Allow me to be brutally honest about this: if Joanne Rowling is determined to ensure that Harry’s emotional involvement with best pal Hermione is to remain at a purely platonic level, then is it compulsory for her to necessitate that either character ends up with the likes of Ronald and Ginevra Weasley? Apart from Ronald Weasley, are there no decent options left for Hermione to choose from – like, say, Viktor Krum, Neville Longbottom or perhaps even Terry Boot? Likewise, apart from Ginevra Weasley, are there no other alternatives left for poor Harry to opt for – i.e., like, say, Susan Bones or any other suitable female character having made a few token appearances in the first four books?
The One Big Sappy Weasley Family scenario, as I like to call it (and will continue doing so for the rest of this rant) is exactly what it has always sounded like, to me – a cheerful, safe, easy, saccharine yet annoying convenience. This, in my opinion, is not radically different from Blyton’s Famous Five series, yet also runs the risk of being all too easy, not to mention, irksome, to boot – which the chaste Famous Five series is not. I would, however, like to believe that Rowling is capable of a lot more than this sugary slice of convenient nonsensicality.
If she were to put Harry together with the ‘Weaslet’, that is, Ginevra, then I would feel thoroughly cheated and disgusted as it would show me that Rowling has, after five Harry Potter volumes, not much of a story left to tell yet has loads of space left to devote to Harry chasing Ginevra around the Quidditch Pitch in HBP so that the pair can conveniently get together by the end of his seventh year at Hogwarts. There is simply no other way left for them to get closer thanks to Harry’s largely having ignored her for such a long time – unless Rowling contrives it. This would not be very fascinating, in my view, given that Harry does seem to have far more important issues left to deal with over the next two years of his life. If the new and greatly improved Ginevra Weasley Post-OP were to suddenly accept Harry’s romantic gestures, at any stage, during the next two books, then I would have no option but to look at it as being a complete roll back on her ‘new and improved’ character – would any self-respecting girl yearn to go out with someone who has completely ignored her feelings, for years, in spite of being fully aware of them? I must also categorically state that I dislike this particular couple immensely, given Harry’s earliest exchanges with Ginevra Pre-OP. How one can find the following even remotely palatable, is beyond me:
QUOTE (PS/SS @ Chapter 6, The Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, pg. 73, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 97, US Hardback Edition)
‘You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?’
‘Who?’
‘Harry Potter!’
Harry heard the little girl’s voice.
‘Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please …’
QUOTE (PS/SS @ Chapter 17, The Man with Two Faces, pg. 223, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 308, US Hardback Edition)
He, Ron and Hermione passed through the gateway together.
‘There he is, Mum, there he is, look!’
It was Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister, but she wasn’t pointing at Ron.
‘Harry Potter!’ she squealed. ‘Look, Mum! I can see –’
’Be quiet, Ginny, and it’s rude to point.’
QUOTE (COS @ Chapter 3, The Burrow, pg. 35, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 40, US Hardback Edition)
On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.
‘Ginny,’ said Ron. ‘You don’t know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally –’
QUOTE (COS @ Chapter 4, At Flourish and Blotts, pg. 37, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 43, US Hardback Edition)
Harry heard from Hogwarts one sunny morning about a week after he had arrived at The Burrow. He and Ron went down to breakfast to find Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. Ginny seemed very prone to knocking things over whenever Harry entered a room. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Pretending he hadn’t noticed this, Harry sat down and took the toast Mrs Weasley offered him.
QUOTE (COS @ Chapter 4, At Flourish and Blotts, pg. 38, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 44, US Hardback Edition)
‘Oh, are you starting at Hogwarts this year?’ Harry asked Ginny.
She nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish. Fortunately no one saw this except Harry, because just then Ron’s elder brother Percy walked in.
QUOTE (POA @ Chapter 4, The Leaky Cauldron, pg. 50-51, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 61-62, US Hardback Edition)
At that moment Mrs Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys’ youngest child and only girl, Ginny.
Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their last term at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered ‘hello’ without looking at him.
QUOTE (POA @ Chapter 10, The Marauder’s Map, pg. 137, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 183, US Hardback Edition)
He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a ‘get-well’ card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit.
QUOTE (GOF @ Chapter 5, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, pg. 51, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 54, US Hardcover Edition)
Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs Weasley. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry and Ron’s friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron’s younger sister, Ginny. Both of them smiled at Harry, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet – she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to The Burrow.
QUOTE (GOF @ Chapter 20, The First Task, pg. 295, UK Paperback Edition | pg. 337, US Hardcover Edition)
When he’d finally got all his clothes on the right parts of his body, he hurried off to find Hermione, locating her at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, where she was eating breakfast with Ginny. Feeling too queasy to eat, Harry waited until Hermione had swallowed her last spoonful of porridge, then dragged her out into the grounds for another walk. There, he told her all about the dragons, and about everything Sirius had said, while they took another long walk around the lake.
