SHIP: Possibility Hermione has romantic feelings

[ftah3]

No: HPFGUIDX 34054

Eileen wrote:
> > > 1. Hermione is a cruel insensitive girl who implies to  Ron 
that 
> she
> > > would go to a ball with him, knowing perfectly well what his 
> feelings
> > > are, when she wouldn't. <snip #2>

Penny offered:
> > OR
> > 
> > 3.  Hermione, offended because her friend assumes that he can 
just 
> use 
> > her as a last-ditch date when he can't get a "pretty girl" and 
then 
> even 
> > more offended when said friend questions her ethics in choosing 
> another 
> > date, throws off some remarks in the heat of an argument.  Maybe 
she 
> > would have phrased her remarks differently if they'd been having 
a 
> cool, 
> > calm conversation.

Eileen replied:
> This is just a slightly different rephrasing of #1. 

No, not really, because the implied cruelty of #1 imho hinges on 
Hermione knowing Ron *likes* her, as a potential girlfriend, and on 
not having any intention at all of ever going with him.  On the other 
hand, given #3, the idea could be that Hermione is having a tiff with 
a *friend* who hurt her feelings because, even though (she assumes) 
he doesn't like her as a potential girlfriend, he could at least have 
been nice enough to notice that she was legit date material.  So she 
throws off that remark as simply making a point to a friend.  
Additionally, she may be tossing it out off the cuff, but again as 
friends, she may be thinking that in the future she *would* go with 
Ron, presuming her only other choices continue to be people she is 
less close to or people she only marginally likes.  Does that make 
sense?

And as for taking a jab at her friend ~ I don't think this paints her 
as cruel etc, either.  Nor is it out of character for her.  She takes 
shots at Harry & Ron when the situations warrant, i.e. when they're 
being dense or unthoughtful.  She's not much of a shy rose....

Mahoney
who did think there were mutual-like undertones between Hermy & Ron 
in that GoF scene upon first reading, but can see the argument either 
way