When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the main Harry Potter series, was published on July 21, 2007, millions of readers were disappointed (to say the least) by J.K. Rowling’s decision to have Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley get married, leaving Harry Potter with Ginevra Weasley. Millions of readers around the globe believed that Harry would have been a much more suitable partner for Hermione for numerous reasons.

Throughout the series, Ron is portrayed as a poor, unattractive, jealous, dense, cowardly, irresponsible, and dependant character with few redeeming qualities. Hermione, however, is his polar opposite, as she is reasonably well-off financially, considerably attractive, emotionally intelligent, clever, courageous, responsible, and independent. Ron often copies Hermione’s and Harry’s homework due to his astonishing level of ignorance in every subject taught at Hogwarts as well as the concepts utilized outside of the magical school. He utilizes profanity significantly more than the other characters, and his catchphrase is “Bloody hell!” His frequent use of vulgar vocabulary makes it clear to the readers that he is uneducated and has none of the refinement of his friend and future partner, Hermione.

Ron is also quite rude and bullies Hermione in the first book. Not only that, but he speaks to her in a degrading manner throughout the entire series while Hermione is always considerate of his emotions and those of others. The two friends dispute frequently over issues typically caused by Ron, and he is always forgiven. Despite this, he never leaves an argument without a slightly increased level of salt in his soul.

Hermione and Harry have much more chemistry between them, as they always stay together. They fought a few times in the series, but the disputes between them were often short-lived arguments over trivial matters. Contrastingly, Hermione and Ron would have serious battles during which they would ignore each other for long periods of time and insult one another.

The best example of Hermione’s loyalty and compatibility with Harry is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Ron’s excessive jealousy causes him to abandon Harry and Hermione in the middle of their search for Voldemort’s horcruxes. Instead of following Ron out of the camp and back to his house, Hermione chooses to remain with Harry and continue the search for horcruxes without Ron.

During Ron’s period of absence, Harry nearly dies in his old neighborhood when Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, attacks him. He is saved by Hermione, and the couple visit Harry’s parents’ grave. In the movie, Harry and Hermione also have a romantic scene where they dance together and relax in the midst of their stress and the chaos of the wizarding world. Harry and Hermione bond and deepen their relationship while Ron is away, and these scenes all suggest that Harry and Hermione will get together at the end of the series.

J.K. Rowling herself has had regrets about pairing Ron and Hermione together. In an interview with Wonderland Magazine, she said, “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.” While Harry Potter’s magical adventures in the wizarding world captivated a massive international audience, readers had to shake their heads at the series’ conclusion.