Banter/FF: After the Ball was Re: Banter and other SHIP subjects

[pippin_999 <foxmoth@qnet.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50629

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Penny Linsenmayer 
<pennylin at s...> wrote:

>>>it comports with my notion that "bickering couples falling in 
love" is a very Hollywood thing.  :--)  
> 
> It may well be that JKR intended it to be a "cute meet" and that 
she intends R/H and/or H/G and maybe she'll confirm that years 
from now.  I just personally don't see it though.  We're just down 
to arguing about authorial intent, which is pointless at this 
juncture.  
> 
> <<<<Whether Rowling plans to observe the "cute meet" 
convention here or stand it on its head, she's obviously not 
ignoring it.>>>>>>>>>
> 
> She could be, if, like me, she's never *heard* of the term or the 
convention.  IMO, it's very possible she didn't intend that effect at 
all.   

We'd have to suppose she's never read The Taming of the 
Shrew, either. Hollywood did not invent the romantic comedy. 
Elizabethan dramatists did, in 1590 or so. 

Penny:
> Perhaps I haven't been clear enough.  Or maybe we just 
disagree.  :--)  I'm not saying that JKR would marry them off at 
age 17/18 in the epilogue.  She might well let them be early 20s 
or what have you.  But, unless they only marry after they've dated 
some other people, the message would still be that a first-time 
romance between teens ("first love") can develop into a 
successful marriage.  <<

Maybe I'm not understanding you. If you're saying that JKR needs 
to let her characters have enough dating experience to tell the 
differences between a crush, a shallow attraction, and the Real 
Thing, then I agree with you. That process is well underway. 
Harry has  his crush on Cho and his shallow attraction to Parvati. 
Ron has a crush on Fleur and a shallow attraction to Padma. 
Hermione had a crush on Lockhart, and is now, it seems, in a 
shallow relationship with Krum, though it seems deep on his 
side. 

OTOH, If you're saying that it's necessary, for realism's sake, that  
all the  characters experience a series of  serious but 
unsatisfactory love affairs  before they settle down to a 
successful marriage, well, I and my husband of twenty-seven 
years would probably disagree. :--) 

I said:
> 
> <<<<For the first time, Harry isn't there for the  reconciliation. 
> *Something* must have happened, because one minute Ron 
> and Hermione are standing ten feet apart and screaming, and 
> the next morning--well, I'll let Harry tell it:
> 
> ====
> Ron and Hermione seemed to have reached an unspoken 
> agreement not to discuss their argument. They were being 
quite 
> friendly to each other, though oddly formal.
> =====
> 
> Oh, that 'seemed' -- that covers a multitude of assumptions, 
> doesn't it. We'd know a lot more about the status of Ron and 
> Hermione's relationship if we knew what had  *really*  
> happened. Did he apologize? Did she forgive? Did he? Did 
Ron, 
> in fact, do what Ebony accuses him of lacking the magnaminity 
> to do, and wish Hermione *bon chance*  with 
Krum?>>>>>>>>>


Penny:
> Well, it's always struck me that they didn't say anything at all to 
each other actually.  I've never considered that there was a 
conversation that morning, before Harry saw them.  If there was, I 
wonder why they would be "oddly formal" with each other 
afterwards?  Can you give me the potential scenario there? 
> 
> <<<<Or, and I guess this is the H/H assumption, did Hermione 
just 
> swallow her pride for Harry's sake on Boxing Day? Putting that 
in 
> black and white, I can't believe it. In fact, I'll go further. If
she
> did that, Harry can have her. She's not good enough for my 
> Ron.<g>>>>>>>>>>
> 
> I'm totally not following you here, so I'm unable to say whether 
you've got the "H/H line" down or not.  Did Hermione swallow her 
pride about what on Boxing Day?  As I said, I suspect she and 
Ron didn't discuss their fight at all.  :::: looks puzzled::::::

Well, I've put this in fic form--those of you who don't like fic
should 
stop reading now.

