A lot of us have spent the past few years thinking about how Harry just needs to have that one, single moment where everything clicks to realize how much he loves Hermione and how that moment is all we need;

we've believed that he loved her in book 5, and continued to deny his feelings for her through book 6 where he placed her in the 'don't go there' pile of his mind, but guys how exactly is 'clueless' Harry gunna' figure it out?

If this is the 'ultimate relationship' of the series, he can't realize it cluelessly like when he stumbled in on ginny kissing dean, it would have to be more subtle, more gradual, but after books 5 and 6, how much more subtle can JKR get? What do you guys think Harry needs to have happen for him to just 'wake up?'

That is one good question...

I think something will click, cause him shock, and as he grapples with it through the book, he'll realize Hermione is the one for him...

I think Hermione will have another NDE only this time Harry will realize she's more than a friend.

OR

I think Ron and Hermione will get together making Harry extremely jealous. But Ron and Hermione will break up and Harry will be the one to comfort Hermione while Ron might turn to Luna. Harry and Hermione will both realize their feelings are mutal; and hopefully Ron will end up with Luna.

I really wonder if Harry's chance of "waking up" has come and gone, not to say he won't fall for Hermione, but we have had two becoming scenes in which Harry should have realized Hermione is the girl he should be with.

1) The part in GOF where Harry sees Hermione in her yule ball dress and thinks she is beautiful.

2) The absolute best shipping moment, the DoM accident when Harry thinks Hermione is dead.

Although Harry can still have a chance with Hermione his waking up period should have already happened. In both these moments Harry should have discovered that a girl can be smart, kind, beautiful, and a soul mate rather than him moving on from one athletic, popular girl to another.

Personally, I think Krum will have something to do with it. I mean, he was the first to confront Harry about their relationship, so maybe he'll do it again. Just a gut feeling.

Unfortunately I'm not feeling very positive about the chances of any of my ships right now due to recent developments with some of them. But that being said, I think if Harry comes to any "realizations" about his feelings for Hermione in DH, it'll be similar to the moment in OotP... he'll realize how much she means to him once losing her becomes a real possibility.

I don't think Harry's love for Hermione will happen in one instant, like a light bulb turning on.

I do think, though, that his realization that he was wrong about R/Hr this entire time, will.

I think it'll happen at the wedding, with him seeing R/L, not R/Hr. Also, I do think Krum will be there too and I can definitely see this aiding in Harry's epiphany.

As for Harry's "moment of realization"... well, I see it more as a "realization of moments".

Him mentally going through everything they have been through together. Everything he's done for her, she's done for him, they've done together. The obstacles they have faced, the demons they have conquered, their unending battle that always brings them together.

So, I think his journey to finding his true love for Hermione will be a process.

i would have to agree. but i think that krum is going to make harry jealous

Maybe one of the reasons harry hasn't realised his feelings, is because although he has been loved by all he himself has never truley loved another,and maybe when he comes of age he will find out what love really is.

I also think krum will play a part after all we will see him again.

I'm one of those who thinks that Ron and Hermione are nothing but good friends and since the end of HBP they have both agreed on that. That creates between them a new complicity and a friendship closer than before. However, we know that Harry is convinced that they love each other. I think that he will keep being convinced of this for most of DH, especially considering the fact that Ron and Hermione will be with him almost all the time, outside of Hogwarts (or so we can guess from the end of HBP). They won't really do romantic things, but it will resemble to that and it will comfort Harry in his perception.
Meanwhile Harry will realize slowly and gradually during the book how he feels about Hermione and that he loves her; however, because he thinks that Hermione loves Ron, and because Ron is his best friend, he won't tell anything and keep it for him, until almost the last confrontation; I suspect that immediately before he will have somehow a conversation with Ron who will reveal him that he and Hermione are not a couple, are not in love and that Hermione actually loves him, but did not think it was shared so she never told him. Krum might also be in the mix.
Then he will seize the very last moment before having to leave to tell her, and that's when we're going to get the first kiss.
Well of course that's all speculation, and I could very well be wrong, but it would be nice, wouldn't it??

