J.K. Rowling doesn't ship Hermione/Ron?!

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Earlier this evening, I spotted some talk on Twitter suggesting that something that J.K. Rowling said was crazy talk. Nicolas found this article. After reading, I see why Twitter was all abuzz.

What do you all think of this? Are you as upset as most people seem to be about this news?

 

[Jasper Magonus]

Considering the source of the article isn't all that reliable in the first place, I don't believe a word of it. JK always said she ended her books the way she did for a reason, so I choose to believe that statement to still be true.
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[Nicolas King]

What 'source' is unreliable, Teigan/Tenile?
The AFP published this article.
The oldest news agency in the world, and one of the three largest.
Pretty sure they'd check the interview before publishing.
You know. Journalism.

 

[Abbigale Raven]

Oh, well I didn't read it in that one, I read it somewhere else, don't remember where, may have been TUMBLR, but yeah, I guess that makes sense, still don't agree though.
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[Stefan Archer]

I heard about this last night, but I don't see anything wrong with it. If JKR now, after what like 6/7 years since the last book was released, decides upon reflection that she might've been able to pair them better with others, she can do that. It also doesn't mean we actually need to listen to it. Hermione/Ron is canon.
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[Sara Moon]

As much as I love JK, I disagree with her on this one. I mean, when she wrote the books, she was obviously very connected with them, and immersed in them, as one would have to be to create the whole "new world" that she did. Now, I think that while she may think this now, she's not the same person who wrote those books. Everyone changes, and while her point of view has changed, the point of view she had when she wrote about Hermione and Ron's relationship remains; in the form of the books. For instance, Nuna wasn't cannon, but she later admitted that she liked the pairing (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) so, is her liking of Ron and Hermione the opposite effect, that she's begun to dislike them now, I mean the fact that Nuna wasn't in agreement with her original idea didn't stop people from thinking they worked, or from her thinking so too. I don't think Harry and Hermione would've worked. Both of them take life too seriously, and while Harry (book Harry) has a great sense of humour, it's rather sarcastic and black humour, which worked well opposite Ginny's realism. Ron was more light, and I think Hermione needed that; he made her relax a little.. I just can't imagine her with Harry, for me they were always just friends. That's just my opinion.

 

[Alyssa Chevalier]

I am a huuge Romione shipper, so this is a tad bit heartbreaking to hear. But sometimes after giving it some thought, writers end up feeling differently about the way things ended.

Too late to take it back now though.
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[Abbigale Raven]

I am in total agreement with Maia. I always saw Harry and Hermione as just friends and while I am the first to admitt that I read all kinds of fanfiction, nothing takes away from the normal canon, as far as I am concerned, I hated Ron, but that doesn't mean I didn't think he was perfect for Hermione.
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[Minoas Stratis]

Could be an interesting spin off...

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

although i do like hermione and Ron as a couple i can see where JK Rowling is coming from, as although they do go together well it is a sort of love hate relationship. as over the seven books. if i am remembering correctly the only book they don't fall out enough stop talking is the second year (and possibly fifth year)[note]in first year before they even became friends they disliked each other, in third year there was the crookshanks/scabbers fall out and the firebolt fallout, in fourth year they fell out because hermione went to the ball with krum, in fifth year, I cant quite remember but i am sure they fell out over something, in sixth year they fell out over Lavender and in the seventh book ron ended up leaving them[note], and that is probably because hermione was petrified for half of it so i can certainly see how over the course of a marriage they would need to get counselling on a few occasions. as although i can see them loving each other, i can see them knowing and being good ad grinding each others gears the wrong way.

 

[Nicolas King]

So it seems like JKR's assertions were slightly less dramatic than first reported.
Text of the full interview is here.

