scared-of-clouds:

snapslikethis:

thespian-sherlockian-whovian:

snapslikethis:

i firmly believe that both ginny and harry had nightmares long into adulthood, but

tom riddle haunted ginny’s dreams:
handsome
charming
dark haired
charismatic
brilliant smile
deep, rich voice

and voldemort haunted harry’s dreams:
white, pale skin
slits for nostrils
red eyes with slitted pupils
no lips
long, thin fingers
a cold, high pitched voice

and i have no idea why this is important to me but it is

They’re having nightmares about the same person but he’s different to both of them in those nightmares.

Well, yes.

It boils down to the fact that although Voldemort intimately invaded both Harry and Ginny’s minds, their experiences were still so vastly different that they could only relate to a certain extent.

Harry was possessed by Voldemort, but only for a few moments before he was forced to leave, and it was terrifying Voldemort who did that, whom Harry knew not to trust, whom Harry did not at all want in his mind.

Tom, on the other hand, was anything but sinister, anything but a monster. He invited every confidence, was charming, kind, handsome, and Ginny poured her heart into him. It wasn’t until her problems, her anxiety gave reached a certain point that he had the strength to possess her. She didn’t realize until it was too late that he couldn’t be trusted, and then she was too weak to stop him. She tried, by throwing the diary away, but it was too little, too late.

I don’t know. It’s just interesting (and also horrifying) to think about. They were both so scarred by Voldemort, and they found solace in each other, but it wasn’t the same kind of horror they experienced.

Linds, I think this is a HUGELY important and often overlooked point actually; abuse and assault comes in many forms, and they’re all traumatic.

Harry’s mind was attacked by Voldemort in a very frontal assault kind of way; someone broke into his mind, aggressively, violently.

It’s a violation, it affects your sense of self, of safety. It’s like having your house broken into, being mugged in the street; it shakes you. But for Harry, it was something that he knew he never invited, knew he didn’t want. He was the victim, and no-one ever could, or would, say otherwise.

For Ginny…to some extent she invited Tom in. She didn’t mean to, but she let him in, she showed him her secrets, she turned him loose on the school, and she’s wracked with guilt about that. She was manipulated, deceived. This wasn’t an obvious, outside attack like Voldemort’s attempts on Harry’s minds, this was insidious, a slow takeover of her. It’s an abusive relationship rather than an assault from a hated enemy.

And unlike Harry, Ginny carries a burden of guilt for her possession. She shouldn’t, she’s just as much a victim as him, but this kind of assault, of being mentally worn down and manipulated is not always seen that way, and many people blame themselves for not being stronger, for not recognising it for what it was.

Harry knows it wasn’t his fault; Ginny suspects it IS her fault.

Both experiences are horrible, both are traumatic, both are difficult to get over, but I think something that JKR is emphasising here is that there are many, many different ways that people can be abused, and it’s never their fault.

It’s a central fact of the story I think, the different ways people can be used and abused; Tom Riddle used charm, Voldemort uses magic and fear; the Dursleys use neglect (and violence to some extent); Lucius Malfoy uses money and position; Merope Gaunt used a love potion; Lockhart used memory charms.

It’s a recurring theme, that idea of using someone for your own ends, and how damaging it is.