Rowling's decision to form an attraction between Hermione & Ron rather than

[pippin_999 <foxmoth@qnet.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49738

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Penny Linsenmayer 
<pennylin at s...> wrote:
> 
> I disagree that Hermione is attracted to Ron.  IMHO, she's 
attracted to Harry, which will cause no end of trouble within the 
Trio when Ron figures out why she won't go out with him.  <g>
> 
and in 49723
>Draw attention to a crush I'd bet money she has no desire
to reveal to anyone? <

But won't it cause even more trouble if Hermione has a crush on 
Harry but at the same time is developing serious feelings for 
Ron? <g>

I think more relevant to the question of how Rowling made her 
decision is that Ron and Harry are different types of hero.

 Harry's battles are epic--Voldemort is superhuman even by 
wizarding standards. Epic heroes do not usually need to woo 
their loves.There's no question of Penelope falling for one of the 
suitors.   Beowulf doesn't marry at all. Lancelot, not an epic hero, 
is found unworthy of The Grail. 

The problem of getting someone to fall in  love with you simply 
can't be dealt with on the same scale as defeating cosmic evil. 
This usually means the epic heroine is left to cheer, or scream, 
from the sidelines. That would be a terrible waste of Hermione.

Ron is more the chivalric hero. In fact he is a  knight in the chess 
game. His antagonists are not more supernatural than he 
is--Krum and Draco are above him in wealth and status but not 
in kind. Significantly, they have both expressed more interest in 
Hermione as a girl than Harry has.

Ron has indeed behaved churlishly so far. Chivalric heroes often 
do. Part of their quest is learning to behave according to the 
station they aspire to achieve. 

While Harry may complicate the H/R romance, as Luke 
complicates things between Han and Leia, or Arthur 
complicates the relationship between Lancelot and Guenevere, I 
do not think any romantic relationship between him and 
Hermione will last. 

Pippin