It has been seven years since the last Harry Potter novel was released and three years since the last movie premiered in theatres. Countless loyal fans sat through numerous painful deaths and new, magical beginnings, but a recent snippet of an interview from the author J.K. Rowling may prove differently.

 The snippet of the interview revealed that one of Rowling’s biggest regrets was not having Hermione end up with Harry at the end of the series, versus the canon couples, Ron/Hermione and Ginny/Harry.

 This statement infuriated a large number of fans who now feel as though they have been cheated out of their childhood.  Junior Emma Miller is one of the many who do not approve of the Harry/Hermione (Harmione) pairing.

 “It’s not okay.  That’s the way they [Ron and Hermione] were written.  Ron and Hermione are so cute, and Ron deserves this. Ron and Hermione need to be together forever,” said Miller.

 Miller is in the same boat as many fans who sympathized with Ron always being cast in the shadow.  Seeing Ron finally get the girl he had loved for years was what people had been looking for, and to hear that Rowling wrote Ron and Hermione (Romione) for the sake of keeping her original idea in tact was preposterous solely based on the fact that the final Harry Potter novel was published years ago, which should have marked a complete end to the series.

 In addition to the obvious distress from the fandom, many are suggesting that writing Harry and Hermione together would have changed the end of the series significantly, specifically The Half-Blood Prince and the majority of The Deathly Hallows, since those two novels focus on Harry’s relationship with Ginny and Ron’s with Hermione.

 “It would have changed it significantly.  If Hermione had married Harry, I feel like it would have been the typical ‘main character marries the other main character,’ and then Ron would have been left out and wouldn’t have been as significant,” said Miller.

 Sophomore Ryan Wells, however, does not agree and thinks The Half-Blood Prince would not have changed very much.

 “I don’t think it would have really changed the plot.  Harry would have still killed Voldemort, and Dumbledore would have still died.  Maybe The Half-Blood Prince would have been different, honestly nothing really happened in The Half-Blood Prince other than Dumbledore dying,” said Wells.

 This is not the first time Rowling has dropped a bombshell like this on her fans.  Many still remember the interview that took place several years ago where Rowling hinted that Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, might have been gay.  Of course, this bit of information was old news to those who questioned Dumbledore’s relationship with infamous wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

 “It does explain why he didn’t get together with McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey and why he was so close to Snape,” said Wells.

 Fans are certainly at a loss as to why Rowling would announce something like this so long after the series ended.  Miller is convinced that Rowling is only saying things that would infuriate the fandom to try and reignite the fandom’s spark.

 “I feel like since The Hunger Games came out, there have been less Harry Potter readers than before, so I think she’s just trying to get readers back and buying more merchandise.  It’s just a dumb marketing technique,” said Miller.

 Some would say that there were some “Harmione” hints with The Deathly Hallows movie, specifically the scene following Ron’s departure.  Harry plays an old track and convinces Hermione to dance with him until she feels slightly better about Ron leaving.  Others would disagree and say Harry was just being a good friend.

 “She’s distraught, and Harry’s her best friend and the shoulder she cries on,” said Wells.

 “Harmione” might have been a canon relationship in the series, as Rowling had considered killing Ron off many times.  Of course she decided against it because it would cause an uproar in the fandom, and Ron was too important of a character to kill off.

 “Ron had the genius idea to go down into the Chamber of Secrets and get the Basilisk fang. Without Ron, the horcruxes would still be laying around.  Without Ron, the series would have changed severely,” said Wells.

 Despite what Rowling said in the interview, the Harry Potter fandom is very much alive and will always reread and treasure the story they grew up reading.  The Harry Potter legacy will continue to live on whether it is Ron/Hermione or Harry/Hermione.

“I feel like it [the legacy] will still be the same regardless of what J.K. Rowling says,” said Miller.