On Shipping Post-HBP [HBP Spoilers]
On the victory of the RMS Wotcher Wolvie, and whether it's for real
There's been a lot of discussion going on recently about what the implied Remus/Tonks at the end of HBP means, whether it's for real or not, where it came from and WAAAH IT BROKE R/S. Being a non-shipper, I couldn't really care less (although I do admittedly have a soft spot for it, because I like fernwithy's fic).
Now, I read an essay the other day about how it's possible that Remus didn't reciprocate, and used the excuse that him being a werewolf would make it difficult, because he dislikes confrontation, and that after that scene he probably explains to her that he meant that he didn't like her that way. I could believe that.
If the story was about Remus, that is.
The fact that Remus and Tonks are very small plot points in the series, and the fact that the romance was introduced in the last few chapters of the book, makes me think that this is really for real. If nothing was going to happen with it in the next book, why would JKR bother with it? It gets about a page worth of actual time in the book, total. Also, why do it at the end? If it was done in the middle, somewhere, it would give them time for him to turn her down.
Basically, thinking from the perspective of a plotter, rather than real life, it makes sense for it to continue. And personally, I don't mind very much.
[/rambling]