I don't think Harry will fully realize his feelings for Hermoine till the middle of the book. I think it will mirror the 1st book and it will happen on halloween, because that was when the trio was formed. i just have a gut feeling on that one and also from the past threads on how each book mirrored one another. so i'm placing the odds onto Halloween that something significant will knock some sense into harry.

~LionA02

OK. Well it will be a cliché but I think that Voldmort will capture 'mione and than the possibility of losing her'again' will hit him like thousands of bludgers and I agree about Krum coming to the scene again . I mean EVEN Krum realises how close they are and EVEN THOUGH Harry has those big round eye glasses HE CAN'T SEE WHAT İS İNFRONT OF HİM and I believe that there are things that are PERFECTLY hidden by JK like mr.&mrs. Weasly's moment which is put there to show that Harry is uncomfortable about romance AND he does the same sound making when ron and hermione talk BECAUSE he is uncomfortable, putting Harry - Ginny/Won Won - Lav Lav moment into the same scene. oh please for merlin's sake, He doesn't make the sound because he's uncomfortable( he will realise it later ) and she isn't angry because of lav lav ( I hope) I tottaly beleive that and kind of sure about it that our ship will sail forever

I think it will take another life-or-death situation for Harry to wake up and realize that he's in love with Hermione, and the thought of losing her is way too much for him to handle. We came really close in OotP, and hopefully the next one would end the same way (where Hermione doesn't die, of course) I think he'll have a similiar reaction to the situation in OotP, and then be by her bed in the Hospital Wing, trying to talk himself out of having feelings for his best friend, before finally resigning himself to the fact that he's in love with her.

Totally agree with you. I hadn't really thought about it, but when I read your post it totally made sense to me!

I think, actually, given a quote Rowling has said: "Harry needs Hermione...badly." IF the books ends up H/Hr, like a truly hope they will, Harry will come to his realization, because he is apart from Hermione for some reason. If that is the case, which I think it would be. Then this could happen for numerous different reasons.

One: Harry is acting like a prat, pushing everyone away from him, because he thinks he's too dangerous to be around, and attempts to find the horucruxes himself. From there, once he realizes that this is way harder then he thought before, he'll realize that if Hermione was there it would make things much easier, and gradually begin to realize how much Hermione was done for him, and how much he needs her. First on a friendship level, then on a more intimate romantic level.

Two: Hermione is taken romantically by someone, like Ron, or Krum, or a variety of people Jo can throw at us, or at least Harry thinks she is (he's not one to understand relationships, our poor, ignorant, confused Harry.) From there, he begins to get frustrated when he can't be with her/around her, and talk to her about off-handed things he kind of takes for granted with her, like asking about homework, or magic, or her being there to unload his feelings on. From there the frustration builds, until he finally realizes that he really likes having her around. Finally the discomfort/weird feeling he gets when he thinks about having Ron/Hermione being together will become clear to him, as he realizes he is really jealous, which mixed in with his frustrations about not seeing Hermione, someone he now realizes he really, really, likes, will lead to some interesting situations.

If JKR is modeling HP on Emma, then I think Harry's realization will be very similar to Emma's. Emma thought Knightley was taken with Harriet, and the potential loss hit her hard, making her realization come suddenly.

Harry will have to think he's lost Hermione (either to Ron or Krum), and believe that he "is no longer first in her affection," for him to wake up.

I like this idea and I totally agree with it. Now all that would have to happen for H/Hr would be the sudden disappearance of certain red head.

A good parallel between Emma and HP.

Personally, I'm rooting for the "jealousy" way of them getting together. Harry has broken up Ginny and JKR left HBP with a start for R/Hr, which I think will happen one way or another. So Harry will soon notice that Hermione couldn't be around for him all the time and he will realize his feelings for her.

I don't personally like the jealousy thing.. look what happened to H/G. Hi I'm MONSTER!Harry all I do is lust for Ginny, I dream about Ginny, and want to kill for Ginny.