The R/H scenario, with the morning after conversation, comes 
first. The H/H scenario, without a conversation, follows.
=======
Ron pulled his curtains aside. He got out of bed quietly, not 
wanting to wake Harry. Snores came softly from the other beds. 
He dressed quickly, pulling this year's sweater over his T shirt. 
Maroon again. Harry's lay on top of his trunk, still half unwrapped. 
The H was worked in red and gold. 

Ron sighed. People took more time over Harry. Well, they 
should, shouldn't they? Something about him brought out the 
best in people. He checked his reflection in the mirror. His face 
looked paler than usual in the morning light, making his freckles 
stand out more. He tried to straighten his hair.

"You're a prize, you are," he remarked to his reflection.

"Speak for yourself," the mirror retorted.

"Shut up, you." Ron sighed. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the 
biggest prat of all. He'd been so hopeful, that time, seeing 
himself as  Gryffindor captain with the Quidditch cup and the 
House Cup, even the Head Boy badge, not that he really wanted 
*that*. He'd never thought of being a Seeker at the World Cup, 
much less Tri-wizard champion. He made a face. Even his 
dreams were second rate.

His eye fell on the statuette of Krum, preening itself on his bed 
table. It sparked as he snapped it in two. Ron hurled the pieces 
onto the floor, not minding where they went, and headed down 
the stair.

 The Gryffindor Common Room was much quieter than it had 
been lately. The loudest sound was the occasional yawn, broken 
by a crackle and sputter from the fireplace. The holly and ivy 
twined above the mantle were starting to look rather limp. 
Hermione was sitting in her usual chair, for once without a book. 
Crookshanks was in her lap, purring loudly. Her hair had gone 
back to normal, Ron saw. 

He stood in front of her and cleared his throat. Crookshanks 
opened his huge yellow eyes and stared. For a moment he 
thought Hermione wasn't going to look at him. Then she did. 
Ron opened his mouth, but couldn't manage to make anything 
come out of it.

"Well?" she said. "Going to shout at me some more?"

Ron took a deep breath.

"Look, about last night. It was stupid. I don't know what got into 
me."

"If you don't know," said Hermione, not looking at him, "I'm not 
going to tell you."

"Right."

The silence stretched awkwardly. Hermione looked past him, up 
the empty staircase on the boy's side.

"Where's Harry?"

Ron shrugged. "Dead to the world, I reckon."

"It's just an expression!" he added quickly. "He's upstairs in our 
dormitory, sleeping. Look, we're at Hogwarts, nothing's going 
to--"

"Someone put his name in that Goblet, Ron!" Hermione said 
shrilly. "Until we find out how that happened, he's in danger." She 
met his eyes determinedly, as if willing him to understand 
something she wasn't able to put into words.

Ron nodded slowly. "Look--about Krum--"

"I think it's best if we avoid that subject." There was ice in her 
tone.

Ron was silent a moment. Then he said, "He'd better treat you 
right. He'd just better, that's all." 

"Don't grit your teeth, it's bad for them. You don't have to come all 
protective, Ron. I *am* a witch, you know."

"'Course you are. Just try and remember it, next time some 
Slytherin bounces a hex off you." He held out his hand. It was, he 
noticed, much bigger than hers. "Pax?"

"Pax."

They shook on it, once, and let go quickly.

Harry stumbled into the Common Room, looking very sleepy. He 
looked from one to the other. "Er, you two all right?

"Dunno." Ron said. "Miss Granger, how are you this morning?"

Hermione managed a small smile. "Quite well, I think. And you?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

Harry looked bewildered, then shrugged. "Ron, have you told 
Hermione about Hagrid? - Oh, wait till you hear this..."

========
H/H version

Hermione stormed up the girls' staircase. She managed to hold 
back the tears till she'd reached her room. Tearing the curtains 
aside, she flung herself down on the bed and sobbed.

