Don’t forget that in Rowling’s world there are only three kinds of women:
Mothers (or nurturers), bitches, and jokes.
That’s it.
Petunia is a bitch until she admits to worry for Harry and Dudley.
Narcissa Malfoy is a bitch until she admits to worry for Draco.
Mrs. Black is a mother who refuses to nurture and is a bitch.
Fleur Delacourt is a bitch until she chooses to devote herself to nurturing Bill.
Rita Skeeter is a bitch.
Bellatrix Lestrange is a bitch.
Dolores Umbridge is a bitch.
Aunt Marge is a bitch.
Pansy Parkinson is a bitch.
Molly Weasley is a mother.
Lily Potter is a mother.
Mrs. Longbottom is a mother.
Tonks is a mother.
Ginny is a joke until she becomes Harry’s emotional support, and postcanon is a mother.
Hermione’s entire role is to support Harry and Ron and—yup—in the epilogue is a mother.
Narcissa is redeemed by being a mother.
Luna Lovegood is a mother and teacher.
Minerva McGonagall is a head of house—what we in the US call a housemother—and headmistress.
Professor Hooch is a teacher.
Professor Sprout is a teacher.
Merope Riddle is a mother and entirely devoted to a man.
Cho Chang’s entire character is “I’m devoted to a man.” She straddles the line between mother and joke.
Professor Trelawney? Joke.
Moaning Myrtle? Joke.
Also, note that when Rowling wants you to dislike a female character, she always goes straight for their looks. Narcissa always looks like she’s smelled something unpleasant. Umbridge looks like a toad. Rita Skeeter is “mannish.” Petunia is “scrawny” while Aunt Marge is described as fat in super-fatphobic ways and Umbridge is described as looking like a toad. When we first meet Hermione she’s described as “frizzy-haired and bucktoothed” and her teeth are magically fixed after she becomes a love interest. Cho’s friend, I forget her name because she literally only shows up once, turns in Dumbledore’s Army and her punishment—which is treated as a joke—is disfiguring acne and scarring across her face.
And let’s not forget the implication that Umbridge was raped, which is also treated as a joke!
Yeah, that sure is some feminist writing right there!
