[HPforGrownups] Why does Ron have a crush on Hermione?

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 93843

Robert Jones:
> Why does Ron have a crush on Hermione?  She's "plain" looking, so
> it's not her looks.  It's not jealousy since Harry hasn't shown
> interest in her (or vice versa).  Her main character traits seem to
> be that she is bookish and bossy — why would he be attracted to
> that?  She has proven herself to be brave and talented on their
> adventures with Harry — but is that all?

> I'm not saying that no boy could be interested in her (Krum is), but
> why is Ron?  Given what we know about his personality and his family
> life, I just don't see why a boy like Ron would be attracted to a
> girl like her.  Could someone please explain it?

I'm actually a H/H shipper, but I'll take a stab at your question.  ^_^

First of all, I would disagree with your implication that Hermione is 
not attractive enough to get a boy's attention.  True, she is no Fleur 
or Cho (or, I would argue, Ginny), but I do think that she's pleasant 
enough to look at (esp. as her teeth have been fixed).  We do know that 
she can make herself "pretty" (at least in Harry's opinion) when she 
takes the time to primp, which suggests to me that while's she not 
stunningly attractive, she has got *something* going for her in the 
looks department.

As for why Ron in particular is attracted to her, I'd say it's 
partially a proximity crush, for one thing.  Ron doesn't really seem to 
interact with other girls very much, and it's only natural for 
long-time friends to at least *wonder* what it would be like to have a 
romantic relationship.  They do argue all the time, but a lot of guys 
(esp. ones that are immature or inexperienced about girls) tend to take 
this as a sign of interest on the girl's part.

Furthermore, I'd argue that Ron's family life *does* contribute to his 
crush.  Like it or not, children have a strong tendency to form the 
same kind of relationship they see their parents in, esp. when you 
start looking at it from a power perspective.  For instance, a girl 
growing up in a family in which her father calls all the shots is very 
likely to find a husband who is a little dominating (whereas I, whose 
parents have a relationship much like Molly and Arthur's, find the idea 
of actual patriarchy weird and almost repulsive).  In Ron's case, Molly 
really does boss Arthur around quite a bit -- I'd say she nags at him 
much the way she treats her children.  Naturally, Ron subconsciously 
feels that this is how a man and a woman in a relationship *should* 
interact.

Thus, since Hermione and he *do* interact in this way (which I think 
stems from an inherent conflict of their personalities), he get a crush 
on her.

That's my initial take on it anyway -- I'd never really thought it 
through before, thanks for giving me a reason to!

Laura