The way I see Harry/Hermione is that it could have been a great relationship in the novels, but it simply didn't develop that far. It had the first great requirement for a great relationship, which is to make both characters likable enough so that the reader naturally wants them to get together in a vague "Wouldn't it be cute?" manner. The novels did that correctly, at least for me. I liked both Harry and Hermione and thought they could have been a good couple.

The second step to make a great relationship in fiction is to give a legitimate reason for the characters to be together. That reason can be anything, missing the other character when he/she is not around, having an unique way of addressing him/her, something they are both passionate about, it just has to be something that connects them to a point where they go past the line of friendship. The novels of course never did that, and by book 4 it was pretty clear that she was going to end up with Ron because her relationship with him got pretty obvious.

But the fact remains that they could have been a good couple, and that's where fanfiction comes in. It can take that solid foundation of friendship, then add a few elements that make them being a couple realistic. I don't buy "they always loved each other" because they didn't. I wish they did because Ginny suffers from not fulfilling the first requirement for making a good relationship in fiction. This could be just me, but personally to quote a random guy on Brandon Sanderson's podcast "I don't really like this lady and I don't care if she dies alone" which made the relationship fall flat on me.

Anyway, I'm going off topic, so let me make my point. Fanfiction about H/Hr needs to make the pairing believable by altering the story in such a way that the two connect in a reasonable way.

Or you can do what this story does.

This story is...bizarre, because it shows exactly what would have happened if Rowling had changed her plans and gave us Harry/Hermione during Deathly Hallows. If they were to stay perfectly in-character, then they wouldn't really be a couple. They would just sort of be together.

And that's why I think this fanfic is so damn good, in a creepy way. It shows exactly what the relationship would have been like in the books if their characters didn't change at all. Which I think is a solid accomplishment.

So what I'm trying to say in my overly long post is that Harry/Hermione can only work the way this story presents it. My problem with it is that the only way it can work is kinda boring. But nonetheless, it was entertaining, well-written, keeps the two so in-character that it shows why them becoming a couple just looks weird and deserves a 4/5.

 

This. It was nice, but I doubt I'll think about it again. 3/5.

Also, Kensington, awesome sig. Too bad they're taking it off the air.

 

I have to agree with Ron, it doesn't seem like they are in love at all, if someone introduced me to them in real life my first guess would be best friends sharing a flat, not a married couple. It was nice to read, but I have little doubt it will have slipped my mind by tomorrow.

3/5

 

This was perfect, and I'm very glad to have gotten the link. Ultimately, it's not relevant to me that it's Harry/Hermione, but rather that it shows that love isn't something flashy. The heated madness that is often labeled "romance", is the addition of lust and hormones to a hopefully true affection that lies underneath. To think, however, that love needs that is a profound misunderstanding.

Some have said they find the relationship boring, but I think that's part of the charm. There is no need for them to entertain you for the relationship to be deep and solid and real. Drama is needless. True, it may make for a flashier story, and there isn't the necessary conflict here to make this into a longer romance story, but it's poignant and true.

5, for sure.