Loved the episode!! Agree with Jbizz, it was just a really fun episode. For me, the most romantic moment was Ron and Hermione falling asleep holding hands. It just really stood out for me when I first read the series. I know I stopped and reread it and had a little ‘aww’ moment.

@Chreechree- Yes I agree that Harry & Ginny do have a love that is beautiful and strong. Too bad in the movies we were left with a director who was more concerned with Harry and Hermione and was totally trying to cut out the Weasleys – Ron & Ginny. Of course the actors have no connection because te two bit director of movies 5, 6 & 7 never read the books and therefore directed it differently. It didnt help that Kloves also started to feel that he mucked it up as well.
Hermione and Ron were a couple of characters that really had a lot of feelings towards one another, it was just a question of timing. Same thing with Harry and Ginny. I could help but be reminded of James waiting patiently for Lily to pick him as her love.
Let’s face it – the whole thing turned because they wanted to see Dan and Emma and it is a shame. Harry & Ginny forever.
Dont hate Bonnie. not her fault she has a lousy director at the helms when it comes to have Ginny in a scene. Yates has no vision.

Very unfortunately my server at uni doesn’t allow me to download Pottercast … neither is it allowed to install i-tunes. I was wondering whether it would be possible to post a transcript of the discussion, as I’d be really interested and feel I am missing out … :(

Great job!!!! No matter how upset or angry or annoyed i am about other things, pottercast makes me laugh and be happy and totally relaxed! Awesome! My problem with the whole Snape\Lily relationship is that snape never proved his love!! It was said that James turned his totally chill rule-breaking attitude around for Lily enough to become head boy, so he completely proved his love for her. Snape never did that. He never once said he loved her or anything of the like. Lily had problems with both boys as you see in the pensieve, and James does something about that. Snape doesn’t even tone down his death eater activities. James deserves Lily. Snape does not.

Yay Pottercast! Totally love the intro sounds. :)

I LOOOVE POTTERCAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :::))))

Wow, have to disagree with the director (and screenwriter I assume) hate. Quite honestly, I think they improved the romance scenes in the movies. One thing that always bugged me was having Ginny show up in OOTP as a suddenly vivacious character with athletic ability and pranking potential a la the Twins. She was virtually invisible since COS (and there she was almost a plot device more than a character). Suddenly she’s bang-on in OOTP and then somehow switches roles in ways with Hermione in HBP (with Hermione changing into a jealous twit and Ron reverting to his first-year mode). The movie Ginny was kept consistent throughout, and I loved that they changed the HBP common room kiss to Ron and Lavender (two characters that are/want to be outgoing) from Harry and Ginny (two damaged – or should be – characters from their experiences). It set a more sensible tone. And Ron/Hermione also became more organic from those POA scenes that seemed very forced.

That said, if you wonder why people thought Harry and Hermione would get together, then yes the movies really helped that. Dan and Emma have amazing onscreen chemistry, and it’s why you usually see them in the majority of interviews (watch interviews with all three, Rupert many times looks like he’d like to be in his ice cream truck and lets Dan and Emma field things). I think it’s also why they added little things like Harry holding Hermione in HBP and the dance scene in DH1. And of course, why the Horcrux scene worked so well.

As much as JKR tried to keep Hermione as a sidekick, her writing through OOTP, and the movies overall, brought her to heroine status. In HBP, I felt like JKR realized that and knocked Hermione back down off that perch…organically, she was reaching beyond Ron’s level (no offense to him) and getting to where she’d need Harry as her partner. Meantime, Ginny had to be elevated, hence OOTP and HBP (because in the majority of DH, she’s again ancillary). In many ways, JKR should’ve let the romances out, or just concentrated on Ron/Hermione and left Harry alone. She found a lot of influence from Star Wars I think, that would’ve been another place to find it…let the fic writers pair Harry with Ginny, much like the Star Wars books later came up with Mara Jade and married her to Luke (funny enough, she was a vivacious redhead too…).

Hmm, I can’t listen to it! It won’t let me download! D;

I missed it…