i really cant imagine harry and hermione only because harry is the star of the series and if harry gets the girl than ron will be left out of the trio
also because the books make everything so clear that hermione likes ron and vise-versa because everytime something ,shall we say romantic, happens between them they act very lost and embaressed but when the same thing happens to harry and hermione they just act normal

I would have to agree with jojo. I mean there couldn't possibly be a friendship between the three of them if harry and hermione were together. And as we can see Ron is jealous when hermione is with someone else. For instance, Krum. And Hermione was jealous when Ron was with someone else such as Lavender, so clearly Ron and Hermione were meant for each other and Harry and Ginny were meant for each other. Harry and Ginny should be together because in the series Harry sort of thinks of being together with Ginny and how it would feel like going out with Ginny. And when Ginny broke up with one of her boyfriends (I can't remember which one) Ron talked about it with Harry and Ron said that he hoped Ginny would find a better and decent guy.

Hi everyone.

Harry and Hermione. There's absolutely no room for it, it's very unlikely and makes no sense whatsoever. Usually when Jo has paird someone up, you can see chemistry between them before hand, or at least a sign that something is going on deep inside. But nothing of the sort has happened with Harry and Hermione. Actually, whenever Harry is alone with Hermione, half the time Harry's wishing Ron was there. Like when Harry and Ron had the falling out in book 4. I'm pretty sure Harry was thinking that life with Hermione meant a lot of time in the library (not sure what he's complaining about myself!) and life was just a little dull.

If he secretly liked her, he's be a little more excited, no?

Baz i whole heartedly agree! harry has never given the slightest sign that he like hermione he just mopes when he is alone with her wishing for ron. besides as intellegent people have said before me it would destroy the entire trio if harry and hermione got together! besides when i even think of this match.. .
Jkr has never given any sign that this match could even happen besides practicaly saing that it is delusional!

One little note: Jo Rowling didn't say that. Someone else said that in front of her. But we shouldn't talk about Jo in this thread, according to the rule. We can already see from her writings how Harry and Hermione do not see each other as a match. In HBP, Ron was with Lavender. Hermione was free to get a date for Slughorn's party. Hermione never see it as a possibility to go with Harry. She has set her heart for someone else. Harry was also looking for a date. He never thought of taking Hermione. She is not his type for a date. That's the fact.

Harry and hermione have never had those kind of feelings for each other before and just because harrys the main boy character and hermione is the main girl doesnt mean they will end up together

also i dont think harry will get together with anyone in book 7 considering that he left ginny for her safety, if harry does get together with anyone in book 7 it will be at the end of the book, personally i hope its ginny

What you said is true. Here lies the issue, there are three main characters in the series: Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hermione being the only main girl, doesn't mean she has to be with the main character Harry, because there is still another main character Ron. Throughout 6 books Harry never shown romantic interest to Hermione, whereas Ron and Hermione both have shown mutual interests to each other since the beginning. It's just a matter of time the two will get together (or one more book). Harry has set his interest to someone else, and that's his privilege as the hero to choose the one he likes.

Yeah, they could of gone to Slughorn's party and had a good time as friends, I've gone with friends to dances, and had a good time, I'm sure a lot of other people here have as well. But Hermione was bent on going with someone out of spite, so Harry took Luna, as friends.
I don't think that Hermione joined up with Ron and Harry to get close to Ron Muggs. And I don't think that H/Hr=ruined trio...well it does now, but if JK paired Ron with someone first then it would of been okay, but now, it would be really hard to get H/Hr together without measing things up.
quidditch rocks, word from the wise, stay away from the d word.

Hermione might have interested with these two peculiar boys. Somehow she was attracted to them. After the troll incident, she didn't have other friends to hang out with, other than Harry and Ron. Gradually, she realised that staying alone with Ron is fun, more than staying alone with Harry. So it's possible that while not knowing about romance, Hermione has been attracted to Ron, but as part of Harry and Ron. Later, it's only Ron who can reach her heart. His negative comment hurt her more than any other people's. His comforting words meant more than any other people's. That doesn't happen with Harry.
As far as the polls, since HBP is out, Harry/Hermione ship has been steadily in 3rd position, far below Harry/Ginny (1st place) and Harry/Luna (2nd place). I guess the majority pick up the anti H/Hr stance.

well.i know that this is harry/hermione venom thread but i thought that i should post anyway. there are three main characters in the harry potter series-harry,ron and hermione-the golden trio with harry in the limelight.if ron and hermione get together,then harry will be like left out..(as i dont think ginny can be given equal importance as hermione)
another theory may be that harry be alone...without any girl as i think JKR is also planning to kill him*sniffs*so he will be alone fighting against the dark.....

