I just read an interesting ask (not to my account) and answer about Hermione's role as the fandom bicycle and both accounts made fair points (excessive Ron bashing, Hermione is held to huge standards) but conveniently forgot to point out that a big part of Hermione-centric fics are about empowering her (and the author empowering themselves through her). If she's often paired with more mature/older characters, it's not only because she's a popular character that is handy for writing smut about any other character... but because people genuinely think Hermione deserves better than someone they see as inferior (Ron) and not only that, but see her getting with someone else as reclaiming herself, freeing herself from her destiny (the canon). It's a Fix-It of some sorts.

I don't know, the post (which I won't link since both people seemed pretty dead set on their opinion and I'm not particularly trying to change anyone's mind, I'm just rambling for myself and possibly anyone else who's interested in that) really paints Hermione as a fragile thing and I think it does her a disservice.

(One of the two people also seemed to think that shipping characters meant you wanted to see them together in canon, which, assflash newshole: no)