IT WAS the romance every Harry Potter fan wanted to see. Now JK Rowling has admitted she got it wrong by pairing off Hermione Granger with Ron Weasley rather than her franchise’s hero.
In a rare interview, Rowling admits that although they ended up together, they are not a credible couple.
She said: “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfilment. 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, Hermione ended up with Ron.”
She added: “I know, I’m sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility.
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“Am I breaking people’s hearts by saying this? I hope not.”
The interview gets to the heart of the matter, because Rowling’s inquisitor is the actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione and has guest-edited the latest issue of Wonderland magazine, out this Friday, in which the interview appears.
Watson tends to agree with Rowling. She said: “ I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy.”
She and Rowling agree that Harry and Hermione were a better match than Ron and Hermione, and for those left wondering where the story might have gone next, they also discuss the future that Ron and Hermione would have had together.
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Rowling admits they would have ended up in relationship counselling.
Watson also quizzes Darren Aronofsky, the director of Noah, her latest film, about modern environmental parallels to the great biblical flood.
She said: “Promoting the films I make is a big part of my job, but often the focus isn’t on the work. I didn’t want to let that happen with Noah. Editing Wonderland meant I could conduct in-depth interviews with heads of department on production.”
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There is also an interview with Sofia Coppola, who directed Watson in The Bling Ring.
Huw Gwyther, editor-in-chief of Wonderland , said of the actress: “She pulled in such a wide variety of contributions. It speaks volumes about her cultural relevance right now.”
Wonderland, guest edited by Emma Watson, is out on Thursday