H/H shippers clues

[Ebony]

No: HPFGUIDX 8136

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Kimberly " <moongirlk at y...> wrote:
>  I wonder, if you asked your average group of 8th graders who 
hadn't already discussed the topic simply if any of the characters 
had romantic feelings for each other, without having brought up the 
kiss, whether the responses might have been more varied.  I don't 
know that it would, but it seems worth a try in the spirit of 
research.

Hey, Kimberly and all...

I know no one will believe me, but at lunchtime on July 10 the first 
question I asked over our sandwiches and apples was nothing ship-
related.  I asked them "did the death of Cedric surprise you?"  (All 
the kids at this particular table spent the entire weekend reading 
GoF... I was fascinated by this and wanted their take on things.)  
The answer was yes--they were glad it was not Ron or the rumored 
Weasley twin.  

Then one kid (Jeff--mentioned him back in July) said, "I thought it 
would be Ron too.  But the thing that got me most about this book is 
that now I think Ron is going to betray Harry."  

Me:  "That's ridiculous.  Ron is Harry's best friend."  

"But Ron's going to get really jealous of Harry in the next few 
books.  Harry already has everything, and now Hermione likes him too."

I'm sure this threw me as a loop.  It jarred me enough so that I 
remember the gist of the conversation *and* several actual 
statements.  Of course, I'd originally thought post-PoA there might 
be some evidence of H/H in GoF, but by the time I got to the chapters 
leading up to the first task, I'd shrugged it off.  I got no sense 
whatsoever upon first reading that Hermione liked *anyone*... Ron, 
Harry, Krum, whoever.  So I think I asked Jeff if he'd read GoF, or 
something else entirely.

Then another, quieter kid (think it was Josh) pipes up with something 
like, "Yeah, I saw that too.  God, I hope she doesn't kill Ron off... 
he's going to get mad and do something he shouldn't.  And he's my 
favorite character!"

"Well, that friendship is doomed, for sure," some of the others 
aid.  "It's like a chain... each one likes someone else.  If Hermione 
doesn't like Ron, and he finds out about her crush on Harry... boy, 
there's going to be some fireworks.  He'd betray Harry because of it, 
I know he will."

"Where in the world are you getting this from?" I said, extremely 
skeptical.  "I'm your teacher, and I don't see all this crush stuff.  
Why do you think that Hermione sees Harry as anything other than her 
friend?"

I remember Jeff telling me verbatim, "Because she kissed him."  All 
around the table, there were nods.

I'd actually forgotten that last page kiss upon first read.  Someone 
actually had to show me their copy of the book--I remember it 
well.  "So?" I said.  You should have seen the looks on the kids' 
faces... it was like "humor her, she's an adult and doesn't know any 
better."  It was almost as if every single one of them took this fact 
as much for granted as Harry having a scar.

"Come on, Miss Thomas, she wouldn't have kissed him if she didn't 
like him."  That's when (I told the list while we were still at 
Yahoo!) they told me to re-read the book again... giving their 
English teacher homework because she missed something essential.  
Needless to say, I remember that conversation as it was a first.

So not only does this particular group think "shippiness" is 
important, they're asserting that this is central to the main plot... 
in their opinion, the DEs & V. have to get Harry's right and left arm 
away from him before they can really *get* to him.

Seven months later, I'm with Scott... I'm still reluctant to chalk 
that up as an H/H victory.  But to answer Kim's question, not only 
was my poll non-scientific, it didn't even start out as a poll at 
all.  Just a discussion... and back then, I was on the opposite team 
anyway.  If I'd thought of it, I might have gleaned more support for 
my case now.  :)

--Ebony