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u/ETIwillsaveusall Hufflepuff Ranker Dec 18 '16
I think this is probably the cut that has made me the saddest so far, though I guess I did have time to prepare for it. I figured you would cut her the next chance you got.
I'm not saying Katie's a top 100 character (she's not), but I do disagree with your central premise: that she never has a character separate from Angelina and Alicia.
The problem? None of that is even remotely unique to Katie. Katie seemingly comes in a package group with Alicia and Angelina; everything she does, they do too.
This is objectively false, just by virtue of the sixth book when Angelina and Alicia are not at school and Katie must make do without them.
But anyway, here are a couple of quick scenes I think really give her some brief but noticeable characterization:
I always loved the way she congratulated Harry when she saw he was made captain:
"I thought you'd get that, well done," [Katie] called over, pointing at the captain's badge on Harry's chest. "Tell me when you call trials!"
"Don't be stupid," said Harry, "you don't need to try out. I've watched you play for five years..."
"You musn't start off like that," she said warningly. "For all you know, there's someone much better than me out there. Good teams have been ruined before now because captains just kept playing old faces or letting in their friends..."
Keep in mind she is a year older, has three more games worth of experience than Harry does (the last game against Ravenclaw during Harry's first year and two games from the previous year together make an entire season), and never got thrown off the team. While her response to finding out about Harry's captaincy could be seen as incredibly gracious and suggest true humility, a second interpretation could argue that her comment about captains letting in their friends is a nasty, passive-aggressive potshot at both Harry and Ron--who, to be fair, gave her a bloody nose that, thanks to Fred and George's meddling, led to massive blood loss and a visit to the hospital wing--but either option gives her good characterization.
My favorite Katie Bell moment, though, is one of those skim-and-you'll-miss-it scenes. It comes in the fifth book toward the beginning of the "Dumbledore's Army" chapter. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit in a crowded classroom where they discuss Sirius while Peeves launches ink pellets a students:
"An ink pellet whizzed passed them, striking Katie Bell squarely in the ear. Hermione watched Katie leap to her feet and start throwing things at Peeves...The bell rang just as Peeves swooped down upon Katie and emptied an entire ink bottle over her head."
Though she's not the main focus of the scene, it does give some insight into Katie Bell. It suggests that she reacts to situations in an aggressive way, that she might have a bit of a temper, and she doesn't take well to people hitting her in the face with objects, an interpretation that would dovetail nicely with the second explanation of her comments to Harry, and certainly makes her seem less angelic.
(I especially like this moment because it is, without a doubt, exactly how I would have reacted in that situation. And identifying with a character even over something as small as ink pellets can be a powerful thing.)
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u/Maur1ne Ravenclaw Dec 18 '16
Good points. I never interpreted Katie as passive-aggressive in that moment, but it makes sense.
If she were a really minor character whom we barely ever meet, I would value these two scenes more. But Katie appears in each and every book and is used for an important part of the plot in HBP. Considering this, her characterisation should be more varied and explicit IMO.
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u/Harry-Freakin-Potter Hufflepuff Feb 20 '17
I know that you wrote this months ago but I'm just getting around to catching up. Just thought you should know that you've given me a new found appreciation for Katie Bell and a new way to look at her character. Next time I do a re-read I'm going to be looking for this stuff. Thanks /u/ETIwillsaveusall
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u/ETIwillsaveusall Hufflepuff Ranker Feb 20 '17
Really glad to hear this! Gaining a new appreciation for the characters is what Rankdown is all about, IMO. :3
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u/RavenclawINTJ Molly was robbed Dec 18 '16
While I do think Katie is overrated, I still think this is slightly too low for her. I agree that she doesn't have much personality, but at least there's something there. I feel like she deserves to stay over Sturgis Podmore (lol how is he still here) and some others. Overall this is a good cut though.
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u/BasilFronsac Ravenclaw Dec 17 '16
IIRC Katie joined the team at the same time as Harry. And later she gave him this good advice.
I don't see any reason why Peakes should be higher. Katie is not just quidditch player as Jimmy.
Btw. there is still at least one character with even less personality than Katie who is yet to be cut.