the-k-shop:

There was a lot of hate a while back after an interview, even from the Twitter queen herself, J.K. Rowling, concerning the end relationship of Ron and Hermione, and suggesting that they may have marriage troubles, or end in divorce, as so many do these days.

So here’s the thing…. I hate that.

And not out of a place of naivete or a denial of possibility (dramione is pretty awesome too), but simply because for me, it made sense, and it still does, and here’s why (we’re getting personal).

I am a reader, a know-it-all, and I problem solve my way out of shite situations on the daily. I hate complaining and whining and when people don’t just do their work, and I passionately want the world to be better and did some weird spew-esque stuff to achieve that. Now I am a responsible adult on Tumblr.

Jake is goofy, funny, light-hearted, and a lot of people think he’s dumb, but he’s actually really intelligent and knowledgeable, he just doesn’t value the same things they do. He sees the best in people until they prove him wrong too many times, and he is the most loyal friend ever.

It works because I get the logic. I speed ahead into the world and discover all these new things. And when I come back, I need someone to be excited about them, impressed, happy to hear and learn and grow and challenge with me. If Jake valued knowing things more, well, it would lose its importance to me. But also, he is the emotion. He feels, he relates to others and empathizes so easily, and while that can make him insecure and it can be annoying sometimes, and it’s easy to say, hey, such a logical person should be with another such logical person, and they can logically change the world,” that is also really dangerous. Because I need to be reminded about my emotion, to take the time to feel it so it doesn’t eat me up as I devour more and more books. I need time to remember that there is hope in the world, because Jake smiles and these things don’t get to him, and there’s always another adventure. And sometimes he’s really sarcastic and funny, but others don’t really get to see that. He supports me when I’m overwhelmed, he stands up for me when I’m hurting, and he makes me smile when I’m sad.

But you don’t see that either, because the books are about Harry Potter, and you don’t think what happens to Ron and Hermione while they’re in the library together, how many inside jokes they giggle about, how many random things they’ve discovered; not while Harry is watching Dumbledore die. You don’t think about how Ron and Hermione are the ones supporting each other to help Harry.

And in the movies, well, Ron is kind of non existent, so if you’re caught up in the movies, do them a favor and reread the books.

They fight, and it’s healthy, because they are passionate, in making the world better, in making themselves better, in challenging each other. And their future love can’t depend on their experiences from the past, but that makes a big difference when you can relate to them. When, in 20 years Ron or Hermione wakes from a nightmare, not having to explain, just crying into the shoulder of the other. In the hustle and bustle of their lives, a call from Ginny and they’re terrified that something happened to Harry, but already running around packing their bags to go see them and then sit down with a deep breath when Ginny just says they’re coming over for dinner because they have some news, and by her voice, you already know it’s a baby. And you’re happy for them, but as your adrenaline slows and your breath evens, your hand is squeezed and you remember that you’re in it together, you’re the team. Ron runs after the kids, chases monsters and balls with Harry and the kids, protects the family with his pride and emotion and empathy and willingness to love, and admit when he’s wrong, to put down his pride and say that he’s scared. And Hermione protects it with her cleverness, with ron’s encouragement, she delves deeper into problems, and emerges to find dinner at her elbow and the kids giggling in the tub as Ron yells at them to get out while trying to iron his robes. Hermione gets distracted in her books and the bigger picture, the importance of solving the puzzle. She needs someone to draw her back in to the present, to right now every now and then to see Rosie’s first steps, to smile at Hugo on his new broom, to remind her to call Ginny because they are friends and friends hang out even if you have this really important thing you are doing.  

Hermione may seem more fictional with Draco, or Fred, or other fantasy characters – more perfect. But the beauty of her ending up with Ron is that it proves she is only human. For all her cleverness, her wits, her determination, she has flaws, and to me, Ron was the only character who exhibited those flaws as strengths.