Well as long as monsterchest!Harry doesn't come back I would be okay with the jealous thing. I just hope Harry would be more sensible than Ron (as Hermione is often in tears from Ron's cruel apparently love-making words).

You've pretty much taken the words out of my mouth on this one. I agree with you completely. Ron treats Hermione the same way he treats Ginny, but Harry doesn't realize that (and I'm not convinced that Hermione has figured that out either).

I was thinking something along the "Emma" plot too, but a little different. Since Emma was practically the bible of misunderstanding relationships, i could imagine Harry realizing that Hermione is not as interested in Ron as he thought she was. And that could happen after a R/Lu scene (nothing forward, though maybe a little more than subtle) Hermione and Harry witness together, and Harry first thinking that Hermione would be upset, but then realizing that she is ok with it (maybe even happy for Ron). Thus his inner debate may start. And we all are pretty sure that Hermione doesn't need a revelation about how she feels about Harry, since she's already there.

And so the correction of misunderstandings starts, and the real interests are presented to the reader.

S.

I think that, for him to 'wake up' to his feelings he's going to be faced with the prospect of loosing Hermione again... I'm sure you all remember the moment in OotP when he thought he lost her, and of course you all know about the wave of relief that left him light headed?
I think it's going to be another one of those momets, but maybe even stronger... Maybe Hermione will get cursed again and the moment where Harry thinks she's dead will be longer... perhaps right at the end of the battle he finds her unconscious and he thinks she's dead. There's none of the running around or whatever, just the two of them and Harry thinks she's dead so he'll have more time to dwell on the thought of loosing her.
That might make something click and the clueless Harry won't be as clueless anymore...
Of course Hermione wouldn't really be dead but just unconscious long enough for Harry to come to the realisation and when she comes to his relief would make him snog her face off! *Ahem* OK, not snog her face off, just hug her... the snogging will come later
Ooooh, plot bunny...

~Bec

I admit the chest monster is a very terrible way of writing a romance which, I think, is why many fanfiction authors come up with the idea of Ginny giving him love potion. I still want Harry to get jealous though because I feel that he didn't appreciate Hermione enough (or at least didn't show it). So by being jealous, it will kind of open his eyes that he had been taking her granted. But like you said, as long as it's not the chest monster!

Like others have said, I think it's necessary for R/Hr to be swept aside in Harry's mind. And it'll take both of them negating his belief that they like each other. If only one says they don't like the other, Harry can still keep Hermione in the "don't go there" pile for fear of damaging the relationship with the other friend.

I also suspect that we'll find that the announcement that Hermione doesn't like Ron will accompany the announcement that she's liked Harry for a long time. I'm imagining Luna making these comments as, in HBP, she seems to have become Hermione's comfortor and likely confidant. That and her capacity for stating uncomfortable truths lends her to making this pronouncement without the delivery of information seeming awkward or forced. As with virtually everything that comes out of Luna's mouth, I expect it'll be quite the humerous moment.

This is as close to "waking up" as I expect Harry to get. He's had his opportunity to do so independant of his R/Hr belief. He just can't do it. It's his roadblock. Until it's removed, he doesn't stand a chance of realizing Hermione is a possible love interest for himself.

my thought:
- ron/hermione get together
- harry felt happy at first but some another side of his heart felt wrong about it
- hermione become more care for ron than him
- hermione busy for dating with ron
- harry start feeling lonely, he ask himself why
- harry realize miss being with hermione
- harry felt it's disturbing the view ron/hermione kiss and hug
- harry can't believe he felt jealous (it's not monster in chest type, but I want JKR describe it as EMPTY HOLE IN HEART or KNIFE STABBED IN HEART)
- but harry still can't figure why he felt that way
- hermione has nearly dead experience again, harry even more scared than in ootp, and that's the LIGHT

I have a feeling that Harry will feel something for Hermione at the wedding. I think they will hang out a lot together during that time. Ron will probably be busy with the family getting the wedding prepared and I know that Harry will probably not want to spend time with Ginny since they broke up.

