Penelope Clearwater

[Cinderella Angelina]

I was just browsing the Audrey Weasley thread and came across this little tidbit:

What kind of woman do you believe that Percy would be attracted to?
Maybe someone like Penelope Clearwater. I think she would be very Percy in personality.

Is this how most people see Penny? We're not given much about her in the books -- she's a bit snotty to "Crabbe and Goyle" when they ask her where the Slytherin common room is, but likely no worse than any other Ravenclaw (and we do have to remember that she's sneaking away from a snogging session with Percy, so she's probably a bit uptight about getting caught).

I do have some other questions about her, if folks would be willing to speculate.

All the physical evidence we get for her is she has long curly hair. What color is it? What kind of curly? Like, super tight curls or loose waves? What color are her eyes?

I've said hazel eyes in the past and skimmed over the fact of hair color, but I've always thought of her as having light hair.

Also, when do you think she and Percy broke up? When they were still at school or after they graduated? Would it still be a cordial relationship or a bit embittered? Do you think she and Audrey knew each other first, and that's how Percy met his wife? (In however a roundabout fashion.)

I'm just so very curious.

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

I always imagined her with like tight waves if that makes sense with brown hair and blue eyes, like not skinny but not fat and about 5'8. I think she's not like Hermione like about the rules but more than like the average student. And who wouldn't want to give Crabbe and Goyle trouble? I think after grad, you know maybe it was too hard to keep it going. And you know, Audrey and Penelope could have known eachother, actually I could definately see that happening, like they were childhood friends or something? Anywho, those are my thoughts

[lucca4]

I've said hazel eyes in the past and skimmed over the fact of hair color, but I've always thought of her as having light hair.

Funny, I've always pictured her with dark hair--black or very dark brown. Until this point, I thought it was a canon description, but maybe it's just something my mind came up with randomly .

Also, when do you think she and Percy broke up? When they were still at school or after they graduated? Would it still be a cordial relationship or a bit embittered? Do you think she and Audrey knew each other first, and that's how Percy met his wife?

Well, they were still dating in PoA, so I think it would make sense for them to break up during GoF, or the summer before this book. In this time period, Percy is really getting more job-oriented than relationship-oriented (family or otherwise). I think his ambition wasn't so prominent in his school years. I don't picture him and Penelope maintaining any sort of relationship after that. Percy is very high-and-mighty, and I could see him looking down on his "youthful years" when he was just a schoolboy and dating Penelope. I think when he sees the relationship in retrospect, he won't think it was very serious. She definitely wouldn't have met his wife--Percy's marriage takes place after his character has changed so much(for the better) and I think he would be the type to move forward, not backwards.

[Equinox Chick]

They were together for quite a long time, though. So I think it must have been a serious relationship.

Ginny sees them in CoS, and he's still with her at the end of his Hogwarts education, plus he's very upset by her petrification.

She's a Ravenclaw and described as serious. So intelligent and dedicated to whatever career she'd pursue. However, she does carry a mirror because her and Hermione see the Basilisk in it. That suggests - perhaps - a degree of vanity. But then she is 17 ish, so would probably want to check her reflection. Hermione as a 13 yo (and being Hermione) wouldn't be that fussed.

We don't hear of her again, so I reckon her and Percy split up when he becomes more work obsessed. Perhaps she's training to be something like a lawyer and needs to concentrate on that. I think it probably ended amicably - each had more important things going on in their lives.

~Carole~

[OliveOil_Med]

Perhaps even she and Hermione would work together in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

[hestiajones]

Originally posted by OliveOilMed:
Perhaps even she and Hermione would work together in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Possible. I think that's similar to what the previous poster said, or is a continuation of that idea.

But coming back to your questions, Cinderalla Angelina!

If JKR said she's a bit like Percy, than she could be somewhat strict and prissy. She seems to be competitive, too. There was that whole betting going on about the Quidditch final in POA.

All the physical evidence we get for her is she has long curly hair. What color is it? What kind of curly? Like, super tight curls or loose waves? What color are her eyes?

