SHIP: Why did JKR not explore H/Hr as canon?.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 168705

honeypi wrote:
<SNIP> I don't think 
> Harry's in love with Ginny either.  Maybe I missed that declaration
or moment of realization 
> *shrugs*. 

Carol responds:
Maybe not "love," but we certainly get of Ginny's perfume as one of
the scents that Harry detects (but takes a while to recognize) in the
Amortentia potion. (His attraction to her is mostly subconscious at
this point.) We get all the jealousy of Dean kissing Ginny and Harry's
and Ginny's first kiss. I wouldn't call it "love" any more than his
attraction to Cho was love, but at least he also feels real affection
for Ginny and likes her sense of humor as opposed to mere prettiness
like Cho's. And Ginny isn't a fountain of tears like Cho, which makes
her easier for Harry to understand and relate to.
> 
Honeypi:
> I have to say, I wish JKR had written Ginny as a more likable
character if she is to be 'the one' for him.  She's an absolute
nightmare in HBP, <snip> And to be fair, most of the teens behave
badly in HBP - I liked them all less after reading it (except for Luna
- I enjoyed what little of her there was).  

Carol:
Agreed, but JKR evidently sees things differently. Red-haired,
popular, cheeky Ginny echoing red-haired, popular, cheeky Lily. Ugh.
But that seems to be JKR's idea of Harry's ideal "woman," and
certainly Ginny has courage, just as Lily did. I  didn't actively
dislike her until she lied to her mother about the dung bombs, but I
didn't really like her, either. The last thing she did that I actually
liked is stand up to Draco in CoS though I did feel sorry for her
being manipulated by Diary!Tom. And I did see her emergence from being
embarrassed in Harry's presence to being talkative and rather
mischievous as realistic. I just don't like the Ginny we get (using
her Bat-Bogey hex on people she doesn't like because she can or
because they exist).
> 
> Based on the very end of the book, I have great hopes that they grow
past this phase. <snip>

Carol:
I'm assuming that you're referring to Harry's break-up with Ginny, but
that's a purely practical matter. Harry is trying to protect Ginny,
who's only going along with it because it's what *he* wants and
because it's futile to protest. I think she's counting on his coming
back to her, and I wouldn't put it past her to fan the flames a little
when they see each other again.

But Hermione and Ron, I think, are a couple for the duration of the
series. They've liked each other almost from the beginning though it
took Ron much longer to recognize the feeling, and he does start out
disliking her until the troll incident. (It's Ron's words that cause
Hermione to cry in the bathroom and even miss a class in SS/PS.)
Although they're all still just friends in CoS, you can see a
difference between Ron's and Harry's reactions when Hermione is
Petrified ("'*Hermione!*' Ron groaned," CoS Am. ed. 257). There's the
delightful (IMO) spat in GoF when Hermione tells Ron to ask her before
someone else does next time and not as a last resort (GoF Am. ed.
432). In HBP, Ron is jealous of Krum, who may or may not have kissed
Hermione two years earlier. Hermione is jealous of Lavender, to the
extent that she attacks Ron with the birds she's conjured. (Not
admirable conduct, but he's been hurting her feelings since the
Faux!Felix incident and it can't be fun to see him publicly entwining
with Lavender every spare moment.) We seem them starting to admit
their affection for each other in Herbology class (HBP am. ed.
282-83), but between Ron's insecurity and Lavender Brown's, erm,
affections, it takes Ron's near-death from poisoning to get Hermione
to realize that Ron is more important to her than her own pride. She
takes almost no part in the discussion about Ron's poisoning, and when
she finally speaks, sounding like she has a bad head cold, Ron
responds with "Er-my-nee" (402) and falls back to sleep. From that
point on, Ron loses all interest in Lavender but lacks the nerve to
break up with her. (Hermione is no longer jealous because she knows
that Ron likes her, not Lavender. Ultimately, of course, Lavender,
jealous of Hermione, breaks up with Ron.) After Dumbledore's funeral,
we see Ron holding Hermione and stroking her hair, showing real
affection and consideration rather than the adolescent hormones he
displays so shamelessly with Lav-Lav, while she cries on his shoulder,
not Harry's (647). Both of them tell Harry that they'll be with him
whatever happens (651), loyal friends to the end. But their shared
friendship for him is different from their romantic attraction to each
other, which (more so than Harry's for Ginny so far) is also cemented
by the bonds of friendship.

Carol, who thinks that Ron and Hermione will be a fine couple once
they've both grown up a little but that, for JKR and for Harry, it's
friendship that really matters

I really doubt that Harry, who never shows an attraction to Hermione
(beyond not recognizing the pretty girl with Krum at the Yule Ball),
is going to steal Hermione from Ron. He felt enough guilt wanting to
date Ron's sister (which Ron, I think, has wanted him to do all
along). It would be a devastating blow to Ron to take Hermione from
him, and unworthy of Harry.

> ends up with Harry.  If, however, romantic love does play a part,
then it will be interesting 
> to see how JKR can develop a relationship with enough depth and
complexity involving any 
> character other than Hermione in such a short timeframe.  I doubt
she would even try.  If 
> romantic love is relevant - I believe it will have to be with
Hermione.  
> 
> honeypi
>