Harry/Hermione (Harry Potter)

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Title: Friendship, Bravery, and Love

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: Harry/Hermione

Spoilers: All five books.

Notes: Thanks to my best friends, Lindsey and Laney, whose unbiased opinions I couldn’t have done without. And thanks for listening to me babble on about this pairing. A lot.

References:
Order of the Phoenix: OotP
Goblet of Fire: GoF
Prisoner of Azkaban: PoA
Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone: SS/PS
 
***
 
They make sense.
 
To me, Harry/Hermione is the most natural course of the Harry Potter series, a series about growing up, hardship, misfortune, friendship, and love. Harry and Hermione make sense. Their story is about best friends who share complete trust and faith in each other—a bond that will eventually be forged into love.
 
The Hero: Harry James Potter
           
Harry has been an outcast most of his life, first in the household of his abusive relatives, the Dursleys, and then in the wizarding world where he is famous for an act has no memory of. Alternately painted as the Boy Who Lived and completely off his rocker, there are very few people in Harry’s life that know him as who he is without the fame and the scar on his forehead. The real Harry is a stereotypical teenage boy—who just happens to be the only wizard who has the power to defeat Lord Voldemort. He’s bright, but spends more time breaking the rules than doing his homework. He has trouble expressing himself, he acts on impulses and emotions without thinking, and he tends to take his friends for granted. The prophecy revealed in OotP further isolates Harry from his contemporaries. He will fight Voldemort—because, ultimately, it is the right thing to do. But what makes Harry such a remarkable character is his ability to love—“the power he knows not.” Despite his childhood in a household completely absent of love and a wizarding world that either scorns or idolizes him, Harry’s ability to love is astounding. It’s Harry’s greatest weakness and his greatest strength. He will go to any lengths for the people he loves—something that Voldemort used again him in OotP.
 
The Heroine: Hermione Jane Granger
 
Hermione has never been just the “sidekick” and she is certainly not “the girl.” She is, quite simply, the most brilliant witch of her age. She is first introduced to us a bushy haired, bossy, “know-it-all,” but has steadily grown in a confident, sympathetic and resourceful character.  Unlike Harry, she carefully thinks through every nuance of a situation before acting. She has a strong sense of justice and will break the rules if she feels it is for a good cause. Hermione is the brains behind the operation, the girl whose first instinct is to rush to the library. But she’s so much more than that—she sticks unflinchingly by what she perceives as “right” and she more than matches Harry in magic capabilities. She’s the only other Hogwarts’ student that can say Voldemort’s name.  And when it’s Harry’s life on the line, she’s unwavering. She’s the only one who’s consistently stood by him. She’s loyal, stubborn, and isn’t afraid of openly disagreeing with someone who shares a different opinion.
 
The Evidence:
 
After five books, Harry has had the most interaction with Hermione, second only to Ron. The essays written on this pairing number in the hundreds; Harry/Hermione has the largest collection of essays in fandom. The evidence has been explored to exhaustion—making everything I’m going to say largely redundant.
 
For the most part, Harry/Hermione shippers believe that Hermione already holds strong feelings for Harry. There’s no way to know for certain what Hermione’s feelings are, but her actions in OotP towards Harry point towards love.
 
Harry’s feelings are more difficult. He’s the narrator, so we know he’s never thought of Hermione as more than his best friend—on a conscious level. But by OotP it is clear that Hermione is a firm presence in Harry’s mind. She’s his voice of reason. He gets defensive when she doesn’t agree with him. He instinctively pulls her out of the way of danger. One thing is clear, Harry needs her—more than he realizes.
 
So in an attempt to make this concise (well, I tried, at any rate) I limited myself to what I see as the five most convincing Harry/Hermione moments.
 
Number 5: Harry’s First Hug
 
Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Hermione!”

"Harry -- you're a great wizard, you know.”

"I'm not as good as you,” said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.

"Me!” said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things -- friendship and bravery and -- oh Harry -- be careful!” (PS/SS)
 
Harry and Hermione have had a connection from the get-go. Theirs isn’t an ordinary friendship. Hermione, rational and clear-headed Hermione, completely gives in to her emotions. She places friendship and bravery over books and cleverness—a very telling admission.
 