I think that maybe he will try to get over his feelings for Ginny while he is there by spending time with Hermione. He will probably feel that if he spends time with his friend Hermione that it will distract him from his feelings for Ginny. But then he realizes that he is actually having fun and enjoying his time with Hermione. Then his feelings for Ginny will slowly fall to the way side and his feelings for Hermione will be increased. It will be a slow "waking up" but it will be a start. I say something major will happen later to seriously wake him up. I just feel that the wedding will be the start of it all.

Well that is just my two cents.

Kind of how he "fell" for Ginny in HBP... he spent a lot of time around her and grew attracted to her and her presence....

Which is why this is exactly NOT how I want Harry to fall for Hermione. IMO, if the relationship is going to matter in the least and justify all the buildup (no matter who ends up with whom), he needs to fall for her because of her character and not her presence and the fact that he's just moved on from Ginny. The pinnacle of lame, I think.

And if the relationship stuff doesn't matter, then it should have been edited out. It should not be some hunk of meat dangled before the reader to entice then and really turn out to be just a cardboard cutout with no relevance.

Oh yeah I agree he does need to fall for Hermione's character and not just because her presence or the fact he move on from Ginny. I am just unsure of how that will happen. I still feel that something, either big or small, in regards to shipping will happen at the wedding.

Harry will still have to deal with his feelings for Ginny, no way out of that. I simply can not see him being head over hills for her in HBP and not have at least one ounce of feeling for her in DH. Something has to happen for him to get over his "chest monster" for Ginny. I just don't know what or how.

Yeah, Harry needs to slay the Ginny-spawned beast first. After all, he didn't break up with her because he found something wrong with her, he broke up with her because of his little Voldemort problem. So that issue needs to be addressed all on its own. Having Harry just move on to Hermione without putting that to rest cheapens whatever emotional importance Hermione might take in Harry's mind.

I do agree that the wedding is the biggest candidate that we know will occur and has the biggest likelihood for setting the final ships in motion. At the least, if it's going to end H/Hr the wedding needs to put H/G to rest. That said, a lot of what I was certain was going to come to fruition in HBP didn't. At that goes well beyond the ships.

I agree. R/Hr need to happen, not just to wake up Harry but Ron and Hermione as well.

HBP p. 283
The rest of the lesson passed without further mention of Slughorn’s party. Although Harry watched his two best friends more closely over the next few days, Ron and Hermione did not seem any different expect that they were a little politer to each other than usual.

R/Hr hasn't happened yet but Harry notices a change in their behavior. And he is afraid they will be like Bill and Fleur, which bothers him. I think that's a big hint that Harry will be jealous but not the "chest monster" type jealousy.

I agree that the wedding will be the trigger to get Harry thinking over his
relationship with Hermione and getting over Jenny. I predict that Harry will
see Ron and Hermione dancing together for the first time at the wedding.
I suspect that Harry will feel an emotion he doesn't understand and will
go to Jenny to addess his feelings of being abandoned. But what Harry
won't understand is that the feeling that he has from seeing Ron and
Hermione together doesn't go away, and the old feelings from being with
Jenny doesn't return. He will leave Jenny in confusion/disappointment and
stumble upon Ron and Hermione kissing in secret. He will feel truly upset
and think that he doesn't want Ron and Hermione to come with him, he
can't handle their being together, and he will leave a note saying not to follow
him and live their own lives. Ron and Hermione will find the note and Hermione
will want to hunt down Harry, but Ron will suggest that Harry is right and
they should leave him alone for a while and explore their relationship.
Hermine and Ron will fight and Hermione will say something like Harry is
more important than their relationship. Ron will lose it at that point and go
into his Harry has everything anger mode. At that moment, Ron will make
an ultimatium, put him or Harry first. Hermione will chose to go to find
Harry, and that will be the end of R/Hr and H/G.

That's one way I see the shipping could resolving itself from HBP (in a
Harmony way)!!!!!!

