Essay: Harry and Hermioneâs chemistry
We all know that Emma and Daniel had excellent chemistry so Harry and Hermione naturally had great chemistry in the movies. It was quite obviously visible. But many book readers have claimed that Harry and Hermioneâs chemistry only exists in the movies and they felt they lacked chemistry in the books. It can be quite tricky at first since the book scenes are only imagined in our heads and we canât see the authorâs imagination and her views on the scenes and interactions. But, luckily, canon has provided us with plenty of evidence that Harry and Hermione had excellent chemistry, visible to many people around them. Letâs take a look:
âThat was a really horrible trick of Hermione Grangerâs,â said Cho fiercely. âShe should have told us sheâd jinxed that list ââÂ
âI think it was a brilliant idea,â said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter.Â
âOh yes, I forgot â of course, if it was darling Hermioneâs idea ââÂ
âDonât start crying again,â said Harry warningly.
Itâs very obvious that Cho has noticed how close Harry and Hermione are and sheâs jealous, even suspicious that thereâs something going on between them. Itâs clear that whatever interaction between Harry and Hermione Cho has witnessed, they had chemistry.Â
If this was all of our evidence of H/Hrâs chemistry, Iâd ignore it and assume Cho was only jealous because of their disastrous date when Harry left Cho to see Hermione. Perhaps most of her jealousy came from that scene. But this isnât all of our evidence. We see even more people being jealous and getting suspicious about H/Hrâs relationship:
When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horsesâ paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry.Â
âI vant to know,â he said, glowering, âvot there is between you and Hermyown-ninny.âÂ
Harry, who from Krumâs secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement.Â
âNothing,â he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated.Â
âWeâre friends. Sheâs not my girlfriend and she never has been. Itâs just that Skeeter woman making things up.âÂ
âHermy-own-ninny talks about you very often,â said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry.Â
âYeah,â said Harry, âbecause weâre friends.âÂ
He couldnât quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he, Harry, was an equal â a real rival â
Very interesting indeed. Not only is Krum so jealous that heâs âgloweringâ (âhave an angry or sullen look on oneâs face; scowlâ) at Harry, he also doesnât believe Harry that heâs just friends with Hermione, even after he explained it very clearly. He still adds how much Hermione talks about Harry, heâs looking suspicious and feels the need of a reconfirmation that H/Hr are not dating. Itâs possible that Rita Skeeterâs articles are influencing his thoughts and sure, Hermione talks about Harry a lot (already indicating that sheâs very passionate about Harry, we talk about things we like, or feel strong emotions about) and that could be the only thing that makes Krum âsuspiciousâ about H/Hr but would he really still be that jealous if there was absolutely no chemistry between Harry and Hermione? This is definitely a clue on Harry and Hermioneâs chemistry in the books.
 Another extremely interesting detail is that Harry is enjoying this. He likes the idea of Krum being his equal, a rival! This has nothing to do with their chemistry, of course, but itâs definitely suspiciousâŠ
Still think thereâs no chemistry between them? Hereâs another person who noticed that Harry and Hermione were very close, a little too close:
Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school.
So Colin Creevey noticed how much time they spend together, but I just canât believe thatâs the only thing making him believe theyâre in love! There has to be some noticeable chemistry between them to come to this conclusion.
I know itâs Rita Skeeter assuming that H/Hr are so close only because theyâre dating, but Colin probably told her more than itâs written here. Would Rita believe Colin that Harry and Hermione are boyfriend and girlfriend merely because he said they hang out often? I donât think so. I think Colin elaborated on his suspicions of H/Hr. But maybe it was just one of Rita Skeeterâs exaggerations. Either way, thereâs more proof of their chemistry:
âAre you going to tell us â ?âÂ
Hermione shook her head warningly and glanced at Mrs. Weasley.Â
âHello, Hermione,â said Mrs. Weasley, much more stiffly than usual.Â
âHello,â said Hermione, her smile faltering at the cold expression on Mrs. Weasleyâs face.Â
Harry looked between them, then said, âMrs. Weasley, you didnât believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermioneâs not my girlfriend.âÂ
âOh!â said Mrs. Weasley. âNo â of course I didnât!âÂ
But she became considerably warmer toward Hermione after that.
So even Molly believed that Harry and Hermione were boyfriend and girlfriend (and Hermione had âbroken Harryâs heartâ)? Come on, their chemistry was so noticeable that even Molly thought it was believable enough. âŠAlthough Molly does believe everything that newspapers and magazines say. And maybe she didnât know them well enough because she assumed Hermione could break Harryâs heart.