I love this moment for its simple innocence. Harry’s brave and unsuspecting, no idea that this will not be his last time meeting Voldemort. Hermione speaks straight from her heart, leaving behind her bossy and haughty attitude.
 
It’s a beautiful moment. I can easily see a similar scenario in book seven. A scene where Hermione finally says the word that should have naturally followed “bravery.”
 
Number 4: The Department of Mysteries Fight
 
Even through his anger and impatience, Harry recognized Hermione's offer to accompany him into Umbridge's office as a sign of solidarity and loyalty. (OotP)
 
In five books, the pre-Department of Mysteries fight is my favourite Harry/Hermione moment. Yes, a fight. But the level of intensity, the emotions between the two of them—this fight isn’t just a fight, it’s a mark of their partnership, of how Harry’s come to depend on Hermione’s support, and how driven Hermione is to protect Harry’s life at all costs.
 
She goes to pieces because she knows it’s a trap and she can’t bear the idea of him rushing off into danger. He goes to pieces when he learns that she isn’t supporting him. She throws his “saving-people’s thing” in his face. He’s so angry that he wants to “shake her.” They’re taking steps closer to each other, she’s near tears, and the rest of the characters fade completely into the background. It’s hard to remember that Ron is there, that Ginny and Luna show up. It’s impossible to imagine this fight between any other pair.
 
And then they come to an agreement.
 
After what is probably the most serious fight Harry and Hermione have ever had—they come to an agreement. An agreement in which Harry can, even despite his anger, understand Hermione’s loyalty to him.
 
 
Number 3: Krum’s Jealousy 

"I vant to know,” he said, glowering, "vot there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny.”

Harry, who from Krum's secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement.

"Nothing,” he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated. "We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up.”

"Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often,” said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry.

"Yeah,” said Harry, "because were friends.”

 

He couldn't quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he, Harry, was an equal - a real rival –(...) (GoF)
 
I feel like this one is self-explanatory. Viktor Krum, Hermione’s famed date to the Yule Ball, is jealous of Harry Potter. I don’t want to make any arguments against other ships, but I always thought it was fascinating that, in a book where Ron’s crush on Hermione is all but revealed, it’s Harry that Krum is jealous of.
 
Harry, rather sweetly, also misses the point. Krum isn’t jealous because of the Skeeter articles (and, in fact, Krum likely asked Hermione to the Ball after the first article was released), he’s jealous because Hermione talks about Harry very often.

Then, of course, we have “an equal” in what, Harry? Quidditch? We already know that Harry’s flying abilities more than rival Krum’s from the First Task. We already know that Harry is, in fact, beating Krum in the Triwizard Tournament. Besides, Viktor is talking about Hermione, and so Harry is considering what it might mean to be “a real rival” for Hermione’s affections. It’s a shame that JKR never lets him finish that thought.

 

"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny,” said Krum.

Harry had the impression that Krum was drawing her attention back onto himself; perhaps to remind her that he had just rescued her from the lake, but Hermione brushed away the beetle impatiently and said, "You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry... Did it take you ages to find us?”

"No ... I found you okay...” (GoF)

And here’s one of the incidents that likely sparked Krum’s jealousy. He just told Hermione that he has never felt the same way about anyone else and Hermione shows far more interest in… Harry.

This is significant.

For Hermione, Harry comes first. Even after being the thing Krum would miss most. Harry still comes first.

Number 2: The Cho Fiasco

"She's a lovely person really,” said Cho. "She just made a mistake –”

Harry looked at her incredulously. "A lovely person who made a mistake? She sold us all out, including you!”

"Well, we all got away, didn't we?” said Cho pleadingly. "You know, her mum works for the Ministry, it's really difficult for her –”

"Ron's dad works for the Ministry too!” Harry said furiously. "And in case you hadn't noticed, he hasn't got sneak written across his face –”

"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's,” said Cho fiercely. "She should have told us she'd jinxed that list –”

"I think it was a brilliant idea,” said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter.

"Oh yes, I forgot - of course, if it was darling Hermione's idea –” (OotP)

In a nice parallel to Krum’s jealousy, we see nearly the exact same situation playing out in the Harry/Cho pairing.

In OotP Harry finally gets a shot with Cho, whom he first noticed all the way back in PoA.

