- "Well, you see, I'm a relative newcomer to the world of shipping, because for a long time, I didn't go on the net and look up Harry Potter. A long time. Occasionally I had to, because there were weird news stories or something that I would have to go and check, because I was supposed to have said something I hadn’t said. I had never gone and looked at fan sites, and then one day I did and oh - my - god. Five hours later or something, I get up from the computer shaking slightly. ‘What is going on?’ And it was during that first mammoth session that I met the shippers, and it was a most extraordinary thing. I had no idea there was this huge underworld seething beneath me."
- — J. K. Rowling on shipping[src]
Shipping is a term for the romantic pairing of two or more fictional characters, derived from the word "relationship". Shipping can occur either between characters canonically romantically involved or whose involvement has only been speculated, or in some cases fabricated, by fans. Shipping is a popular part of the Harry Potter fandom, and most fictional fandoms for that matter has flourished both during and after completion of the book series.
Canonical ships[]
Hinny[]
The ship between Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley is a popular pairing in the fandom. This is one of the few couples acknowledged as canon by official sources.
Romione[]
The ship between Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger is another popular pairing in the fandom. This couple is recognised as canon by official sources.
Alternate ships acknowledged by official sources[]
Harmione[]
During the writing of the Harry Potter books, there was a major debate among fans as to whether Hermione Granger would end up with Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley and similarly whether Harry would end up with Hermione or Ginny Weasley. Though Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows would confirm their preferences (Harry for Ginny, Hermione for Ron), commentary from J. K. Rowling and other official sources on a Harry/Hermione pairing have been common.
As early as a 1999 interview with NPR Radio, Rowling answered a question asking if Harry and Hermione "have a date" in the negative, noting that they are platonic friends.[1] In a 2005 interview with Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron and Emerson Spartz of MuggleNet, Rowling, while not going so far as to agree with Spartz calling Harry/Hermione shippers "delusional", did note that she felt Ron ending up with Hermione should have been obvious from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[2]
However, in a 2014 interview with Emma Watson for Wonderland Magazine, Rowling noted that the Hermione/Ron relationship was a "form of wish fulfillment" and a result of clinging to the plot she had originally written. She noted that Harry/Hermione would be a better fit in some ways and pointed to their scenes alone in the tent in Deathly Hallows as being romantically charged. She did conclude, however, that Ron and Hermione would be fine after the wizarding equivalent of marriage counselling.[3]
When writing the script for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Steve Kloves also noted how romantically charged the Harry/Hermione moments were.[3] This may be the reason behind some of the added scenes in the film, such as Harry and Hermione sharing a dance.
In the Behind the Scenes Featurette, Maximum Movie Mode, for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Daniel Radcliffe discussed the dancing scene. "You know you forget that these guys are kids. This is a lot to ask of two 17-year-olds. And that moment in the tent is also a bit of a will they, won't they moment for Harry and Hermione."
In the same featurette, Emma Watson gave her analysis on the dancing scene. "If you were on the road with someone, just... you know, for a very, very long time, and it's just the two of you and you get on really well. There's always kind of that awkward stage in a friendship where you wonder whether it could be more, and this is kind of that scene for Hermione and Harry. They're kind of on the edge of something where they very easily could've kissed that night because they were so miserable and they kind of wanted some kind of intimacy to cheer them up. And Hermione is the one who moves away from that situation because she knows that she loves Ron and she wouldn't be true to herself."[4]
Nuna[]
J. K. Rowling said that Neville Longbottom would go on to marry Hannah Abbott,[5] and Luna Lovegood would marry Rolf Scamander.[6]
However, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Neville is depicted as being in love with Luna, with Luna potentially reciprocating these feelings. Both Matthew Lewis[7] and Evanna Lynch[8] have stated that they consider this a brief relationship before they get together with their canon partners.
When asked about the possibility of a Neville/Luna romance prior to the 2005 release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rowling stated on her official site that while she thought the pair "share[d] a certain isolation within Hogwarts", she did not see this as being a strong enough basis for true love to grow.[9] She said that it could potentially lead to friendship, but that Neville would "always find Luna's wilder flights of fancy alarming".[9]
Others[]
During the An Evening with Harry, Carrie, and Garp interview, Rowling noted that she has seen "very weird couplings" discussed on the Internet, agreeing with the crowd's suggestion of Harry/Voldemort as an example.[10]
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Transcript of National Press Club author's luncheon, NPR Radio, October 20, 1999
- ↑ Anelli, Melissa and Emerson Spartz. "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two," The Leaky Cauldron, 16 July 2005
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "J.K. Rowling Author and Philanthropist" - Wonderland Magazine
- ↑ Harry and Hermione | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Maximum Movie Mode
- ↑ "J. K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Reveals Dumbledore is Gay; Neville Marries Hannah Abbott, and Much More" from The Leaky Cauldron
- ↑ 30 July 2007 Bloomsbury webchat with J.K. Rowling
- ↑ Audio: Harry Potter cast & crew at Deathly Hallows: Part 2 NYC press conference - SnitchSeeker
- ↑ Evanna Lynch Explains Exactly Why Luna and Neville Definitely Broke Up - Seventeen
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 J. K. Rowling's official site - F.A.Q. questions (archived here via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine)
- ↑ An Evening with Harry, Carrie and Garp