I'm thinking that's the main intent. Harry is pretty much destined to be alone, and I think that includes in relationships. Ron and Hermione should get together, which leaves him out, and that is what is supposed to happen. Sirius died, Dumbledore died, his parents died, he basically has no one, so why would he have someone now? I don't think he's even going to end up with Ginny in the end because that would be to lucky for him...poor guy. Just can't get any love can he?

Harry's luck is pretty low, gotta admit...
I think that if Harry will live, he will get together with Ginny. She wouldn't allow otherwise! We have been led to believe she has character, after all. However, with Harry's luck...

ok, ok!
Back on-topic: I think that the H/Hr ship is wishful thinking (nothing offensive meant). Both Harry and Hermione have clarified numerous times that they don't plan on getting together and approve of each other's relationships.

Guys, please check jkrowling.com and get to Extra Stuff section. Pick up the pen and drag it to the blank sticky note at its left. Draw a lightning bold (3 straight lines /_ and / again), you will get the plot for Book 5 written by Jo Rowling. In it, there are columns showing the activities of some characters at the same time. Interestingly there is one column titled "Cho/Ginny". We know Book 5 is about Harry/Cho, but why Ginny has to be taken into account at all?
I think we know the answer now as book 6 HBP already out. After Cho, Harry is going to Ginny. Sorry, no Hermione in sight.

Well, in book 5, Harry is still Cho-obsessed, but he's starts stopping liking Cho, and though he doesn't really like Ginny till book 6, JKR must've done that column to add different hints about Ginny liking Harry. I don't remember whether this is in book 6 or 5, but doesn't Ginny sometimes look reluctant when she, say, has to do something with her boyfriend when she could be joining Harry or the trio somewhere? I think JKR just dropped really subtle hints in book 5, so that's what the column's for...To keep track of them.

100% agree with that. Jo Rowling has been keeping track of Harry's love life in her draft, but she cunningly placed the hints here and there in the books. The publication of the draft is a strong proof that Jo has not been thinking about H/Hr and doesn't mean to build up H/Hr.

Droobles, how depressing. I think that Ron made clear when he told Harry "we're with you whatever happens" that he's never alone. Ron and Hermione are his best friends, his safety net, his family. Even though Ron and Hermione are Ron and Hermione, in a way they'll never be just them.
I agree as well about the Ginny/Cho stuff.

Well, no, Harry's never completely alone, but I do think that is a main theme. He's lost nearly everyone so if we follow that trend...I'm afraid for anyone he's close to. Dumbledore said that he was not worried, he was with him, and not everything went so well. Course, I think Dumbledore was also destined not to make it though. Do I wish that Harry had someone, as a partner? Of course. That's all he's wanted all his life and I'd say that I'd be happy that he ended up with anyone that made him happy. Except Hermione.

Oh I got you, but I think that Ginny will live. Harry desevres a happy ending.
Today I was wacthing Gof with my friend Joe, the guy I mentioned before as being my very Harry-like friend to my Hermione. And made a comment when Hermione puts the blanket around Harry after the second task that she was like his mother. He knows very little about the series, and he picked up on that.
So I'm not sure the movie-goers-picking-up-on-H/Hr-instead-of-R/Hr theory has some holds.

I'd like to say, Hermione doesn't consider Harry. I mean, how many people discuss their guy problems with their crushes? In HBP Hermione and Harry have many conversations. Harry believes the two should be together as well, and would never turn on Ron to go out with his crush.

Hermione considers Harry as a very good friend, who happens to be male. Likewise with Harry, he considers Hermione a reliable friend, but not a girlfriend material. That is common in real life, as well. One person to love, the others as just friends. Harry and Hermione belong to the latter group. Each of them has someone elase to love.

It's my beliefe that people need both female and male campionship of various kinds. We're not Romeos and Juliets where all we have is our significate other, wow what a sad thought. And Harry and Hermione are family, not romatic lovers.

