HBP detail regarding original generation of Death Eaters i.e Could Rosier be a girl?

[Iruthb]

In the applying for a job memory, he's just called Rosier. In Slughorn's memory, he isn't in the room. So I suppose he could be a she, if you wanted.

His/Her gender is not mentioned once in HBP, nor is his/her first name.

EDIT: Time Nargles messed with my post, this is supposed to be underneath Alex's post

[welshdevondragon]

This is a very minor point but I would be very grateful if someone who has access to a copy of HBP could answer me asap. In the memory of Riddle coming to Hogwarts to ask for a teaching job, Dumbledore mentions that some of his friends are in Hogsmeade. Now, I think he mentions Rosier by name. Is Rosier's gender mentioned? Likewise in Slughorn's memory (I can't remember this but would be very grateful if someone checked) of when Riddle asks about Horcruxes is Rosier mentioned as being in the room and as being male?

If Rosier's gender (this not being Evan Rosier but a relative) is not mentioned then that would be absolutely fantastic for the story I'm writing at the moment and I would love an answer asap before I get rather carried away with the possibility that Rosier could be female.

Thanks- Alex

[the_computer_is_an_enigma]

The wiki says that Rosier is male, but then again, it's a wiki. Rosier's gender was never mentioned in the book as far as I could tell, having read over a few chapters.

Harry looked around as Dumbledore appeared beside him and saw that they were standing in Slughorn's office. Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens.

All boys in the Slug Club?

"Then if I were to go to the Hog's Head tonight, I would not find a group of them -- Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, Dolohov -- awaiting your return? Devoted friends indeed, to travel this far with you on a snowy night, merely to wish you luck as you attempted to secure a teaching post."

Just a name here.

"Let us speak openly. Why have you come here tonight, surrounded by henchmen, to request a job we both know you do not want?"

'Henchmen' isn't a gender-specific word, at least in this context. Dumbledore wouldn't say 'surrounded by henchman and 'henchwomen' or 'henchpeople' (awkward). So, you have the benefit of the doubt here too.


As for my personal opinion, I think Rosier could be either. But I'll argue from your point of view to prove that Rosier could, indeed, be a girl. Here's my reasoning:


Take the Slug Club for example. There were only boys at the meeting. So, either the Slug Club was for all male students back then, or the entire club consisted of Tom Riddle and Friends. Personally, I think that the all-male club is more likely. (The second statement isn't really logical, because we know that Tom Riddle's gang was "a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty". If so, then obviously not all of the members would be as talented as Tom was. Therefore, they would not be in the Slug club.)

There could also be a third option: The Slug Club wasn't all-male. So, either female-Rosier wasn't one of the talented ones, or she was unable to attend the meeting for whatever reason. This is also a good stance, but it requires an explanation for why female-Rosier wasn't present at the meeting. (Answer: She was sick, she was away, etc. Finding a reason isn't a problem at all.)


So if Rosier is a girl, then:

1.) The Slug Club is all-male

or

2.) She wasn't talented enough to be in it.

or

3.) She was one of the few girls who were chosen, but didn't come on that day for whatever reason.

Making Rosier a girl is somewhat challenging, but if you patch up all the canon-holes, then I'm sure your story can breeze by. Canon never says that Rosier WASN'T a girl, or that ALL of Tom Riddle's gang-friends were guys, after all. So it's safe to assume the opposite.

The fic I'm writing sort of dances on the line between canon and not, so I know how you feel about those vague details. But remember: if your story gets shattered by an unexpected canon-blast ("Rosier IS a guy! Take that girl-Rosier fics!!" said Pottermore.) then your worst fear is the AU category. Which, if your story is well written, isn't a problem at all. People will still appreciate your wit and creativity.

Hope I helped.

[welshdevondragon]

THANK YOU! You have no idea how immensely happy this has made me. Seriously, there's a huge grin on my face (though that may be still from just how lovely JK Rowling's Who Do We Think We Are was. I didn't want Rosier to be exactly the same age as Tom Riddle- so she wouldn't be in the Slug Club with him anyway, and I agree that henchmen is pretty gender neutral given its clumsy saying "henchwomen". And I agree the wiki can't always be trusted.

Oh, this is fantastic. Thank you so much- if you ever want someone to beta for you, I'd be happy to and I'll try to leave a review to show my gratitude asap. If no-one had answered I probably would have rushed out to a bookshop/ library tomorrow morning having spent all night planning a story with Rosier being female and not being sure whether its canon or not. So as long as Pottermore doesn't throw anything up this is absolutely perfect.

Thank you!