QUOTE (GOF @ Chapter 22, The Unexpected Task, pg. 347-349 UK Paperback Editon | pg. 399-401, US Hardcover Edition)
‘She’s part Veela,’ said Harry. ‘You were right – her grandmother was one. It wasn’t your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it – but she was wasting her time. He’s going with Cho Chang.’
Ron looked up.
‘I asked her to go with me just now,’ Harry said dully, ‘and she told me.’
Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling.
‘This is mad,’ said Ron...
...‘Right,’ said Ron, who looked extremely put out, ‘this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I’ll just –’
‘I can’t,’ said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. ‘I’m going with – with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought … well … I’m not going to be able to go otherwise, I’m not in fourth year.’ She looked extremely miserable. ‘I think I’ll go and have dinner,’ she said, and she got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed.
Ron goggled at Harry.
‘What’s got into them?’ he demanded.
But Harry had just seen Parvati and Lavender come in through the portrait hole. The time had come for drastic action.
The various exchanges, listed above, range from Ginevra blatantly exhibiting the effects of, what can best called, a ‘pathetic fan-girl crush’ on Harry, in his first year, through her completely being ignored, by him, in his fourth. Even her reaction to Harry’s crush on Cho is so severely downplayed (for the purposes of creating one of Rowling’s predictable surprises) that many will not give a damn about the character’s feelings. Harry’s being completely unmindful of Ginevra’s plight (even though he clearly knows that she has a crush on him) does not help in any way, either, because it clearly shows that he does not give two hoots about her feelings, either consciously or sub-consciously. Based on interactions like these (which I must point out has gone on for four out of a possible maximum of seven books), I have no incentive, whatsoever, to root for a Harry and Ginevra relationship. Of course, there are those who will point out that I am being appallingly unfair to Ginevra by concentrating on her character and her exchanges with Harry before the ‘big’ change and I will honestly admit that this charge is true, so far, but let me make it clear that Ginevra’s ‘big’ change and her subsequent interactions with Harry do not impress me one little bit:
QUOTE (OOTP @ Chapter 23, Christmas on the Closed Ward, pg. 441-442, UK Edition | pg. 499-500, US Edition)
‘We wanted to talk to you, Harry’ said Ginny, ‘but as you’ve been hiding ever since we got back –’
‘I didn’t want anyone to talk to me,’ said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.
‘Well, that was a bit stupid of you,’ said Ginny angrily, ‘seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.’
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round.
‘I forgot,’ he said.
‘Lucky you,’ said Ginny coolly.
‘I’m sorry,’ Harry said, and he meant it.
QUOTE (OOTP @ Chapter 32, Out of the Fire, pg. 648, UK Edition | pg. 735, US Edition)
‘Hi,’ said Ginny uncertainly. ‘We recognised Harry’s voice. What are you yelling about?’
‘Never you mind,’ said Harry roughly.
Ginny raised her eyebrows.
‘There’s no need to take that tone with me,’ she said coolly, ‘I was only wondering whether I could help.’
‘Well, you can’t,’ said Harry shortly.
Ginevra’s calling him stupid in exchanges that took place during the Hogwarts Christmas Break at 12 Grimmauld Place (when he was at his lowest point, during his fifth year at Hogwarts), and Harry’s completely having forgotten that she had been possessed by Tom Riddle and taken down to the Chamber of Secrets as a hostage, during her first year at Hogwarts, do nothing to push me into rooting for these two to get together and the infamous ‘Easter Egg Scene’ – which had Ginevra giving Harry what he wanted without her even bothering to figure out whether it was good for him or not – only serves to prove to me that these two reckless characters will not enjoy a very long life with each other, should they happen to get together, sometime in the future.
Furthermore, Ginevra has still not thanked Harry for saving her life, down at the Chamber of Secrets. I can understand her being too shy to do so, personally, in Harry’s third year, but she could have sent him a thank-you note, instead, or else she could have done so during his fourth, or even in his fifth year, when she started talking to him, but I got the distinct impression that she was too busy practicing Bat-Bogey Hexes, instead! If Rowling has Ginevra having this sudden epiphany about her needing to thank Harry for saving her life, four years after the deed has been done, then, I shall begin to wonder why Rowling has chosen to have Ginevra do so, at this juncture, when the ‘thank-you’, being discussed, would have had so much more of an impact on readers, earlier on in the series. Was it a simply act of amnesia on Ginevra’s part? Or, is it an act of conveniently contriving events on Rowling’s? Either way, let me make it clear that I shall not find any act of gratitude on Ginevra’ part, believable, this late in the series.
