PotterTime 2: Harry Potter and the Most Underrated Character Ever

No matter the book, show, series, or movie, everyone has a character they love, and a character they hate. The same is true for Harry Potter. I could go on and on about why I love Professor McGonagal and hate Professor Umbridge, but there are several characters that are frequently overlooked and overshadowed in the Harry Potter universe. Your mind might immediately jump to Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, or maybe even Regulus Black. Your mind probably doesn’t jump to Ron. Least favorite member of the Golden Trio to most, Ronald Billius Weasley rarely gets the credit he deserves (warning: there will be spoilers!).

In my many years of being a devoted Potter fan, I have never once heard someone say that Ron is their favorite character. I have heard on multiple occasions, however, people tell me that he is their least favorite. I must admit, I was never a big fan of Ron when I first read the books. I thought he was annoying, rude, and that his only good quality was being a comic relief character of sorts. But once I read the series a few times (*cough* seven times, actually *cough*), I really began to see all the little things Ron does to make his character so essential, yet so overlooked.

The Weasley family was a large, poor, pureblood family. Arthur and Molly Weasley had one daughter and six sons, Ron being the youngest son and the second youngest out of all the children. Mr. Weasley had a job at the Ministry of Magic, and Mrs. Weasley was a stay at home mom. With so many mouths to feed and only one source of income, the Weasleys definitely weren’t the wealthiest family around. That is particularly unusual for a pureblood family, as pureblood families usually go back for generations and are typically very wealthy. This, added to the fact that the Weasleys were not prejudiced to blood status, which marked them as “blood-traitors”, led to Ron and his friends getting bullied by families who were in many ways opposite. The family perpetrators of these acts were the Malfoys. The Malfoy family were part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, which, according to an article on Pottermore, is “an anonymous publication concerned with preserving the purity of bloodlines within the magical population was compiled, giving a compendium of the truly pure-blood families” that formed in the 1930-40s. They constantly belittled the Weasleys for their low income and accepting ways. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, we see the Malfoy family bully the Weasleys on pages 61-63, and it ends up in a brawl between Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. The Malfoy’s son, Draco Malfoy, was in the same year as Ron and continued the family tradition of bullying the Weasley’s and other less fortunate families throughout their school years.

In the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we get our first glimpse of Ron interacting with his family. Mrs. Weasley was scrubbing something off of Ron’s nose as he complained, and on page 95 his older twin brothers, Fred and George, teased him, saying, “Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?” and then later on page 96, assuring their mother, “Don’t worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.” This small scene represents the relationship between Ron and the twins. As Ron is the youngest son, he is the perfect target for all of Fred and George’s jokes and teasing. Despite this, Ron and the twins have a strong, healthy sibling bond. In fact, Ron had a very good relationship with all of his brothers except Percy, but we’ll touch on that later. Despite the challenging environment the Weasleys grew up in, they are a loving family with a strong bond. Even with the strong family environment, Ron struggled to feel as if he were enough. On pages 99-100 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Ron admits to Harry, “I’m the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left- Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy’s a prefect. Fred and George mess around alot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they’re really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it’s no big deal, because they did it first.” Ron struggling to feel secure in himself is a continuing theme in the Harry Potter series. He feels as if he is constantly trying to prove to himself that he is enough. Ron goes on to say, “You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand, and Percy’s old rat.” Ron’s family could not afford to get him new things, and it is obvious on page 100 that it is something he is embarrassed by. It’s not until Harry shares his experience with not having any money that Ron begins to feel comfortable being himself with Harry. Ron’s lack of personal belongings that truly belong to him could have contributed to him struggling to find his individuality. He struggles to who he is compared to his brothers because he’s never actually been compared to them, just grouped with them. Ron doesn’t even have his own wand, which is essential to a magical person’s identity.

Wandlore is relatively complicated in the wizarding world, but one thing that has been made especially clear is, as Garrick Ollivander (a famous wandmaker) says, “The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It’s not always clear why.” Ron didn’t even have a chance for a wand to choose him to be its holder, he simply had one passed down to him. It is evident in the 7th book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, that wands will sometimes refuse to work with a wizard that is not their own. Even if they do cooperate, they will not always perform to their full potential with someone who isn’t the witch or wizard they choose. In the books, Ron was never very gifted at performing spells. I assume this is because he did not get a wand that was truly his own until the third book. This means that Ron’s first two years at Hogwarts, which are meant to solidify the basics of magic and instill confidence in young wizards and witches, were filled with him coming up short compared to his classmates. Once Ron finally got his own wand, he managed much better, but the lack of confidence in his magical abilities was still there. Ron always seemed to sell himself short, seemingly making everyone else do the same. Ron’s new wand was willow wood, 14 inches, and had unicorn hair as its core. Fun fact: according to a Pottermore article, “Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts.” (Another fun fact: Draco Malfoy had a wand with unicorn hair as its core… take that as you may). 

All throughout chapter six of the first book, Ron patiently explains things that most wizards already know. Having grown up in the wizarding world, it would have been easy for Ron to get annoyed at Harry’s cluelessness and questions. Could it have been because Harry Potter was famous? Perhaps, but after being star struck at the beginning of their meeting, Ron seems to get over Harry’s past relatively quickly and focus on the person Harry was at that moment- a confused boy who needed help. Besides the first few minutes of meeting Harry, Ron treats Harry like he would treat anyone else. Ron is Harry’s first friend and turns out to be his best friend for life.