And Cho is jealous of Hermione.

Not that there isn’t enough obstacles to the Harry/Cho relationship. They barely know each other, she’s still grieving over Cedric, and they have row followed by row. Yet, JKR also chose to have Cho jealous of the Harry/Hermione relationship.

Hermione comes first. She’s the most important girl in Harry’s live, hands down. And because of Cho, it’s obvious that another girl can’t even begin to replace her.

The list of people in Harry’s life that he trusts is already so small that it’s hard to imagine him being able to let someone else in. Hermione knows him just as he is. She knows him past the scar on his forehead that made him famous. She stuck with him through GoF when everyone else (including Ron) abandoned him and she stuck with him through OotP when his temper was at its worst. She knows him—the good and the bad, and she’s still with him.

Number 1: Harry Stops Thinking Coherently

But the Death Eater Hermione had just struck dumb made a sudden slashing movement with his wand; a streak of what looked like purple flame passed right across Hermione's chest. She gave a tiny "Oh!" as though of surprise and crumpled on to the floor, where she lay motionless.

"HERMIONE!”

Harry fell to his knees beside her as Neville crawled rapidly towards her from under the desk, his wand held up in front of him.

(...)

A whine of panic inside his head was preventing him thinking properly. He had one hand on Hermione's shoulder, which was still warm, yet did not dare look at her properly. Don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead, it's my fault if she's dead...

(...)

"Hermione,” Harry said at once, shaking her as the baby-headed Death Eater blundered out of sight again. "Hermione, wake up….”

(...)

"Dat's a pulse, Harry, I'b sure id is.”

Such a powerful wave of relief swept through Harry that for a moment he felt light-headed. (OotP)

 

This one doesn’t really need any explanation. When Hermione goes down, Harry is so panicked he can’t think properly and instead of checking for a pulse (finally accomplished by Neville, of all people), all he can do is shake her shoulder and beg that she’s not dead.

Harry rarely loses his cool in dangerous situations.

Yet, Hermione brings about this reaction in him.

And he is so relieved when he learns she’s alive that he felt light-headed. In other words, he was in danger of passing out.

Yes, Hermione is his best friend—it wouldn’t make sense if Harry wasn’t upset. But Harry’s seen both Ron and Ginny in a similar situation without panicking or feeling light-headed with relief.

Why:

I read the books for years without forming much of an opinion on shipping. But when I fell for Harry/Hermione, I fell hard.

Put simply, this pairing feels right.

These two are so perfect for each other that it’s impossible for me to imagine them with other people.  Her capacity for rational thinking balances out his recklessness. She’s the cleverest witch of her generation, he’s the most powerful wizard of his generation.

I read about the way they work together as a team, in PoA, in OotP, the way that they can communicate just by looking at each other, the way she grabs his arm when she’s scared, the way she solves the problem and he goes off to take care of it and I think, if this is what they are as best friends what will they be as something more?

Harry/Hermione is not, and never has been, about the hero getting the girl. It’s about equals whose friendship has blossomed into the surest and most stable thing they have in their lives.

It’s an emotional pairing. It’s intense. It’s angsty. Turning a friendship into a romance isn’t easy, especially when you’re Harry Potter and you have Voldemort trying to kill you once a year and a prophecy that says you might die trying to kill him. Then there’s the Ron. Ron, Harry’s best mate, who’s been with Harry from the beginning, Ron who no doubt already holds “those feelings” for Hermione. No, a Harry/Hermione pairing wouldn’t be easy, not for Harry, not for the trio’s friendship. But since when has anything ever been “easy” in JKR’s world?

It’s impossible for me to put all that I feel for this pairing into words. Much of my love is based on how Harry/Hermione make me feel—on how they touch me. And so, I turned to my beloved Flist.

Simply, I asked them why.
 
Why We Love Them:
 
See, it's how I see them apart that makes it easy to see them together. First, Harry. Tragic orphan, brought up in an abusive household, treated like an outsider and a loser at school. No real friends. No real connections until he finds his home at Hogwarts. He's bright and beautiful, worried about the welfare of others and doing what's right.

