This week, the Harry Potter fandom was reawakened by a new interview of J.K. Rowling that revealed the author's regrets in how the characters were paired off in the end. The interview was conducted by Emma Watson for her guest-editing spot in Wonderland magazine, where she also added her two cents into the debate. In case you haven't read it, the relationship portion of the interview has recently surfaced online and can be read here at Hypable's website (described as a site "for fans, by fans"). I recommend you take a peek before you continue reading this post but I'm sure you won't be too lost if you don't.

The confession was seemingly brought up by Watson wanting to discuss Hermione's character and if Rowling had any new perspectives on her after the series concluded. Rowling's response was fairly in-tune for the first part of her answer (Hermione is not your average heroine, etc.) but she suddenly shifted to the Ron/Hermione relationship - and not in a good way.

Fans of the series will be familiar with Ron and Hermione's dynamic relationship that was built up pretty much from the third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I say from the third because that's when we first see Harry's crush on Cho Chang appear - I'm talking about the books here because, as fans of the movies will know, Cho isn't even introduced until the fourth film. Harry's feelings for Cho are his first emergence of romantic feeling towards any character - as recognised by himself, anyway. Since the series is mostly from Harry's perspective, we can only assume what was going on in both Ron and Hermione's heads but I think it's safe to acknowledge that 13 is a good age to start developing actual attractions and feelings for someone as registered, legitimate things rather than just a passing glance.

Up until the conclusion of the series, fans around the world were rooting for them to finally stop with their bickering and admit their feelings for each other, which they did during the final battle at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was quite an epic moment. They were just getting back from the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione was carrying an arm full of basilisk fangs, Ron lets a positive comment about house elves and their role in the world slip out, and Hermione drops the fangs and snogs him senseless. Again, I'm talking about the books and not the movie. In terms of cinematography, the kiss was lovely - but in all other aspects, it was kind of a letdown in terms of quirky spontaneity.

In the epilogue of the series, Rowling wrote Ron and Hermione as happily married with two children - Rose and Hugo. She also wrote a happy ending for Harry and Ginny, the other main couple of the series, having them take their three children - Albus, James, and Lily - to Platform 9 3/4. All was well.

Until February 2, 2014.

Coming up on the seven-year anniversary of the release of Deathly Hallows (that's right Potterheads - we're closing in on the decade mark!), Rowling dropped a bombshell about her true feelings on how things ended. Specifically with the relationship dynamic between Ron, Hermione, and Harry:

Wait what?

For those of you familiar with Rowling's previous interviews, she has talked about her attachment to Hermione and how her character was an exaggerated version of herself in school. She has also been quoted saying that she dated a slew of Rons before she married her Harry Potter. So really, it's no surprise she may have had doubts about pairing the two off. She admits that perhaps Hermione and Ron would have lasted "with a bit of counseling" but their relationship was written a young one - one that may not have lasted into adulthood. With Ron's self-esteem issues and Hermione's bossiness, would the relationship really have had a happily ever after? Probably not. In fact, that was an issue many found with the conclusion of the series itself. It was too perfect. One big happy Weasley family. Now, it seems, Rowling felt the same way, but she also felt an obligation to conclude it as such to please her fans.

The confession sparked a raging ship war between supporters of the Ronmione (Ron/Hermione) and Harmony (Harry/Hermione) camps. I happened to be present on Tumblr when the whole thing started and let me tell you - it wasn't pretty. I found myself giving my own two cents with reblogs and internet high-fives with people who had been saying the same thing for years: Harry and Hermione were a better match.

(If you're unclear to what shipping is, click here. But come on, get with the times, people.)