That's exactly the point. Not all close male and female friends have to be romantic pairs. Most of them are better as good friends, helping and caring each other as surrogate siblings. With the soulmate, there is a different spark, a different feeling, and it most likely is only one in a lifetime. Harry and Hermione don't show any sparks. All their attentions to each other are like siblings. They do feel the sparks with other people, and definitely not with each other.

I've always been a fan of the H/Hr friendship, because it reminds me of my relationship with my friend Joe, as I've already said. And you know, it's werid, because when I was reading GoF for the first time, when I got the part where people kept saying Harry and Hermione were a couple, people kept asking me if Joe was my boyfriend, kinda creepy, huh. That line "Harry got sick of telling people Hermione wasn't his girlfriend" or something to that affect, reminded me so much about what was happening in my own life.
I think we need a new topic...

Looking back at the past movies, I see more clearly now that the screenwriter(s) indeed successfully captured Jo's wish. Not necessarily in contrast to what some may say about certain scenes, Harry, Ron and Hermione have been positioned as Harry and (Ron + Hermione). End of movie 1 has Ron and Hermione on the balcony, waiting for Harry to recover, and then Harry standing on the station platform, while Ron and Hermione both already on the train. Movie 2 has the pattern Harry in the middle, whereas Ron and Hermione are either behind or in front of him, but as a pair. The end scene has Harry happily watched the two shaked hand awkwardly. Movie 3 showed Ron and Hermione's first date, even with the mentioned of looking for a house. Movie 4 of course with the jealousy theme. All in all, I fail to notice any intention to show Harry and Hermione to be a romantic pair. The script shows Harry and Hermione had to work together as necessary, not for pleasure.

It was a first date with out actually being a date. What to move closer? And of course Harry has to come in and completely ruin everything. Damn Harry!! Damn him to Hell!! Okay, that was a bit dramatic ::small giggle::
I hope we get more in the 5th movie than Ron doubting Hermione's skill and Hermione showing Ron up. Hey, it's kind of like with the feather, in the first movie, never thought of that till just now.

At the current presentation, I feel the movie 5 does another injustice to Ron. In the books, Ron never underestimated Hermione. He is the one who honestly can say what Hermione is lacking, but without being condescending. That's why Hermione looked more to Ron than to Harry for opinions. Nevertheless, the act does showed how the two do things together without Harry. I feel movie 5 will be more anti H/Hr than before, leading to closing any possibilities of H/Hr in the future movies.

I think that if rons suspected it, he would have confronted harry with his bad temper. He can get very angry sometimes(as we all know) and if the thought of H/Hr even crossed his mind he would explode. Also, when Hermione went out with krum, harry didnt have the same angry feeling as he did with ginny. ALSO, hermione knows that harry went out with hermione and showed no signs on jealosy or even that she cared at all.

You have formulated it brilliantly. As your avatar said, it has been very consistent throughout the books. Harry never had problem with Hermione going out with anyone, but he was all ears hearing Ginny got herself a boyfriend (Michael) and angry at Dean. Hermione didn't care if Harry kissed Cho, but she was very very mad at Ron for kissing Lavender. Even Lavender knew something is going on between Ron and Hermione. No H/Hr in sight.

there are so many things pointing away from H/Hr:

-both parties have significant other ships
-when someone asked jo about this ship, she replied something like 'have you been READING the books?' (sorry i don't have the exact quote)
-even if Harry wanted to be with her (which he DOESN'T) it would never happen because Harry (rightfully) fears for the people close to him and instintually pushes them away (note Ginny)
- Harry has never shown the childish tendencies toward bickering with someone you like (like Ron has) with Hermione

There was a scene in OOP, when the Dumbledore's Army was established, Hermione was verbally attacked twice: the first time by Cho Chang, Hermione didn't try to fight back, but looking quickly for solutions (Ginny helped Hermione), the second time by Zacharias Smith, Ron came to help. I feel this scene is very much anti H/Hr. The showdown for Harry's love turns out not between Cho and Hermione, but Cho vs. Ginny. No H/Hr. Harry didn't feel the need to help Hermione. Ron did. I feel the possiblity for H/Hr is closed there.

