at least four wizarding families that have red hair (off the top of my head weasleys, prewett, bones, dumbledore). That's a pretty decent chunk of all the families we know described.
     
  14. Ghosthree3

    Ghosthree3 Unspeakable DLP Supporter

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    Huh, Dumbledore had red hair? I honestly don't remember the details of DH too well.
     
  15. Goten Askil

    Goten Askil Groundskeeper

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    I think he has auburn hair in the memory of when he goes to Riddle's orphanage.

    Not so sure about the Bones hair, however. Isn't Susan being redhead from the films?
     
  16. sirius009

    sirius009 Minister of Magic

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    According to harrypotter.wikia.com Dumbledore had Auburn hair in his youth and that Susan Bones is a redhead.

    http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Susan_Bones

    Lets not forget the obvious that Lily Evans was a redhead as well. So all 9 Weasley's, Dumbledore, the Prewitt brothers, and Susan Bones. That's 14 redheads (or about 10 too many).

    The same website doesn't have a hair color for either Greengrass girl, however, Astoria's page does have an interesting note:

    Apparently that little quote comes from:

    If nothing else that gives us a hell of a lot more insight into what Astoria and possibly Daphne believes.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2015
  17. Perspicacity

    Perspicacity Destroyer of Worlds ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    Godric Gryffindor and Helga Hufflepuff both had red hair. As did Rose Weasley.

    I've only written Daphne Greengrass as having black hair (being Native American of Cherokee descent).
     
  18. Averis

    Averis Don of Delivery ~ Prestige ~

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    "This," the decrepit old man said, waving his arm vaguely toward the young girl behind him, "is my daughter, Chasing Greengrass."

    "Dad," the blonde girl sighed, "I've told you a hundred times--"

    The man did not seem to hear Chasing, who insisted, under her breath, her name was Daphne. He continued, "I have heard that you crossed the great sea--"

    Atlantic Ocean. Harry was perpetually grateful he had been taught the Translation charm, as the Chief's half-mumbled words were as clear as a bell. He was fairly certain the natives toward the back of the gathered crowd were unable to see or hear the proceedings.

    "--with many of your kind, searching for places uncharted and lands unknown. You see, it was once my desire to see the ends of the Earth, when I was young. To have come so far, you must be a man of great heart, an adventurer that would do our ancestors proud if ever they should return to walk our fertile land--"

    Harry's brain ceased functioning for much of the old man's flattery, partly because he was fairly certain the man was going to attempt to give away his daughter, partially hidden underneath... some sort of carcass. Bison?

    "Stand, daughter, so that this man may look upon you."

    They waited for quite a bit longer than was normally prudent when the chief of a tribe told someone to stand, but eventually Chasing did climb to her feet, removing the skin/fur/cloak from her shoulders, revealing her face for the first time.

    Now, truthfully, Harry was not expecting much out of the girl; if he was fortunate, she would be somewhat attractive and easily pawned off on another one of the tribesman when he inevitably lost interest. Hopefully, he would be far away from Jamestown by the time they would be expected to marry (or the fortifications on their colony were build up to keep a safe distance from the tribe).

    Therefore, Harry was more than surprised when a blonde, caucasian female with blue eyes and pale skin flashed an uncertain (somewhat surprised?) frown at him. He noticed that she quickly looked away, face reddening, and he knew what the emotion that flickered in her eyes was.

    Perhaps he would take the Chief up on his offer after all?
     
  19. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    Never cite the Harry Potter Wikia as your only source. If at all possible, just plain don't make it a source. Period.

    I'm sorry, call it prejudice, but I will never, ever accept a Harry Potter Wikia entry as fact at first glance, without it being mentioned alongside book passages, JKR interviews, or (at the absolute very least) a Pottermore page that all say the same thing. Maybe it has changed at the Wikia over the years, but I've seen far too many entries there for people's original characters and online RP universes, and supposed 'facts' based on the movies, fanon, or some random jackass's head-canon.

