THROWBACK THURSDAY: Harry Potter and the Love Story of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

[NOTE: This last weekend on TV there was a Potterhead weekend thing so all the movies were on ABCFamily. Because of the Harry Potter marathon, I thought it would be a ton of fun to share this old post from my former blog "The Life of a Hopeless Romantic" as a Throwback Thursday kind of thing.]

Originally posted on 3/25/12.

I watched, for the first time, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, a few weeks ago. This, in turn, caused me to spiral out of control and have a Harry Potter movie marathon. You know me, I have an obsessive personality... at least when it comes to fiction.

Just a couple of my thoughts about Deathly Hallows Part Two [SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE OR READ THE BOOK]:

1. I confess to crying when Professor Snape died. And even more so when Harry saw Snape's memories in the penseive. We finally learn that Snape actually came to care for Harry even when treating him horribly. Even more, he protected Harry all through out Harry's life. And the only one who knew was Dumbledore!
2. I absolutely loved that Neville (the boy who turned into a hottie) Longbottom was the one to kill Nagini (the snake). Harry killed Voldemort but Neville is the one to kill the snake with the Sword of Gryfindor. Go Neville!
3. And just because I can't resist...

Moving on!

My discussion today will come directly from the movies as I don't really remember the exact details from the book. (Been awhile since I've read them.)

Alright, here we go.

After watching all eight movies pretty much in the span of five days, I came to realize something very interesting. Poor Harry has a tough life but he's surrounded by fantastic friends who love him and he loves them. Speaking of Ron and Hermione... their relationship is full of sparks from the beginning.

And that, my friends, is my focus. Ron and Hermione. (Come on, did you really think that this was going to be about Harry Potter. The boy already has a big head from being "the Chosen One". Besides, I'm the Hopeless Romantic. I focus on the gooey love stuff.)

Freshly Mowed Grass, New Parchment, and Spearmint... Toothpaste. 

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world. It's takes the scent of that which the user finds attractive. For example, I smell freshly mowed grass, new parchment and spearmint... toothpaste." (Hermione in The Half-Blood Prince) 

This is the moment, I think, that Hermione finally acknowledges that she has deeper feelings for Ron than just friendship. As a girl, she is predisposed to being more aware of her emotions. However, before now, she was young and unfamiliar with the world of love and relationship. (I know that there are other instances where we, the audience, can see that Ron and Hermione are mad about each other. I will address them at a later point.)

I have heard The Half-Blood Prince (movie #6) referred to as The Young and the Restless, the teenage years. I laugh at this comment because isn't that how teenagers are... dramatic and caught up in relationships and feelings of love? Just because Harry, Ron, and Hermione have had their fair share of dangerous adventures doesn't mean they're not immune to being teenagers with hormones.

We see that Harry and Hermione grow closer, but just as friends- despite Professor Dumbledore's query to Harry about his relationship with "Miss Granger", due to their unrequited love for other people. Hermione likes Ron who is now in a snogging relationship with Lavender. Harry suddenly realizes the attractiveness of Ron's sister, Ginny. (Pretty brave of Harry to go after his best friend's younger sister. But after all, Harry is the Chosen One...)

Hermione doesn't seem in a hurry to embrace or act upon her new-found feelings for one of her best friends. Maybe she's not entirely aware of her feelings? Or she just doesn't know what to do? She seems pretty content on remaining friends for the time being... until Lavender enters the picture. (Snogging ho!) It's a pretty common formula: person of interest + new romantic interest = realization of hidden feelings/jealousy.

And who does Hermione turn to in her time of broken hearted-ness? None other than the Chosen One himself, Harry Potter. I think this is when Harry and Hermione's relationship goes into something deeper than just "best friends". I don't know of a word that describes friends who are past just friends but in a non-romantic way. That's how I see Harry and Hermione's friendship though. It's more than just friends... in a non-romantic way. Hermione confesses to Harry that she feels something for Ron and confesses that she now understands how Harry feels.

As Charlie Brown says, "Nothing takes the taste out of Peanut Butter quite like unrequited love." I'm not sure if they have peanut butter in the wizarding world but unrequited love can put quite a strain on a friendship. Harry and Hermione grow together and Ron snogs with Lavender.

And then Ron gets poisoned... Apparently the best way to break up with a now unwanted girlfriend is to mumble another girl's name in the midst of a drug induced slumber. That's the end of Lavender. And Hermione got to stay at Ron's side. As Ginny tells to Harry, "It's about time." (Ron has no memory of this later which throws poor Hermione off. Also, I love how she tells him that he broke up with Lavender- so funny.) However, that is not the end of the line for our star crossed would-be-lovers.

But it certainly is a huge step forward.

Good Skin

I think there has always been a current of awareness flowing between Ron and Hermione. In the beginning, they were just too young to know what it was. As they got older, they pushed each other into the Friend Zone because they didn't know what else to do. Then Hermione finally realized that she had deeper feelings for Ron than just friends. (Hopefully you've read the previous section.)

So now Harry knows and Hermione knows. The only one missing it is Ron. Which is to be expected. He is a boy after all. They tend to not notice important things like when one of their best friends (Hermione obviously) is in love with them. However, Ron does have feelings for Hermione as well.

Evidence is found when he has a conversation with Harry about good skin. Apparently Ginny has good skin, according to Harry. Ron doesn't get the good skin thing... until he applies it to someone other than his baby sister. "Hermione has good skin."

