SHIPping Attitudes

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 55762

Hi --

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pennylin" 
<pennylin at s...> wrote:
>> now that we'veheard JKR say that "certain feelings" between 
the three of them will come intoplay, I'm even more convinced 
that the "platonic friends" comment was aslimited and narrow in 
time scope as I've always believed.<<

Pippin replied: <<<<I'm coming in late here, so forgive me if I 
missed something, but has anybody pointed out that it's also a 
more mature feeling to be able to accept a hug from your 
platonic friend without  discomfort?

Hermione's a hugger, and IIRC in canon it makes both boys 
uncomfortable right up through the end of GoF, where Harry gets 
a hug and doesn't fend her off (but it's undercut by the Kiss). If 
JKR wants us to see Ron and Hermione's first mutual hug as a 
Big Moment, she (and Kloves) are building up to it the right 
way.>>>>>>>

Penny rejoined:
>>>I'm not sure I'm following the transition from Rowling 
conceding that the romance angle involves feelings between all 
*3* members of the Trio to a R/H Big Moment.  :--)<<

Eh? Where did Rowling mention a "romance angle"? She said, 
"...you get hints of certain feelings between the three of them, that 
belong to a sort of a, a slightly more mature person." My point is,  
there's more than one sort of mature feeling. 

 Boys transitioning to adolescence are apt to be prickly about 
being hugged by girls or even by  their mothers. At the end of 
GoF,   Harry gets kissed, and doesn't yelp, "Hermione!" . He lets 
Molly hug him and doesn't  wish Ron wasn't  looking on. Those 
are more mature feelings than we saw earlier, IMO, and 
foreshadow  Harry's becoming more comfortable with affection 
in general.

Of course you could maintain JKR  was referring only to  
romance. That logic   would imply romance between Harry and 
Ron too. I don't see that foreshadowed in canon, mind you, but 
then I don't see H/H either. :-)

I was unclear about the GoF scene. Canon doesn't say that 
Harry and Hermione hugged at King's Cross, but I confess I 
have trouble imagining how to deliver a kiss on the cheek 
without some additional contact. Anyway, JKR could have made 
it clear whether they hugged or not, but she didn't. Must not be 
important ;-)

How does all this lead to a big R/H moment?  Harry and 
Hermione have had a big friendly hug on the screen, and a "very 
platonic friends"  kiss at King's Cross.   A  subsequent hug  or 
kiss won't automatically signal a turn in their relationship. OTOH,  
Ron and Hermione have been kept apart, except for that 
awkward  little moment in PoA.   It'll be much more romantic 
when they fall into each others arms  if they've never done it 
before.

Pippin