I think H/Hr was closed up before then, in GoF when Rita said that Harry and Hermione were a couple and she only writes lies. Therefor, H/Hr never going to happen. But anyway Hermione was concerned when Harry kissed Cho, in anycase, much more notice to his love life than Harry to Hermione, but that's normal for girls. She honestly wanted Cho and Harry to be together because that would make Harry happy, if she was just trying to trick Harry to break up with Cho, that's kind of a underhanded thing to do. But the prefect godess Hermione sent from heaven to be the answer to all Harry's problems would never do such an awful thing! Sorry, just a bit sarcastic.

I don't think that H/Hr would work out, don't think it's going to happen. Hermione is made for Ron in my opinion, and Harry doesn't want to get in their way. If you read through books 4-6 you can see how supportive Hermione is of Harry and his relationships with Cho and Ginny. In book six, it says that Hermione "beams" when Harry and Ginny finally kiss. And she's really helpful when it came down to Harry and Cho.

Plus Hermione was furious with Ron when he dated Lavender. She hated him for it, and was really hurt by his actions.

Hermione and Harry just won't happen.

Very god points HPChic. If Hermione was ever interested in Harry she wouldn't of supported his relationship with Cho or Ginny with good advice. She beamed at Harry and Ginny kissing, I think Jo put that in there as another nail in the coffin, to show Hermione was no romantic feelings for Harry.

Amyrat, totally agree. Hermione is not interested in Harry, and even if she was, she wouldn't go doing sneaking things to try to break them up, like ,say, a girl like Lavender might do. I heard from a few people that Hermione was only pretending to be happy for Harry and Ginny, but was silently crying on the inside and will use her intelligence to make sure that Harry and Ginny don't hook up again, so she can have Harry. Not true at all. Hermione has been an advocate for any ship involving Harry and another person, as long as that person isn't herself. That is a very interesting thing to note, as it clearly shows Hermione's disinterest in Harry as a romantic partner.

i think that if Harry and Hermione were suppost to be together, than j.k would have made it that way. Like HPchic said in book 6 Hermione is really supportive with him and Ginny. However, when Ron and Lavender are together Hermione doesn't even talk to Ron untill they break up. Also, Ron says I love you to Hermione, and she blushes saying that Lavender better not hear that. Anyway, i think that Harry is just to caught up in things for Hermione. He's always trying to figure out stuff. Like in book 6 he's constantly trying to figure out the Room of Recquirement. On the other hand, Ron isn't really that busy, so he and Hermione would be good together. Plus Hermione's cleverness and Ron's stamina kind of balance out eachother. Also, if Harry die's in the last book, i think Ron and Hermione might get closer to get over the tragic loss.

Oh poor Hermione, because her devasation is as clear as crystal. Why am I being so sarcastic lately? Whatever. But if Hermione wanted to be with Harry, why hasn't she ever made a move? Suggest she wanted to the Yule Ball or Slughorn's party with him, like she did with Ron? So sings of jealousy toward Harry with Ginny or Cho? She's shown concern and happieness but not heart break.
Welcome fire_boltz to the thread and board, that's quite a morid way for Ron and Hermione to get together, and something I doubt will hapen because I think that Ron and Hermione will get together in beggining of the book anyway.

It's been six years Harry and Hermione to be close as classmates and trio with Ron. Any feeling should have been developed. The two have always been cordial and friendly, but not attracted to each other romantically. Harry has been close to 5 girls at least: Hermione, Ginny, Parvati, Cho and Luna. He may have share time with Hermione the longest. However, Harry has made his verdict that his best source of comfort is Ginny. Sorry, not Hermione. She is good. She is nice. But not Harry's romantic interest.
Hermione has dated Viktor Krum and McClaggan, apart from spending time with Ron and Harry. She clearly showed more weight on Ron than other boys. In CoS, Hermione let it slip that her concern to Harry's wound (bones need regrowing, very painful!) was not really as much as we would expect from a lover. Compared to the wound Ron got from eat slug, Hermione was much worried about Ron, although she knew for sure that the spell was relatively harmless and would be gone in short time. That was in the second year. Same thing in the sixth year. Any change in seventh year? Hardly.

