SHIP: How I became H/H ....

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

Hi --

I saw inklings of Ron liking Hermione as early as CoS (although I think
maybe it was after I read PoA that I thought back to CoS and thought,
"Oh yeah ... there were hints in that one too).  I saw Ron as being
interested in Hermione at some point pretty clearly in PoA.  And, of
course, JKR all but hits us over the head with it in GoF.

Backtracking to pre-GoF though -- like Ebony, I was disquieted by the
notion of R/H.  I saw the signs of Ron liking her, but I just didn't
like them as a couple.  I don't understand or appreciate relationships
where bickering & spatting are the primary form of communication.  So, I
found their relationship style to be very off-putting.

I also relate very much to Hermione.  And, I don't relate well to Ron at
all.  So, naturally, the idea of my favorite character pairing up
romantically with a character I don't understand too well was not
exactly pleasant.

Then, I found PoU.  I'd never even heard of fanfiction before last March
or April when I discovered PoU.  I was hooked.  But, PoU was serialized,
and H & H didn't get together until late May or June as I recall (the
infamous Chapter 8).  There were hints in the earlier chapters of
course.  And, so I re-read the books with an eye to whether this was a
plausible canon pairing, an alternative to the R/H pairing that didn't
make any sense to me.  And, there it was.  :--)   The possibilities were
there.

Like Ebony, I was disturbed by the notion of H/Cho in the pre-GoF days.
I had no rational reason to dislike her or the possible pairing.  I just
did.  I remember thinking that I would just have to deal with it in GoF,
despite disliking it intensely.  Then, I was elated when it turned out
to be much ado about nothing.

H/G -- I've been against it from the get-go.  I don't like canon Ginny.
There, I said it.  I don't.  I recognize she has possibilities, and if
JKR develops her into a stronger character, I probably *will* like her
(although I might still not support the H/G ship).  But, I see her as a
very weak person at the moment.  She has that one scene of strength in
GoF (comforting Ron, refusing to divulge Hermione's date and sticking by
her promise to go with Neville).  But, overall, I think she's a very
minor player with some qualities I don't like much.  The H/G pairing has
never felt right to me.  At all.  :::shudders:::

I read GoF with H/H rose-colored glasses so GoF was not the book that
threw me into the H/H camp.  PoU was the introduction, but my own
re-read of the first 3 books convinced me that this was a pairing I
could support whole-heartedly.  I also saw evidence of Hermione liking
Harry in those first 3 books -- mainly PoA.  Lori herself must have
thought R/H was inevitable in canon as PoU includes this thread.

At base, just like H/G doesn't feel right to me, neither does R/H.
Perhaps that's my identification with Hermione and my preferences
between Harry and Ron coming through.

Of course, I do have back-up for my gut feelings with textual evidence.
<vbg>

Penny