For some reason, I always thought of it as dark, something lucca4 also said. But as canon doesn't specify, I think it would be safe to go with any colour. As for eyes, mmm...hazel? Like you said?

Also, when do you think she and Percy broke up? When they were still at school or after they graduated? Would it still be a cordial relationship or a bit embittered? Do you think she and Audrey knew each other first, and that's how Percy met his wife? (In however a roundabout fashion.)

I think they were together when they left school. Maybe, it is just me, but I always picture them breaking up when Percy becomes this embittered, overly ambitious Ministry official. Just as he had no time for his family, I imagine him having no time for a girlfriend. But that's a short-sighted take on things. What if Penelope supported him? What if Percy broke up with her after the battle because she had been associated with his less than admirable conduct?

I have no idea about Audrey, though. Lol! But I like to think she arrived late in his life, and helped him heal.

~Natalie.

[Cinderella Angelina]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses!

So would you say that Percy and Penny's relationship grew out of a mutual respect for rules and ambition? Everyone over at the Audrey thread seems to think that she would be a fun person and that's what attracts Percy to her; is this because he's matured more? Or are there just conflicting opinions of what Percy really likes?

I personally think that Penny, while a prefect and a Ravenclaw, must be more laid-back than Percy (because you can't possibly get more rule-conscious than Percy). I'm not sure whether this would be a strain in their relationship or a benefit; I guess it probably doesn't matter, except when comparing his two major romantic relationships. (This suddenly strikes me as entirely ridiculous; both Penelope and Audrey are completely unknown, so comparing how his relationship worked with one or the other is kind of useless. But fun.)

It's very likely that they broke up once Percy got more involved with his work; probably as soon as they graduated, or just before. I guess most witches and wizards work for the Ministry in some capacity, so it's likely that she got a job in a different department. I don't know about Magical Law Enforcement, though; there's nothing in canon to suggest she wouldn't work for something a little more, I dunno, exciting. (Like, for instance, the Time Division.) But there's nothing in canon to suggest that she's into anything more than defending wizards according to laws and precedents. So it's up to the discretion of the imaginer. And I like that!

I still think of her as having blond hair. The movie agrees with me, doesn't it?

[AidaLuthien]

On her looks:

When I hear the name "Penelope Clearwater" it makes me think of a blonde or red-blonde (Penny) with blue eyes (clear-water). That might be just because JK tends to use names that are very... pointed.

Then again, Hermoine claims that she's Penelope Clearwater in DH, so maybe Penny has brown hair and brown eyes.

Her and Percy's break up:

I think she and Percy would have broken up around the time that he started getting distant from his family. It makes sense that he wouldn't have time for a girlfriend either.

[Equinox Chick]

What do you think Penelope Clearwater's blood status is.

Before DH, I always thought she was a Muggleborn because she was attacked by the Basilisk, but in DH, Hermione uses her name as an alias and says she's a half-blood. I understand she was probably just using the first name that came into her head, but is there any canon evidence to tell us Penelope's blood status?

(I kinda want her to be a Muggleborn ...)

Thanking ye

~Carole~

[hestiajones]

I'd say she is Muggle-born. The students attacked in Chamber of Secrets were all Muggle-borns. Wikia says Tom Riddle said something about targeting "four Mudbloods and a Squib", but I don't have the book with me to check this.

As for Hermione identifying herself as Penelope, it beats me why she did this. The only reason I can think of is that Penelope was the first name that came to her mind. Maybe it was that Penelope had already left Hogwarts by then, and they were possibly looking for students who were missing at the school. (This is a theory my brain finds quite convincing at the moment, but again I don't have the book with me, so take this with a pinch of salt.) It could also be that Penelope was attacked along with Hermione in COS, so she remembered her name by association.

Anyway, I don't think it was ever confirmed if Clearwater was on the list or not. They sort of lost interest with Hermione, didn't they? Muggle-born would be a safe choice.

~Natalie