Ron is continuously bullied throughout the Harry Potter series by Draco Malfoy. Malfoy’s father had raised his son on the same backwards belief system that he believed in, so it was no surprise that Draco Malfoy looked down on the Weasley’s as well. During Ron and Malfoy’s first meeting on page 108, Draco said, “My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.” After Harry denied Malfoys offer of friendship and instead stayed friends with Ron and later Hermione Granger, he was jealous that someone he considered to be below him was chosen over himself and bullied Ron more and more through the books. In fact, Malfoy attacked most of Harry’s friends in one way or another. Later on page 145, Malfoy steals Neville’s Remembrall (a small glass ball filled with smoke that turns red when its holder has forgotten something) that was given to him from his grandmother. Even though Ron and Neville weren’t very good friends, Ron immediately jumped to his defense. Of course, Ron already had problems with Draco in the first place (Page 145 said that “(Harry and Ron) were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy…”), but Ron didn’t have to stand up for Neville. You’ll see a pattern of Ron defending his friends as the series progresses. When Harry and Draco agree to a wizard’s duel, Ron jumps up and agrees to be Harry’s second. Harry, who didn’t even know what a wizard’s duel or a second was when he agreed, was grateful for Ron’s support. On page 154 of the first book, J.K. Rowling wrote, “‘Well, a second’s there to take over if you die,” said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie.” Ron knew that the most Harry and Draco could do to each other wasn’t much, as neither of them had hardly learned any magic yet, but there is something to be said about immediately agreeing to such a dangerous thing. Malfoy constantly belittles Ron. When Ron and Harry are discussing Harry’s new broomstick (a Nimbus 2000), Malfoy attacks Harry over it and Ron, once again, is quick to defend his friend. On page 165, it says, “‘What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn’t afford half the handle,” Malfoy snapped back, “I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig.’” We already know that Ron’s family’s income is a sore subject for him, but Ron never seems to let Malfoy keep him down for long. Ron always seems to be trying to keep up spirits and positive attitudes with his friends.

During one of his charms lessons, Ron faces a confrontation by Hermione Granger. Hermione had already proved to be a bit of a know-it-all and Ron was already having a bad day. He was struggling to do the levitation charm, wingardium leviosa, when Hermione was telling him that he was doing it wrong. Keep in mind, Ron had an old wand that didn’t even belong to him when he was trying to learn this new charm with little to no experience using charms. So when Hermione does the charm flawlessly, he feels as if she is trying to make him look as stupid. He already feels as if he can’t be as good as everyone else, and in his mind, Hermione is proving it. On page 172, he said, “She’s a nightmare, honestly.” When Ron realized Hermione heard him and ran off crying, he “looked a bit uncomfortable”. Obviously what Ron said wasn’t okay, but he did regret it, even if he didn’t like her. Then a troll gets into the castle, and Harry and Ron waste no time trying to find her to make sure she’s safe on page 175, knowingly facing great danger to help. Ron and Harry save Hermione from the troll, and Ron ends up doing so by knocking out the troll with his own club, using the charm that got them into the mess in the first place. Not many people would have risked their lives for someone they didn’t even like, but Ron did. Ron, Harry, and Hermione become friends after sharing their first of many to come adventures together. To quote page 179, “There are some things you can’t share without ending liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” 

At first when you look at Ron’s character, he doesn’t seem to be the most hardworking person. He does his work, though not thoroughly, and prefers classes where he doesn’t have to do much (but honestly, what middle/high school student doesn’t?). While Ron may struggle with putting in effort academically, he puts an exceptional amount of work in for his friends. He actively seeks out opportunities to help people he cares about, like when he asks Hagrid if he can help him carry a Christmas tree, only to be mocked by Malfoy for it; or when he spent so much time looking for information on Nicholas Flamel for Harry when he didn’t have to. This may stem from his mother. Mrs. Weasley’s love languages can be interrupted as acts of service and gift giving, as she is constantly making the people she loves food, sweaters, giving them gifts, and simply doing the absolute most for the people she loves. Ron may have adopted this as his love language, as we see him putting in more effort and doing things for those that he cares about. 

When Harry first discovers the Mirror of Erised, he sees his parents in it. When he tells Ron, Ron is excited for Harry and ready to support him. Page 209 reads, “’I’d like to see your mom and dad,’ Ron said eagerly.” Supporting and defending his friends is one of Ron’s best qualities. Over and over again, Ron proves himself to be a genuinely good person who wants the best for his friends and family. But when Harry takes Ron to the Mirror, Ron doesn’t see Harry’s parents. Instead, Ron sees himself, but older: Quidditch captain, head boy, and holding the Quidditch cup. Dumbledore explained the mirror to Harry on page 213, “It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.” J.K. Rowling cleverly made the name of the mirror, “Erised”, the mirror image of the word “desire”. Dumbledore also shared his insight on what Ron saw in the Mirror, and said, “Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself alone, the best of all of them.” Ron’s greatest desire is to not be overshadowed anymore. Later on in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry becomes Quidditch captain. How soul crushing would it be for your best friend to become the thing that was one of your deepest desires? And even still, Ron never falters in his support for Harry. Ron’s greatest desire is simply to be noticed.

Malfoy continues to make fun of Harry’s friends in the first book. On page 222-223, Malfoy begins talking badly about the Gryffindor Quidditch team and how the team is chosen. He said, “It’s the people they feel sorry for. See, there’s Potter, who’s got no parents, then there’s the Weasleys, who’ve got no money- you should be on the team, Longbottom, you’ve got no brain.” When Neville Longbottom, another victim of Malfoy’s bullying antics, stood up for himself and responded, “I’m worth twelve of you, Malfoy.” Ron supports his friend, saying, “You tell him, Neville.” As Harry dives for the snitch, Malfoy said, “You’re in luck, Weasley, Potters obviously spotted some money on the ground!” This was evidently the last straw for Ron, who immediately leaped across the seats and began a fist fight with Malfoy, Neville soon joining in too. Ron wasn’t afraid of putting people in their place when they deserved it, especially when it came to his friends.