"Hermione?" Parvati's voice was muffled. She heard the sound 
of the curtains being drawn aside and felt a hand on her back. 
"Go away!" she said, into her pillow.

"What's going on?" That was Lavender.

"Get Ginny," said Parvati. "And a glass of water, I think."

Hermione pulled herself together. She sat up. Parvati was sitting 
on the edge of the bed, looking concerned. She had a right to be, 
Hermione thought, catching a glimpse of herself in the bedside 
mirror. Her cheeks were blotchy, the lovely periwinkle blue dress 
was crushed where she'd been lying on it, and her hair was not 
only coming down, it was reverting, strand by strand, to its 
original state. Even as she watched, there was a faint twanging, 
and several more locks pulled themselves out of the bun and 
corkscrewed into curliness.

"What happened?" Parvati asked.  "Did Krum--"

"No!" said Hermione. "No, of course not. It's that prat, Ron 
Weasley. I hate him!" Then she put her hand over her mouth. 
Ginny Weasley was standing in the doorway.

"He *is* like that, sometimes," Ginny said, coming forward. "You 
look terrible."

"Don't make me feel worse!" 

Hermione told Ginny and Parvati everything that had happened.

"Told you so," said Ginny. "He does like you."

"Like me! He's got a funny way of showing it, trying to ruin my 
night!"

"Well, he wasn't the only one!" said Parvati.

"You had the luck, Parvati," Hermione said softly. "You were with 
Harry."

Parvati laughed derisively. "Luckier if he hadn't spent the whole 
night with his eyeballs glued to Cho Chang. Or off walking with 
Ron Weasley in the rose bushes."

Ginny's eyebrows collided with her hairline. "*What!?*"

"Oh!" said Parvati, blushing furiously, "I didn't mean they were 
*walking* -- They were just...walking."

"But, what am I going to do?" Hermione moaned.

"Well, I'd tell Ron to take a flying leap into the lake, if I were
you," said Ginny sagely.

"I can't" said Hermione.

"Why ever not?" asked Parvati. "If it's any consolation, I'm sure 
Padma feels the same way, right now."

"Because,"  Hermione sniffed, "Harry needs me."

"Well, really! What's that got to do with it?" Ginny looked 
indignant. "Besides, if you like Harry that way, what d'you want to 
bother with Viktor for?"

"Because," said Parvati acidly, " Viktor is seventeen, and knows 
how to treat a witch."

"You don't understand," Hermione wailed. "It's not like that at all. 
Harry needs me. He hasn't done anything about his Egg, and he 
won't unless I make him,  and if I stop speaking to Ron, which I  
want to, believe me, then Harry won't speak to me either. And he 
needs me!"

"But what about what you need?" Ginny asked.

"It doesn't matter what I need," Hermione sniffed.

The three other girls exchanged exasperated glances. "She's 
hopeless," Parvati whispered. Hermione didn't seem to hear.

"Well, said Ginny thoughtfully, "I guess you could be with Harry 
and ignore the fact that ninety percent of the time he's with Ron."

"Act like you don't care what Ron thinks," said Parvati.

"Really don't care what Ron thinks," said Lavender.

"Ignore him!" they all chorused, imitating Hermione.

Hermione managed a small smile. She pulled out her 
handkerchief,  wished fervently that wizards had taken to 
Kleenex, and blew her nose.

"But suppose Ron says something else!"

"Well, you can't stop Ron saying things, you know. At least, no 
one has yet. Mum's tried, believe me."

"I could," said Hermione darkly. "One good curse..."

"I know it's tempting," said Ginny, "but you really shouldn't curse 
my brother, you know."

"Right. Well, Harry needs me, so I guess I'll just have to pretend I 
can tolerate his stupid prat of a friend, even if he is insulting me 
and every other woman on the planet. Now I'm going to bed!"

"You are in bed," said Lavender.
=========
 Pippin
who has discovered Eb's secret. Writing counter-ship is fun!