Yes! Go with the wedding, get H/Hr to happen early in the book. Get rid of Jenny fast, as fat as possible. The wedding would be great because everyone gets lonely at weddings.

I agree the wedding is important in the shipping. However, I don't think H/Hr will happen there but at least I hope the mess with H/G would be cleared there. My H/Hr friend and I talked about it and she said Harry would realize how beautiful Hermione is.. getting all dressed up for the wedding and thus his feelings would be awakened.

However, I do hope it doesn't happen that way.. it makes their attraction purely physical, just like H/G was and I don't appreciate relationships based on physical attractions only. So, like Fairycat said he needs to fall for Hermione's character and I want him to get jealous over R/Hr and realize his feelings!

I think Harry will see R/Hr dancing at the wedding and will draw the wrong conclusion about them. After seeing them at DD's funeral at the end of HBP,Harry is pretty sure now that they are a couple. Harry will decide to hunt for the horcruxes by himself again as he tried to tell them he would at the end of book 6. Hermione will not let him of course,and that will re-open the bickering between R/Hr that was supossed to have stopped in HBP. I'm sure the scenes from the POA movie that lead up to Harry running away to the forest is what we'll see in DH where Hermione leaves Ron behind to comfort Harry.

Ron is going to either understand that Harry is always going to be first in Hermione's heart or he will let his jealousy of Harry being the "Boy who Lived" overshadow their friendship. He might betray them as some of us think he might he'll do out of jealousy. Harry and Ron's friendship hasn't completely been on the same stable ground it once was since GOF. In OOTP the role was reversed and Harry was jealous of Ron getting the Prefect badge instead of him.

The one thing they haven't fought over is the same girl and since it's supposed to be only the trio going after the horcruxes,the issue of who does Hermione care for the most is definitely going to come up. A lot of Herons think R/Hr getting together will make Harry happy and that will be one less thing for him to worry about. If he's to be happy about his friends becoming a couple,then why does it bother him that they might start dating,let alone become engaged? DH will be full of betrayals and misunderstandings that is going to make the final book a very interesting read.

I don't think much will happen at the wedding. Harry will probably share a dance or two with Hermione and then Hermione will be all Ron's, while Harry talks to Ginny and realises that he's over her.
I don't like the idea of Ron and Harry to fight over Hermione. I would like it if Harry feels weird about Ron and Hermione dating (which they probably will for a while), but that he keeps his mouth shut about it.

But: he will grow to like Hermione more and more throughout the book, and when hermione and Ron break up (which they WILL!), he will have a strange happiness inside him. and they will spend a lot of time together, just talking. and then, slowly and gradually it will evolve into something more.

I imagine their first kiss will be in some life-threatening situation as well. I just watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and those of you who've seen it will know what I'm talking about.
I don't think Harry will be like: "Oh I love her, I have to kiss her, oh she's so beautiful". I hope he will just do it. without really thinking. that it just happens.. Like the most natural thing in the world.

Just a question i'm asking out of curiosity(!) what about the scene in slughorn's lesson when hermione explains the amortentia potion and then starts to talk about the scents she can smell? I mean freshly mownd grass and new parchament. everybody listens to her there and we know that the burrow's lawn isn't freshly mownd I know that she couldn't stop herself from saying these but maybe just maybe she let slip something out of her mouth and gave a hint but I am telling you harry is blind AND deaf I am hundered percent sure that ginny used that potion in fred's and George's shop... anyway I just mentioned it because it might have something to do about this 'waking up' period. maybe harry will remember that moment during the wedding while he thinks of the thing he will do and than it will hit him BTW HARRY is the one who plays quidditch like forever and let me remind you that the pitch is ALWAYS freshly mownd

Well, if you remember, she trailed off before she could name anything else, though the part about freshly mowed grass is a good point. I never thought about it before...I've always wanted to know what the third thing was

I would have to pick my jaw off of the floor if the third scent Hermione smelled had anything to do with Ron. For the life of me I can't understand Rowling's reasons for even thinking about getting R/Hr together. It isn't just the bickering between them that's bad, it's their every day interactions with each other. I see nothing good coming out of an R/Hr relationship, I just see immaturity, misery, exasperation, frustration, indignities, unhappiness, cruelty and just plain negative energies. If they were to become a couple, I won't see anything different. R/Hr is a lost cause.

