If that scenario sounds familiar it may have already been foreshadowed by the Cedric-Cho-Harry triangle.

Hermione herself has already explained exactly the conflicted feelings that will go through her mind when she quickly transfers her affections from one of her best friends to the other. As she described Cho's after the OotP kiss:

"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful."

Here, she foreshadows her own conflicted emotions as she deals with the death of one of her best friends (and boyfriend) but tries to move on with her life.

Just whose death Cedric's is foreshadowing is uncertain - Harry's (see DoM #2) or Ron's (see NT #22 and add that Harry hears two voices coming from the veil - first Sirius' then Ron's). In terms of predicting Potter future, it would appear that Hermione possesses THE KISS OF DEATH. Whomever she dates first dies. Yet, I would argue that it's the boys themselves who will make that decision not by action, but by inaction, making the same mistake Harry made with Cho proving, yet again, the age old adage: he who hesitates is lonely.

If you want my opinion, and I know you're dying to hear, I think the list of items foreshadowing Ron's death is becoming substantial, I've long seen H/H as a more equal pairing, and I believe the argument after the Yule Ball indicates that the H/R relationship is more eminent.

Incidentally, if both my theory and the theory that the Tri-Wizard Tasks are foreshadowing the last three books are correct, then we may find the maze incident where Krum casts a Cruciatus over Cedric under the influence of Imperious and Harry intervenes is foreshadowing the same incident where Hermione fills the shoes of her old beau, Krum - doing the same to the trio member who is destined to die. Whichever that is, it will probably be her current beau at the time of the incident.

Although normally happy to share information about subplots, JKR refused to answer a straightforward question about where Hermione's affections lie. As she put it on her website:

"Does Hermione love Ron or Harry?

I can't believe that some of you haven't worked this one out yet, but I'm not going to answer because that would spoil the arguments, which I enjoy."

She implies it should be obvious, but all the shipping arguments indicate that it clearly isn't. Perhaps the real answer would tip us off to the Cedric/Cho/Harry foreshadowing and give us too much information about the main plot -- and the next person to die. Maybe, just maybe, Hermione is in love with both of them.

12/18/04

Posted by: Nicole

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