An angsty fic (sorry!)

[avonlea_dreamer]

A torrential rainstorm drove them to find shelter.

Hermione half-stumbled, momentarily losing her footing, and Harry hauled her up against his side, keeping his arm around her as he peered through the downpour. He squinted, thankful for Hermione’s foresight on seeing the darkening clouds a little while ago to cast the spell on his glasses that

Comments

[madderbrad]

Ah, got to be a boggart. A nice way of ramming home Harry's priorities.

Did he say something positive to her so rarely that she would look so surprised at a compliment, mild as it was?

Sadly, yes. Ten-fold so coming right after Ron's abandonment. I don't know if you read that chapter, but Rowling had Harry act horribly towards Hermione there, coldly and callously ignoring her as she cried herself to sleep night after night. Rowling *had* to write things that way, because she couldn't have had Harry act nicely towards Hermione without her readers abandoning the idea of her previous R/Hr altogether. Sad, that.

Anyway, always nice to see Hermione's value - on so many levels - acknowledged.

[avonlea_dreamer]

I did read the chapter; I loved the Godric's Hollow scene at least (if only because it may have been one of the very few examples I can remember of JKR's writing having more than the emotional depth of a teaspoon. Too bad for her she apparently could only keep it up for a couple paragraphs.) As for the rest, well, I thought it was more Harry being (his usual) self-centered self, too preoccupied with his own feelings over Ron's desertion and his worries over the War to think that maybe he should try to comfort Hermione too. I don't think canon!Harry is cold and callous so much as he's self-centered, although I suppose it comes off as being cold and callous all things considered. (Anyway, I blame JKR for stubbornly insisting on writing Harry that way because it suited her purposes-- another reason why I can't forgive her

[madderbrad]

I thought it was more Harry being (his usual) self-centered self, too preoccupied with his own feelings over Ron's desertion and his worries over the War to think that maybe he should try to comfort Hermione too.

Which still makes him a not very nice person.

I know, his behaviour was consistent with both what you say and also with his lack of empathy for people in general, his not liking girls who cry, for example - which is canon, why he likes dear Ginny, back in the first part of the book - but it still makes him rather dislikeable.

I blame JKR for stubbornly insisting on writing Harry that way because it suited her purposes -Yes, exactly. Even more so in that part of DH. She *couldn't* afford to have Harry be nice to Hermione while they were both alone, for them to both comfort each other as best friends, because that would have threatened her precious R/Hr

[avonlea_dreamer]

No, I only read the one Godric's Hollow chapter and have no intentions of ever reading any more of DH