SHIP: H/H: Muddying the pool

[bbennett320178]

No: HPFGUIDX 31403

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "cassandraclaire73" 
<cassandraclaire73 at y...> wrote:

<I think it would be quite easy for her to chat about Ron around 
Viktor -- Ron is a huge Quidditch fan, he really admires Viktor (or 
did at one point.) It isn't as if there's nothing to say about Ron, 
and Harry and Viktor are hardly close; there's not much Harry-related 
to say other than Tournament chat. Also, she spends almost all her 
time with Ron and Harry -- they are her best friends. It is natural 
to talk about your best friends.>

I don't think there's a lot to say about just Harry, either, but I 
think there's probably a lot to say about Harry-in-relation-to-the- 
tournament. This gets into something shippers will argue until we're 
100 - character personality. :*) I see Hermione's chats with Viktor 
as her trying to be polite/looking for common 
interests in conversation, because that seems to me to be the kind of 
girl Hermione is. Who knows - maybe she did bring up Ron, but Ron's 
the one she wouldn't have much to say about to Viktor, IMO, not Harry 
(once she got past "my friend Ron is a big fan and loves Quidditch", 
what would be left to talk about). If Hermione's mainly trying to be 
enjoyable company, then I think it's perfectly reasonable for her to 
mostly think to bring up Harry (Harry and the tournament are the 
primary things she has in common with Viktor, Viktor is essentially a 
stranger, she's looking for things to talk about, etc). 


<I am of the opinion that there is something in the way 
she talks about Harry that struck a nerve with him.>

 :b Well, yes, maybe, but I don't think it matters how she talked 
about him. <g> If Viktor likes Hermione, and Hermione brings up Harry 
a lot, then Viktor is likely to assume that Hermione likes Harry. 
Which he does.

<Either way I chew on the fact that Viktor is jealous of Harry, I 
cannot see it as an argument *for* Hermione being interested in Ron 
that she does not talk about him much. What's next? "Ron asked her 
out and she said no. Aha! She's interested! If she really didn't like 
him, she'd say yes!">

***

Nuh-uh, I mean it the other way ;). I'm not saying not talking 
about Ron means Hermione has a crush on Ron (although I do think she 
might be less inclined to discuss him at length to a stranger if 
she's sweet on him, but that's not really the point); I'm saying I 
don't believe this scene offers proof that Hermione likes Harry. 

B, who loves it when shipping discussions come up on HPGUs!