Okay, I know the trio are strong together, too, but right now, I'm talking about Harry and Hermione, because, let's face it: They have worked alone together in the books, and have always prevailed

I think that it's very hard to pin-point why H/Hr works so well, but it'll be fun trying I'm pretty sure I haven't got all the reasons, hence the "Others" option

Also, I'm certain Harry and Hermione are strong because of all the above options, but I'm trying to see what the general H/Hr thinks is the more significant and obvious [I'm starting to hate that word now, you know ] reason. As I type, I'm finding it very difficult to choose... But I will... one of them, anyway

What do you guys think?

-dani

Obviously all those little things add up to why we all love H/H so much, and why we believe it will and should happen.

I voted for Trust, which really goes hand in hand with Faith and Understanding, but it's this inate trust in each other that I think makes their bond the strongest, and makes them such a great partnership, whether romantic or not.

I clicked others, because there is not one for:

Truth, Love, Trust, Honesty, Understanding, Faith etc. You know, all of those good things.

The pair of them have such a strong relationship, Ron doesn't hold it together, he's part of it *grumble* but he is not what holds the relationship between Harry and Hermione together.

Just my two knuts worth!



Love Millie

Wow, what a tough question. No 'all of the above'? LOL

Well, it was easy to strike a few of them out. While Ron is an integral part of the trio, he really doesn't contribute to the Harry/Hermione relationship, just like Harry doesn't contribute much to Ron's with Hermione; thus, not him. Definitely not similarities, because Harry is as different from Hermione as Ron is from her. Friendship is no go either; what makes H/Hr close is because they possess something extra that makes them close.

That leaves trust, faith, understanding, and the limited 'telepathy' between the two. I really group understanding with communicatiing without words, because unless H/Hr truly have telepathic powers, the reason they can communicate without words is because they understand each other. So that leaves me with the first three.

While trust and understanding are important to a relationship, I think it is their faith in each other that truly powers their strength. I think that the word 'faith' nicely sums up both the trust and understanding they have in much abundance of. I mean, what other word can nicely sum up Harry's actions during Valentine's day, where he understood Hermione's request was important and trusted her so implicitly as not to ask why he was needed in the first place? And I don't think I need to mention what Hermione has done, as she has done much more for Harry then he did for her (that blind, unappreciative git).

And it's not blind faith either. As shown throughout the books, there were plenty of times where they questioned the other, with the most recent one being the DoM incident. All of these times were times when one was irrationaly thinking, so the other has to set them straight. However, those only cover a very small fraction when compared to the times where they believed in the other. And I think that is the key here, H/Hr believe in each other barring the cases when the other is not thinking properly.

As I said before, H/Hr's faith in each other consists of the understanding and trust they have with each other. Also, another aspect that 'faith' covers is loyalty. (Which, btw True Ship, should also be one of the choices up there. ) How can one person really have faith in another if they do not trust, understand, and is loyal to the other? Faith, IMO, is half of what love consists of, the other being physical attraction. It is faith that all couples should strive for because, once the attraction is gone, it is the glue that keeps a couple together.




DragoonKain3 - who lurks back to his current addiction that is 'Master of Orion 3'.

As a side note, I really hope Romulus Lupin posts his opinion on the matter. I always love his posts concerning subject matter such as this.

I can't choose just one It is most certainly all of the above, but I think trust goes without saying. It's what will keep them together, whether it'll be as friends or more

I think that Hermione and Harry are really good freinds. I think that their greatest strength is that they understand each other. Their friendship runs deep. Hermione is the yin to Harry's yang, and vice versa. They are willing to die for each other( well all three of them are) They know the true meaning of friendship, which is unconditional love, whether its platonic or otherwise(which is what it is the just dont realize it yet). They are always there for each other, even if the circumstances are not thought out. They balance each other out, when he's mad she calm, when he's hungry she has toast. They are like two halves of the same whole. Harry and Hermione greatest strength is each other.

Argue. You have to make me decide.

I said friendship for one simple reason. Their friendship encompasses most of the above. The depth of their bond means that they understand and trust each other.

This bond partly stems from the similarities they have. Their similarities are not in terms of personality but in terms of values. They both value hard work, equal rights, doing the right thing no matter what, and protecting others.

They have faith in each other because they know each other because of the depth of their bond. This is also why they can communicate without words. They really, truly understand each other.

Therefore, all of the choices but Ron are encompassed by their friendship.

I had a hard time voting between trust and understanding. Ultimately I voted for understanding, although I wish there was an "All of the Above" option.

I chose understanding because I think you have to understand where a person is coming from before you can trust them. Hermione understands Harry in many ways and visa versa.

Hmm...I think I would have a better arguement for trust...probably should have voted for that.