Rubeus Hagrid (the Hogwarts gamekeeper and eventual Care of Magical Creatures professor) became sort of a mentor to Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they grew up in Hogwarts. Even though Ron thinks that Hadgrid is a bit excessive with his love for magical creatures (which, let’s be honest, it was a bit of a problem at times), when Hagrid’s illegal pet baby Dragon, Norbert (later renamed Norberta) needed a place to go, Ron wasted no time in finding it a home. Even though the dragon bit Ron, causing severe pain because the bite was venomous, and going to see the dragon had given him a detention, he still contacted his brother Charlie to help safely transport Norberta to Romania, where Charlie studied dragons. Ron always seemed to be doing the right thing, getting hurt, and continuing on with the right thing anyways. 

Skipping ahead to the end of the first book, the Golden Trio is stuck in the devil’s snare. The devil’s snare plants were wrapping themselves around Harry, Ron, and Hermione when Hermione realized that the way to escape the strangling plants was with a strong light or a fire. On page 278, it said, “‘Yes- of course- but there’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands. “HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” Ron bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?’” While Hermione and Harry were panicking, Ron became the voice of reason in a dire situation, ultimately saving their lives. When they come across the giant chess board keeping them from the Sorcerer’s Stone, Ron’s knowledge once again saves their lives. He is very skilled at chess and used his strategy to play across the board in such a way Harry and Hermione would be able to safely get across. By doing so, he knowingly sacrifices himself for their safety. On page 283, Ron tells Harry and Hermione, “That’s chess… You’ve got to make sacrifices!” Ron Weasley, at eleven years old, was willing to sacrifice himself so that Harry could have a chance against the dark forces challenging them.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is stuck in his abusive household with his aunt, uncle, and cousin (Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley). He wasn’t receiving any letters (which we find out to be Dobby the house-elf’s doing)  and the Dursleys put bars on his window so he couldn’t leave. Ron, despite knowing the consequences, helped his brothers (Fred and George) fly their father’s illegally enchanted car to come get Harry. Ron was worried for Harry when he didn’t get any answers to his mail and found out magic had been performed in front of muggles (nonmagical people) in Harry’s household; he knew he had to do something. Mrs. Weasley had admitted that herself and Mr. Weasley were planning on getting Harry if he hadn’t written back to Ron soon, but Ron acted immediately. He didn’t wait or dilly dally. As soon as he knew Harry could be in potential danger, Ron didn’t hesitate to go and get him. Later, Harry and Ron fly the car once again when the entry to Platform 9 ¾ is magically sealed. Once the twelve year olds fly the car to Hogwarts, they crash it into the Whomping Willow. Out of all the trees at Hogwarts, they had to fly into the tree that fights back, and it began beating the car. Ron’s wand breaks on page 74, “It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.” For the rest of the year, Ron used his broken wand that wasn’t even truly his, held together with tape. 

There are times in the books where Ron figures out things before anyone else even thinks about it. For example, Hermione is talking about how Professor Lockhart has done amazing things in all of his books. On page 103, Ron mentions how they’re all things that, “He says he’s done.” Ron knew before anyone else that Lockhart was a fraud, and it took until the end of the book for everyone to realize he was right. Later on in chapter seven, Malfoy and Hermione got into an argument about Quidditch. In response, Draco Malfoy calls her a “filthy little Mudblood” (page 112), which is a slur for muggleborns. Ron immediately goes to curse Malfoy. Unfortunately, because his wand was broken, the curse fired backwards at Ron. But it doesn’t matter if the curse was effective or not, that fact remains that Ron was willing to get into a lot of trouble to defend his friend. When the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick invites Harry, Ron, and Hermione to his deathday party, Ron goes, despite being disgusted and nervous about the ordeal. He goes anyways because he knew it would make Nick happy, putting others happiness before his own. When Harry reveals that he can speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes typically affiliated with the founder of Slytherin, Ron doesn’t act like he’s scared of Harry or act like Harry could be the heir of Slytherin. Instead, he patiently informs Harry what Parseltongue is and means. When Hagrid is accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets, Ron and Harry follow spiders to the forest where they were met with Acromantulas (“The Acromantula is a monstrous eight-eyed spider capable of human speech,” according to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, by Arthur A. Levine Books). Ron was greatly afraid of spiders. In fact, we find out in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron’s boggart (Hermione describes a boggart on page 133 as a shape-shifter that can “take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most”) was revealed to be a giant spider on page 138. This means Ron faced his greatest fear in the hopes of proving Hagrid’s innocence.