Spoiler: Relevant Bits

I thought we should discuss Hermione... I'm sure you've heard this a million times but now that you have written the books, do you have a new perspective on how you relate to Hermione and the relationship you have with her or had with her?
I know that Hermione is incredibly recognisable to a lot of readers and yet you don't see a lot of Hermiones in film or on TV except to be laughed at. I mean that the intense, clever, in some ways not terribly self-aware, girl is rarely the heroine and I really wanted her to be the heroine. She is part of me, although she is not wholly me. I think that is how I might have appeared to people when I was younger, but that is not really how I was inside.
What I will say is that I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione with Ron.
Ah.
I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people's hearts by saying this? I hope not.
I don't know. I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy.
Yes exactly.
And vice versa.
It was a young relationship. I think the attraction itself is plausible but the combative side of it... I'm not sure you could have got over that in an adult relationship, there was too much fundamental incompatibility. I can't believe we are saying all of this – this is Potter heresy!
I know, it is heresy.
In some ways Hermione and Harry are a better fit and I'll tell you something very strange. When I wrote Hallows, I felt this quite strongly when I had Hermione and Harry together in the tent! I hadn't told [Steve] Kloves that and when he wrote the script he felt exactly the same thing at exactly the same point.
That is just so interesting because when I was doing the scene I said to David [Heyman]: "This isn't in the book, she didn't write this". I'm not sure I am comfortable insinuating something however subtle it is!
Yes, but David and Steve – they felt what I felt when writing it.
That is so strange.
And actually I liked that scene in the film, because it was articulating something I hadn't said but I had felt. I really liked it and I thought that it was right. I think you do feel the ghost of what could have been in that scene.
It's a really haunting scene. It's funny because it really divided people. Some people loved that scene and some people really didn't.
Yes, some people utterly hated it. But that is true of so many really good scenes in books and films; they evoke that strong positive/negative feeling. I was fine with it, I liked it.
[...]
I love Hermione.
I love her too.
Oh, maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counseling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counseling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical.
I think it makes sense to me that Ron would make friends with the most famous wizard in the school because I think life presents to you over and over again your biggest and most painful fear – until you conquer it. It just keeps coming up.
That is so true, it has happened in my own life. The issue keeps coming up because you are drawn to it and you are putting yourself in front of it all the time. At a certain point you have to choose what to do about it and sometimes conquering it is choosing to say: I don't want that anymore, I'm going to stop walking up to you because there is nothing there for me. But yes, you're so right, that's very insightful! Ron's used to playing second fiddle. I think that's a comfortable role for him, but at a certain point he has to be his own man, doesn't he?
Yes and until he does it is unresolved. It is unfinished business. So maybe life presented this to him enough times until he had to make a choice and become the man that Hermione needs.
Just like her creator, she has a real weakness for a funny man. These uptight girls, they do like them funny.
They do like them funny, they need them funny.
It's such a relief from being so intense yourself – you need someone who takes life, or appears to take life, a little more light heartedly.
Definitely so important.
Thank you so much for doing this.

So, in summary, JKR thinks Ron/Hermione made sense as young love but would have some fundamental difficulties in the relationship later on, did have a sense that Harry/Hermione would be better, but ultimately can see hope/something good in the Ron/Hermione pairing if Ron mans up[note]I hesitate to use this phrase but a direct alternative isn't really existent yet. [note] and Hermione chills out.

 

[Amy Westwood]

I think that Ron and Hermonie do make a good couple, and they do level each other out. I think Ron needs someone as sensible and serious and Hermonie, while Hermonie needs someone has fun and humourouse as Ron, I think that they keep each other grounded. I don't think that Harry would have been able to offer that to Hermonie.

 

[James Killian]

I always thought Harry would end up with Hermione in the end based off what i got from the books as well as the movies. Why rowling shipped Ron and Hermione always baffled me as Hermione seemed to ground Harry and was always there for him when other were not, unafraid to tell him the truth even if he did not want to hear it. Ron's character was a bit clumsy and acted more as the comic relief which is great and all but he would have done better with so many other characters. If I am to be completely honest I think Ron would have done well with someone like Cho, some one equally timid but nurturing and down to earth much to the same effect that Molly and Mr. Weasley balance each other out.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Harry and Hermione would not make a good couple. Better they are friends.

That said, this is what JKR should do to resolve this:
-Kill off Harry in some freak accident (This breaks up Harry and Ginny, who were really the god awful, incompatible couple)
-Have Hermione and Ron get divorced.

Problem solved. Hermione and Ron aren't together, and she doesn't have to keep writing about Harry! She won't even have to base it on his kids with their bad names if she doesn't want to.