SHIP: Evidence in GoF (from the main list)

[bbennett at joymail.com]

My response veers into OT so I dragged it over here; let me 
know if I guessed wrong. I also realize some of what I'm asking may 
have been answered before - if this is redundant - again, let me 
know.

> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., catherine at c... wrote:
 > No, no, no... RON and Hermione.  I have become quite obsessed with 
this <grin>! I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing near you. You'll 
>probably be getting an email either onlist or in private mail pretty 
>soon from SugarQuill Island. (What, this doesn't make sense? It 
will!)>

Heidi wrote: 
>It's interesting to see you and the other Ron/Hermione Relationship 
Promoters (aka the R/H Shippers) so sure - because those of us on the 
Harry/Hermione ship are convinced that when she kissed him at the end 
of GoF, she's making it very clear to him, and to Ron, that she likes 
*harry* :)>

Ooo, a ship post – my favorite kind :*) Heidi, your comments made
me wonder how people came to sail their respective ships. I 
personally went into GoF without a relationship of any sort in mind, 
and was rather surprised when I started picking up signs that Ron 
liked Hermione and vice versa (I'm not arguing that Hermione's
feelings are as obvious as Ron's, but I still think they're
there). On the other hand, many members have very eloquently argued 
the opposite –that Hermione likes Harry, and that there is
evidence from canon to back this up. 

We don't need to re-discuss the evidence, which has already been
very well presented on all sides. What I'm interested in is *when*
people came to a particular ship conclusion. As I said above, I
didn't see anything I would personally call "evidence" of
a potential relationship between Ron and Hermione until I got to GoF. 
How about everyone else - was it GoF? Did you see something prior to 
GoF that made you think one person liked another as more than a 
friend? Was there a fan-written story which seemed so perfect that it 
got you thinking? Did you simply see potential in a particular 
character, and wonder how his or her personality might change if 
paired with <fill-in-the-blank>?

Just curious,
B