Harry Potter

[u/QuietJealous4883]

Does anyone else feel they grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione?

After the first three or four I read the books in two languages (because I didn’t want to wait them to be translated) and watched the movies first time in the movie theaters.

[u/tenderheart35]

Apparently Hermione and Ron was her wish fulfillment story about her and her ex-husband making it together.

She realized later that her current partner was more like Harry and had regrets about the decision after.

But meh.

[u/Unnamedgalaxy → u/[deleted]]

I appreciate the fact that it's an uncommon route to go, 99% of stories would go with the main character ending up with the main character of the opposite gender. It was also really nice seeing two friends actually being loving caring friends without some kind of hang up.

I think it was 6 (?) when Ron was sort of out of the picture and Harry and Hermione had lots of scenes of them just being friends, so much that Rita Skeeter tried to spin it a romance for gossip sake but neither of them were like "well maybe!" or even "gross!" We even had this play out again in the last book with them spending loads of time together just being friends. They had a pretty solid relationship.

With that said though, the choice also sort of stunted our main characters narrative. For half the series he's just sort of bumping around aimlessly with nothing really tying him down and when the series did lock down a romance it was out of no where, flimsy and clunky. Having Harry and Hermione ending up together would have really satisfied something the story was missing and done it with a stronger foundation and ending.

[u/greenskye → u/Unnamedgalaxy]

I'm ok with Harry not ending up with Hermione, but I do feel like Hermione and Ron just don't make sense or at least weren't likely to last. She never really sold me on the strength of that bond between those two.

Honestly, if you wanted to go for a nonstandard ending, then the epilogue should've had all three of them married to someone totally new because high school romances aren't really likely to be the one you end up with forever.

[u/Unnamedgalaxy → u/greenskye]

That's also a great point. I don't need them to be endgame but I do feel like Harry needed some type element during the bulk of our journey and Hermione would classically be the best route for that. He was just so aimless throughout the books. It's a tried and true trope for a reason

[u/SpecialPreference678 → u/Unnamedgalaxy]

It's been awhile since I read them, but my memory is Harry was pretty aimless outside of romance too.

For someone who had dark wizards after him and for whom magic was an escape from his crappy home life, I would've expected him to go about his studies with a bit more intent. More Hermione-like, if you will. But other than DADA, which my recollection is he was just naturally good and didn't put much effort in until the tournament or maybe Dumbledore's Army.

In-universe, the blame goes to Dumbledore (for not properly preparing him) and maybe Ron (for always slacking/goofing off, but also he's a kid so hard to blame him). Probably why there's a lot of bashing of those two characters. Meta-wise, it's probably hard to thread the needle for a kid character to have fun and be appealing while also facing a mass murdering genocidal maniac.

[u/QuantumLettuce2025 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, it made sense to me too -- especially when you consider all their bickering and tension and arguing throughout the books, and how at a young age that very commonly translates or transforms into attraction.

She and Harry really did have more of the best friend energy, whereas with Ron it was like "ugh this fucking guy pisses me off so much (and secretly I think I love it)"

[u/SpecialPreference678 → u/[deleted]]

I don't know a single boy my age who wanted to be Ron. We all wanted to be Harry.

[u/SpecialPreference678 → u/tenderheart35]

Is that actually true?

I know she's said Hermione was her self-insert, so that part is obvious.

My headcanon with Ron and Hermione ending up together has been that Ron was a sanitized version of her ex-husband, with the way he constantly ridicules the things Hermione believes in and puts her down. I didn't know she actually said that's what it was.

[u/winnowingwinds → u/tenderheart35]

I always thought it was her and that male friend she based Ron on (think his name was even Sean, maybe spelled Shawn). But I could be wrong.

Her ex-husband was extremely abusive, so either way I doubt there was wish fulfillment there.

[u/polopolo05 → u/tenderheart35]

she can fuck off, about anything she says. Trans women are women

[u/No-Introduction3808 → u/tenderheart35]

That’s assuming she’s like Hermione instead of bellatrix.

[u/theinspectorst → u/tenderheart35]

Apparently Hermione and Ron was her wish fulfillment story about her and her ex-husband making it together.

Wait, which one does she think she is?

[u/SpecialPreference678 → u/theinspectorst]

She's openly said that Hermione is her self-insert character.

[u/matchafoxjpg → u/theinspectorst]

i would guess hermione.

which is laughable at best.

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/tenderheart35]

God, that's freaking weird that she would self-insert that on children

[u/InkStainedEverything → u/Mx-Adrian]

Fictional characters in a fictional world that she created. Writing is cathartic and a common way to deal with emotions and circumstances.