I think that hermione has no feelings for harry as a romantic partner for all the evidence we have been given in the books. Although I do get annoyed at how the films try to make the viewers see an ovious chemistry between the actors (is this okay I did not make reference to any names???). I honestly believe that H/Hr shipers are in somehow influenced by what they see in the films but they are being deceived. Hermione loathes ron during HBP when he is going out with lavander. She is constanly talking about ron with harry, either criticizing him for tiny things (usually when a girl criticizes a guy by the amount of detail hermione does ron it means she notices him more than just friends). She would have invited ron to slughorns party if ron had not said that the meetings were stupid. Harry and Hermiones relationship is more like sister and brother, the comfort that she brings to him sometimes is that of a relative or the annoying bosiness that she can also be is that of a sister trying to tell you what to do.Besides in book six we get a very strong clue from harry that ron and hermione will eventually end up together. When he refers to him remembering bill and fleur and how embarassing it was to be in their presence and how he hoped that ron and hermione would at least have the decensy not to be like them.

Just a reminder - please do not comment on H/Hr shippers in this thread.

Keep your comments restricted ONLY to the ship itself.

Thanks.

Potterfan, this venom thread is mainly to discuss the ship based on the fictional characters inside the realm of the Harry Potter universe.
Your quote about Bill/Fleur comparison is right on target. Harry actually can see R/Hr going to that direction, without a bit feeling of jealousy. Clearly Harry doesn't see H/Hr at all. Friends okay, but not romantic partners.
It is interesting to check those in the series who bought into H/Hr:
- Viktor Krum: He saw Harry and Hermione in the library during the clash between Harry and Ron. Harry had nowhere to go except to the library with Hermione, who divided her time between Harry and Ron. Ron had more friends and also siblings to hang out with, so he avoided library. Viktor had not seen Ron and Hermione together to compare. Later, Viktor realised the misunderstanding with Harry and the importance of Ron and felt relief that Ron didn't hold animosity towards him at the end of GoF.
- Rita Skeeter: Most likely she saw the same thing as Viktor, that Harry and Hermione seemed close together. However, soon she got a better story about Viktor and Hermione, so she abandoned H/Hr.
- Cho Chang: She had the right to be mad to Hermione, because Harry seemed to double date Cho and Hermione on the Valentine's Day. Later, she used Hermione's name to invoke Harry's true feeling, but the effort failed, because Harry didn't have much about Cho and he was still angry at Cho's friend for betraying them. Later, it seems that she still has something for Harry, because she acted strangely whenever Harry was close-by. Cho doesn't seem to think Hermione can replace her at Harry's side, but now she won't like Hermione for doing things to her friend.
- Dolores Umbridge: she picked Harry and Hermione together, not because of H/Hr, but more of strategic reason. Hermione would lead her to Dumbledore's "weapon", and Dolores didn't want to lose sight of Harry, so she took them both.

Any other persons who suggested H/Hr in the series?

Sorry about the film comment I promise to keep to the books ONLY. I think that we get the best idea of what H/Hr relationship is going to be like in COS right after ron has been hurt. Hermione comments of how harry is a great wizard but harry contradicts her saying that he is not as good as her but she counters him by saying that there are more important things than books...¨friendship,loyalty...¨ This points out that hermione really values harrys friendship above other things. I also think that harrys explanation to Viktor in GOF is another strong point. Viktor attacks him with stuff that hermione says about him but all harry says is ¨because we are friends¨

potterfan, you just posted in the H/Hr support thread - do you support the ship or not?

This thread is a venom thread, and you should therefore be posting here ONLY if you're against this ship. If you post here, therefore, you should not be posting in the H/Hr thread. You're either for it, or against it. So you need to choose a thread and stay in it, please.

I cannot see Harry and Hermione ever happening, for several reasons.

In Goblet of Fire, when Ron and Harry have their arguement and aren't talking, Harry is spending a lot of his time with Hermione. I believe that, if he fancied her or vice versa, this might've been the time when it showed. They're alone a lot, as Harry wants to avoid most of the other students, and don't have Ron to interfere. Despite this, Harry says that life just isn't quite so fun when his best friend is Hermione. If there was something between them, I don't think this would have been his attitude.

Also, in Goblet of Fire, the second task took the Champions prized possessions. Harry's task was not to rescue Hermione, but to rescue Ron. Hardly what you'd expect from two people who were destined to be together.

