Why Ron Loves Hermione (I Think So Too but Don't Care Much)

[msbeadsley]

No: HPFGUIDX 81340

Granny Goodwitch wrote:
> ...What exactly do you mean by the phrase, "girls too smart for 
> their own good"?  Granted, Dear that Hermione is indeed overt about 
> her intelligence, but I fail to see where her intelligence is not 
> to her own good.  Why on earth in this day and age must a woman 
> still "cover up" her smarts?>>>

The Sergeant Majorette (regretfully) wrote:
> Because progress is not the same thing as evolution, and that's the 
> way things still work. Men are psychologically delicate; a girl who 
> shows her brain is going to have to waste a whole lot of time 
> either mollifying men or rendering them unconscious if she is ever 
> to get anything done. This is not just an uninformed opinion. I 
> learned this though a whole lot of experience and I am a much 
> happier old witch for the knowledge.

Me now: what matters, for the purpose of "shipping" HP characters, is 
whether the candidates for Hermione's affections fall into the 
category of men I think we can all agree exists to some degree or 
other who are intimidated (still) by women who are bright and not shy 
about it. What do we have to go on? There's Harry's reflection in 
PS/SS that he "could not believe anyone could be so interfering" and 
Ron's "She must've noticed she's got no friends." What else? Does 
either boy smirk at her abilities in CoS when she whips up the 
Polyjuice Potion? Hermione's in their bad graces in PoA, but again, 
that's because she's "interfering" (this time over the Firebolt she 
believes Sirius Black has sent Harry), not because she's smart. In 
GoF, Harry certainly doesn't disdain Hermione's help getting ready 
for upcoming tasks. As a matter of fact, if Harry was going to be 
intimidated by girls with abilities, well, look at Cho, a quite good 
Quidditch player. So he must think, "Well, it's okay if she's atletic 
so long as she isn't smarter than me." I don't see it. Ron? He does 
not seem the least embarrassed having Hermione help him with 
homework, and the only girl we're sure he's noticed is Fleur. Who 
knows?

(I am having a very odd echo-y feeling as if this whole argument has 
been posted already, and recently. But while I'm here...I have to 
say, being one of those kinda "girls" myself, I think both Granny and 
Sarge are right: while I have been happily cohabitating with one of 
the unthreatened examples of the male species for 18 years, I didn't 
find him until I looked outside the mainstream culture. (He *likes* 
it when I can make him wrong; mentally, we hone each other.) Any of 
you out there (in the 21st century!) still having that "they run when 
I'm smart" problem: go check out your local Science Fiction fandom, 
especially the literary side. Nerd hotties, unite!)

The Sergeant Majorette also wrote:

> Also, Diana Fischer asked what the canon reference was for Ron's 
> romantic interest in Hermione. The kicker is the last bit of ch 23, 
> GoF: <snip canon around Ron & Hermione's "if you don't like it ask
> me first next time" argument>

I gotta add: Ron bought Hermione >*perfume*< for Christmas in OoP.

(But I'm not a shipper. Even as I enjoy a lot of the group's 
shippers' virtual matchmaking, I find it very <ducking> silly: the 
U.S. divorce rate is over fifty percent, and here many people are so 
certain of their pairings and the wisdom behind them. Or is this just 
about predicting what *Jo* will do regarding couple-ing the 
youngsters as they grow up? Now *that* maybe I could get into...)
 ^--^

Sandy, waving at her public