Testing the Friendship/Question re: H/G

[Ebony AKA AngieJ]

No: HPFGUIDX 11001

Kimberly wrote:
"..there are not a lot of books that portray strong, flawed, loyal, 
insecure, REAL friendships and also take you on a great adventure.  
So if she manages to also wow me with romance, I'll be thrilled, and 
if she manages to allow happy-ever-after scenarios in the end, I'll 
be extatic, but honestly, at this point, if she did neither of the 
above, I'd still be satisfied, simply with the great characters she's 
created and the wonderful interactions she's given them."

Jim Ferer replied:
"In my heart of hearts I'd like to see Harry get everything: love a 
 mate, love of his friends, love of a family. But in my head of heads 
I doubt it.  Harry will lose a lot; he will lose friends; he may lose 
too much to bond with a mate, at least in canon. Family of some kind 
 will still be there. That makes me a no-shipper on that level. I 
have my doubts if he'll have PTSD in the clinical, diagnostic sense, 
but Harry's going to be beat up pretty bad and he is going to pay a 
heavy price."

I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest.  Perhaps it's 
the fact that I'm doing a lot of analytical work for the sake of 
science.  :-)  Perhaps it's the fact that this evening I re-read a 
good portion of PS/SS and chuckled all over again about how the 
Friendship formed.  It's really funny to see how Hermione's character 
has developed over the course of four books... at first, *she* was 
the third wheel and didn't really become an integral part of the Trio 
until the last 1/3 of the first novel.

The last time I cycled through canon, I read with a focus on Ron 
because I wanted to be sure of my position re: his development.  This 
go-round, I think I'll read with a focus on the Friendship.

Again, I think the Friendship is going to be tested even further.  
No, it doesn't have to necessarily be tested by romance.  It could be 
tested by any number of things.  

The Harry/Ron and Ron/Hermione tension foreshadows things to come. We 
talk often about the Ron-Hermione dynamic that may or may not be 
developing.  I've said this before, it was disagreed with, but I'll 
say it again:  the Friendship between the two boys is affected by the 
fact that each one to some degree wants to be the other.

Of the three bonds, we've seen potential areas of tension and 
conflict develop in two of them.  My idea is that the other bond 
(Harry-Hermione) isn't free of conflict/tension either.  Not if 
they're really best friends... I'm of the opinion that they're as 
close as Harry/Ron and Ron/Hermione are.  I leave other HP4GUers to 
speculate possible sources of conflict here, and will keep my 
opinions to myself.

So far, the Three have been children and younger adolescents.  As 
they grow into manhood and womanhood, as their personalities mature, 
and because of the crucible they're coming of age in--with their 
world's version of Hitler on the rampage--these bonds with inevitably 
stretch.  Perhaps a bit uncomfortably.

I doubt very seriously that they will break.

Upon first reading, I was bothered by the Harry-Ron and Ron-Hermione 
tension in GoF.  A lot.  My favorite aspect of the canon was the 
Friendship by far, and I didn't want anything to change.  But as I'm 
reading and thinking and making predictions about where this is 
going, I see that my previous position was a bit immature.  I now 
agree with some of the members who have pointed out that the Harry-
Ron post-Goblet falling-out was healthy and needed to occur.  I also 
am *very* interested in observing the developing Ron-Hermione tension 
in future books... 

This is not to say that I want to break up the Friendship.  I don't 
think that anything can sever *that* Friendship permanently.  I don't 
thrive on unpleasantness, either.  However, I do know  that sound 
emotional and spiritual health is based on not running away from 
trouble or sweeping it under the rug.  It involves facing trouble 
head-on.  Hagrid's quote at the end of GoF is applicable to 
maintaining healthy social dynamics as well as fighting bad guys.  :-)

It would be really nice for the sake of certain theories if JKR was 
like LMM (another writer who focuses heavily on friendship), whose 
famous best friends Diana and Anne never had a serious quarrel from 
their first meeting at age eleven until they were grandmothers.  
However, fewer know that one of Maud's darkest books is *Emily's 
Quest*--not really light fluffy reading for children.  The friendship 
in that series was tested to its very limits.  

The necesssity of testing the H-R-H Friendship even occurred to me 
while writing ten years after Hogwarts.  What if the Friendship is 
*never* tested?  What if things roll merrily along, with nary an 
insurmountable disagreement or serious conflict of interest?  My 
hypothesis is that eventually it would become a ticking time bomb, 
affecting the others around them.  Which is yet another reason why 
I'm not contented with OBHWF.

One critique of modern society may be that we have no idea that a 
happily-ever-after ending isn't necessarily our birthright.  

Now, I'm not advocating for Hamlet endings, either.  If great 
literature strives to be a record of who we are, then it should 
reflect the best part of us.

It's one thing to have the Friendship endure forever as a harmonious 
entity, without any emotional or psychological tests.

It's quite another to have the Friendship endure forever after having 
been tested to its very limits.  Think of what a statement *that* 
would be--to have played together, laughed together, dreamed 
together, fought together, grown up together, adventured together, 
and then to come to the realization that it's all right if everything 
is not absolutely perfect... to realize that you have someone by your 
side who is not only your strong right arm, but knows your mind and 
your heart...

Wow.

If *that's* the statement JKR is making in her theme of friendship 
(which is indeed one of her major themes!), I'll be in full awe of 
her.

NOTE RE: THE H/G DEBATE--

We've contrasted the Ginnys of the world with the Chos.  However, 
those of us who are Hermiones are neither Ginnys nor Chos.  Where 
does Hermione fit into that scenario?  (Again, I'm beginning to think 
the idea is to Keep Hermione Out Of The Lineup.)  :-)

Best,

Ebony AKA AngieJ