SHIP: JKR & Ron/Hermione, H/H converging

[Penny Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 49928

Hi all --

I know we've sort of changed course what with the release news, but I realized I do have a few more things to say on this topic.

Jim wrote:

> As Hermione and Ron become more an item, Ron may become
> jealous > of all the time Hermione spends with Harry.  This could become a source of tension between Ron and Hermione, overlaid by Ron feeling 
> he isn't of equal footing in the Trio.

Susanne responded: <<<<But there's no sign of Ron being jealous of the time Hermione spends with Harry alone, or with both Harry and
Ron. He *may*, but again, he may not.>>>>>>>>

Yes, but Hermione hasn't been Ron's girlfriend before.  If Ron and Hermione were to develop a dating relationship, I suspect Ron's jealous nature might well come into play.  And, I think Jim's right: Hermione is an integral part of Harry's success, and IMHO, Ron *is* falling behind the other two.  As one commentator in the Ivory Tower book I read recently said, "Ron is wrong so often that you can almost be certain that whatever Ron says, the opposite is true" (that's a rough paraphrase from memory).  As I've said before, I think Ron is so anxious to "keep up" with Harry's talents, etc. and Hermione's intellect, that he grasps at straws.  Can that all change?  Absolutely.  But, as of the end of GoF, I would say that Ron is not on equal footing within the Trio.    

Jim: > Harry has noticed Hermione for the first time.  When I read the Yule Ball passage in Chapter 23 I was surprised I hadn't been more 
> impressed.  There were sparks there. This is seen through Harry's 
> eyes, and JKR tells us it's something he never noticed before, and I 
> say he won't forget it.

Susanne: <<<<I think he already *has* forgotten it.

If not, I'd have expected him to at least have a little thought here or there about Hermione beyond the friendship. Nothing big, but noticing her lovely smile, or thinking how he likes her hair, even if it's not sleeked up.>>>>>>>>>>

Well, he's only 14, so chances are good he has indeed forgotten it.  But, the foundation is there for something to develop later, which is Jim's point I think.  

> Susanne, in message 48723:"Emotionally, Hermione has a lot to learn.
> She doesn't always have a good concept about other people's
> feelings and how to make them feel better, instead of worse." 

> Jim: That was true once but history now, IMO.  No one else has grown more in this series than Hermione has, not even Harry.  The know-it-all 
> little busybody is gone, driven out by a mission, leaving a rapidly 
> maturing young woman with compassion and moral courage (physical 
> bravery under construction).

Susanne again: <<<Well, yes, she is maturing, but reading the parts with Harry and Hermione interacting again, I see a lot of room for
improvement. Harry and Hermione just don't seem to quite click on
an emotional level.>>>>>>>>

Ah, and those bickering moments and the out-and-out *fights* that Ron and Hermione have?  Clicking emotionally, are they?   Well, yeah, I guess so, since Ron has made Hermione cry at least twice that I can recall.  

Yes, Harry gets impatient with Hermione sometimes, when she is only trying to help.  But, Ron is far more impatient with Hermione than Harry is, IMO.  But, more importantly, I see lots of impatience with Ron from Hermione.  How many times does she utter "Oh, Ron!" or tut-tut about something he offers up as a possible factor or solution.  She's very dismissive of him really.  Yet another reason why I think R/H would be an incredibly bad match-up.  She's not shown much interest so far in pumping up his self-esteem (low already) and he isn't actually going to shine or come into his own if he's constantly being overshadowed by both his best friend the Hero and his girlfriend the Over-Achiever.  

I said, earlier this week (I think):
>If she were talking about Harry and Ron equally, why would Krum draw the 
>inference that she had romantic interest in only one of them?  He'd either be equally >threatened, or more likely, draw the logical conclusion that she was best friends with >two boys from her class.

Torsten: <<<<You forgot the important thing, Rita's article. Krum surely got to read it - or rather, heard it read aloud several times since he's at the Slytherin table - and after that it's no surprise he's more worried about Harry than about Ron. Even Molly fell for it, why shouldn't Krum?>>>

Actually I didn't forget that article, and neither did Harry.  When Krum first brings up the topic of what there might be between Harry and Hermione, Harry immediately jumps in with: "It's just that Skeeter woman making things up."  Krum, however, responds with "Hermione talks about you very often."  The inference I would draw from that is that Krum's suspicions were really more based on his perception that Hermione talks about Harry "very often," rather than whether he did or did not read the Skeeter article.  He doesn't say whether he did or didn't read it ...... but I've actually always assumed that he was having this conversation with Harry based on Hermione's behavior, rather than Skeeter.

Various people mentioned that Hermione might also be talking about Ron equally when she's with Krum, but we just wouldn't know about that since we only have Harry's POV and it would be odd for Harry to overhear/witness a similar conversation between Krum and Ron.  This is possible.  But, my perception is that Krum barely knows who Ron is.  I also think that if Hermione were talking equally about Harry and Ron around Krum, he'd be reasonably unlikely to jump to the conclusion that she was romantically involved with either one of them.  Does he think she has feelings for *both* of them, and if not, how did he settle on Harry as his rival?    

Pippin asked:

<<<<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>>>>>>>>>

Sure!  Of course, the opposite is equally plausible.  Maybe she has a *crush* on Ron but has conscious or unconscious deeper feelings for Harry!  <bigger grin>

Penny



 

  




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