HP Diversity

A couple of community members suggested that one reason why people may hesitate to write about characters of color is that they don't have a good handle on those characters' backgrounds, personalities, and experiences, either because the characters are not sufficiently fleshed out in the books, or because the writers don't feel confident writing outside of their own ethnicity/culture due to a lack of familiarity.

In response to that, I'm launching an occasional series of Character Discussions. The idea is to get to know these characters better, to share ideas and speculation, to ask questions, and to spark people's imagination.

I thought we could start off with Blaise Zabini, for no particular reason. :)

The Harry Potter Wiki entry on Blaise contains a good summary of what's known about the character, as well as some speculation based on those facts.

Here are some possible ideas to get the discussion started:

- Where do his ancestors come from? How long has his family been in Britain?
- Why was he sorted into Slytherin?
- What career do you think he went into after Hogwarts and why?
- Do you agree with the Wiki entry, which claims Blaise was arrogant, disdainful, confrontational, contemptuous, disrespectful, and difficult to please romantically?
- What do you think his name reveals about him, if anything?

Feel free to ask your own questions as well, and to make any additional remarks you'd like about Blaise Zabini!