Still donât believe that Harry and Hermione had lots of chemistry in the books? Maybe youâre right, we need to actually see the chemistry, not just have others notice it. And guess what? We do get to see their chemistry. This often happens when Ron becomes suspicious of a possible H/Hr relationship. Ron, their closest friend who knows basically everything about them, suspects that Harry and Hermione are secretly in love. And he is quite rightly suspicious of them when we have moments like these demonstrating their perfect chemistry in the books:
âWeâll go down after Quidditch,â Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. âBut trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied.â He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. âI dunno why the teamâs this popular all of a sudden.âÂ
âOh, come on, Harry,â said Hermione, suddenly impatient. âItâs not Quidditch thatâs popular, itâs you! Youâve never been more interesting, and frankly, youâve never been more fanciable.âÂ
Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.Â
âEveryone knows youâve been telling the truth now, donât they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now theyâre calling you âthe Chosen Oneâ â well, come on, canât you see why people are fascinated by you?âÂ
Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy.Â
âAnd youâve been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway⊠.âÂ
âYou can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Ministry, look,â said Ron, shaking back his sleeves.Â
âAnd it doesnât hurt that youâve grown about a foot over the summer either,â Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.Â
âIâm tall,â said Ron inconsequentially.
Wow. Hermione really made up a whole monologue about Harry being fanciable and attractive! If this conversation doesnât convince you that there was chemistry between them, probably nothing will. Letâs analyze this scene:
Hermione starts talking about Harry and how fanciable he is, how interesting he is, how attractive looks and qualities he has, going on and on⊠Hermione is clearly showing her interest in Harry and basically flirting with him. But what interests me is this moment:
Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy.
Heâs actually blushing. Hermioneâs compliments have a very obvious effect on him. But something that fascinates me more is the way this is written. He isnât just blushing, no. Harry never said something like:
Harry was feeling his face growing very hot all of a sudden.
Instead, we have the Great Hall going âvery hotâ. It isnât just his face and his blush, itâs the whole hall. This indicates clear tension between Harry and Hermione.Â
You could say that all of these compliments that Hermione is giving Harry are just facts and reasons why other girls find him attractive. But this isnât the case. Thereâs obvious romantic tension between them.
Another thing to note is Ronâs jealousy. He âgags on a large piece of kipperâ and he keeps interrupting Hermione, saying and showing why he is fanciable too. The chemistry is undeniable at this point.Â
You could argue that Hermione was complimenting Harry to make Ron jealous, that his suspicions were expected and intended. And it does seem so at first sight: Hermione compliments Harry in front of Ron, also being very impatient as if she had been planning this conversation, as well as pointing out lots of âfanciableâ things that apply to Ron as well (the scars, the height), ignoring Ron to make him more jealous. You may be tricked into thinking so. But this isnât the case.Â
First of all, if she wanted to make Ron jealous, donât you think Hermione wouldâve been enjoying the reaction? Why is she giving him these âlooks of disdainâ(note that this isnât the first time she has given him nasty looks)? Wouldnât she be looking away from him, smiling to herself? At least looking a little pleased?Â
And if she really wanted to make Ron jealous, why would she use Harry of everyone? Maybe because he and Ron had a lot of similarities that could be convenient for making him jealous? But this isnât like Hermione at all. This isnât her technique of making people jealous.Â
âWhatâs happened to you?â asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devilâs Snare.Â
âOh, Iâve just escaped â I mean, Iâve just left Cormac,â she said. âUnder the mistletoe,â she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her.Â
âServes you right for coming with him,â he told her severely.Â
âI thought heâd annoy Ron most,â said Hermione dispassionately. âI debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole ââÂ
âYou considered Smith?â said Harry, revolted.Â
âYes, I did, and Iâm starting to wish Iâd chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Letâs go this way, weâll be able to see him coming, heâs so tall⊠.â
Hermione picks the people Ron despises the most to make him jealous - like Cormac McLaggen and Zacharias Smith. Hermione had no reason to use Harry to make Ron jealous. She had no reason to make Ron jealous at all. So that argument is definitely debunked.Â
Could Hermione have told Harry all of these things because she really didnât mean them and was just pointing them out from a different teenage girlâs point of view? That just canât be the case. Otherwise she wouldâve been complimenting Ron too. If the only purpose for this speech was to show Harry his attractive traits, she wouldâve laughed at Ronâs remarks and agreed that he was fanciable too in other girlsâ eyes because he had many of the same âfanciableâ traits.Â
So Hermione was definitely showing her attraction towards Harry which is also made obvious by Harryâs reaction to it and the romantic tension between them that even Ron couldnât deny.