That third smell has got to be something having to do with Harry!! Case closed.

AND Harry has been laying in gardens and grass lately at Pivet Drive.

Er...shipping wise, while I don't think Harry will wake up at the wedding (I'm another one for the Halloween theory) I don't think that with HHR as the final pairing that Harry could just dance for with Hermione without feeling something. Especially their first dance. Granted he might not understand what he feels and probably misinterprets it, but he's definitly going to need to feel something to validate what hopefully happens later.

Well, that's a less dramatic step that could work very well. Maybe Harry sees
Ron and Hermione dance and decides that he wants a dance with Hermione
too. Or even Hermione goes to Harry and asks him for a dance. Having them
dance and both feel something funny would be a way to plant seeds of doubt
in both their minds that H/G and R/Hr is their only future. I agree that it
doesn't have to big moment at the dance, but there needs to be at least
a little moment at the dance for H/Hr. If for some reason we get a big
moment for R/Hr, then I truely believe that is the death knell for H/Hr.

I totally agree! He might not understand what he feels, but he will feel something... But he will leave Hermione to Ron at the wedding. And I'm one for the Halloween theory as well. You're on to something.

I also agree that the wedding is too soon for Harry to "fully" wake up, if you will. In the whim-to-whim feelings of normal teenage life, sure, but the wedding is going to occur too soon in the book for the reader to plausibly believe that Harry is over Ginny. They'll have only broken up a month or so before that and that time will likely be covered in a mere chapter or two (given JKR's track record). A rapid and believable change like that is a hard sell for any writer. Not to flog the beast anymore than it already has been, but the exposure of a manipulated or deluded Ginny is the only possible explanation I could see that would provide solid footing for Harry's awakening to happen in such short circumstances. It would allow him to write off his feelings for Ginny easily and (so long as R/Hr was similarly discounted) open the door for him to care about Hermione.

EDIT: I'd also go further to say that a rapid "awakening" would also cheapen any significance H/Hr would have as a literary couple. An unprovoked rapid change in Harry's feelings would make the relationship seem like it's not of substantial emotional value as if it's just another teenage girlfriend for him. And I just don't think that fits either of their personalities, seperate or together. Harry and Hermione are hugely compatible as a couple, IMO. If they are going to get together, the way they've been developed so far suggests that it's going to be permanent or for a very long term in the least. Either way, it must be presented to the reader and a significant emotional investment on Harry's behalf in order to justify the buildup.

EDITING the EDIT: I should really have said "premature" instead of "rapid" when talking about Harry akwaning in my paragraph above.

Now, all that said, I don't expect or hope for anything more than R/Hr to be finally shot down at the wedding...if anything romantic is addressed at all. We might get a great sense of relief on Harry's part, but I don't think he's self-analytical enough to know what that relief might mean. If nothing happens at the wedding, then I really don't know why JKR bothered to include Fleur, Bill, or their romance in the books at all. If it's not a catalyst for Harry's learning about love or somehow furthers the plot, then it's irrelevant. A hundred years or so ago, a writer might've gotten away with that, but not under today's demands for minimalistic, streamlined, and narrow-brained stories.

I think that something will happen between Ron and Hermione at the wedding. After book six I'm convinced that something has to happen. I wont like it, but I know it has to happen!
It just wont last. Ron and Hermione needs to get all that unresolved socalled "Sexual tension" ( ) out of the world before they can really devote themselves to helping Harry. But after that they will realise that they're not meant to be.
Because we all know that they're not.
And then Harry will be free to win Hermione's heart

I think the wedding will mostly be about Harry getting over Ginny and Ron and Hermione maybe sharing a kiss or two. It will start Harry's process of waking up, but he's a boy... he's not going to be able to understand what he feels at such an early point. And it wouldn't be believeable either, I agree.It has to be a slow process.

