If you looked at them from afar, they looked like two teenagers in love.
They hugged. They held hands. She rested her head on his shoulder when he was upset. He stroked her hair while she cried. She smiled when he smiled. He laughed when she laughed. She swatted his arm playfully when he made a bad joke. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly when she said something bookish. She teased him about his thickheadedness, and he teased her about reading Hogwarts: A History more times than Madam Pince herself.
In short, they looked like the perfect couple.
Reeta Skeeter saw it. Cho Chang saw it. Molly Weasley saw it. Ron Weasley saw it.
But in truth, they were just friends. He was a brother to her, and she was a sister to him. And they both appreciated their bond more than other best friends would, having no siblings themselves.
They had their shortcomings. She'd nag him about his studying habits. He'd spent the better part of a year snapping at her when she was trying to help him. She didn't believe him when it was critical that he be believed. He wouldn't talk to her when she did something to protect his life. She blamed him for something he couldn't control, and he didn't try to control it when she told him to, even if it put others in danger.
But whenever this happened, whenever they fell out, whenever a rift grew between them, it could be bridged by a hug, a sincere "I'm sorry", a smile, or even just a squeeze of the hand.
And when the time came, when it was needed the most, they could comfort each other like nobody else could. Not because they were lovers. Because they were friends.
No, there were no sparks between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. But that didn't weaken their bond.
In fact, it made it all the stronger.