Believe it or not, this isnât the only moment when Harry and Hermione are literally flirting. Take a look at another scene of Ron third wheeling Harry and Hermione and looking suspicious:
As they came into the castle they spotted Cormac McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors; he ricocheted off the frame on the first attempt. Ron merely guffawed gloatingly and strode off into the Hall after him, but Harry caught Hermioneâs arm and held her back.Â
âWhat?â said Hermione defensively.Â
âIf you ask me,â said Harry quietly, âMcLaggen looks like he was Confunded this morning. And he was standing right in front of where you were sitting.â Hermione blushed.Â
âOh, all right then, I did it,â she whispered. âBut you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, heâs got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didnât get in â you wouldnât have wanted someone like that on the team.âÂ
âNo,â said Harry. âNo, I suppose thatâs true. But wasnât that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, youâre a prefect, arenât you?âÂ
âOh, be quiet,â she snapped, as he smirked.Â
âWhat are you two doing?â demanded Ron, reappearing in the doorway to the Great Hall and looking suspicious.Â
âNothing,â said Harry and Hermione together, and they hurried after Ron. The smell of roast beef made Harryâs stomach ache with hunger, but they had barely taken three steps toward the Gryffindor table when Professor Slughorn appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
Try denying their chemistry here.
Just imagine two (straight) friends of the opposite gender, the boy grabbing the girlâs arm and turning her around (the tension!!!) and her acting all defensive, and then the boy telling her something that makes her blush and admit something while whispering. Then the boy jokingly teasing her about it and smirking while the girl tells him to be quiet playfully. Yeah, thatâs called flirting and they have extremely obvious chemistry.Â
The funnier part is Ron noticing this and suspiciously confronting Harry and Hermione while they quickly say ânothingâ at the same time and catch up with him.
I donât think an explanation is even necessary, anyone who denies their chemistry in this scene is basically lying to themselves and is willingly blinding themselves.
Hereâs another interesting scene from HBP with Ron getting jealous of H/Hrâs chemistry once again:
Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face. Hermione turned to Harry with a radiant expression and whispered, âDid you really tell him Iâm the best in the year? Oh, Harry!âÂ
âWell, whatâs so impressive about that?â whispered Ron, who for some reason looked annoyed. âYou are the best in the year â Iâdâve told him so if heâd asked me!âÂ
Hermione smiled but made a âshhingâ gesture, so that they could hear what Slughorn was saying. Ron looked slightly disgruntled.
Here Harry and Hermioneâs chemistry isnât really made clear but just look at the way Hermione turns to Harry. He literally sees her expression as âradiantâ (this adjective has also been used to describe Ginnyâs smile) and Hermione looks simply delighted. They were clearly having a great moment here, so good, in fact, that Ron becomes jealous and annoyed and tries to pretend Harryâs compliment wasnât a big deal. He compliments Hermione the same way as Harry did but she doesnât have such a âradiantâ smile this time, does she? Instead she shushes him(poor Ron just wanted attention from his future wife!). Ron has every right to be disgruntled in this scene.
This is the third time in HBP that Ron is third-wheeling Harry and Hermione. Whether anti-H/Hrs want to admit it or not, Ron is a third-wheel to Harry and Hermione very often and becomes very jealous of their chemistry. JKR, it really isnât funny, where are the R/Hr flirting moments? Theyâre supposed to be the endgame couple, arenât they? Why do you have so many moments between Harry and Hermione when theyâre clearly flirting and demonstrating what excellent chemistry looks like?
Apparently, Harry and Hermione have had such chemistry in the past that, even when theyâre not flirting, Ron still becomes suspicious of Harry and Hermioneâs âpossible secret relationshipâ:
âBecause she was crying,â Harry continued heavily.Â
âOh,â said Ron, his smile fading slightly. âAre you that bad at kissing?âÂ
âDunno,â said Harry, who hadnât considered this, and immediately felt rather worried. âMaybe I am.âÂ
âOf course youâre not,â said Hermione absently, still scribbling away at her letter.Â
âHow do you know?â said Ron in a sharp voice.Â
âBecause Cho spends half her time crying these days,â said Hermione vaguely. âShe does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place.â
Ron suspected that Harry and Hermione had kissed before. His suspects are quite obvious, judging from the tone of his voice. No matter how insecure Ron is, he is still their best friend, he should know that theyâre not interested into each other romantically. But it seems like itâs so apparent to everyone that Harry and Hermione have something going on.