 

Second, Hermione. Normal, middle class upbringing. But never accepted. Too bright for others to understand. Didn't fit in with the normal, popular crowd. Not very pretty, not willing to play dumb to make people like her. No friends, no real connections other than her parents until she went to Hogwarts. Even there, she started out on the wrong foot and was feeling that she belonged nowhere until an 11 year old boy reached out because everyone deserved a chance.

 

So you have him reaching out to her, and she repays him by devoting herself to him. No one has done for him what she has. As a friend. As they've grown older, she's proven time and again that she would do anything for him. And he looks out for her. Admittedly, he and Ron look out for her in all the major ways. But Harry is the one who looks out for her in the small ways. He listens to her, pays attention to her, and doesn't do his level best to irritate her. In the same way, she takes care of Harry in ways she doesn't bother to for Ron.

 

They are growing together. They are not obviously in love, by any sense of it. He certainly doesn't even recognize it himself. But their level of discourse...their level of understanding...their innate ability to take care of one another when the chips are down. She knows what he needs, that's for certain. He just acts on instinct. So where she is taking care of him when it comes to school and injuries and situations, he takes care of her when it comes to physical danger.

 

OotP is such a great precursor to 7th year understanding...or maybe I should say it's a great foundation. He spends so much of the book angry at her, for not writing to him, for nagging him, for saying things he doesn't want to hear, and yet his instinct has him turning to her when things are important...for advice and to protect her. Some part of him realizes what she means to him, but it's not the obvious part - not the part that thinks that Cho is pretty or that girls who don't nag him don't get the silent treatment. Harry is much deeper than that. But it's hidden behind his 15 year old hormones.

 

She is dying for him throughout OotP and if I had to guess, I would say that 5th year is the year Hermione has figured out that her feelings run deep for her best friend. Everything...EVERYTHING she does reeks of it to me. Love. Sometimes I can't believe other people don't see it.

 

To sum it up, I think that JKR has laid the foundation for one of the great love stories. Boy and girl who spent their childhoods being different...and not understanding why. Fighting stereotypes and norms and turning out special, not only for their "gifts" but because of their very big hearts. That's the thing they share most in common - compassion, love, and a drive for justice that is unparalleled in the books. Pretty is all well and good. But beauty lives much deeper in both of them.
-danielerin  

Harry and Hermione capture my interest because their friendship holds promise. The potential for them to have love (not lust which reads as "love", not intense like which reads as "love", but the genuine, warms-your-heart-to-witness article) is so potent that I find it to be captivating. There is an edge to this possibility, the distinct likelihood that, for sundry reasons, they will not come together in a romantic sense, and this edge appeals to me as well. The potential for and the potential against is true to life in my realm of experience, so I am taken by this element in the novels.

 

To trot out and then thrash a very tired cliché, Harry and Hermione are opposing sides to the same coin. Harry is emotion. He is fire and heterodox and the night. Hermione is intellect. She is air and orthodoxy and the day. Each serves as the animus and the anima to the other. His reactions influence her actions and vice versa. They complement and fuel one another. To see their interaction, to pay witness to the factual elements of their relationship and to infer the romantic aspects is compelling. It is not the "will they, won't they" that draws me in, it is the journey that they are on in their friendship. Each step they take together reveals more of this dynamic, whether it is presented straightforwardly or be pure conjecture on my (the reader's) par).
 
Their camaraderie is real and animate, and their interpersonal dynamic is absorbing. I love noting the facts and then hoping that their friendship evolves into something passionate (not necessarily sex, but passionate as in an openly realized soulful -connection).
-carondelet11 

 
Because he needs her in ways which he has not imagined before. She is his conscience, his reason, his understanding of trust, loyalty, and what it means to care passionately.
-chezsimon 

 
Nothing about H/H feels forced to me. It is like the evolution of two people who are just meant to be a part of each other’s lives.
-kimmy_77 
 
The Coming Books:
 
Order of the Phoenix was, without a doubt, Harry’s most difficult year. He spent so much of it angry and resentful, and it all cumulated into the loss of his godfather and the revelation of the prophecy.
 
Rowling has more than hinted that Harry will have romance at some point in the future books and, with Cho out of the way, Hermione looks like the likely choice, especially if Rowling’s been slowly building this pairing from the very first book.
 
