Not to throw a wet blanket over the situation, since I am an adamant Hr/H shipper, but I don't think the "something she never did before," has anything to do with falling in love. You have to remember this is from Harry's POV. How would he know if she was falling in love for the first time? For all he knows, she's been in love before.

Besides, being in love is not often maifested in an outward display of manners. It's often an internal feeling. So since this is from Harry's POV, he wouldn't know what Hermione was thinking.

But what was the "something"? I had always thought JKR had just written a faulty sentence, but your theory gives new light to the situation.

In PS/SS there is an even better bit that makes it seem like Harry lives.



He is taking his finals and it says "years later when Harry couldn't remember how he had managed to get through finals". ) or words to that effect. The "years later part" is definitely in there though

Melissa


MOD NOTE: The exact quote was:

In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams ...
from Philosopher's / Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 16, Through the Trapdoor, opening line

However, this doesn't prove that those years include post-Hogwarts ones.
~gal-texter

YAY! I have renewed hope that Harry will not die!

Anyways, back to the significace of the kiss on the cheek . . . I partly believe Harry was just referring to the fact that Hermione had never kissed him before. And I partly believe Harry was referring to something else that Hermione had never done before.

Gah, I wish the seventh book was out already. Then it would be clear whether this kiss had any significance, or whether it was nothing more than a friendly gesture.

I agree. . .the "something" was the kiss. I suspect that sentence suffered from bad editing

Here's a quote from JKR, that just might have something to do with that kiss. It was in an audio interview with her roughly in November 2001 (about the same time PS/SS premiered in theaters)

JKR audio interview

She was asked about the embargo on info regarding GOF before publication.

"I think that my publishers were keen not to have the embargo broken but they have my wholehearted support in that not from the marketing point of view but because this was the book in which you saw the first death and also at the end of the book 4 something *huge* happens in terms of the over all plot. Which I don't want to say on the radio obviously in case people haven't read the book or is half way through it. And I didn't want that to leak because for children .(mumbled). I've spent 10 years . .the final. . closing scene in book 4. I've spent 10 years writing my way towards that scene and people who have read that will know why its so significant, why its so important. I did not want that leaked. Because I knew that kids were waiting with bated breath and I really genuinely wanted that to be a magical experience. that they would get the book and read and get frightened and excited and overwrought as they approached that ending."

Now the "final closing scene" of GOF takes place in the chapter curiously named "The Beginning." They are back at Kings Cross. And they have already left Platform 9 3/4. Ron has said good-bye (and presumably left, Hermione kisses his cheek, and the twins interrupt to thank him once again for the gold. LV's rebirth doesn't even take place in that chapter.

In the audio of this quote, just after JKR says that she didn't want it leaked, you can hear her change gears mentally. As if she said to much and was trying to vague things up again.

Now I remember the R/Hrs saying (when this quote first surfaced a year ago) that there is no way that she would spend 10 years writing towards nothing more than a kiss on the cheek.

Simple . .that kiss was the kick off towards the series' denouement. She has mentioned a few times that Love is the one thing that LV doesn't understand. He detests it and he underestimates it time and time again. That's why I think that love will be his ultimate downfall.
It nearly killed him once when the killing curse rebounded, only his experiments into immortality saved him from being well and truly dead that night. And it drove him out of Harry's body when he possessed him in OOTP.

Love or Heart as Dumbledore explains to Harry that is both more wonderful and terrible than anything else in the universe. So much so that its kept behind locked doors at the DOM. Harry has already experienced the "terrible side" of Love, the deaths of his parents and of Sirius. Its time for him to experience the wonderful side as well.
That's what I think that chapter titled "The Beginning" means. And what the kiss signifies as well.

Melissa

Shippy Side: *stretches after a long absence* So... maybe we are asking the wrong question? Perhaps what's not important is that she did something she had never done before, what's more important is that she did something that she might do again?

"... and she did some she'd only done once before ..."

Logical Side: That sounds awfully fluffy for JKR don't you think Shippy?

Shippy Side: Oh just ruin the moment for me completely why don't you? *glare*

Logical Side: Despite the fluffiness of that statement, you may have something there. The question is when will Hermione do it again?

Shippy Side: *wanders off into that Shiny, Happy Place*

Nielle,

Oh I think that Hermione has already done it again and it slipped past fairly quietly.

OOTP Chap 19 Page 404 (US edition)

"Don't let Ron see what's on those Slytherins' badges," she whispered urgently.

Harry looked questioningly at her, but she shook her head warningly; Ron had just ambled over to them looking lost and desperate.

"Good Luck, Ron," said Hermione standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. "And you, Harry --"

And you, Harry WHAT?!?!?! What action could she possibly be including him in. .simple its a good luck kiss. And JKR interupts us from seeing Harrys reaction to show us Ron's. . Just like she interupted any possible reaction of his at King's Cross when the twins interupted (for no read I might add)

Melissa627 - there's a thread about that here. *aims Modly wand at thread to retrieve it from the Archive*

Which is why she keeps me tossing and turning at night! But God help me, I love the woman anyway. Let's just hope the next two books do prove that "The Beginning" refers to a beautiful Harry/Hermione relationship.

~*kt*~

Well I guess I can count myself in the group of people that didn'r notice this; however, it makes an interesting point. The very title doesn't specidy the begining of what. One would assume they were refering to the secodn war, but actuall as pointed in OotP that was like a year later, since Voldemort was, in a way, "sort of quite" during Harry's 5th. So Pergaps it could be related to Hermione. Could it be the beginning of their partership? I think I need to check this in more depth


The_Boy_Who_Lived

It really makes me wonder now!

Umm it was from a interview from a long time ago. I believe it was right after GoF came out. But I don't remember which one. Sorry. Maybe someone else remembers?