Throughout the series, there have been many examples of romantic tension between Ron and Hermione, as opposed to Harry and Hermione. Note that when she hooked up with Viktor Krum, Harry had absolutly no problem with this, and is amazed when Krum asks him if he and Hermione are a couple. Ron, however, takes it very badly. We can see what Harry's reaction to someone he likes, but doesn't know it, in his reactions towards Ginny in the books, up until Half Blood Prince. He enjoys her company, has a lot in common with her, they both enjoy Quidditch, neither of them have ever fallen out with one another. Harry and Hermione just don't really fit into this as well.

Some people may argue that, during the Ron/Harry split-up, that Hermione chose to stick with Harry rather than stick with Ron. I believe this is not because she fancies him, but she is just a genuinely good friend. Ron has no problem finding other people to hang around with, be it Dean, Seamus, or his twin brothers. Harry, however, cannot hang around with these people if Ron is there. Hermione obviously can see that Harry is being isolated, and chooses to spend more time with him to prevent it. She never takes Harry's side over Ron's, and tries to convince the two to talk. These are all the acts, I believe, of a friend and not a lover/crush.

No matter what any shipper says, I can never see this couple working.

Goblet of Fire contains the most straight forward denial for H/Hr, from Harry himself, to the public in the series, and the readers. At the end of the book, it was clear that Hermione put herself in Weasley camp. She kissed Harry at the cheek, following Mrs. Weasley and Ron's farewell gesture and followed by the Twins: a Weasley procession. And then, as we later read in book 5, she was off to spend the whole summer with Ron, instead of with Viktor. It seems that book 4 gives really a clear message that it's not going to be H/Hr.

i think he should like her they have been friends for so long and harry does find her attractive like in the 4th book durring the yule ball harry is over cho!

The romantic feeling is just not there. Book after book after book, there is no romantic spark between Harry and Hermione. Can it just come anytime in the future? Sure, but after Harry claimed Ginny as his in public? After Ron and Hermione hugged and cried in public? The possibility is getting more and more microscopic. At the end of book 6, Harry's mind is focused on how to keep Ginny safe. Can he suddenly move on to another girl? I would think it's possible if Harry Potter was scheduled to be 35 books. Somewhere in book 33 and 34, Harry can finally forget Ginny. Nobody else was around except Hermione, who has accepted her fate not to be with Ron. Harry and Hermione may decide to start a relationship, but then... in that old age, marriage may not be the option. Looking at their great great grandchildren, Harry and Hermione decide to remain good friends. ... Still no H/Hr.

I don't see harry and hermione togther because they never shown interest in eachother. Jk rowling said that harry considers hermione and ron as sister and brother. So I don't see harry and hermione or extermly gross harry& ron togther.

I think they just don't suit. You have a good relationship, you need chemistry (Though a relationship can be without chemistry, but it'll be a little more challenging) and you kind of need to suit (Though it's not always the case.)

You see, Harry is the kind of person who jumps right into things, without thinking first. His saving-people-thing influences this, but it's mostly just who he is. He doesn't want to sit tight and be a good boy, he wants to be out there-fighting, and doesn't think about the consequences untill after they have happened.

Hermione is the exact opposite. She has to sit down and think things through, before she jumps right in. She has to think wheather it's the best solution, or wheather it's a trap, or wheather there's a better way. She isn't the fighter-she's the thinker.

When you put these two together, it doesn't look good. The perfect example of this is in OotP, when Harry has his dream about Sirius during his History of magic exam. He wanted to go stright to the DoM, without even stopping to consider that it could be a trap, and save him.

Hermione, however wanted to stop. She wanted to think, she wanted to cheak wheather it was a trap, wheather Sirius was really trapped, or it was Volemort luring Harry under influence of his saving-people-thing.

The consequences of these two people int eh sinario were not pleasent, if you mey do so recall: Harry lost his temper at her and she pratically started crying almost. Not a good combination.

Imagine them like this together during the final battle! God, they'd break up after 2 weeks! Lol.