As I said, nothing in Harry Potter’s life is easy. He almost lost Hermione in the Department of Mysteries—a rescue mission gone badly wrong. And she was right about it all. She was right that it was a trap and that he should have studied harder at Occlumency. How is this going to play out in their relationship? Will he be angry and resentful? Will he be guilty? Will she blame him? Will they even talk about it? What kind of summer is Harry going to have after fifth-year? Will he be able to recognize how close he came to losing her?
 
Knowing about the prophecy, will Harry push her away or turn to her? What would loving Hermione mean in terms of the “power he knows not?” How does a possible Harry/Hermione pairing affect the trio’s friendship? How does it affect Harry and Ron’s friendship?
 
There are so many endless and fascinating possibilities for Harry/Hermione—something that has sparked endless amounts of fanfiction, discussion, and essays.
 
Whatever happens, JKR has written a book with a friendship that has touched me deeply. So much of what I love about them is already there in canon, I only need to read the books to see it. It’s a friendship that can survive anything—a friendship that has become the strongest relationship in the series.
 
Before I get into the recs, I’m going to plug my lovely danielerin  again. danielerin  has a way of describing H/Hr that’s wonderful to read. When she gave me her list of her favourite H/Hr moments from OotP, I knew I had to work them into this essay. All her moments are different than mine, but I adore the way that she describes them.
 
1 - When she calms him down by saying Voldemort's name. That's it right there. He's pissed at her for the whole DA thing, getting hyped up about his role in it and his best friends not understanding. And she realizes she needs to get over it. To show him she's with him. Side by side. Not expecting him to do it all himself. What a subtle little thing for JKR to throw in there to mean something to Harry. And normally Hermione pushes a bit hard, but here she let it go and went to bed. Growing up, is our girl.

 

2 - When they catch each other's eye on the train after Malfoy's comment about Sirius that no one else caught. This goes hand in hand with the moment at the DoM when she pulls him away from the Veil. He looks to her alone and asks what it was. It's the intelligence connection. The constant awareness of what's going on around them and how it affects this war that they're in. Obviously, Harry is concerned because he's in the thick of it. Hermione is concerned because everyone should be and because Harry's in the thick of it. She's the only one that he KNOWS is thinking about it all the time.

 

3 - When he pulls her with him out of the prophecy room. They were all standing close together. He could have just grabbed for anyone or no one. But he grabbed her because his subconscious knows how important she is to him. Because his instincts tell him to protect her. It is evident throughout the scenes with Grawp and the centaurs.

 

4 - When she screams at the top of her lungs as Umbridge attempts crucio. No one else reacted that way. She can't let him get hurt. She won't let him get hurt. And he knows her well enough to understand that no tears means Hermione is hatching a plan.

 

5 - The fact that he thinks of her when he looks at the fountain in the Ministry. He thinks of her several times during his chat with Dumbledore at the end (and thinks of anyone else...Ron...only once - and it was Ron's lack of trust in Snape, which he was wrong about). He thinks of her when he's answering test questions and he thinks of her when he has a question of conscience. He dreams about her and Snape discovers a fearful memory about her when performing legilimency. All of it. But he thinks of her when looking at the ridiculous fountain in the Ministry because she is one of the few in his world who cares enough to stand up for other creatures who aren't given equality. Who's the only other person in the books who goes on about it? Dumbledore. Not bad company, Hermione. Point is, I think he admires her where Ron thinks she's cracked. He's attracted to her compassion, as she is to his, and I think it will play a big role in the end.
-danielerin  
 
 
Fanfiction:
 
Portkey is the largest Harry/Hermione fanfiction site in fandom, but it also has forums, art, and more. It’s easy to load/upload, leave reviews, and respond to reviews. All the moderators put all kinds of time and energy into it and the site is expanding nearly every day. It’s also a Ron/Luna, Draco/Ginny, and James/Lily site, but Harry/Hermione is by far the most popular pairing there and it must always remain unbroken.
 
The Paradigm of Uncertainty and sequels by madlorivoldmort  is probably one of the best-known fics in all of fandom. The series is generally hailed as the Harry/Hermione fic. It’s got tons of plot, kick ass original characters, and lots of grand t00by love.
 
Some of my favourite fics:
 
It’s All Relative by danielerin : In the spring of her seventh year at Hogwarts, Hermione loses one dream while another comes true.
 