Well I do remain convinced that it is not necessary that R/Hr happens. All that counts for the story is that Harry thinks that they are together. We see the story through Harry's eyes, so it is what Harry believes that has impact on the story. It does not matter if it's not real. As long as Harry thinks that Hermione loves Ron and Ron loves Hermione, it might be enough for him to "wake up", to become aware of what he really feels for Hermione. And I think/hope it's going to be, if it happens at all, more subtle and yet more painful that the so-called "chest monster".
Two very close friends, comfortable with each other, as R/Hr have become apparently at the end of HBP (not much tension anymore if you ask me), can have gestures that will pass for romantic while it is actually not. The perfect example is their moment at the funeral; it's very tender and compassionate, but in no way romantic. However it can be interpreted as such (and has been, considering the fact that a lot of the fandom consider R/Hr to be together while it is never said anywhere).

I'd say that either something has to happen as you say (if we only consider the surface level of the story) or that Harry's and the reader's assumptions about R/Hr need to be shown to be false (if we consider the subtle implications beneath the surface of the story). There are many alternate explanations other than romantic interest for the actions we have seen from Ron and Hermione. The biggest hangup I have though is that much of the belief of R/Hr comes from the narrator giving us Harry's perspective on the matter and that seriously clouds our judgement. This is classical misdirection technique and has been around for hundreds of years, longer if you consider ancient Greek rhetoric. Anyway, I'm of the mind that neither Hermione nor Ron have ever liked one another romantically and that JKR is withholding that final, critical puzzle piece of information to explain their behavior to Harry and the reader. This is what I look to the wedding to provide...Harry will finally get this puzzle piece in hand and be able to see the whole picture, carrying along the reader with him.

I'm wondering if the wedding will actually be the time when Ron and Harry finally have the LONG overdue discussion on girls. By the time a boy is twelve or thirteen years old, talking about who you like is commonplace(sadly this is couched in terms of who's "hot" or some other unfortunate commentary on the physical markers of attractiveness). This could be spurred on in a multitude of scenarios, but I'm kind of partial to one...

A lot of people have speculated on the likelihood of Luna's presence at the wedding. If she's there and her and Ron hit it off, Harry would be shocked to witness that dynamic playing out while he's been assuming (like most readers) that R/Hr was a foregone conclusion. In fact, I could see him being pretty intent on it, particularly if he notes that Hermione is not having a good time. So why would Hermione not be having a good time? I think Harry will assume she's all dolled up and looking stunning for Ron's sake, whereas she was really hoping for even the slightest bit of notice or a compliment from Harry.

At this point, I'm sure she knows H/G are through (pretty safe assumption, IMO, though we've not officially seen it in print) and that'll open a sliver of hope for her. Enough to put a little extra work and excitement into getting ready for the wedding. So while Harry's looming around the periphery of the celebration (avoiding Ginny and awkward questions about everything that's going on w/Hogwarts and Voldemort) and feeling bad on Hermione's behalf because Ron is giving Luna the attention he expected him to give to Hermione. When the reality is that Hermione is disappointed because Harry has neglected to compliment her. All her hard work will appear to her to be for naught.

Considering the growth in attentiveness we've seen from Harry towards Hermione in HBP, would you be surprised to see Harry confront Ron when a spare, semi-private moment arises? Hence the ensuing conversation clearing the air...at least with regards to R->Hr. I expect the "healed" friendship we saw from Ron and Hermione in the waning pages of HBP was due to Hermione coming clean to Ron about liking Harry while Harry was unconscious in the hospital wing. I think their bickering and such finds its foundation in each vying to be number one in Harry's eyes. Hermione's motivation stems from loving Harry while Ron's comes from a basic sense of brotherhood, this in addition to their regularly conflicting personalities. So when Hermione confesses her feelings about Harry to Ron (in the hospital, while Harry was unconscious), I think Ron did grow emotionally and the bickering ceased because he now knew how strongly Hermione felt about Harry. Hence his shocked expression when Harry kisses Ginny. Though that could just be his already existing suspicions about H/Hr coming to bear.