He never gives up hope. He works hard in the face of mockery, betrayal, and insecurity, he is loyal and loving and sarcastic to boot, and he can be compassionate, and willing to learn more, to understand the things that are important to someone else, even if they are not to him. And most of all, Ron is present. He lives in this moment, not the one in twenty minutes or two weeks, which can be a weakness for him (like the devil’s snare), but it is also his strength, in the moment he can be what he needs to be – can defeat trolls and save his friends over and over, willing to be the sacrifice because he can see the greater good too, the bigger picture. But Hermione sees it better, so it is Ron who is able to pull her back, to remind her about the world around her, and she is happier because of it. She is a rounded character because of it.

It won’t be perfect, they will fight – ron is being over emotional, Hermione’s being McGonagall again, ugh they don’t understand, so annoying, etc. – but in the end, they balance each other, as well as compliment. And that’s something I don’t think any other character can do both of. Draco may be logical, may get excited about problems and solving them, but he won’t remind her to talk about what she’s feeling, won’t necessarily value or be patient enough to listen to those or work her through them himself, won’t be impressed and proud everytime she solves something, because it may grow to be expected. And he won’t be able to ignite hope when she is so overwhelmed by the world, because it is not in his nature.

Fred was funny and logical, he had a healthy balanced personality, but that doesn’t mean that he would be willing to keep up with Hermione’s ambitions. Ron followed his dreams (I guess, limited source material on that, depends how Cannon you think TCC is), but more importantly, he pushes Hermione to follow hers, criticizes them when they may be… odd, but that criticism encourages her, pushes her forward, makes her emotional and create better things, and Ron is still impressed with her, again and again. I’m not saying Fred couldn’t be, but his dreams went a different way, he wanted to make the world better in that small picture, and I think he and Hermione would have ended up fighting a lot more about what was necessary, what does the greatest good, what deserves more time, investment, and attention – immediate happiness that the joke shop provides, which Hermione will find valid and logical, BUT the world needs big changes and there is more that she needs to be doing, they can’t both work full time and he’s at the shop all day while she’s trying to revolutionize education so their kids can make a difference, so Voldemort never happens again.

But an auror gets both – responds to the small calls of bewitched toilets, and the large calls of bad guys; this gives Ron a healthy dose of both worlds, and allows him to communicate more thoroughly with Hermione when she gets too caught up in the big picture, and allows her to feel valued when he gets too caught in the small.  I mean, picture this:

So anyway, in the movies, Emma Watson’s Hermione is both of the book characters, she is Hermione and she is Ron; she is the heroine to Harry’s hero, because Hollywood really only understands a love triangle when the two main characters “end up together.” The character arcs and growth were too complex, and I think the HP movies were some of the early attempts to work with complex storylines, and they did okay. I think it’s a bit obvious that Yates shipped Harry and Hermione, but so did everyone in cinema because that’s how movies work, that’s what is expected. Movie Hermione doesn’t need anyone, she’s not a real person, she’s a consolidation of numerous characters from the books who impact Harry, there’s not time or budget to make each of those people have their impact, so they got wrapped up into one BFF character.

And some people love that, a flawless independent female, and fan-fic is fun, to wonder what if about that amazing perfect person. But I think Hermione is a great icon because of her flaws, and if you stray away from the books too much, it’s easy to forget them. It’s hard to remember how much she grew, how little she valued other people’s opinions at first, how self-conscious and out-of-place she was, how alone and scared she was. I think Hermione is an amazing character because she is one of the first examples young girls had of a female being primarily logical, BUT on that note, Ron was one of the first examples boys had of being primarily emotional. They will both struggle to go against the social-gender expectations of their culture in a way that so many people can relate to, and that was extremely important for me.

So idealize Hermione all you want, if that’s what you love! Stick her with a billion other characters and imagine their lives and their struggles! But don’t write off this story in the process, because it was important for a lot of people, but more so because it was important to the characters to grow into the people we idealize and identify with in the first place!

What are your thoughts on Ron and Hermione? Do you have a better ship that you prefer? Why? What did you notice about movie-versions vs. book versions? Let’s fight about it!