H/H and why it's just wrong

[Kathleen Kelly MacMillan]

No: HPFGUIDX 2236

Okay, so maybe that subject line is a little over the top but I have been 
sitting on some comments and they must come out!

First off, let me say that I am definitely an H/R shipper although I do enjoy 
well-written H/H.  The thing that really really annoys me though is that most 
people who write H/H fiction seem completely unwilling to deal with the Ron 
issue at all.  The fact of the matter is, the obvious romantic tension in the 
canon is between Hermione and Ron.  Several people, particularly Penny, have 
made very good cases for the subtext suggesting that Hermione may have 
feelings for Harry.  Okay, that I can buy.  BUT, there is absolutely no 
evidence that Harry may have feelings for Hermione.  After all, he even says 
something like "He liked Hermione very much, but she just wasn't Ron."  AND 
think about the two major fights we have seen among the Trio; in Book 4, when 
Harry and Ron are fighting, we KNOW that Harry misses Ron.  Their argument is 
at the forefront of everything that happens. In Book 3, when Ron and Harry 
stop speaking to Hermione for what, 4 months?, Hermione just kind of fades 
into the background.  You don't get the feeling that Harry is all that 
bothered by not being on speaking terms with Hermione.  Ron may be a different 
story, but we don't know that.  And Hermione is clearly upset that they are 
not speaking to her.

The point of this seemingly off-topic ramble is that Harry cares more about 
Ron than he does about Hermione.  (After all, Ron was "the thing he would miss 
the most")  I am not suggesting any sort of homosexual pairing here (though 
who knows?  that really would be unexpected for JKR!)  but what I am saying is 
that so many people who seem determined to match up Harry and Hermione are 
ignoring something fundamental about Harry.  Regardless of whether or not he 
had any feelings for Hermione (and the signs indicate he does not), Harry 
would simply NOT go after her knowing that Ron liked her (and the scene after 
the Yule Ball made it pretty clear that Harry is aware of Ron's feelings even 
if Ron is not).   Ron's friendship is simply too important to him.  And the 
other thing is: Hermione KNOWS this.  So even if she did have feelings for 
Harry, she would know better than to ever let them show, because she is smart 
enough to realize how important Ron's friendship is to Harry.  And, too, aside 
from the fact that I think there is ample evidence that Hermione does indeed 
have feelings for Ron, I don't think she would do that to him either.  Even if 
she didn't LOVE him, he's still her friend and she would realize how much her 
dating Harry would affect him.  She's too compassionate not to realize that.  
And I think that her comments to Harry when he and Ron were fighting show that 
she has thought about Ron's feelings quite a bit.

That's the thing that annoys me: if I read one more H/H fanfic where Ron says 
some variation of "I knew you guys always liked each other, I'm so happy for 
you, I'm glad I got over that little crush in our fourth year", I am going to 
scream!  We all know that even if Ron did get over his crush, he would still 
be jealous of anyone else who went out with Hermione.  And even if he and 
Hermione dated and then broke up, I don't see him being the kind of guy who 
would let go really easily.  And if Harry were the one who came next...well, 
let's just say that defecting-to-the-dark-side theory would come in about 
here.

I think that PoU is one of the very few H/H romances I have read that even 
deals with Ron's feelings at all, and I think the way Lori handles it is very 
plausible.  Even if Ron did die, it would still take both Harry and Hermione, 
but especially Harry, a long time to deal with that baggage.  This 
lack-of-dealing-with-Ron was my one complaint about "Draco Dormiens" too, but 
from the hints she has dropped in the early chapters of "Draco Sinister", it 
looks like Cassandra Claire will deal with this somehow.


Anyway, enough ranting for now.  I am just tired of Ron getting shunted aside.


Whew, I feel better now!

Kathy