It turns out that Ron is the jealous type. And jealous of a girl he doesn't even claim for his own. There's the Yule Ball incident in Goblet of Fire. Hermione shows up looking beautiful with a very attractive date and Ron is not happy. But I betcha, he doesn't know why he's unhappy. His reason to Hermione is that she's "fraternizing with the enemy." Well, Ron if you want her, you gotta ask her yourself. Hermione pretty much tells him the same thing. I think she should have slugged him in the face... boys can be pretty dense.

In Deathly Hallows part one, we see a darker side to Ron's jealousy. As I said before, Harry and Hermione have a deeper relationship than just best friends in a very platonic way. I think outsiders often misconstrued the relationship for something romantic. Ron did. It didn't help that the Horcrux around his neck affected him like the Ring did Gollum, Bilbo Baggins, and Frodo Baggins.

Ron confronts his friends and ends up leaving despite Hermione's desperate pleas that he stays. If he weren't out of his head, I think he would have realized then that Hermione felt something infinitely more romantic for him then for Harry. (Or maybe that's me wishing.)

After Ron leaves, Hermione is miserable. Something that Harry understands. And when Ron comes back, Hermione is just mad. Understandably so. Stupid boy broke her heart and made her worry. Grr! Don't worry, she forgives him eventually. Ron knows that he screwed up and starts grovelling to get back to her good side.

So now Hermione knows that she loves Ron. And Ron knows that he loves Hermione. And Harry knows that Hermione loves Ron and Ron loves Hermione but neither have told each other. So he's stuck between them... as per usual. But at this point, they have other things to worry about. Such as getting all the Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort.

That doesn't necessarily make them, Ron and Hermione, forget about the sparks between them. Unlike most teenagers, they aren't able to spend time working on their romantic relationship. They're too busy trying to stay alive and kill an evil wizard. Besides, Ron and Hermione's relationship has always been different. They're the kind of couple that isn't all cute and flirty. Rather they are cute and bickery. Always on each others case. It's just reeks of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). Their whole relationship drips with bickery UST. I personally love relationships like that: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice; Booth and Brennan from BONES; Castle and Beckett from CASTLE; Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars; Han Solo and Princess Leia from Star Wars. (To name a few.)

In the conclusion of the movies, Deathly Hallows part two, comes the culmination of Ron and Hermione's relationship. They finally acknowledge that they love each other in the form of a kiss after a particularly harrowing near death experience in the Chamber of Secrets. FINALLY! We don't really get to see what their new relationship status ends up being like because it's the last movie, the end of an era. I like to think that it's pretty much the same as before. Bickery with more snogging and hand-holding. I don't think they change just because they're finally together. But that's just me. :)

Always the Tone of Surprise

Some signs that Ron and Hermione are destined to be together...

• Ron's instant dislike of Hermione (Sorcerer's Stone)
• Discomfort touching each other- Hugging in Chamber of Secrets, Hand touching in Prisoner of Azkaban
• Hermione turning to Ron and not Harry when Buckbeak dies (Prisoner of Azkaban)
• Fight at Yule Ball about "fraternizing with the enemy" (Goblet of Fire)
• Hermione confesses to Harry about Ron/Expresses Jealousy (Half-Blood Prince)
• Ron likes Hermione's skin (Half-Blood Prince)
• Ron touching Hermione's face to "wipe something off" (Half-Blood Prince & Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Hermione's desperation to keep Ron with them when searching for Horcruxes (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Ron's jealousy about Harry and Hermione's relationship (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Constant "Brilliants" exchanged between the two (Deathly Hallows parts 1 & 2)
• Hermione's constant worry over Ron's well-being- especially at the beginning of Deathly Hallows part 1 when Ron pretends to be Harry. (Deathly Hallows part 1 & 2)
• "Always the tone of surprise." Flirting between them. (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Constant bickering (Sorcerer's Stone through Deathly Hallows part 2)
• Kiss exchanged after a near death experience in the Chamber of Secrets (Deathly Hallows part 2)

These are just a few examples. I know I missed a lot of Ron and Hermoine moments but I think you get the gist. [Upon reading this again, I have thought of other moments such as when Hermoine is being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and Ron is literally FREAKING out. Whoa dude. Breathe.]

Harry and Ginny

I watched a portion of Half-Blood Prince with my younger brother who has not read any of the books and he made a comment that made me think. He told me that he didn't like the romantic relationship between Harry and Ginny because it came out of nowhere. One minute they're sort of friends- more like Ginny is Harry's best friend's little sister- and the next they're snogging in the Room of Requirement.

In the books, it's not quite so sudden. I feel like they didn't do an effective job in the movies making it seem natural for Harry and Ginny to be romantical. I understand that when making movies, you have to change things and cut things out but seriously!

Also, their relationship is SO awkward. Shoe-tying. Weird, awkward hugs. Random chasing after Death Eaters together. Zipping up dresses. It's just so awkward. Maybe the actors didn't have good chemistry and it showed on screen. Whatever it is, the relationship between Harry and Ginny isn't as near as tantalizing as it is with Ron and Hermione.

But maybe that's just my own opinion.

Sorry about the length of the post but I had a lot to say on the subject of Ron and Hermione.

[And that is the Throwback Thursday post from The Life of a Hopeless Romantic. I kind of enjoyed going back and reading some of my old stuff. Who knows: maybe I'll make Throwback Thursdays a weekly thing. I hope you enjoyed reading about my analysis/commentary on Ron and Hermoine from way back when.]

Smile Always,

Chuck