Harry and someone (romance pairings) and narration

[Simon Branford]

No: HPFGUIDX 1801

Penny wrote: "As Carole pointed out, many of the firm H/H "shippers" were
converted (or at least partially converted) by the Paradigm of Uncertainty
fanfic (written by member Lori Summers)."
Firebolt wrote: "the Trio as a whole would be far more imbalanced"

I am only convinced at this outcome if it occurs as it does in PoU. By this
I mean that for Harry and Hermione to happen then Ron will die first. Are
the poll results in for this question (was it here or on PoU that the
question was asked?)?

Penny wrote: "1.  Balance"

Does a couple need to be so totally balanced?

Penny wrote: "2.   JKR's Favorite Characters"

This is the reason why I see Harry and Hermione getting together. As
Hermione is JKR I could see her writing it so that she gets her man!

Penny wrote: "3.   Hermione's Interest:  It can be argued that Hermione has
shown more interest in Harry than in Ron.  She bought him an expensive
broomstick servicing kit for his birthday in PoA (indicating that she gave
the matter enough thought to buy him a present he'd enjoy rather than what
he expected her to buy, a book)."

This could be summed up as indicating the difference between teenage boys
and girls (or maybe the difference between the sexes). Women generally do
spend more time, and put more interest, in the buying of presents (I do not
really want to get into a battle of the sexes debate but I guess most will
know what I mean).

Penny wrote: "When they go to Hogsmeade and Harry is in his invisibility
cloak, Hermione was, from the viewpoint of the other students, alone. Ron
didn't make any attempt to invite her to join him and his group or even
approach her."

But Ron knows about the cloak and probably has a good idea what to look for
to recognise if Harry is there. Also as Ron is unhappy at Harry he may also
be unhappy at Hermione for seeming to be supporting Harry, maybe even share
in his 'fame', and so ignoring her for this reason.

Penny wrote: "and won't inspire a huge circle of arguments."

Having had lots of comments made for one of my FAQ's, I can now see if I can
develop some messages for everyone else FAQ's!

Carole wrote: "Hermione / Draco and one advanced by our own Simon: Harry /
Hedwig  (Harry as an Animagus, of course)"

I have advanced both of these theories. What is it with me and picking some
of the more unusual ideas?

Firebolt wrote: "Here in continental Europe, platonic friends kiss all the
time as a regular form of greeting. In fact, I believe the number of kisses
varies country-to-country, and all that. No idea what the custom is in
England, though."

It is unusual to greet, or say bye to people, in this way in the UK. The
influence of Europe is growing in the UK and so this type of greeting is
becoming more common.

Firebolt wrote: "Just offering an alternative point of view - although *my*
preferred pairing (Harry/Cho) has even less evidence than H/H..."

If I were in a sensible mode then Harry/Cho would be the pairing that I
would say to be my favourite. I think there is definite evidence for Harry
liking Cho. The evidence in the other direction is about as strong as that
for Harry / Hermione. Of course this all has seemingly changed after the
ending of GoF.

"What * is * unconventional about JKR's plots is the timing. In a
conventional /classic plot there's a midpoint -- exactly half way through
the story something happens which fundamentally changes the hero's
perception of the problem and puts the hero on course to confront the
villain. This is step thirteen in Ebony's list.  For example, in Return of
the Jedi, it is just halfway through the film that Luke finds out for
certain that Darth is his father, Leia is his sister, and "It is I who must
face Vader""

This depends on point of view. If you consider the story as being the seven
books (Return of the Jedi is the middle film in a trilogy and so the
revelation is in the middle of the trilogy) then GoF is the middle of the
story and the rebirth (? What word is best to describe what happened) of
Voldemort is the event that causes the fundamental change in Harry's
perceptions.

Simon