Then in chapter 16, Ron finds out his little sister Ginny was kidnapped and taken into the chamber. There was hardly any hope that she was alive. Ron and Ginny were most likely pretty close. They were both the youngest, and the closest brothers other than Ron that she had were Fred and George, who had each other. When Ron and Harry are getting in trouble for their actions of flying the enchanted car to Hogwarts, Ron doesn’t care that he’s bleeding from his head, he just asks McGonagall if he had missed watching his sister get sorted. Ron and Ginny obviously have a very good sibling bond. A few days before being taken into the chamber, Ginny tried to tell Ron something, but was interrupted by their brother, Percy, and wasn’t able to continue. On page 295, the book states, “’She knew something, Harry,’ said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. ‘That’s why she was taken. It wasn’t some stupid thing about Percy at all. She’d found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was-‘ Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. ‘I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can’t be any other reason.’” Ron feels very guilty that Ginny wasn’t able to tell him what she wanted to say. He feels, to some extent, that if she were able to, then maybe she wouldn’t have been taken. Ron follows Harry down into the Chamber of Secrets, even though he might die, or find his sister dead, or be trapped in the Chamber forever. He still goes with Harry to help him and for the chance that he may find his sister. Ron and Lockhart (who was forced into the Chamber with them) get trapped in the Chamber by fallen rocks because Lockhart tried to erase Harry and Ron’s memories with Ron’s wand and the curse fired backwards. Instead of panicking or trying to find a way to leave the Chamber, page 304 said, “‘I’ll try and shift some of this rock,” said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. “So you can- can get back through.’” Ron’s sister could be dead, the only adult there lost his memories, and his best friend was setting off in a dark chamber that they know to contain a basilisk (described in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, by Arthur A. Levine Books as “a brilliant green serpent that may reach up to fifty feet in length … It has exceptionally venous fangs but its most dangerous means of attack is the gaze of its large yellow eyes. Anyone looking directly into these will suffer instant death.”), but Ron keeps his cool and continues to try and help Harry. On pages 323-324, Harry, Ron, and Ginny have a happy reunion leaving the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort, and from that moment on Ron was even more protective of her than he had ever been before. Harry and Ron both received 200 points to Gryffindor and Special Awards for Services to the School. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brings even more underrated Ron moments. Mr. Weasley won the Dailey Prophet draw and won 700 galleons, enabling the family to take a trip to Egypt to visit Bill Weasley, who worked there as a curse breaker. The extra money helped to buy Ron a new wand so he could finally do spells properly. During this year at Hogwarts, Hagrid got the job as the Care of Magical Creatures professor after the retirement of Professor Kettleburn. Ron is very proud of Hagrid. On page 93 it says, “’We should’ve known!’ Ron roared, pounding the table. ‘Who else would have assigned us a biting book?’” Soon after, Ron sees Hermione’s schedule is a little too full. Ron said on page 93, “’See this morning? Nine o’clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o’clock, Muggle Studies. And’ -Ron learned closer to the schedule, disbelieving- ‘look– underneath that, Arthimancy, nine o’clock. I mean, I know your good Hermione, but no one’s that good. How’re you supposed to be in three classes at once?’” Before they even began going to classes, Ron knew that there was something fishy going on with Hermione that year, and he was right. She had been given a Time-Tuner (according to Professor Saul Croaker on Pottermore, “We have been able to encase single Hour-Reversal Charms, which are unstable and benefit from containment, in small, enchanted hour-glasses that may be worn around a witch or wizard’s neck and revolved according to the number of hours the user wishes to relive.” These “enchanted hour-glasses” are called Time-Turners) from the Ministry of Magic with the help of Professor McGonagal so she could take extra classes, but nobody was supposed to know. She had a much harder time keeping the Time-Turner hidden from Ron than Harry simply because Ron pays more attention. On page 147, Hermione’s cat, Crookshanks, attacked Ron’s rat, Scabbers. Crookshanks had gone after Ron’s rat and only Ron’s rat since Hermione had gotten it. “There’s something funny about that animal!” Ron had said. And though he didn’t know it, Ron was indeed correct. The “something funny” about Crookshanks was that it’s extremely possible that it wasn’t entirely a cat. It’s highly likely that Crookshanks was half Kneazle. An article on Pottermore reminds its readers that “Kneazles are known to crossbreed with domestic cats”. According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, by Arthur A. Levine Books, page 45 describes a Kneazle as “a small cat-like creature with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, outsize ears and a tail like a lion’s, the Kneazle is intelligent, independent and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet.” Crookshanks was known to be aggressive, but when it came to Hermione it acted like an angel. Even more interesting, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them says, “The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavoury or suspicious characters…”. Ron’s rat is later revealed to be an animagus (someone who can turn into an animal at will) by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Crookshanks hardly ever attacked any other rats except for this one. Ron, even though he didn’t realize it, knew that Crookshanks wasn’t an ordinary cat when no one else did. 

When Harry isn’t allowed to go to Hogsmeade, a wizarding village outside of Hogwarts, Ron tries to cheer him up and promises to bring him back sweets on page 151. Ron is constantly brightening the mood for Harry when his life gets tough, which is most of the time. Without Ron, Harry probably wouldn’t have near the amount of happy Hogwarts memories he does. On page 172, Snape asks some questions about werewolves to the class. After ignoring Hermione’s hand for a majority of the questions, Hermione finally just answers the questions aloud. Snape takes points away from Gryffindor “for being an insufferable know-it-all.” Hermione then began to cry, “…and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, ‘You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don’t want to be told?’” Ron received a detention for defending his friend. Even though Ron had called Hermione a know-it-all several times in the past, there’s a big difference between saying it friend to friend than a teacher bullying a thirteen year old. When Harry is put in the hospital wing from a Quidditch injury, Ron and Hermione only left Harry when it turned night. Considering the amount of schoolwork they had to do, that’s a very long time to be comforting a friend. When Buckbeak, Hagrid’s Hippogriff (a proud creature with a horse’s body and an giant eagle’s head), is forced to face a trial after hurting a student that provoked it (gosh dang it, Malfoy), Harry, Ron, and Hermione comb through books of trials that could help Buckbeak’s case. This speaks volume to Ron, who wouldn’t put that much research into his own work. Ron works harder for his friends than he does for himself and is constantly putting others before himself, even though it isn’t obvious at times. 