Hereâs another moment showing us Harry and Hermioneâs chemistry:
âHarry!â Hermione cried.Â
âI know!â Harry shouted. Unable to contain himself, he punched the air; it was more than he had dared to hope for. He strode up and down the tent, feeling that he could have run a mile; he did not even feel hungry anymore. Hermione was squashing Phineas Nigellusâs portrait back into the beaded bag; when she had fastened the clasp she threw the bag aside and raised a shining face to Harry.
 âThe sword can destroy Horcruxes! Goblin-made blades imbibe only that which strengthen them â Harry, that swordâs impregnated with basilisk venom!âÂ
âAnd Dumbledore didnât give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket ââÂ
ââ and he must have realized they wouldnât let you have it if he put it in his will ââÂ
ââ so he made a copy ââÂ
ââ and put a fake in the glass case ââÂ
ââ and he left the real one â where?âÂ
They gazed at each other; Harry felt that the answer was dangling invisibly in the air above them, tantalizingly close. Why hadnât Dumbledore told him? Or had he, in fact, told Harry, but Harry had not realized it at the time?Â
âThink!â whispered Hermione. âThink! Where would he have left it?âÂ
âNot at Hogwarts,â said Harry, resuming his pacing.Â
âSomewhere in Hogsmeade?â suggested Hermione.Â
âThe Shrieking Shack?â said Harry. âNobody ever goes in there.âÂ
âBut Snape knows how to get in, wouldnât that be a bit risky?âÂ
âDumbledore trusted Snape,â Harry reminded her.Â
âNot enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords,â said Hermione.Â
âYeah, youâre right!â said Harry, and he felt even more cheered at the thought that Dumbledore had had some reservations, however faint, about Snapeâs trustworthiness. âSo, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What dâyou reckon, Ron? Ron?âÂ
Harry looked around. For one bewildered moment he thought that Ron had left the tent, then realized that Ron was lying in the shadow of a lower bunk, looking stony.
 Just look at the intensity of this scene!
Firstly, when Harry and Hermione find out exciting news, they figure it out themselves and alone, they didnât even think of Ron. Then look at how happy Harry and Hermione are feeling, their hopes high, their spirits lifted, their excitement causing the tension! Hermioneâs face is âshiningâ!
Then they start discussing, knowing what the other is thinking and finishing each otherâs sentences! The way they interact is precious, theyâre âgazingâ at each other, feeling something âtantalizingly close.â They start whispering. Itâs so intense and full of tension and chemistry. Theyâre so excited. They even completely forgot about Ron(I feel so bad for him), Harry even thought that he had left.
This is one of the strongest Harmione scenes ever, the chemistry between them is incomparable to anyone elseâs. Just imagine being Ron right now, watching the love of your life have this intense conversation with your and her best friend, sharing this exciting moment, experiencing all of this without you. And you just sit there and watch. Just watch. Ronâs jealousy, intensified by the horcrux, was the one thing that made him leave Harry and Hermione in the tent. And Ron did have a reason to be jealous.Â
So they do have chemistry in the books, everyone sees it, including Harry and Hermioneâs dates, their closest friend, their âfamiliesâ, their fans. Everyone except for anti-Harmiones. I tried making up excuses for why others assume Harry and Hermione are together, that maybe Iâm misinterpreting something and itâs not because of their chemistry. But when you put everything together, it should become obvious. You have to be insanely biased and willingly ignore everything to come to the conclusion that they donât have any chemistry.Â
Iâm not even going in detail about physical contact between them. It would take too long. They grab each otherâs hand/arm, they hold onto each other for strength and protect each other, theyâre very comfortable with hugs and kisses and their physical connection is another piece of proof of their undeniable chemistry.Â
Even JKR has admitted that they had some âcharged momentsâ in DH in the tent, which is her way of saying that they had intense chemistry:
[Kloves] felt a certain pulll between them at that point. And I think heâs right. There are moments when [Harry and Hermione] touch, which are charged moments. One when she touches his hair as he sits on the hiltop reading about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and [two] the moment when they walk out of the graveyard with their arms around each other. Now the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. He walked out. She shared something very intense with Harry. So I think it could have gone that way.
In conclusion, Harry and Hermione have excellent chemistry in the books, even better and stronger than in the movies. None of the movie scenes showed their chemistry with this intensity. Their romantic tension was much better in the books. Harry and Hermione have chemistry.
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