Yep, that's wat I kind of go back to as well. How Harry reacted, if he had romantic feeling for her, he would of listened. Ron wanted to go only because Harry said that they should. Ron is very much the Number One to Harry's Picard (I love Star Trek refernces!). But he's ready to fall in line, Hermione is ready to question, it's a balance. If it was H/Hr the balance woulf be off.
One thing I want to talk about, something that is brought up a lot, is the fact that in GoF Krum says "Hermione talks of Harry often." Therefore, Hermione has romantic feeling for Harry. But, let's think about this for a second. If you were Hermione, who had strong feelings toward Ron in GoF and knew what you felt, are you hoenstly going to talk about Ron with your boyfriend, or are you going to talk about a safe topic, Harry?

That's a very good topic, Ellen. Let's elaborate for a moment:

Krum said that Hermione often talked about Harry.
That must be during their short meetings.
The meetings could be:
1. the meeting when Viktor asked Hermione for Yule Ball.
2. the Yule Ball
3. the meeting after the second task.

(the last meeting, the farewell part, was AFTER Viktor's conversation to Harry, so it's not included).

I can imagine Hermione was very confused and nervous when Viktor came to her and asked her to be his date for Yule Ball in the first meeting. At that time, Harry and Ron was just friends again, but earlier only Harry could be seen with Hermione in the library, because unlike Ron, Harry had no other friends to hang out with, other than Hermione. Most likely, Viktor asked whether Harry was going to be Hermione's date. Hermione apparently denied this and declared herself available. Of course, Hermione would not say anything about Ron, because she was actually mad at him for not asking her early on. Hermione also knew or thought that Harry would not ask her for date, so it's easy to bring his name up during conversation. At the end, Viktor got Hermione's word to be his date and Viktor may have thought he won her over Harry.

During the Yule Ball, Viktor spent time to talk about many things with Hermione. Again, as Hermione was keen to teach Ron a lesson, she wouldn't mention Ron at all to Viktor. It's ironical that Ron was dying to meet Viktor for autograph, yet Hermione got to be with Viktor the whole evening, while Hermione would rather be with Ron. It's not too far to suspect that other than finding Hermione unique in one way (certainly not in the beauty department, as Viktor has many pretty girls as fan), Viktor may hope to learn a thing or two about Harry from Hermione in a very subtle way. Hermione didn't have much friends to talk about, so naturally she talked about Harry, as there's a lot to say about Harry (the legend, the adventures), without Viktor had to ask about him specifically. Therefore, Viktor may have the feeling that Hermione knew a lot about Harry, but still there's no special bond that Harry and Hermione would go out together.

After the second task, Viktor was proud to be Hermione's saviour, but couldn't help to notice how Hermione was nervous to wait for Harry (and Ron) to emerge from the water. Since, Viktor was totally oblivious about Ron, he naturally deducted that Hermione had a feeling with Harry. In fact, the fear can be for both, but it certainly can be either more for Harry or for Ron. Viktor only can think of Harry. However, the readers knew better, because Hermione confessed later, that she was nervous for Ron and Harry (Ron was mentioned first). Viktor tried to invite Hermione for the summer, but Hermione didn't want to give reply.

Given that Viktor missed all the clues about Ron, however intelligent Viktor is, all the facts led him to suspect Harry as Hermione's boyfriend. Especially, there was on-going rumour, even if Viktor didn't read the tabloid himself, he must have overheard the gossips during all the gatherings. This emboldened his belief, that Harry and Hermione are dating each other, and thereby setting up to the boldest denial from Harry, right to Viktor's face, that Hermione is not his girlfriend. H/Hr simply doesn't exist.

That's how the author brilliantly led to a very strong case to dismiss any possible idea about H/Hr.

On a later note, Viktor's invitation to Hermione for summer has been made public (in the tabloid). Hermione has not replied yet, so now it's time for Ron to act. Either from himself or actually from her mother, Ron must have invited Hermione to stay with him for the summer. Interestingly, we only read towards the end of Book 4, that Ron asked Harry to stay with the Weasley for the summer. Nothing was mentioned about Hermione. Dumbledore didn't allow Harry to go with the Weasleys, for safety reason, despite Mrs. Weasley's pleas (hence, the thought that Mrs. Weasley, who also read the tabloid, might want to help Ron and Hermione to build their relationship, by offering the invitation). For all we know, when we all opened the book 5, lo and behold,... Hermione was already on Ron's side, presumably since the beginning of summer (to witness Percy's fallout with the family) and followed the Weasleys moving temporarily to 12 GP. Case closed.