On page 252, Hermione and Ron have a brief falling out over what appears to be Crookshanks eating Scabbers. Ron had a right to be upset; he had been telling Hermione for months that Crookshanks was trying to eat his pet and Hermione never did anything about it. The rat had been a beloved pet in Ron’s family for 12 years. Of course, the rat was far from innocent, but Ron didn’t know that. Ron and Hermione did eventually make up when Scabbers was found alive, but Ron was hurt by the fact Hermione wouldn’t apologize for her cat’s behavior. Then, in chapter 14, Ron woke up to notorious mass murderer Sirius Black standing above his bed holding a knife. Page 270 said, “For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to (Ron) than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though severely shaken by the night’s events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with a wealth of detail.” Many people criticize Ron for enjoying the attention he receives in this moment, but Ron had always been overshadowed by his brothers, one of his best friends was the smartest witch in their year, and the other was practically a celebrity. Of course he is going to enjoy the attention. It’s clear that what seemed to be a near death experience had greatly frightened Ron, too. Can you imagine the amount of fear that a 13 year old boy would have in the face of a crazy man with a knife? Granted, Sirius Black ended up not wanting to kill Ron, but wanting to kill his rat, but there was no way for Ron to know that. And still, Ron persevered and continued being Harry’s friend. I’m just saying, if my friend put me in near death situations every year since I was 11, I wouldn’t be their friend anymore. Whether or not that makes Ron brave or simply stupid, you can’t deny his loyalty to Harry. 

As an attempt to cheer Harry up, Ron persuades him to sneak out of the castle using the invisibility cloak and go to Hogsmeade with him. Unfortunately, Malfoy ends up seeing Harry’s head when the cloak slipped down, and Snape later questioned Harry in his office about the affair. Harry, who had merchandise from Hogsmeade on him, lied to Snape and said that Ron gave them to him. Ron, who had no idea that is what Harry had said, burst into Snape’s office on page 289 and told Snape that he had given Harry those things a long time ago. It just proves how good friends Harry and Ron were when they are on the same wavelength without even having to discuss it. Still, Ron knew that he had gotten Harry in trouble and owns up to it. Page 290 says, “’It’s my fault,” Ron said abruptly. ‘I persuaded you to go.’” Even when things turn out alright, Ron admits when he is in the wrong.

When the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, comes to Hogwarts for the appeal of Hadrig’s hippogriff, he acts as if the appeal has already been lost. Ron confronts Fudge on page 320, “’Then you might not have have to witness an execution at all!’ Ron said stoutly. ‘The hippogriff might get off!’” Ron, a literal child, stands up to the Minister of Magic in defense of a hippogriff for his friend. I feel like this speaks volumes towards Ron’s character. 

Towards the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron is dragged below the Whomping Willow by a big black dog, breaking his leg in the process (page 335). Then, when the dog is revealed to be Sirius Black, an animagus, thought to be after Ron’s best friend Harry, page 339 says, “’If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us too!’ (Ron) said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him still of more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something flickered in Black’s shadowed eyes. ‘Lie down,’ he said quietly to Ron. ‘You will damage that leg even more.’ ‘Did you hear me?’ Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. ‘You’ll have to kill all three of us!’” Even though Ron’s leg was broken as he confronted a mass murderer, Ron was willing to sacrifice his life for Harry’s. He knew that there would be a very little chance of him surviving the encounter, but he stood to protect Harry anyways. Fortunately for Ron, Sirius Black ended up being innocent, so he didn’t need to die. Unfortunately for Ron, his rat ended up being not so innocent and the real mass murderer, Peter Pettigrew. Later, Pettigrew hit Ron with some sort of spell that knocked him unconscious. Can you imagine the amount of trust issues and paranoia that would create? At the end of the third book, Ron invites Harry to go to the Quidditch World Cup that upcoming summer, which leads us into Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 

Sirius Black had given Ron a small owl in replace of his rat, Peter Pettigrew. For the first time since his second wand, Ron has something that belongs to him and him alone… and then Ginny names it. Poor Ron can’t seem to catch a break. Instead, Ginny named it Pigwidgeon. On page 57, Ron tells Harry, “She reckons it’s sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won’t answer to anything else. So now he’s Pig.” No hate towards Ginny, but Ron probably would’ve wanted to name his own pet, especially if Ginny was going to name it something like Pigwidgeon. Soon enough, the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione are off to the Quidditch World Cup. When Harry buys Omniculars for Ron as a gift (basically binoculars that allow you to put things in slow motion and replay them), Ron is obviously embarrassed. Pages 93-94 mentions, “He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did.” Ron wasn’t upset with Harry for this fact, but rather the poor circumstances his family was in (they managed to get cheap tickets to the Cup thanks to Mr. Weasley working at the Ministry and knowing Ludo Bagman, who was one of the wizards in charge of the event). Before the game, leprechauns (the mascot of Ireland’s Quidditch team, one of the teams playing in the cup) throw heaps of gold into the crowd. Ron joyously gives Harry a handful of the gold as pay back for the Ominuclars, happy to be able to pay Harry back. What Ron doesn’t know is that leprechaun gold eventually disappears. On page 545-546, Ron finds out that the money he paid Harry was useless and that he didn’t actually pay Harry back at all. This upsets Ron greatly; he already feels insecure about being poor and the fact that Harry didn’t even notice up until that point didn’t help. On page 546, Ron angrily said, “I hate being poor.” Ron seems to be reminded again and again of his family’s misfortune and can’t seem to escape the fact, even at Hogwarts. It’s obvious that their poverty is part of the reason Ron is so insecure, and why he tries to make up for the fact by being the loud and funny one in the group. Ron is still learning to make his own path in life and frequently gets the short end of the stick.

