[HPforGrownups] Re: H/H and why it's just wrong (or maybe not), the triad and chapter numbers

[Simon Branford]

No: HPFGUIDX 2280

Sorry to start with a complaint.

Can I ask for people to post chapter number for quotes and comments and not
page numbers? Please remember that the British edition is different to the
American one and one of the main differences is in length. It gets annoying
having to try and work out where these quotes are.

Now to deal with the subject in hand. I better say in advance that I am a
Harry / Cho person myself (if I am giving a sensible idea - if not then it
is Harry / Hedwig). So in some ways I must be the closest to an impartial
voice as you could get in this discussion, or maybe not!

Penny Wrote: "Then see pages 264-265 of PoA.  It's Harry who breaks away
from the crowd to seek out Hermione.  He clearly wants her to join in and
he's wondering if *Ron* is in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet (this
suggests that it isn't Harry who has any problems with Hermione at all at
this point & that he wants their friendship back).  After Hermione leaves
the room in tears, Harry says "Can't you give her a break?"  This does *not*
sound like someone who's unconcerned about his friendship with Hermione.  I
strongly disagree with your assertion that he's ambivalent about whether
Hermione makes it up with he and Ron.  I think he cares very much."

Ron is Harry's best friend. He is also the person who has been friends with
Harry the longest (I am looking at Harry's peer group so I can ignore Hagrid
in my comments). We see in GoF the reaction Harry has when Ron is not
talking to him. He goes back into his shell (there is slightly more than the
bust up to blame for this but it is one of the most important reasons behind
it - see GoF Chapter 18) during this time. He needs Ron to help him through
life in the wizarding world and I think that Harry knows this. I got the
impression during PoA that he was making sure he kept Ron as a friend and in
doing so not putting the effort he should have done to get Ron and Hermione
talking.

In fact we could compare the actions of Hermione and Harry when members of
the triad are not talking. Which brings the question of what would Ron do if
Hermione and Harry had a bust up. I know that I am ignoring the full
situation of the PoA bust up but I get the impression that Harry did not
really hold any lasting grudge against Hermione.

"BTW, I can't help but wonder why people who are anti H/H always say that
H/H is just "wrong."  That turn of a phrase is used pretty repeatedly by the
anti-H/H types, and it always raises weird connotations in my mind (like
there's some sort of *taboo* against H/H)."

I think this is because that, even though Harry is the star of the show,
people identify more closely with and like Ron more (a statement that is
bound to provoke lots of comments). There always seems to be more of a
reaction if people suggest Ron will die during the series than if it is
suggested that Harry will end up kicking the bucket (this could be that
people do not think that JKR could get away with killing Harry but Ron is a
different issue). Due to this, especially when looking at all the things Ron
does not have (no money, family pressures for him to succeed at school and
Quidditch and I think the list could be even longer), people feel that Ron
should have Hermione. This is the main reason I am against Harry / Hermione.
It is that I feel Ron would be really hurt by the other two getting together
and that again he would have come second to Harry.

"Penny
(who's spent entirely too much time with this!)"

Likewise. I really have far too many other things to do as well. Packing is
just so much fun (does anyone notice a hint of irony?)!

Simon