Your analysis makes sense to me. Harry even mused about becoming a third wheel, so certainly it would have been cruel to leave Ron out in the cold. And, Ginny has liked Harry for quite a while. Although, it did seem that Harry started thinking about Ginny in "that" way very suddenly. On the other hand, they are teenagers, so "sudden" often does happen.

I totally agree with you, which is why John and I have had this dynamic predicted since Book 3 (John insists he's known since Book 2 :)). Harry spends the entire series looking for "family" and even though the Weasleys have already adopted him as family, being with Ginny is the way for him to become genuinely part of a big, warm, imperfect, loving family by the end of the series. And, agreed, having Ron and Hermione together means all three of them will end up as family. Happily ever after. Truly the end of Harry's quest.

If they all survive to see the end of Book 7. And I so hope Rowling allows them all to survive to see the end of Book 7.

Here's my favorite quote from a recommended essay I read earlier in the week about the power of the Trio in HP beyond the "shipping wars":

"Hermione, it is clear, holds Ron in high esteem as well [as he holds her]. She *knows* that, technically speaking, Harry is more "fanciable". She even expounds on the subject during breakfast. She's best friends with the Chosen One, the youngest House Quidditch player in a century, the Boy Who Lived, the best in the year at DADA. And knowing this, she falls for the other guy. God, I love this girl."

Me, too :). I think Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione is a lovely dynamic.

It's been fairly clear since Goblet of Fire that Ron has it bad for Hermione. Harry/Hermione doesn't just leave Ron a third wheel, it makes him the jilted suitor--an ignominious ending for the Dream Team at best. Harry has to know this, oblivious as he often seems. For him to even contemplate Hermione as a love interest would be something of a betrayal of his best friend.

Hence, I think, the vitriolic hatred of Ron you sometimes find among Harry/Hermione shippers. If Ron is not worthy of Harry's friendship, then it's OK for Harry to leave him in the dust.

Sam Winolj

I'd always been rooting for Cho. My mental image of her is cute, I guess.