Isolation by danielerin : In the fall of his sixth year, Harry has a hard time dealing with what happened at the end of his fifth year.
 
Into a Darkened Room by demosthenes91 : After the final battle with Voldemort, Hermione finally tells Harry that she's been in love with him for years. But when circumstances suddenly separate them, and Harry's all but ignored her and her declaration of love, what's left for Hermione? No Hogwarts, no homework and no Harry suddenly leave her feeling quite useless and rejected.
When she feels she's lost everything, to what lengths will Hermione go to feel wanted again?
 
Threads by fated_addiction : “I was barely sixteen when I fell in love with Harry Potter.”
 
Tragic Little Hero by cheeringcharm : “You are so frustrating! I came here to help you talk about Sirius, to help you mourn his death. Maybe even get a little support from you for my own grief. Instead, I find that you are lying here in a filthy room, unshaven, unbathed and caught up in a self-centered pity party. Frankly, it’s a bit disgusting. I’ve had it.” Is this the end of Harry and Hermione's friendship?
 
Apologies by Romulus Lupin: It is the day after Harry and his friends’ encounter with Voldemort and the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic. After his talk with Dumbledore, Harry goes to the Hospital Wing to visit Hermione and Ron …
 
Lucky by Napalmnacey: Harry loses faith and hope in all around him, and wonders if there is a reason for it all. Dumbledore consoles him and shows him the Pool of Possibilities, and Harry gets to see a world where Voldemort was never born.
 
 
My Favourite Portkey Authors:
 
Amethyst

Demosthenes  
Kaze
Danielerin 
kyc639
Cheering Charm
Napalmnacey

Bingblot

Genevieve
Anne U
Pottergirl786
 
My Portkey Profile
 
Livejournal Communities:
 
harryhermione

harmony_army
hphg100

thepumpkinpie 
hghp 
 
Yahoo groups:
ParadigmofUncertainty 
Pumpkin_Pie_Archive

 
Sites:
Harry Loves Hermione

The Pumpkin Pie 
 
Essays:
 
Partner’s and Friends The Evolving Relationship Between Harry and Hermione by Penny Linsenmayer 
Uncovering the Meaning of Harry Potter, Why the H/Hr Relationship is Important by alexism  
Who Does Hermione Love? by Turambar  
Master list of Pumpkin Pie’s Army essays on Portkey
 

***

 

Special thanks to danielerin, carondelet11, chezsimon, and kimmy_77  for explaining things better than me. *smooch*

Comments

Well!

[imelda72.livejournal.com]

Well. Forgive me if I am repeating anyone else's sentiments, but I don't really have the patience to go through all the comments.

I just wanted to say that, as a staunch anti-H/Hr person, I was impressed by this essay. That doesn't mean my mind was changed, because I think a lot of these things may have to do with JKR toying with us, but you made some good points. My favorite was that scene towards the end of OotP, where Harry and Hermione are arguing over whether to go rescue Sirius, and the argument is pretty much entirely in the hands of Harry and Hermione. As soon as I can I plan on rereading that scene, because I think you've analysed it beautifully in the context of H/Hr.

Same thing, actually, with the scene where Hermione goes down in the DoM. I am very mad at myself for feeling this way, but I can't help but wonder whether, if Harry were given the Third Task to do over again at the end of OotP (disregarding Sirius' death), would Hermione appear be his wheezy instead of Ron?

Re: Well!

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! It means so much to hear from non-H/Hr types. I certainly did not mean to change anyone's mind with this essay, but it's nice to know that I've at least helped someone understand another perspective.

The tension between shippers pre-HBP has been wearing me down lately, so I'm particularly grateful that you chose today to make a comment.

I am very mad at myself for feeling this way, but I can't help but wonder whether, if Harry were given the Third Task to do over again at the end of OotP (disregarding Sirius' death), would Hermione appear be his wheezy instead of Ron?

*laughs*

Well... I would think so, but I'm horribly biased, so I'm afraid my opinion doesn't count for much. Although I will say, whether or not there's ever any H/Hr in the series, Hermione certainly means more to Harry than he's aware of on a conscious level.

Thanks again! It was lovely hearing from you. I really appreciate it.

And I love your OT3 icon. Shipping the trio together is all sorts of fun. *grin*