Oh boy, my very first FanFic i read was with Sirius/OC pairing, my very first, and there was no Harry pairing, because, Ginny and Hermione died. (Yeah i know, i couldn't read it now, because, she can't die it just seems wrong, but Ginny can die, honestly i don't care), I think H/Hr became my beloved pairing because of my dislike to Ginny. I mean comon, how can that writer/author (You know, Rowling) pair Harry up with some annoying girl although she is mentioned only after four books, and in the fifth book not so often, in the sixth book more often than need calls, but in the seventh again a pretty much rarely, SO she sucks.. And yeah how they call 'em if i remember correctly i am DIE HARD HARMONY SHIPPER (Hint, hint, know why i chose orange color?) And i am patiently reading all of thos lovable stories and this BELOVED website, WAY TO GO H/Hr!!!

Oh sorry, so coming back to point i realized that H/Hr are meant to be together because my second story was with H/Hr ship, that was like my first love. So i am reading now like 8 months, but alas i am fast reader so this sucks, i read to fast and i realized there soon will not be anymore stories left, BUT then i realized something like - CHEER UP moron, THEY(My beloved authors) ARE STILL WRITING *hug you all* (Guess i am like 'Mione READING READING READING)

It was, rather embarrassingly, a personal sort of reason. I identified with Hermione as a character, and as a result, I felt infinitely more... inclined, I suppose, towards Harry as well. I know that girls like Hermione (and me) are rather... I suppose you could say 'flustered' (or perhaps 'uncomfortable' would be better) around boys, especially at the age of eleven or twelve. Harry, however, seemed like the sort of guy that I could be comfortable with. As a result, I thought Hermione would feel the same way. I also knew I wouldn't really know how to react to a guy like Ron, and when Hermione and Ron began bickering, I was certain that she and I agreed. Hermione, after all, never really reacted very well to Ron at the beginning. So, as they grew, I was sure Hermione could see what I saw: exactly who it was who made her feel at home and herself, and who it was that put her constantly on the defensive. I never noticed Ron/Hermione. Or Harry/Ginny. I always felt that Harry/Hermione overshadowed what I considered subplots, tangents, diversions...
The further I read, the more I began to see Hermione as herself, and I realized that the character I loved so much had a very, very clear choice to make. Unfortunately, she and I didn't see eye to eye...
I also read Ron/Hermione fan fiction (it was the first I read), and perhaps it was just the few I read, but I found them to be contrived. I still do. Though I'm sure there's some fantastic Ron/Hermione fan fiction out there (I'm not exactly trying to look for it), I never enjoyed it. Harry/Hermione, I'd always conclude, simply made sense. Put aside cliches, put aside fairy tales. As far as I was concerned, these characters were close to real, and real people make choices regardless of what was 'supposed to happen'.
Whew. That was long.

No specific incident got me thinking it. I first read Harry Potter when books 1-4 were already out, read each after the other and initially thought it seemed pretty obvious that they would end up together, just from their whole interactions and events etc.

In fact when I first started checking out HP sites, I was shocked that so many people were so sure of R/H, as while I could see Ron was developing some feelings, it seemed pretty obvious that Hermione couldnt give a rats ass about him.

Then book five came out and it was everything I expected plus more, it simply seemed like the natural progression, and that sealed the deal for me.

Upon first reading the books (we were up to GoF when I started) I felt Harry and Hermione were a perfect match for each other, but when I found out about the whole fanfic thing, I spent a lot of time bumming around various sites before I really found home here at Portkey - infact, the first site I really found myself at was GinnyPotter which has a rather obvious bias

So, for a while, I shipped Harry/Ginny, and it was good. Then, I found FFNet and a whole world of otyher oppertunities drifted up - I've had passing interests in a lot of pairings (after OotP Harry/Luna and even Harry/Tonks had my interest), but a few months before HBP I found Portkey returned to where I started (H/Hr) and I've never looked bcak since.

I still read other ships, but H/Hr is really where it's at. My one, single hope is that people still keep coming here and writing. I'm really dreading the day this all ends

Hi Chris! Great to see you here.
I'm also not looking forward to the day Harry Potter finally poops out. I can only hope all the authors keep their stories up, cos I would hate to not be able to read them any more.
I only read H/Hr fics. I hate and despise wonwon and gingin, so I don't read about them unless it's fics that contain Weasley bashing.

I've been reading HP fanfiction since 2004 and the first place I came across with was the old Warner Brothers' forum. Since the first time I read the books and saw the films I became a H/Hr shipper. Not only they complement each other, they understand each other. Sadly they are both friendless, always trying to prove themselves that's why they look so alike.

Hermione for me it's the person that keeps Harry from the wrongs, the person who advice him and as you read the book you can see that He understand that, he knows that Hermione will always be his unconditional friend, his center and that's what matter.

I frankly can't see Hermione with any of the HP verse boys, and I will always be a H/Hr shipper

Nita

Well, the first time I've heard of Harry Potter was when I was 6, and I only started with the movies. My parents were watching the 1st and 2nd movies. When we reached the part of the mandrakes, I hid under the blanket. I took a little peek some minutes or hour later and I saw the hug. It's glued in my mind until now.

When I was 11, I finally got to watch the whole 3rd movie at 2008 thanks to one channel. I don't have that fear of Mandrakes anymore. And then I watched and enjoyed the 3rd movie with thanks to Professor Lupin, the funny Monster Book of Monsters, and I quite liked the Harry/Hermione scenes in it. So I shook off my fear of Harry Potter and liked it, but not to the max, yet. And then at Christmas season last year, I bought the PoA book. And then I completely started loving Harry/Hermione. Add the facts I read too many fanfictions of them, watch too many vids of them together, look at pictures of them, read and watch their scenes in the books and movies over and over again, and think of them.

And what got me into them? Well, the hug was cute, but it's not really the main reason why. When I finished PoA, I noticed how great they affect each other. She's always by his side, helping him in various ways, and she understands him. He appreciates her and doesn't mind how bookish she is, and like her, he understands her. It was a total magnet for me, their trust and bond. And when I finally bought all the books, I liked how Hermione managed to say Voldemort's name for Harry. And there's a lot more H/Hr moments that got me glued. And the 'But I don't think you're ugly' moment was sweet.

And I thought reading the hints of R/Hr and H/G would make me change. But turns out, I fell even more in love with H/Hr, no matter how many times I've read Ginny kissing Harry or Ron getting jealous because of Hermione (which were once each, and I will barely read those if I repeat the book). I embrace fanon and squeeze it tightly.