SHIP: "A Little Romance"

[mfterman]

No: HPFGUIDX 127836



Hermione is very supportive of Harry, it is true, but strictly in an
intellectual fashion. In the vast majority of meetings between Harry
and Hermione in OotP, Harry comes away from Hermione feeling more
aggravated and annoyed than before. Harry's feelings for her are so
deep that he's actually happy he makes her miserable at the start of
the book, and he's lying to her and trying to avoid her later on in
the book.

Hermione has terrible people skills. Her technique for trying to deal
with Harry is to nag him. In many ways she's her own worst enemy. Yes,
she tried to give Harry good advice on many occasions, but her
delivery is terrible and in many cases tended to backfire on her. She
insults his godfather, insults Quidditch, etc.

Yes, the voice of his conscience becomes Hermione's voice, but all
it's managing to do is to give him guilty feelings. That's hardly a
positive romantic reaction. OotP has the friendship of Harry and
Hermione reach its lowest point since PoA.

Ginny doesn't give Harry a fraction of the intellectual help that
Hermione does, but her meetings with Harry tend to be characterized by
giving him more emotional support. While everyone talks about
Hermione's role in the meeting at Grimmauld place, it should be noted
at the beginning of the conversation, Hermione is driving Harry up the
wall with his comments. Harry doesn't calm down until he talks to
Ginny, and it is explicitly referenced in the book that his heart
lightened up after talking to her, before Hermione tried to join in
with supporting arguments.

Then there's the easter egg scene in the library. Harry talks to Ginny
and confides in her about something that he doesn't talk to Hermione
or Ron about. Ginny doesn't actually give Harry that much practical
assistance other than saying she'll talk to the twins. However the key
point is that she managed to cut through Harry's depression and give
him hope. Once he got past his depression he worked out his own
solution to his own problems.

Ginny does the best job of all of Harry's aquaintances in coping with
his anger. She doesn't back down, she doesn't lose her temper or grow
tearful, she stands her ground and gives as good as she gets. She
tries to cheer him up with his being on the Quidditch team the
following year, and he's starting to confide in her things that he
doesn't confide to Ron or Hermione.

Hermione is a great sidekick for Harry, or at least she will be once
she learns how to give him advice without causing him to explode, but
she doesn't demonstrate the traits that Harry wants or needs in a
girlfriend. Ginny has done the best job there, with Luna coming in second.

mfterman