You cannot believe how much I agree with you, DragoonKain3 . I voted for faith, eventually. I think that their faith in each other pretty much sums everything up. Blind faith or not, the word faith is still there, as it is in our beloved ship
Besides, I can almost see Hermione saying this to a discouraged, confused and angry Harry:

I chose other because I don't think there is just one thing that makes them strong. Its really a combination of all of them, although I guess trust is wha prevails. But I do think they would remain friends even if Ron wasnt in the picture. Look at GoF, Hermione was the only one to stick by him, when most people, including Ron, thought that he had somehow found a way to bypass the age line.

I choose other because no matter what the reason there is, they bring the best out of each other, they act the best and are a better people when they are together. Ron is their good friend, but Harry and Hermione def. dont need him to work together well.

I voted for understanding, but I think that trust and understanding makes their relationship stronger than anything. I don't know if it's just me, but through the books, it seems that Hermione understands Harry very well, and that Harry trusts Hermione whole-heartedly and often depends on her. Trust and understanding is mutual between the two and are factors that make their relationship strong, I just felt that Hermione's understanding towards Harry and Harry's trust towards Hermione were more apparent.

I chose Understanding. After all, those qualities equal understanding. To understand someone means having someone trust you enough to let them understand you. You have faith in them that they won't use it against you purposely. Understanding is probably the foundation of friendship, which could lead to love.

Harry and Hermione understand each other better than any other character relationships in the books. They are the two characters who have all the qualities listed in the poll that make them a dynamic duo. Such qualities are rare to find and it is their bonding with each other that attracts a great many fans who see their connection as a special bond, whether of friendship or love.

Is it just me, or is trust really popular?

I think trust is very important, too... Come to think of it, *why* didn't I have a "all of the above" option?

*little voice in her head says: Because it would only have been too easy *

~dani

Well I am the lone vote on Similarities. Here's why:

They do have an awful lot in common. I admit I have to make a few assumptions here but bear with me.

1) Hermione was unable to make friends at Hogwarts until the Troll incident. This allows us to assume that she had as much luck with friends prior to Hogwarts, without the Troll to help out that is. We know Harry grew up friendless and it appears Hermione did as well.

2) They are both outcasts, Hermione for her intellect and Harry because of his status as The-Boy-Who-Lived. Neither really has anyone who can relate to them and that ties in closely with #1.

3) They both lack confidence and need support. JKR stated on her site that Hermione is insecure. So underneath her towering intellect she is terribly afraid she will fail at something. Harry does what he does because he feels he has to do it, not because he thinks he is the best.

4) They rely upon one another. Since book 1 Harry has relied on Hermione to solve the serious problems they have encountered. Hermione relies on Harry's strength and determination to get them through.

5) They have both been raised Muggle. Until they recieved their letters neither of them knew they were capable of magic. This is very important for two reasons, Hermione had little preconcieved ideas regarding "Harry Potter" and Harry was not boastful or egotistacle because of being brought up constantly being reminded how great he was.

I most heartily agree that Trust, Faith, Understanding are all critical to their unity. To me they are what all couples aspire to; trust and love!

Gol

Wow, Gol, that was really inspiring.

I think you're right in most part, really, I think you're right. I have also assumed that Hermione grew up rather friendless, too. By the age of 11, we know at least *some* things like making friends, if we had them. Poor Hermy.

And I also think that Hermione being one of the few girls who do no treat Harry like the Boy Who Lived [because she didn't grow up hearing his name all the time] may come into account in choosing Harry's next significant other.

~dani

All of the above except Ron, who cares about him anyway

Mod Note: Oh, this post is troublesome for two reasons. 1) It's a one-liner and 2) I know you're just joking, but that Ron crack could be taken offensively. You don't want to be called a Ron basher, do you? ~Jennifer/Hermiones Twin

The missing option I was looking for is loyalty.

Mod Note: This would be a one-liner. Perhaps you could have filled this post out more by explaining why. ~Jennifer/Hermiones Twin

I've voted other because I feel their greatest strength is Love.

I would like to try and quickly explain my answer. I don't feel that they are "In Love" with each other. They aren't (whether Herm. is in love with Harry is the big question, now isn't it?) However I do feel that they love each other.

I feel that their love for one another is what allows all of the their other strengths to occur. So, yes, this could be seen as an "all of the above" answer. but like I said, I feel that the other answers are there because of the love between the two.

Please note, I could be wrong. These Strengths could just be coming from their deep friendship. But isn't that what love is? If you look up the defination, you'll find that the term 'love' very much applies to Harry and Hermione's relationship.

all the choices very good ... but most I agree is UNDERSTANDING

why ?
because it's powerful to make heart feels warm, it creates a peaceful world, it's such the best act of love

H/Hr is so-called

I voted for understanding. It was a hard choice, but I feel that they understand each other quite well. Hermione needs to be in order to support Harry's decisions which she has and when she has contradicted them she was still understanding. Harry might not understand girls, because of the whole Cho Change ordeal.. but I think that he is beginning to understand Hermione more and more.

If ever a question needed an "all of the above" or "almost all of the above" option then this is the question.