For their fourth year at Hogwarts, dress robes were required for the boys. While Harry got regular, up-to-date dress robes, Ron got frilly, old fashion ones. Ron is embarrassed and upset, and page 156-157 says, “’Why couldn’t I have something like that?’ ‘Because… well, I had to get yours secondhand, and there wasn’t a lot of choice!’ said Mrs. Weasley, flushing. Harry looked away. He would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasleys, but he knew they would never take it.” Ron is embarrassed and tired of their lack of money. On page 157, he says, “Why is everything I own rubbish?” Soon after on page 168, Malfoy see’s his dress robes and makes fun of him for it, further making Ron feel shameful of his family’s status. They needed dress robes for the Triwizard Tournament, which was being held at Hogwarts. You could only enter if you were 17 or older, and Harry and Ron, both 14 at the time, would not be able to enter. Fred and George, 15 or 16 at the time, were attempting to find ways to get past this rule. Ron admits to Harry on page 191, “’I might go in for it you know,’ Ron said sleepily through the darkness, ‘if Fred and George find out how to… the tournament… you never know, do you?’” The winner of the tournament would receive fame and a large prize of 1000 galleons, both extremely enticing to someone like Ron, who had grown up with very little. It’s very understandable why he would want to try. Then on page 525, Ron sees a very pretty girl from the French school, Beauxbatons, who’s staying at Hogwarts to compete in the tournament. Her name was Fleur Delacore, and she ended up being selected to compete in the tournament. The moment Ron sees her, he says, “She’s a veela!” When Hermione tells him that the girl can’t be a veela (a veela is a beautiful creature that attracts men in almost a siren-like way, but turn nearly bird like when angry), Ron says, “I’m telling you, that’s not a normal girl!” This is another great example of a time when Ron is right far before anyone else knows it. Page 308 and 398 both confirm that Ron was correct. Fleur’s grandmother had been a veela (fun fact: the core of Fleur’s wand contains veela hair from her grandmother).

When Harry is chosen for the Triwizard tournament even though he didn’t put his name in, Ron is very upset with him. On pages 286-287, he refuses to believe that Harry was telling the truth about not entering. Page 287 reveals Ron saying, “’It’s okay, you know, you can tell me the truth,’ he said. ‘If you don’t want everyone else to know, fine, but I don’t know why you’re bothering to lie, you didn’t get in trouble for it, did you?’” When Harry denies it again, Ron says, “Only you said this morning you’d have done it last night, and no one would’ve seen you… I’m not stupid you know.” Ron has a right to be suspicious. The Goblet of Fire, which you enter your name into for the contest, had an age line surrounding it that was drawn by Dumbledore. It would be almost impossible for a student not of age to put their name in, but Harry always had a way of getting around the rules and Ron knew it. If Harry had found a way past it, Ron would have felt betrayed that his best friend hadn’t told him. Afterall, he had told Harry that he would like to enter. And then when Harry told Ron exactly when he would’ve put his name in and not be seen… it didn’t look too good for Harry. But despite this, Ron did eventually come to terms that Harry didn’t put his name in the Goblet. Their friendship, however, did not rekindle until later on due to Ron’s jealousy. Harry had everything Ron ever wanted: he wasn’t overshadowed by others, he stood out in a crowd, he didn’t have to worry about money, and not to mention, every witch and wizard knew Harry Potter’s name. Ron grew jealous of Harry once again having all the glory. Despite the riff in their friendship, he still cared for Harry. When Harry doesn’t show up to go to bed on page 335, he goes into the common room to check on Harry. Harry had been talking with Sirius, but stopped once he heard someone coming. Ron asks who he’s talking to, Harry basically tells him it’s none of his business. Ron, who was just wondering where Harry was and if he was okay, tells him he’s going back to bed. They argue for a bit before Harry throws a badge that reads POTTER REALLY STINKS on it at Ron and it hits him in the head. Harry says on page 336, “’Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if you’re lucky…. That’s what you want, isn’t it?’ He strode across the room toward the stairs; he half expected Ron to stop him, he would even have liked Ron to throw a punch at him, but Ron just stood there in his too-small pajamas, and Harry, having stormed upstairs, lay awake in bed fuming for a long time afterward and didn’t hear him come up to bed.” Ron was jealous of Harry, but he also knew that he shouldn’t be. Both boys are stubborn and neither wanted to be the one to apologize first. Ron was obviously hurt by Harry, and Harry in turn by Ron, but neither of them wanted to be fighting. In the books, it’s Professor Moody who tells Hagrid to warn Harry about the dragons he will be facing. In the fourth movie however, Ron is the one to tell Harry… well, kind of. Because Harry and Ron are still fighting, he makes up a lie for Hermione to tell Harry. She tells Harry, “Ronald would like me to tell you that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid’s looking for you.” In reality, nobody but Ron and Hagrid were involved, so it was just Ron trying to get Harry to go to Hagrid to warn him about the dragons. Even when they weren’t speaking, Ron was trying to help his friend. After Harry completes his first task in the tournament, page 358 says, “Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn’t need to hear it. ‘It’s okay,’ he said, before Ron could get the words out, ‘Forget it.’ ‘No,’ said Ron, ‘I shouldn’t’ve-‘ ‘Forget it,’ Harry said.” Ron knew he was in the wrong and instead of continuing to feud with Harry decided to apologize. Harry, being Ron’s best friend, already knew how sorry he was and accepted Ron back immediately. The fact that Ron was willing to accept the fact that he was wrong and take responsibility for it says a lot about him; that’s something many people struggle to do. Later on in the series, page 290 of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince says, “(Harry) would not risk his friendship with Ron for anything.”