To those of you unfamiliar with Harry Potter shipping - I applaud you. It's absolute chaos. Don't go in unprepared. Bring a damn lifebelt. Before there were Sherlock- or Supernatural-crazed shippers, there were the Potterhead shippers. The fan fictions for the fandom alone are so numerous it would take someone years to get through them all - a task I pose to no one because that's insane and probably impossible to accomplish seeing as how some of the couples are downright blasphemous. But I won't get into that. The fact of the matter is that Harmony (the Harry/Hermione ship) has a history of hatred associated with it. Not the Harmony shippers themselves - they're all quite lovely if you don't piss them off. No, the hate come from the other ships, specifically from the canon ones, the S. S. Ronmione and R.M.S. Hinny (Harry/Ginny). Now, I'm not stereotyping here - there are plenty of canon shippers who are supportive or neutral towards Harmony. But the majority (in my experience, anyway) are downright cruel, calling the Harmonian supporters delusional and supporters of incest. There was even a section of Mugglenet (remember that, kiddies?) - A Wall of Shame, specifically - based on an earlier interview Rowling gave on the subject of romance between the characters. The site's creator, Emerson Spartz, tacked on comments made by Harmony shippers and responded to them in unnecessarily cruel ways, trying (and failing) to make a joke of them and what they took from the books. The thread can still be seen here.

Let's be clear on one thing, folks: Books are interpreted differently by each person who reads them. No one reader is the same. There's even a degree you can pursue that specializes in interpreting literature and what different things you can gather from them. It's called a Bachelor of the Arts in English. Just because someone else interprets a relationship as beyond platonic, doesn't make them delusional. It doesn't make them wrong. It doesn't degrade their understanding of the work. Take Herman Melville - many of his works are debated as having homoerotic undertones. Melville was a sexually explorative person so these interpretations can easily be valid. But they also can easily not be. We'll never know because he's dead but I think you're seeing the point I'm trying to make here.

Now, back to the current issue.

Harmony has a history of being practically spit upon in regards to their opinions. It never deterred them, though, and for that they deserve a freaking medal. So when this interview was first published, you can imagine the spark that was ignited. Harmonians rejoiced and finally had the right to say "I told you so!" for the first time. That's a pretty powerful feeling.  Ronmione shippers, however, were in a state of uproar. I won't go into details because you can probably imagine what transpired. Or look it up. You smart cookies, you.

As the shipping wars raged on, others oblivious to the action were weighing in their opinions. In the media, I have seen pretty positive feedback regarding the revelation. Examples include The Colbert Report, among others. But then there were others that wished Rowling hadn't publically admitted her doubts. I myself saw many people on Facebook reacting this way, with questions of if it was right for an author to voice these things after a book series concluded. The answer is quite simple, really: Yes.

Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's heart and soul, essentially. If she wants to talk about certain aspects of the book in a positive light, the public is all ears. But the second she releases a statement regarding one aspect of the elaborate and wonderful world she has created, people question whether or not it is right. Does this interview change how the books end? No. Did she announce plans to write a new epilogue or spin-off in which she "fixes" what she admitted to second-guessing? No. She simply confessed to something that many writers can relate to: Characters developing a life of their own. Sometimes, the original plans for characters to follow don't always end up the way writers plan them in the first draft. You've heard of people achieving self-realization and changing their outlook on life - it's like that, only the change is happening to a character of your own creation - shaping their own story, essentially.

I recommend reading the full article to gain a better perspective on the whole ordeal because it is quite the doozy. The fact of the matter is that J.K. Rowling discovered something about her characters - a flaw, if you will - and admitted it to the public eye. That takes guts. Not only to admit something like that to yourself (especially about a project years in the making) but to put it out there for the world to see. For many, it was a confirmation of what they had seen all along, in both the books and the movies, unknowingly penned by its own author. For others, it was described like a slap in the face to their reading experience. To them, I pose the question: Why? Are the books tainted to you now? Not a word has been changed on the thousands of pages that make up the Potter series. Does that mean that Rowling was writing lies?

I'm sure this is a debate that will have no real winner nor a happy ending. It is a tough subject, both in the literature community and to those who hold the Potter series as a part of their life. There is no right answer. But this is the closest I could come to one of my own. It is my belief that Harry and Hermione would have made a better couple, and knowing that J.K. Rowling felt the same at some point does elicit a sense of satisfaction. It is also my belief that Rowling can say whatever she wants about the series and shouldn't be criticized or questioned on the matter. She could say that she regrets writing Quidditch and I'd be fine with it. The books remain what they are and the magic she created is still very much there. What you felt when you first followed Harry into Hogwarts isn't negated by the fact that the author confessed her true opinion on who Hermione should have ended up with. Harry Potter is about so much more than that and I think we would all do well to remember it that way.