I think we can thank Ron for being enough of a prat and having some remarkable timing in the course of Harry and Hermione getting closer together but he is not the glue for them. In the end, I landed on faith although trust and understanding were major choices also. I think they believe in each other and know that the other will always be there for him/her. Loyalyty plays into that as does some of the other choices from the poll. I believe almost all the choices play some roll for Harry and Hermione but its gotten to the point with them that all these things (trust, understanding, friendship, etc..) have equaled up to this faith or belief that they just have in each other that lets them really relate and grow closer together.

For me it was a difficult choice between Faith and Communicating without words...beceaue io thinkit is both. Harry hates it when Hermione is not on his side...and she doesn't agree with him...but i also saw especially in the order of the Phoenix more of Hermione's emotions and it obviously was from Harry's POV so it was easy to see that there was alot of communication without words which transalated into perfect understanding Between Harry and Hermione

I think their greatest strength is a need for the other's existence. Hermione is a sensible and restrained person but through Harry she can express her wilder more rebellious side. For example she specifically wants his help with SPEW.

Harry on the other hand has the potential to be a 'loose cannon' and to some extent relies on Hermione to make sure he knuckles down and gets the grades. She also goes out of her way to protect him, for instance the charm she put on his glasses to keep the rain off.

Trust, understanding, communication, certain similarities, faith, and friendship not only make Harry and Hermione strong "evil-fighting partners," but also form an extremely solid foundation for a romantic relationship. However, for the sake of this particular question, I'll avoid going into full shippy fangirl mode.

I personally believe it is a combination of their communication skills and understanding of one another that allows them to achieve success. I'm not just talking about the times they "speak without words" throughout the books (although those are good examples), but also how both seem to understand what the other needs without having to ask; especially Hermione's understanding of Harry. She always has his best interests at heart; even if it isn't obvious at the time - Hermione usually has a good idea of what Harry needs. For example, in GoF, the morning after Harry's name comes out of the goblet - Hermione doesn't need to have a long talk with Harry where he explains that he doesn't want to face Ron and the school at breakfast; she immediately understands that he needs someone to be there for him. She takes the initiative by bringing him breakfast and inviting him for a long walk - effectively taking him away from the rest of the doubting student body.

In turn, Harry often has a good idea of what is running through Hermione's mind. Granted, he's a teenage boy who is seemingly clueless when it comes to the mind of a girl (Cho, Parvati and Lavender's giggling), but Hermione is different. Harry picks up on Hermione's current mood and how she feels during/after fights with Ron; even from the very start in PS where Ron insults Hermione behind her back and she hears/cries/gets angry/etc.

I believe when Harry and Hermione are working together in full harmony, they can be quite the unstoppable team.

Oooooo I don't know if I can chose just one! I'm going to have to think about this. All of them can be considered H/Hr's greatest strength, but to pick out one is really hard. I guess it'll have to be understanding. This is the one thing I seriously want in a relationship for myself. Since I see the Harmony ship as the kind of relationship I want for myself, I guess I'll go with Understanding.

For me, Understanding is extremely important. It's inline with acceptence, which for me is a must due to I was never really accepted by people in school. So understanding another person, about why they do things and who they are, is very important.

I voted for understanding. But faith, trust and friendship are very important, too.

Let me tell you this *was* extremely hard because to me ALL of those are important the faith, trust and understanding. BUT in the end I had to go with understanding. Because Hermione *gets* Harry in a way that no one else is able to understand him, they're connected on this entirely different level, really. And Harry he is so intuned into Hermione, it's just creepy.

There's something about their understanding of each other and when I say understanding I include all of those unsaid things. But the most important thing that I think convinced me to put understanding as their strength would probably have to be Godric's Hollow scene. And that's why I had so much trouble deciding between Trust and understanding. But in that one moemnt Hermione knew Harry so well, the depths of his soul was laid bare in front of Hermione.

They have something that is just utterly special and this WAS a really difficult choice but I finally went with that in the end

I voted for trust. Of all of the characters in HP - Harry and Hermione have the deepest trust in each other. She follows him at her own peril because she trusts him, and he listens to her counsel and holds her opinion above everyone else.

There's a scene in DH where Hermione asks Harry if she trusts him? IMO, trust=love.

If Harry had to choose between Hermione or Ron based on trust, I think we know who would win.

I had to vote "Others" since I think the first 6 choices are all equally valid and good and important but the 7th choice isn't since Harry and Hermione could do just fine if not better without ron.

So, since the 7th choice option existed I could not say "all the above" so only "others" would work.

Their strengths compliment their weaknesses

Harry is brave and bold. Hermione's cerebral nature puts a check on him, stops him from getting himself in trouble.

Hermione despite her talents is insecure, about her appearance and her bookishness and where she fits into the wizarding world as a muggle born.

Harry constantly brings her up, appreciating her talents and who she is and encourages her to sometimes take a chance.