I’ll be blunt: I see Harry and Ginevra as barely being acquaintances, in OOTP. I can also see, some sort of a friendship blossom between the two of them, in books six and seven, but I simply cannot see them finding ‘true love’, given their exchanges in the past, without Rowling contriving it.
Of course, all the problems associated with a Harry and Ginevra romance must also be taken into consideration when one is evaluating the One Big Sappy Weasley Family set-up, given that the Harry and Ginevra relationship is the main component of that scenario, as the series is about Harry’s past, present and future.
I must also add that I find both these particular scenarios remarkably devoid of conflict, unless Rowling chooses to over-dramatise things – just like she had done with Harry’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in OOTP. At most, Harry is going to have to get used to the dynamics of Ron and Hermione being a couple. This should not be too difficult for him, given its similarities to his gradually getting accustomed to Ron and Hermione spending time together as Prefects, without him, in their fifth year. Needless to say, this would be about as interesting as a snore, in my opinion. The only source of conflict in a Harry and Ginevra liaison would, most likely, come from an extremely apprehensive Weasley clan, should they choose to have a change of heart after finding out about the prophecy, and disapprove of the youngest of their brood getting attached to the boy condemned by Lord Voldemort. This is easily surmounted, given Harry’s ability to hide things and Ginevra’s long standing love for stealth. In fact, to do it in any other way would be a contrivance, given their long-standing flaws which simply cannot be erased, at the convenient wave of Rowling’s wand, and passed off for character development. If Harry survives, life with the Weasleys represents no forward movement for him, given that the family has taken him in since he was twelve years old. Even if Rowling were to have the guts to exterminate the rest of the Weasleys, like vermin, after getting Harry together with Ginevra, the fact remains that he would still end up with someone bearing the Weasley surname, which, in itself, would still offer no significant change for him – given his already close relationship with that family. Therefore, I cannot remotely accept either of the above-mentioned romantic possibilities.
If Harry were to end up with Luna, it would be a slight improvement (on the two set-ups mentioned earlier) in that it would show some movement in Harry’s life as he would have to get used to interacting with a different family, if he survives his seventh year at Hogwarts. Nothing, however, still prevents it from reeking of convenience. This is because, as much as I like her, Luna’s having been introduced five books into a seven book series would only serve to prove to me that she has been written into the series for the sole purpose of being finally presented as Harry's 'surprise' virginal squeeze, not very awe-inspiring, in my opinion, as this romance would only show me that Joanne Rowling is giving Harry a girl friend, simply for the sake of trying to differentiate her work from Enid Blyton’s. The romance, in itself, would be frivolous as it would have no bearing on the main plot – which I feel is, at least, partially about the power of love.
If Rowling were to plonk Harry into a frivolous teenage romance, it would indicate that she is neither ready to take a risk like Star Wars creator, George Lucas, was prepared to do with Luke (though it must be said that he badly compromised by turning Luke’s only possible love interest into his twin, thereby avoiding any possible source of conflict, whatsoever) nor willing to take a gamble by turning Harry into a womanizer. Lastly, this scenario would prove to me that Rowling is not at all prepared to let Harry and Hermione do anything that would hurt Ronald and the rest of the Weasleys.
If Harry and Luna (or any other girl having made a cameo appearance in the first four books, with the exception of Ginevra) are to be put together, then to make it remotely plausible for me to accept, Joanne Rowling is going to have to convincingly prove to me that the girl concerned is far more important to Harry, his life plus the overall plot and that he needs her a lot more than he's ever needed Hermione – in the past five books (put together). To accomplish this, Rowling is going to have to drastically reduce Hermione’s role in the rest of the series, given that the stories are about Harry Potter’s past, present and future. Otherwise, it will be about as believable, as Ginevra’s sudden character development was. Even though Rowling may have found that shoddy bit of so-called character development, utterly believable in her mind, I must state that I found Ginevra’s growth badly contrived and horribly executed to boot, even though I had realised, prior to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’s release, that she would start conversing with Harry in book five. Depending on Rowling’s limitations (and after having carefully looked at how she goes about doing certain things), I can see Harry’s getting paired up with Luna (or with any other girl who has made a few token appearances in the earlier books excluding Ginevra) as being a barely acceptable compromise, at best, and a total farce, at worst.
The brief, one dimensional Harry and Cho relationship, consisting of much bitterness and a solitary off-screen snog, only worked – and this is coming from an individual who had firmly believed that Harry would finally get his not so successful chance with Cho Chang in OOTP – because it didn't. As crudely portrayed as it was, the Harry and Cho relationship was one of the few positive aspects of OOTP, in my opinion, because it clearly illustrated that Rowling was willing to address a somewhat difficult topic that had a few barbed elements of conflict in it.
