Why does Ron have a crush on Hermione?

[Arya]

No: HPFGUIDX 93860

 "Robert Jones" <jones.r.h.j at w...> asked:
> Why does Ron have a crush on Hermione?  

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I have kind of always seen it as how he copes with 
categorizing "girls".  This 'crush', to me, began in GoF and the Yule 
Ball thing.  In fact, I pinpoint the turning point to Ron's attitude 
towards Hermione at the "You're a girl" statement.  This was a candid 
moment in my eyes where we see Ron really and truly for the first 
time realize that his pal Hermione doesn't just go up a different 
staircase to sleep but is actually also one of those creatures he 
groups as 'girls'.  

Previously in Ron's life, the females have been his Mom and his 
sister--two very different and distinct categories of the female 
population.  To 11, 12, 13 year olds--girls and boys aren't all that 
different if they do the same things/hang out together.  Hermione was 
just his friend who wore the skirt and slept in a different dorm.  
Hermione, we can see, is actually quite different than most every 
other girl we ever see.  (Lav and Pav are giggly and love Divination, 
there're supposedly two other girls in their dorm but, well, they're 
apparently recluses and very very shy--Hermione's like none of these 
to the eyes of Harry and Ron, I'd say).  Therefore, prior to Ron's 
revelation of "Hermione-you're a girl!", Hermione had just be 
categorized as 'a friend'.  

When Hermione made the transition from 'a friend' to 'a girl', Ron 
had to reprogram his brain.  She then became 'a girl friend'.  Close 
friends of the opposite sex, seem to me, to usually present at least 
a little question of where the line is drawn.  (For example, both Cho 
and Viktor, when dating Harry and Hermione respectively, had some 
jealous tendencies and general wariness towards Harry and Hermione's 
close friendship.  It may not have meant anything, but others saw a 
closeness that they felt might be indicative of crossing the line of 
friend/more-than-friend.)  So, I think for many people (just the 
general average response--not all), they believe perhaps that a close 
relationship with a member of the opposite sex equals or translates 
to a girlfriend/boyfriend thing. (Of course it's not always true, but 
come on, anyone dating one of the trio who is not part of the trio 
will have whoever they are dating sharing a close friendship with a 
member of the opposite sex--no every person can deal with this accept 
their sig other to friends like this.)

Now, I do not think any of this is conscious in Ron's mind and that 
includes the fact (at least as I see it, uit's a fact) that he likes 
Hermione.  I think he sees Hermione as *his* though; like a boyfriend 
would see a girlfriend as theirs and not someone else's girl.  I 
think it's perhaps just as possible (but not nearly as a good a story 
or as exciting) that if Hermione actually like Harry and got with 
him, that Ron would be supportive of that because at least he can 
concede that Hermione is as much Harry's as she is Ron's (yes, yes, 
no one owns anyone, but you know what I mean, don't you?)  I also 
think Harry would be the only person in Ron's eyes to be worthy of 
Hermione in ron's eyes (if ron didn't really decided he wanted/needed 
her for himself).  I do think Ron puts Hermione up on a pedestal of 
sorts (and part of his bickering and trying to make her stop studying 
so much, stop the SPEW thing, etc is meant to make her not quite so 
high up that she's unattainable at least to him in his eyes.  

Yikes, this was a long post.  Hopefully, I have not offended the Ron-
o-philes.  
Arya