Why isn't Harry Friendlier with Hermione?

[Robert Jones]

No: HPFGUIDX 92682

The apparent sudden change in Ginny in OOTP that annoys some posters 
made me think of think of how little Harry really knew about Ginny 
and that made me think of how little he knows about Hermione.

In the five years they have been at school together, why has he 
never asked Hermione about her family or her life before Hogwarts or 
how she got interested in magic or what other interests she might 
have ... or anything you would ask a friend at boarding school?  I'm 
not a H/H shipper, so I'm not asking for anything romantic — just 
one personal question would have been nice.  (Harry did grow up the 
Dursley household where the first rule was "Don't ask questions!" 
but I don't think that should apply to a friend.)

We see the story through Harry's eyes and all he knows about 
Hermione is that her parents are Muggle dentists — not that Harry 
bothered to ask her about it, she just told him.  (From the summer 
letters, he may know where she lives, but I'm not sure how Owl Post 
works.)  The only other personal thing we know is that she is 
writing to Krum.  Contrast that with all we know about Harry's other 
best friend, Ron.

Throughout the books, Hermione seems to be getting closer to Harry 
as a friend, but Harry is just treating her as an ordinary friend.  
He is concerned with her safety of course — like trying to save her 
in the forest and being upset with what happened to her in the 
Department of Mysteries — but wouldn't he have been that way for any 
of his friends?

Hermione in OOTP showed that she is thinking about Harry (e.g., 
their talks about Cho) in ways unrelated to the battle with LV, but 
nothing like that is coming from Harry.  He wouldn't even tell her 
that she was just wasting time and embarrassing herself by making 
those hats and socks to free the elves that aren't working.  From 
Harry's point of view, apparently it's all about Harry.  Harry of 
course is friendly to Hermione, but he basically treats Hermione 
like "a library with legs" for school stuff and LV.

Of course, JKR might be holding back personal information on 
Hermione for some big surprise in Book 6 or 7, and we don't know 
what Hermione wants from the relationship with Harry, but right now 
I'm feeling a little sorry for her.  It's not like she has a lot of 
friends — only Ginny (she just seems annoyed with Ron).