As a sidenote, I've got to wonder if Hermione didn't get caught by Ron in the hospital saying something telling aloud while she thought they were both unconscious. Which would've forced the conversation.

Anyway, I think this is just one possible example of what could happen at the wedding to dispell R/Hr. Likewise, Luna could be the one to shoot down Hr->R. She seems to have fallen into the role of confidant for Hermione (Hermione crying in the bathroom) and has a certain capacity for stating uncomfortable truths. I could see her spilling that Hermione in no way likes Ron.

Once again, you phrase my thoughts better than i ever could. I agree on, and wish for, the slow and steady pace for a relationship -and one based on honest, self-sacrificing friendship (see my sig. for more)- in this case for any kind of relationship Harry and Hermione is likely to have. There are so many fics that had the turning point in them, the line starting with "suddenly..." and going on he/she realizing he/she is in love with the other. Everytime i get disappointed reading something like that, and i stop reading the fic. That single word is in a way the symbol of the author's hastiness combined with the story's baselessness and lack of reasoning.

Now i'll do a bit of drabbling here. The more grounded and "deep" your relationship is, the less you need to get physical/stressed to repeatedly remind/prove yourself(and your partner -and maybe others-) that you are *indeed* in a relationship. I don't want to see any impluse snogfests, loves at first sights, and chestmonsters of questionable origins. In my opinion, they are doing nothing but devaluing (spelling?) the relationship. That is one the reasons H/G put me off, just like R/Lav. I wouldn't be this vindictive if the formulation of these "happenings" people call "attractions/love/relationship" ( i mean H/G here) weren't this rushed. That is not what i want for any of HP characters.

This teenage drama is so cliché, so generic, so unoriginal and so overused. I don't mean JKR has overdone it, no. On the contrary, i think she has shown us that her characters are still kids. The thing that disturbs me is *fans* insisting on this teenage angst/sexual tension drama. Go watch Melrose place or whatever new junkfest is they are airing now. But i can't comprehend claiming that you love Harry/Ron/Hermione and say they should be (happy no less) with their teenaged counterparts.

I hope i made sense somewhere in that. I'm browsing through LeakyLounge at the same time and this is the result.

S.

Well just because ron and hermy started to be more polite to eachother or the head on shoulder thing or the so called 'jelousy' hermy feels or ron going out with lav lav because he want to make hermy jelous doesn't mean there has to be something between them and about the ron making jelous part, I don't think it is that way I mean he started dating her when he learned that HE was the only one who hadn't kissed anybody but his aunty... not because hermy kissed krum( hate the thought) oh and about hermy crying all over it might be a lousey explanation but may be she was crying because of HARRY-sighs- and was just covering it up buy turning it to jelousy for ron and may be she had told ron about it the day before the funeral well I don't know. yeah I have to admit that ron has feelings for her but may be it was just a little thing that he felt during the yuleball

I think this is exactly where we are at the end of HBP. Harry (and a lot of readers) think that Heron either is on the verge of happening or has happened already. We're attentive enough that we can see through the disillusionment charm that JKR has cast in the first six books. Hermione and Ron's actions at the funeral are ones that you could see between close friends or siblings, they don't have to be romantic. I expect we'll see more actions at the wedding that leave Harry thinking that Ron and Hermione fancy each other, only to find out later in the book that neither of them fancies the other. Harry has been wrong before on things like this, as we see in his thoughts on Tonks/Sirius, which we've discovered to be wrong. It's sort of surprising that more people aren't skeptical of the fact that it's Harry that thinks Heron is bound to happen. Like some of you have stated, I suspect that Ron and Hermione may have cleared the air with each other sometime during the later stages of HBP, and consequentially Harry's the one out of the loop on who-likes-who in the Trio. Not having read HBP myself, I would have to suspect that the most likely time for that conversation would be when Ron was in the hospital after being poisoned and Harry walks in on Ron and Hermione having a conversation.