SHIP: Hermione & the Boys/ Ginny Weasley

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 15295

Hi --

catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk wrote:

> Sorry to labour over this, but in that case, why is Hermione so
> furious with Ron and not Harry, when HP is behaving in just the same
> way?  It is Ron she is mad with for not noticing that she's a girl,
> not Harry.

Harry isn't behaving the same way at all.  You have to look at the
context of Hermione's comments when she finds out that they've both been
turned down by their first choices.  Back up to pages 394-95 in GoF (US
edition) -- Ron is the one who makes the remark about not wanting to get
stuck with a pair of trolls.  That entire spat is between Ron and
Hermione.  Harry doesn't say a single word in that scene; he's just a
bystander.  Ron is the one who made the offensive "troll" comment.  So,
naturally, she vents at *Ron* and not Harry when she finds out that he's
been rejected by his date.  IMO, she's self-satisfied and probably
giggling on the inside that *she* has a date, and "Mr. High & Mighty, I
Don't want to be Stuck Going with a 'Troll' Ron Weasley" has *no* date.
She's also, IMO, not mad because he hadn't noticed she was a girl.  She
was mad because he wanted the prettiest girl he could find and then when
he wasted too much time & got rejected to boot, he suddenly turned to
"good old Hermione."

> I also think that she was spending time with Harry because she
> was being her normal supportive self (helping with summoning charms
> etc.)  Where is the evidence that she spends less time with Ron?

Well, she eats all her meals with Harry; they walk to class together;
they sit in class together; they leave class together -- there is no
mention of her spending much time with Ron.  She is shown occasionally
trying to make small talk while sitting between them early-on in the
fight, but then it seems as though she gives up trying to get them to
make up & stays with Harry while Ron hangs out with the twins and Dean &
Seamus.  This could be just a matter of it being Harry's POV though.

> She is more mediator than on Harry's side;  she has to spell it out to
>
> Harry exactly what Ron's problem is and she makes it clear that she
> is very unhappy about the situation and wants Harry to sort it out
> (which he won't).

Don't you think it likely then that she also spelled out Harry's problem
to Ron & was met with stubborn resistance from Ron's side as well?

> He sees Harry as a rival, period, whether as a competitor in the
> Tournament, or over Hermione - the two have naturally come together.

Bbennett added:

> Cassie: I don't think it's Harry's fame and status so much that concern
> Krum. It's partly the Skeeter article and partly the fact that, as he
> says, Hermione talks about Harry all the time. Perhaps if she talked
> about Ron all the time he might be more aware of Ron's existence.
>
> Bbennett: Sure, although if you're making conversation with someone you don't
> know very well, what do you talk about? Things you might have in
> common. Harry is something in common between Viktor and Hermione; Ron
> isn't.
>

Yes, you might use some common interest to get conversation going within
a new relationship.  That might explain the initial subject of Harry
coming up in their conversations.  But, Krum says that Hermione talks
about Harry "all the time."  That's going above & beyond a
conversation-starter, isn't it?

Like Cassie, I don't see that Krum is hung up on Harry's status as a
rival in the Tournament.  He knows him better than Ron to be sure (and
you're right, I don't have the impression that Krum has noticed Ron at
all).  But, if he hasn't noticed Ron at all, doesn't this indicate that
Hermione isn't talking about Ron at all?  Oh, how I wish Harry had said,
"Well, I'm sure she talks about Ron all the time too."  Krum's response
would have been very telling!  Alas.

> Catherine again: I read this as being sympathetic and concerned, even
> motherly, which she always has had a tendancy to do with both Harry
> and Ron.

Yes, that's one interpretation.  But, surely when you're talking about a
kiss -- there's more than one interpretation?  I put another spin on it,
that's all.  :--)

> As to Ginny Weaseley again, I still think her small appearances are
> telling.  I appreciate that she isn't part of the trio, but that is
> more to Ron and Harry's perception of her than Hermione's.  I think
> that Ginny is there behind the scenes as someone that Hermione talks
> to and confides in - (we know Hermione doesn't have much time for the
> girls in her own year) for instance, Ginny knew who Hermione's date
> was.

What about this:  Neville told Ginny that he'd already asked Hermione
but that she'd turned him down because she already had a date.  That was
a very up-front thing for Neville to do btw (no real reason he needed to
tell Ginny that she wasn't his first choice, is there?).  Anyway .... I
would imagine Ginny would have then gone to Hermione & asked her about
it all.  Hermione wouldn't have necessarily wanted to be secretive in
this particular instance.  She might have decided to come clean based on
the dynamics of the situation.  In other words, it's possible that
Hermione didn't necessarily intend to confide the identity of her date
to Ginny but felt some pressure to do so because of Neville asking Ginny
to go in place of her.

We do see Ginny eating breakfast with Hermione one morning.  Harry waits
until they're done before whisking Hermione off for a long walk around
the lake.  :--)

But, other than that, I don't see much evidence of a great Ginny &
Hermione friendship.  It is possible, and it's a point I've brought up
in defense of the lack of female/female bonding arguments.  Harry's POV
can be limiting.  But .... I don't see strong evidence of a Ginny & Herm
friendship at this point.

Penny


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