Main Characters, Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindors and Slytherins

[Cecily]

See, I have this thing where I hate 60% of the main characters I read about. I actually used to like Harry Potter, but I now just like the books. Literally, Ron, Hermione, and Harry annoy me so much. Acting as if Harry is more important than the others, as if he is the only one that has something to fight for.

Especially when I read fanfiction in which the author calls them the "Golden Trio." That irks me to no end. Why are they more important?

There's also the fact that Gryffindors act as if they're the best house there is to be in. Sure, they're brave, but they're also arrogant and egotistical. Slytherins have basically the same traits, except for the fact that they're more ambitious, and calculating. Sort of like a Ravenclaw. I think that's the reason most of the evil witches and wizards come from that house: they know that they have the intellectual ability to rise strongly and stay strong for a long amount of time.

I mean, yeah, my two favorite characters are Fred and George Weasley, but from the way they're portrayed in the books, they seem to have a great sense of Ravenclaw in them, as well as Gryffindor. For this same reason I feel like if they were in the Percy Jackson world, they'd be in the Hephaestus Cabin, rather than the Hermes.

What do you think?

(I know I was a bit unclear, but you can reply to any of the topics I address up there ^^^)

[Potent]

I think that you begin to realize that Harrry (especially), Hermione, and Ron, are not perfect people. Their imperfections really shine through the more you read the books and this makes them a tad more beliveable/relateable.
I kind of think Harry's a jerk most of the time.

You have to admit, his final act is pretty selfless, jerk or not.

As far as the houses go, you just don't really get a point of view from someone's perspective belonging to another house. I'm sure they all have great pride in what ever house they are in. Wouldn't you?

[Ruby]

Character development is by far the trait of the series that is under-done, if you get what I mean. Harry changes little, and interactions with other characters stay the same. I love the books because of the worldbuilding and epic story for this reason. So the fact that the characters never CHANGED annoyed me a little, but they themselves did not. I still really like Harry and Ron and Hermione.

As for your Slytherin and Gryffindor thoughts, I think it's perfectly natural for each house to think they're the best. Slytherins say, "I'm the best because I'm the purest." Ravenclaws say they're the smartest. Hufflepuffs say they're the kindest and more hardworking. Gryffindors think they have the most guts, which as you guessed would lead to recklessness and arrogance being a major trait of the house.

But though in theory Gryff and Slyth are the same because they're based around similar core elements, they really aren't because of the environment of each. Gryffindors base their activities around competition and supporting each other to do good things. Slytherins have brotherhood, and they use this camaraderie and politically incorrect view about purity and whatnot to bully and gain high social standing, etc. They hang out with jerks for their teenage years, so it's only natural that most Slytherins are jerks in the series. It's not really stereotypical because every single instance of Slytheriness we get is them teasing, bullying, or giving the main characters a hard time.