Before I start talking about the final candidate for Harry’s heart, I must brutally address something that a section of the Harry Potter fandom, reading this rant, will almost certainly be wondering about: Ronald Weasley’s future love interest and why I haven’t touched on it, yet. First of all, let me make it clear that this rant, as its title implies, is partially about the candidates for Harry’s heart. Secondly, Rowling has made it clear that:
QUOTE (Sunday 15 August 2004 | Edinburgh Book Festival)
Question: Who was the first character that you invented?
J.K. Rowling: Harry. He really is the whole story. The whole plot is contained in Harry Potter; his past, present and future—that is the story. Harry came to me first and everything radiated out from him. I gave him his parents, then his past, then Hogwarts, and the wizarding world got bigger and bigger. He was the starting point.
Unlike the Neville Longbottom lovers in our midst, there is a section of the fandom that firmly believes they are reading ‘The Weasley Chronicles’. I, however, tend to agree with what Rowling has said. Since the saga is about Harry’s past, present and future, it is Harry’s future love interest that is of prime concern to me. If Rowling, by some stroke of genius, manages to convincingly set Ron up with a pawn from McGonagall’s life sized chess set or with the Giant Squid; I would, personally, still not give a damn about it. I must admit, though, that such liaisons would serve to add some light-hearted moments to a series that is getting progressively darker – that is, exactly, what this section of the fandom claims that the clichéd Ron and Hermione romance would bring to the table. Needless to say, my scenarios do exactly that plus add the dimension of being distinctive as well. If Rowling were to go the route of making Ron gay – and some readers feel this is indeed possible given certain ambiguities in the text – then I would have no option left but to openly admit that she is not only brilliantly gutsy but is also extremely adept at incorporating remarkable twists and turns into her romantic plot line. I do not, however, see this particular scenario ever being played out, given Rowling’s one-sided take on hormones.
This brings me to the last candidate for Harry James Potter’s affections – Hermione Jane Granger. Many, in the fandom, have suggested that this pair is sibling like. I have, however, not met a weirder pair of siblings. Where is the sibling rivalry? Where is the sibling-like bickering? I must admit that I simply cannot see any sibling-like qualities in the interactions of the two characters. Both are, in fact, extremely proud of each other’s considerable achievements and this trait, in my view, is extremely un-sibling like. Hermione has been there for Harry since Day One, even when he did not appreciate her involvement in his affairs. She has also been a bastion of support for him – helping, defending and standing by him even when so-called friends had turned their backs. She put up with his irate temper throughout OOTP, taking his tantrums in her stride yet had the courage to openly disagree with him when she felt that it absolutely necessary to do so. After having spent five close years with Harry, Hermione has gradually learned to understand him and knows him better than anyone else does. She, herself, has gained tremendously from knowing Harry and has learned a lot from his out-of-the-box style of doing things. Even though Rowling has bluntly said that Harry ‘needs her badly’, I’d say that, based on my understanding of the Harry Potter novels, Hermione needs Harry badly too in that she needs someone who desperately requires what’s unique about her. Someone who is proud of her considerable accomplishments and is willing to honestly tell her that she is better than he is – and that, my dear friends, is exactly how Harry continues to see her. This particular romance will not exactly be the most conflict-free of relationships because of feelings involved on Ronald and (perhaps) Ginevra’s side. A lot of conflict with the Weasley Family could ensue, should Harry and Hermione decide to pursue a romantic relationship. Molly Weasley is also not going to be ecstatic, should Harry and Hermione hurt her babies, emotionally. Finding true love with Hermione Granger would take Harry Potter firmly away from the Weasleys, ensuring change in Harry’s life. I firmly believe that Harry and Hermione are most suitable for each other, due to the reasons cited above. Although Harry and Hermione share a platonic bond, as of now, there is no reason why this cannot develop a sexual component and blossom into true love – the foundation for this to take place, sometime in the future, is already being built upon as their beautiful friendship develops. They would also have to learn to look at each other in a different light, should they become more than friends, which, in itself, would be a drastic change, given their long standing platonic friendship. Needless to say, H/Hr, as it is known in the fandom, is the only prudent, long-term option I can see – given the way things stand, five books into a seven book series. |
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As I said at the end of the previous thread, let's not let what's canon be a damper to our imaginations!! And plus, there's always the future to look to...which is when I've always envisioned the H/H ship to blossom 
Thanks ashleigh07! 
Where has your name already been added? The GuestMap or HMS Harmony? 
lol
Unfortunately, I've been too bogged down with homework to write more of my Fan Fiction for the last week, but after my mid-term exams are out of the way, I will finish up the next chapter 