Ron gets in another fight in the fourth book with Hermione. He doesn’t believe that she has a date to the ball, and Hermione is understandably hurt. When Hermione asks him on pages 394-395, “So basically, you’re going to take the best-looking who’ll have you, even if she’s completely horrible?” Ron responds, “Er- yeah, that sounds about right.” To give him a little grace, Ron is a 14 year old boy who is not necessarily leading himself with his brain. But nevertheless, Ron needs to straighten out his priorities. If you’ve read the series before, you also know that part of the reason Ron doesn’t want to believe that Hermione has got a date is because Ron has a crush on Hermione, but doesn’t realize it until book seven. This does not excuse his behavior, but does somewhat explain it. Ron is rude to Hermione and her date, and isn’t a very good person. Once again, Ron’s jealousy gets the better of him. Even still, he doesn’t let his jealousy get in the way of their friendship. When Harry opens his clue for his 2nd tournament task, an eerie mermaid song greets him (page 463), warning him, “Come seek us where our voices sound/We cannot sing above the ground/And while your searching, ponder this:/We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss/An hour long you’ll have to look/And to recover what we took/But past an hour- the prospect’s black/Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back.” We come to find out that whatever the champions will miss the most has been taken. Harry finds out on page 491 that the thing he would “sorely miss” was his best friend. Out of everything in the world, Harry would most miss Ron if he were taken from him. This is a great testament to their friendship, even after rough patches in their friendship, Ron is still Harry’s best friend. 

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, things have gone down hill for Harry. Voldemort’s back, everyone thinks Harry is a crazed liar, and Dumbledore won’t speak to him. Ron is faithfully by his side through it all. Harry feels alone all summer because his friends haven’t sent any letters. He finds out why on page 62 and 63. Page 63 says, “’We wanted to give (the letters) to you, mate,’ said Ron. ‘Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you’d do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us-‘ ‘-Swear not to tell me,’ said Harry.” Dumbledore forbade Hermione and Ron to write to Harry in case it put him in danger. Even though Ron very much would have liked to write to Harry, he valued his safety more than staying on good terms. It’s sometimes very hard to make a decision like that, but Ron did it. He would rather have Harry safe and mad at him than Harry in trouble but still buddy-buddy, which shows how much Ron really cares about his best friend. Harry wasn’t the only one having troubling times. The Weasley’s son Percy had betrayed the family. The Minister of Magic, Fudge, was at war with Dumbledore. He thought Dumbledore was planning on overthrowing his spot as Minister (which was completely wrong) and didn’t want anyone on Dumbledore’s side to be working with him. The Weasleys were all long time Dumbledore supporters, and when Fudge invited freshly graduated Percy Weasley to work in his office, it was suspicious in the least. On page 72, Ron reveals that Mr. Weasley warned Percy that the Minister most likely wanted Percy there to spy on Dumbledore and his family. Ron said on page 72, “'(Percy) went completely berserk. He said- well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he’s been having to struggle against Dad’s lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad’s got no ambition and that’s why we’ve always been- you know- not had a lot of money, I mean-‘ ‘What?’ said Harry in disbelief, as Ginny made a noise like an angry cat. ‘I know,’ said Ron in a low voice. ‘And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he- Percy- knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn’t belong to our family anymore. He packed his bags the same night and left.’” Ron not only had to deal with the fact that his best friend was under attack by the Ministry (who claimed Harry had lied about Voldemort and was in fact going mental), the greatest Dark Lord of all times had arisen and was terrorizing both the wizarding and the muggle world and the Ministry was turning a blind eye to it, but also the fact that his brother had joined the Ministry’s side. Then, when their Hogwarts letters arrived, Ron found out he had been made prefect. Ron was in shock. Actually, everyone was in shock; they had all expected Harry to get it. Even Ron didn’t think he would be made a prefect. On page 167, he tells Harry, “’I never thought it would be me!’ he said, shaking his head, ‘I thought it would be you!’” For the first time, Ron had something that Harry didn’t, and he got it on his own. That is, until Dumbledore reveals to Harry on page 844 that the reason he didn’t choose Harry was because “…I rather thought … you had enough responsibility to be going on with.” Poor Ron, always the second choice. Even still, Dumbledore could have chosen any other Gryffindor, but he didn’t. Ron showed enough skill, bravery, and determination to be chosen as a leader for his house. 

