SHIP: Overflowing opinions (long)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 97347

Jim wrote:
> WHERE DO H/H SHIPPERS GET THEIR OPINION?
> 
> Not from clues in the text.  The textual clues mostly go the R/H 
way, or the Hermione/Viktor way.  My H/H opinion comes from 
watching the various characters interact as they grow.  We've 
watched Hermione and Harry work closely together, we've seen 
Hermione's apparent understanding of Harry grow, some of us 
believe we've seen their characters meshing.<<

Pippin:
Like you say, it's not in the text.  "Harry and Hermione's 
relationship becomes even more perfect when they fall in love," 
may make a pleasant daydream, but daydreams aren't stories.  
I'm sure H/H'ers will find ways to refute this, but it seems to me 
that Harry and Hermione's relationship has been basically static 
since they made it up  in Book Three. The stakes have been 
raised, far more depends on their partnership now than the life 
of Hagrid's innocent beast, but the conflict was resolved a long 
time ago. 

OTOH, Ron/Hermione is not static. JKR keeps throwing off new 
twists, as a storyteller must to keep the plot moving. So we can 
see in OOP that Ron isn't satisfied with the status quo, because 
he makes snide remarks about Viktor and buys Hermione some 
perfume. And Hermione's not satisfied with it either, given that 
"You're worse than Ron, well, no you're not" remark 
(paraphrased.)

Jim:
>We see little in return from Hermione – she still writes to
 Viktor, after all.  IMO, that hurts R/H more than H/H because Ron 
is supposed to be the incumbent here.<

Pippin:
  Ron is not the incumbent. Viktor is. Back in GoF we learned 
what  the WW thinks of a girl who encourages more than one boy 
to have serious feelings about her *cough*scarlet 
woman*cough. 

Viktor has made it plain that his feelings for Hermione are 
serious and Ron hasn't. If Hermione has any respect for the 
mores of her adopted culture, she's going to have to let Viktor go 
before she offers any encouragement to Ron. She's naturally 
reluctant to do that. Viktor is a real prize. She might want to be 
very sure, not only that she doesn't love him, but that she never 
could, before she lets him get away. 

But there is one very strong indication that Hermione has 
feelings for Ron, even if she's reluctant to show them. It's Ron's 
plight, not Harry's, that moves her to start helping them with their 
homework again. 

Pippin