Hot take: Harry Potter should have ended with Hermione choosing a different path

I'm split on whether she should have stayed solo or gone with someone completely outside the trio. Think about it - after 7 years of chaos, would she really want the constant reminder of magic politics at home? My sister swears Hermione and Luna would have made a better endgame couple, but I just don't see the chemistry. What's your pick for her final pairing or no pairing at all?

2 comments

2 Comments

markl7529d agoMost Upvoted

Whoa, thats actually a really interesting way to look at it. I think a lot of people miss that choosing a partner is kind of like picking a new career path after high school. You spend years in one world, and then you have to figure out if you want to keep living in it every day. In my experience, a lot of folks I know who married someone from their old job or old friend group ended up burnt out, because they never got a mental break from that part of their life. Hermione going solo or with someone totally outside the wizarding world would have been the smart play for her own sanity. It would have let her keep her own identity separate from all the wartime baggage. Your mileage may vary, but I think that quiet life away from the constant magic would have been the best ending for her.

sean_martin4429d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, "quiet life away from the constant magic" really sticks with me. @markl75 you hit on something I've seen play out way too often in real life. It's like when people stay in the same friend group from college and never branch out, they end up stuck in this time capsule where everyone still talks about parties from ten years ago. Growing up means letting some parts of your past go, even the good parts, just to have room for new stuff. Hermione choosing a muggle life would've been the ultimate version of that, a clean break from the trauma and the pressure. It's the only way she could have had a real chance to just be a person instead of always being The Brightest Witch of Her Age.