In Defense of Hermione

[macloudt at yahoo.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 26624

>    Ron certainly *is* jealous but whether from
> burgeoning romantic interest or simply a sort of
> brotherly possessiveness is uncertain. 

Ah, good point!  Man, this group reminds me of my uni tutorials, 
where the rest of the class would sprout brilliant observations and 
Mary Ann sat in a corner, drooling out of the corner of her mouth and 
muttering "duh"!

Anyway, the "brotherly possessiveness" *did* get me thinking about 
how Ron treats Ginny.  IIRC, of the 3 brothers at Hogwarts Ron is by 
far the gentlest with her, what with F&G's constant teasing (though I 
have no doubt that they love her dearly as well).  Yes, Ron has 
realized that Hermione is a member of the opposite sex, but also I 
think he feels a brotherly responsibility towards her.  Having 3 
older brothers myself, I can confirm this can be a *wee* bit 
overbearing at times.  It's a loss of control thing.

Also perhaps Ron is angered by the apparent breaking-up of their 
little trio, as, while they do socialize with other schoolmates, the 
core group is them three.  Ron strikes me as the kind of person who 
doesn't welcome any change that severely compromises his security.

Yes, Ron can be a little fart at times, but I have a soft spot for 
him :)

Mary Ann
(whose brothers still glare at her husband after 6 years of marriage)