I admit, I’m a bit obsessed with Harry Potter.

The first book came out when I was seven. My dad picked it up off of a “New Releases” table at Barnes and Noble just a day or two after it was released. We were going to a resort for Labor Day weekend, and he wanted something to read to me and my brother during the ride. He read the entire book that night to make sure it would be appropriate for us – and all of the sudden, we were all hooked.

My dad started a tradition that day. We read every Harry Potter book aloud, as a family. When we were old enough, my brother and I even got to take turns reading chapters. Harry grew up as I did. The books got darker just as my brother and I outgrew the sweet, fairy-tale magic of the first two books. They bonded me with my brother, who I didn’t always get along with as a child. We wondered who opened the Chamber of Secrets, attempted to find “R.A.B”, and fought over whether Snape was really good or evil (as a proud defender of Severus Snape, I felt pretty triumphant after reading about his redemption).

It’s not hard for me to admit it – I am obsessed. I loved growing up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. So when I see J.K. Rowling has made a new statement on Harry Potter, I’m always curious. Usually it’s something minor – a hint that Dumbledore was gay, the revelation of a character’s patronus.

This one was a bit different.

I’m sure you’ve seen it by now. J.K. Rowling has stated, on the record, that Hermione should have ended up with Harry, not Ron.

This came as a bit of a blow to me. I was angry, and I couldn’t describe why. Something about it made me want to explode. But it’s not an offensive statement – it’s not even that ridiculous of a statement. So why did I feel so strongly about it?

It’s taken me some time, but I think I’ve finally nailed down just exactly why Hermione can’t end up with Harry Potter. WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS (but if you haven’t read Harry Potter, I’m not really sure why you’re reading this post).

1. Hermione and Harry are an amazing representation of platonic love.

The best thing about Harry and Hermione’s friendship is that it was consistently platonic. Rowling never wrote about Harry suddenly questioning that friendship in his adolescent years, wondering if he should make a move, or developing an overwhelming crush on his best girl friend. The relationship was balanced – neither one ever dealt with unrequited feelings for the other.

Harry and Hermione showed me that I could have friends of the opposite sex who I loved dearly – who I would be willing to give my life for – without feeling anything sexual for them. In a book which explores a myriod of “loves” – romantic, familial, brotherly, obessive – I found Harry and Hermione’s platonic love to be the strongest of all. It was stable, calming, and devoted, even in the toughest of challenges.

2. Let’s take a moment to screw over the Weasleys.

The Weasley family gets the short stick for pretty much the entire series. They’re kind, unassuming, accepting, brave, devoted, and willing to die for what’s right. And what does this get them? Poverty, tragedy, sacrifice, death. Life shits on the Weasleys’ principles. Pretty much the only thing the Weasleys get out of the books is a strong familial bond (which is torn a bit with Fred’s death), and love. Ginny finally gets Harry, and Ron gets with Hermione (who is, after all, the best character, but we’ll get to that).

Let me sidetrack this rant for a mini-rant on the movie portrayal of Ginny. If you’ve only seen the movies, you may hate Harry and Ginny’s relationship. That’s because they had no chemistry on screen. It’s also because Ginny was completely different in the movies. In the books, Ginny was a firecracker. She was beautiful, snarky, witty, and adventurous. She spoke her mind, and her fiery red hair was a visual representation of her incredible spirit. Ginny was tough, a product of growing up with six older brothers. In other words, she was an actual character. In the movies, she was just Harry’s love interest. She had no personality, no anything. All I can describe her as is “bland”.

But back to the topic at hand. If Harry and Hermione ended up together, Ginny gets screwed out of ending up with the guy she’s been in love with since she was ten. Pretty crappy ending for Ginny.

Ron’s ending, though, is even worse. Let’s think for a moment about what we know about Ron. He’s the youngest boy in his family, and he constantly feels pressured to live up to his older brothers. He feels inadequate in every category; he’s not a superior student, athlete, or jokester like his older brothers. When he gets to Hogwarts, he becomes best friends with Harry Potter, the most famous wizard in the country.

Ron isn’t really better than Harry at anything. Neither are exceptional students, but Harry is still slightly better than Ron in every subject, and much better in Defense Against the Dark Arts. While Ron eventually makes the Quidditch team, his skills are nowhere near Harry’s. Harry is known by everyone, makes friends quickly, and attracts many admirers. He’s Dumbledore’s pet student. Even Ron’s family seems to dote on Harry.

Imagine now that Ron’s two best friends in the world, Harry and Hermione, have fallen for each other. Once again, Ron gets pushed to the side. Harry is chosen over Ron by the one person who knows them both the best – Hermione. Even if in this storyline, Ron doesn’t have romantic feelings for Hermione, it sucks. To him, it will seem as though Harry has chosen Hermione’s company over his, and Ron will be worried that his friendship with Harry will change because of it. Ron becomes a third wheel and a side-kick, instead of an actual character.

3. Ron needs Hermione for character development.

Ron and Hermione have a rocky journey throughout the books. Ron is immature at the beginning (who can blame him, though, he’s only eleven), and he lets his insecurities boil up and spew out at Hermione, causing a couple of fights. Really, though, Ron only matures through his ups and downs with Hermione. He learns immediately in the first book that words really can hurt someone, even if you think that person is immune to your insults. In the third book, he learns not to point wild accusations at your friends without definitive proof, regardless of how upset you are. As his relationship with Hermione grows, he becomes more caring, more thoughtful, and more responsive. Her love for him settles his insecurities about himself, and when he is able to be more comfortable in his own skin, he’s actually incredibly useful. Instead of being the bumbling sidekick, Ron is able to be a balanced member of their trio.

And finally…

4. If Hermione ends up with Harry, then she is reduced from being one of the best characters in the book to simply being a love interest.

I think this is the point that angers me most. Hermione is awesome. She’s smart and bookish, but as the books go on, she also becomes more rebellious and independent. She’s even known to crack a few jokes once in a while. Honestly, there is no way Harry would have survived without Hermione. She’s the real hero of the book – she gets all the grunt work done, knowing that Harry will have to finish it out. While Harry relies on instinct and natural gifts (well, some unnatural ones as well), Hermione relies on hard work, wit, and intelligence.

And yet, Hermione is put into Gryffindor, not Ravenclaw. While Hermione is incredibly smart, her bravery is clearly shown to be her strongest attribute. She keeps her cool while being brutally tortured by Bellatrix. Time after time, she stands right with Harry and Ron, facing terrible threats (and probably understanding the threat more than they do). She’s an incredibly well-developed character, and one of my favorites to follow.

Again, let’s imagine that she and Harry ended up together. Instead of being this awesome, multi-dimensional character who challenges Ron and Harry, she becomes a love interest. The entire book series would then read like an extremely long love story, which just happens to have this overarching plot about good and evil.

The message to young girls would be clear: If you are an important female character in a book, your job is to fall in love with the main character.

I have a whole bunch of other problems with J.K. Rowling’s revelation, but they’re a little too specific for this post (which is already obscenely long). For now, I’ll leave you with this.

“[The books] belong to their readers now, which is a great thing – because the books are more powerful in the hands of my readers than they could ever be in my hands.” – John Green

kay & h