Hermione's Reaction to... Was: Re: Harry's first Kiss (is it a smoke screen?)

[paul_terzis]

No: HPFGUIDX 105957

> delwynmarch wrote:
> > Hermione wasn't issued to Ron, agreed, but neither was she 
issued to
> > Harry. What I meant was that Ron is always second-best to Harry :
> > Harry's got the money, the fame (even if he doesn't want it), the
> > talent, the better looks, and he was supposed to get the Prefect
> > badge.  But Ron doesn't care most of the time, because he's such 
a
> > loyal friend. However, I think he *would* care very much if Harry
> > started dating Hermione. He would hurt a lot and I feel it 
wouldn't 
> > be fair on JKR's part to put Ron through *that*.
> 
> Anasazi wrote:
> Ouch. This actually made me cringe. Ron is always second best to 
> Harry? Well, it seems to me Ron has much more of what really 
counts 
> than Harry. 
> 
> True, Ron is poor... but he happens to have a good home where the 
> people that live there love him (and we all know that, even with 
all 
> the teasing, the twins love their little bro). He has a mother and 
a 
> father who love him. He has no money, but I doubt he's ever gone 
> hungry to bed. He may not be the brightest boy when it comes to 
> school (neither is Harry - the position belongs solely to Draco), 
but 
> he has shown he's a good strategist. He's now able to play his 
> beloved Quidditch, and is enjoying the fame and attention that 
came 
> with it.
> 
> Now, let's compare what Ron has with Harry... Harry is an orphan, 
> both parents murdered by a powerhungry sociopath when he was only 
one 
> year old. Forced to live for 10 years with an abusive family that 
> regarded him as less valuable than the poo I stepped on last night 
> (and that's pretty low my friend). I mean, we can consider that 
Ron's 
> self-esteem might be a bit low due to the constant comparison with 
> his succesful older brothers... but what about Harry, who lived 
for 
> those 10 years in the shadow of Dudley? 
> 
> Then he finds he's a wizard and that he has money. Pity that is 
blood 
> money since he only inherited because his parents are dead. Then 
in 
> Hogwarts, he is thrown in the limelight of fame in a way he comes 
to 
> despise (how many people want to have lies written about them in 
the 
> media, raise their hands), finds out that the murdering sociopath 
is 
> still out there, waiting to come back to his full power, in order 
to 
> finish what they started that night in Godric's Hollow (Re: 
Death). 
> 
> He's been close to death not once, not twice, but six times, and 
has 
> witnessed the people he cares about almost losing their lives 
because 
> of their relationship with him. He has gained, and LOST, the 
closest 
> thing he had to a paternal figure (Sirius). And now, he has that 
> godforsaken prophecy hanging over his head. Talk about pressure! I 
> would have broken down a long time ago.
> 
> So it seems to me that Harry was the one that drew the short straw 
> here.
> 

Right to the point Anasazi! We read all the time about who gets the 
girl at the end and the endless debate about who is the best 
candidate (Ron or Harry?). There is neither a comparison here  
people nor a contest. We have from one side Ron a typical but 
nevertheless important and competent teenager. And we have also HP a 
strange hybrid between teenager and adult. Yes HP tries to live 
normal and sometimes he acts as a normal teenager, especially in 
dating matters. But he isn't normal anymore. He had lived any 
possible nightmarish experience and there is more to come till the 
end.  Ron fought with valor and he is willing to stand with HP in 
this war. Nobody can deny that. But he can't understand the full 
extent of his decision. And that because he didn't see someone close 
to him dying. He didn't suffer overwhelming physical and emotional 
pain. He didn't face death or pure Evil. Only HP saw the raw face of 
war and cruelty and only he is destined to become murderer or a 
corpse. That's the story and that is where we must focus people. HP 
series is not mainly a teenage love story. It is the Odyssey of HP.

Cheers,
Paul