Talk About It Thursday (#1.5): The Recent JK Rowling (Supposed) Revelation on Romione

Every other Thursday I will make a post that's meant to bring about some conversation, discussion, and perhaps even a debate.

So this is #1.5 because I already have discussions up to #5 ready and this just popper up, but I really want to write a post about it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is a good post about it. I want to make it clear that there may be other things that will come up when the full article comes out, but I'm writing this as of 2/2/14, so.

Again, I shall start by stating that I'm a huge Potterhead and will always be. I will also state that I've been a Romione shipper for a VERY long time, and nothing anyone says will ever change my mind (most likely). I would also like to point out that J.K. Rowling didn't explicitly say that if Hermione weren't with Ron, she' be with Harry. Additionally, can we all not forget that Hermione (and all the other characters) are not defined by their romantic relationships and partners? Of course I root for Romione, but if Hermione hadn't been with Ron OR Harry, then so what? 

I'm going to point out that Jo says that she regrets it ending up that way, but the truth of the matter is that she wrote it with the intention of having Hermione and Ron be together in the end. This means that it doesn't change how the book was written. You're not going to find that in the books, all of a sudden, you won't read it the same way again because IT WAS WRITTEN WITH THE INTENTION OF ROMIONE. So no, you can't say for sure that from now on, you'll never read Harry Potter in the same way again. All the clues and foreshadowing and events and all of that will still be geared toward Romione. It's written that way. If you want to continue to use to the text to support Harmony, fine.

I also want to discuss why I personally still think Romione is better than Harmony. I don't mean to put anyone's opinion down. If I say something that you feel is attacking you, please let me know, and please know that it isn't intentional and that I can see and understand some of the arguments for Harmony.

The thing is, Ron and Hermione balance one another out much more than Harry and Hermione do. Yes, they have a WONDERFUL platonic relationship, which I whole-heartedly support, but I think they're both too...similar in some aspects to have a good romantic relationship. The thing is, they're too...nice to one another. They have many of the same qualities, and while that may work for some people in real life, I feel like it doesn't work based on how it was portrayed in the books. Some may argue that Ron and Hermione argue too much, but the truth is that I think that's what would make them work so well. Hermione is sensible, oftentimes serious, thinks through everything. Ron is more relaxed. He usually reacts more quickly, not always thinking through ever possible scenario, and he doesn't always realize how his actions may affect others. Ron loosens up Hermione a bit. Hermione helps Ron to be more rational and gives him the chance to think things through. They're different, yet the same. They are both loyal, brave, smart (perhaps in different ways), etc. But Ron has the qualities that Hermione doesn't necessarily have and vice versa. Yeah, they might fight, but it's clear that they really love one another. Yeah, they might fight, but it also helps them to gain a different perspective. I'm not explaining this correctly, BUT THEY BALANCE ONE ANOTHER OUT SO MUCH MORE. 

And look, the fact of the matter is that it's written down and printed as Romione. Yeah, there are other relationships that aren't canon that I think should be canon, but as much as J.K. Rowling regrets what she wrote, it's what she wrote. Can we not minimize the legitimacy of Ron and Hermione's relationship? And besides, so what if they might need counseling? Who's to say they wouldn't come out as an even better couple? Jo can't take back what she wrote. You can ship whatever you want to ship. I really don't care (as long as you don't insult me). But many people are using this to delegitimize their relationship when it just doesn't work that way.

On a similar note, though Jo states that she wishes she could take back putting Ron and Hermione together, nothing she said indicates that she'd put Hermione with Harry instead. Maybe she wanted it to be like Luna's situation. Maybe she didn't want Hermione to marry at all. Maybe she didn't want... The point is, supposedly delegitimizing one doesn't automatically legitimize the other. As the author, Jo can regret anything she's written. She can say it if she'd like, but it doesn't change what she did write. As she said, time and distance has made her see this way, and that's fine. But I do think that it's out there now, and it is what it is. 

Lastly, can I just say that despite also voicing my opinion on this matter and joining in on the whole Romione vs. Harmony debate, in the end, I think many people are failing to realize that the most important aspect that Rowling promoted and wanted to get at was the strong friendship between all three of them. People get so caught up in these shipping wars that they forget what should be the most important aspect of the books. Shouldn't the Golden Trio be put above these debates? Hasn't it always been, first and foremost, the Golden Trio? That is all.

(So, this post didn't come out nearly the way I wanted it to. I wasn't able to clearly articulate my points, but I hope you know what I was getting at. I have so much more to say on this topic, but it's late, and my brain feels like mush, so that's not happening. If you'd like me to react to another aspect that I didn't mention above or if you'd like me expand on one of my points, let me know in the comments below.)

EDIT: Let it be known that I wrote this the day of the "revelation"/the day when everyone was freaking out about it. Since then I've kinda taken a slightly different view on it. People will do with her work and writing as they wish in terms of shipping. Sure, Jo's opinion matters because she's the writer, but the book is in our hands now. We can decide for ourselves, regardless of what Jo believes. And in the end, who cares? As I mentioned, it was always about the Golden Trio before anything else, right? So let's keep it that way. We don't need shipping wars, especially in this fandom.

EDIT 2: The full article/interview has now been released, and I have slightly different opinions compared to the majority of this post, though I hold fast to what I said in the previous edit. I was going to write another post, but you know, this is out there now. I'm not going to take it back. I have my own thoughts. You can have yours. I've learned from this, and I hope others will too.

What are your thoughts on the revelation? Thoughts on my thoughts? Do you even care?