    It's not even a prejudice against Wikia sites, in general, since I've edited plenty of entries on the network, particularly on the Borderlands 2 Wikia.

    Ahem, now with that out of the way...

    All we actually know about the Bones family's hair is that Amelia's is gray and very short, while Susan A: Had some, and B: She wore it in a long braid.

    The movies especially don't matter in this case because, firstly, Amelia's hair color was wrong (and her monocle was missing - was the budget so strained they couldn't get a monocle?) and, secondly, the first actress who portrayed Susan wasn't chosen for her acting ability, nor was she chosen for how well she resembled the character: She was chosen because she was the director's daughter, and any other qualities didn't matter because, in the movies, that character might as well have been set dressing. Her name in the movie could just as easily have been "Female Background Student #2."

    The second actress to play Susan was blonde.

    Since her hair was two different colors in the movies, you can't take her movie hair color as any indication of canon.

    Bottom line: Unless there's been some new info on Pottermore, canon says Susan Bones has long hair she wears in a braid. That's it.

    I, personally, picture her in my mind as having hair that's on the slightly more 'reddish' side of auburn, but I won't pretend that's canon, like the Wikia does. :facepalm

    --

    I'd also throw out there that I don't think the frequency of redheads in one canon family should be taken as an indicator of the likelihood of any other given character having red hair.

    In other words, the fact that there are a slew of Weasleys mentioned in canon shouldn't have any bearing on whether, say, Morag MacDougal or Daphne Greengrass are more or less likely to be redheads.

    Yes, "lots of" HP characters had red hair... but nearly all of them were related. Break it down and what you're left with is...

    1. Prewett: Only one that we know for sure. Gideon and Fabian's hair color was never mentioned, that I could find.
    2. Weasley: Nine of them, with seven apparently being because both parents were redheads. (For the record, that's Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Lily-Luna, with Lily-Luna having one red-headed parent and three grandparents.)
    3. Dumbledore: But Kendra's hair was jet black and Ariana was blonde, so being a Dumbledore is no guarantee of any particular hair color, whatsoever! I don't recall Abe's hair color being mentioned, before his went white, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now.
    4. Evans: Lily's was dark red, but given Petunia's fair hair and the other Evans not being mentioned, Lily could easily be the only redhead in the family.
    5. Ronan, the fucking centaur, as if that has any bearing on anything.
    If a given character isn't said to be related to those families, then the likelihood of them having red hair should be the same for the population of any given U.K. boarding school (which would naturally take into account the preponderance of redheads in that region, compared to say, Zimbabwe).


    If anything, the number of known redheads in HP canon actually DECREASES the likelihood that any remaining characters are redheads. If you take the average distribution of redheads across a typical cross section of UK population, you would then have to subtract the known HP redheads from that number, not add.


    With every canon redhead in HP, the likelihood of any unknown also being one decreases. Sure, if they're directly related to another redhead, that possibility increases, but it's still no guarantee (just look at the Evans and Dumbledore families).


    Rose and Hugo's hair color, I should point out, was never addressed in the books, and the movies simply cannot be trusted. After all, the movies implemented or attempted to implement: Troll-Flitwick, Dumbledore's old girlfriend, black Lavender, Susan's magical color-changing hairdo, clean-shaven Slughorn, increasingly blonde Hermione, 'what buck teeth?' Hermione, all your canon lines are belong to me Hermione, contrail-apparation, gray-haired McGonagall...
    Hell, the Wikia lists Hugo's hair as brown and Rose's as red, despite both being red in the movie, with Hugo's actually being an even deeper red than his sister's. You never know what direction that site's going to go.


    As far as I know, the founders' hair colors are unknown, with the only clues being the images from JKR's old site, which may or may not be canon.
    ---



    The site won't let me preview this post, and probably won't let me edit it, so... here's to working without a net. :mad:
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2015
  20. Mercenary

    Mercenary Snake Eater

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    You're evil.
    :D

    Ontopic: I always imagined her with dark black hair for some reason. I suppose its a natural consequence of having a character be mentioned/described all of what? Two times?
     
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