When Harry’s house mates start arguing with him about whether or not he is lying about Voldemort being back on pages 218-219, Ron doesn’t hesitate to defend Harry and put them in their place. Even though those are Ron’s friends too, he doesn’t stand for someone to slander Harry’s name. On page 271-271, Harry catches Ron practicing to try out for the Quidditch team. One of the first things Ron says is “don’t laugh”, showing how insecure he is about trying something new. Still, even though he is obviously worried about being laughed at or made fun of for trying to join the team, he began practicing every spare moment he could. Ron worked hard to get what he wanted, and he eventually made the team. When Ron spots the words “I must not tell lies” carved into Harry’s hand (page 272) courtesy of Professor Umbridge (a vile woman working for the Ministry to ensure Hogwarts isn’t rising up against Fudge), he is furious. He tried to get Harry to report her, but Harry doesn’t want to. In the end, Ron ends up respecting Harry’s wishes. Ron receives a letter from his brother Percy on page 296-298 warning him to “sever ties with Potter” and report anything off about Harry to Professor Umbridge. Ron almost immediately tears the letter into eighths and burns it after reading it to show his support for Harry. When Harry tries to brush off his accomplishments as luck, Ron reminds him of all the great things Harry has done and tries to give him the courage he needs to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts in a secret club called Dumbledore’s Army (page 326-328). When Harry’s peers are questioning Harry’s legitimacy, Ron defends him against harsh inquiries (page 343). When Harry is reading Voldemort’s moods, Ron urges him to tell someone and get help. Harry refuses, but Ron still tries to help Harry. In this book, a common theme is Ron wanted the best for Harry, and Harry refusing his help. 

Ron is on the Quidditch team this year, and it doesn’t look too good for him. When nobody is watching, Ron can play Quidditch fine, but when he knows everyone is watching him, he messes up. Considering that the entire school watches the Quidditch matches, Ron wasn’t doing too hot. On page 407, the Slytherins begin a chant directly aimed at Ron. They were singing, “Weasley cannot save thing/He cannot block a single ring/That’s why we Slytherins all sing:/Weasley is our King/ Weasley was born in a bin/He always lets the Quaffle in/Weasley will make sure we win/Weasley is our King/Weasley is our King/Weasley is our King/He always lets the Quaffle in/Weasley is our King.” The lyrics were made by Draco Malfoy, and after the game, he began insulting the Weasley family. Harry, Fred and George, and Malfoy all ended up in a brawl with a lifetime ban (except for Malfoy) from Quidditch. Ron’s family had become Harry’s, and that bond was strong. Ron is so affected by the song that on page 418, he plans on resigning from the team. Harry convinces him not to, telling him on page 419, “It’s bad enough without you blaming yourself for everything!” Then Ron says, “This is the worst I’ve ever felt in my life.” For Ron, who had faced terrifying traumas with Harry, to say this about himself is truly saddening. Eventually, Ron’s Quidditch skills improved and instead of the Slytherins, it was the Gryffindors chanting “Weasley is our King” (page 702), which finally helped Ron gain some well deserved confidence. 

As if Ron hadn’t had enough to worry about during his fifth year at Hogwarts, his father gets attacked by Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, and sent to the hospital. Even worse, his best friend watched it happen through the eyes of the snake. In the books, Nagini is a venomous snake, but in the movies she is portrayed as either a boa or a python. Either way, Mr. Weasley was seriously injured and would have died if Harry hadn’t seen it happen. While visiting his dad at St. Mungos, the wizarding hospital, Harry, Ron, and Hermione run into their old professor, Gildoroy Lockhart. Page 509 describes, “’Er- how are you, Professor?’ said Ron, sounding guilty. It had been Ron’s malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart’s memory so badly he landed here in the first place, though, as Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Harry and Ron’s memories at the time, Harry’s sympathy was limited.” Even though Lockhart was planning on cursing their memories away, Ron still felt guilty for the outcome of the event. It takes a really good person to be able to sympathize with someone who was planning on hurting them in the first place. 

When Harry believes that he sees his godfather, Sirius Black, being tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, he needs to contact him to make sure he’s okay. The only way to contact him was through the fireplace in Umbridge’s office. Ron immediately volunteers on page 736 to make a distraction, coming up with a plan on the spot. This is a great example of another time that Ron thinks quickly and logically under pressure. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny all agree to go to the Ministry of Magic. However, Ron isn’t entirely okay with this plan. On page 761, he tells his sister that she can’t go with them. Ron has a habit of being very overprotective when it comes to Ginny. Whether it be with her relationships or what she can and can’t do, he appears to be a bit controlling with his big brother act. While this isn’t excusable, it is understandable. Ron and Ginny spent a year together without any other of their siblings home, and were pretty close when they were younger. Then, Ginny was possessed by Voldemort at the age of 11. Ron thought he would never see her alive again. Thankfully, Ginny survived the encounter, but Ron was especially protective of Ginny from that moment on. Ginny, much to Ron’s disapproval, ends up going to Ministry anyways. When they are at the Department of Mysteries, a Death Eater (Death Eaters are Voldemort’s followers) hits Ron with a spell that makes him go sort of loopy (page 796). Then, on page 798, Ron was strangled by a tentacled brain. Ron overcomes both of these obstacles and continues in the fight against the Death Eaters. He and Hermione end up leaving the hospital wing three days before the end of the school year, which is proof of the extent of their injuries. Ron once again proves how loyal of a friend his is throughout the fifth book and continues this into the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Remember Fleur Delacor? Well, surprise! Her and Bill are engaged and she was staying at the Weasley’s house that summer. Fleur gets a lot of hate in the series that is based in thinly veiled misogyny and xenophobia. Fleur is beautiful and confident in herself, and she is hated for that fact throughout the series. Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley all share comments disrespecting Fluer at multiple times throughout the series. Ginny even calls her “Phlegm” (page 93). Just because Fleur comes from a different country and is more secure in herself and her heritage than most of the other characters doesn’t mean that she deserves to be degraded. Interestingly enough, J.K. Rowling writes her character as if she is meant to be hated, even though Fleur has done nothing wrong. Ron is one of the only people in the story who supports and defends her, telling Ginny and Hermione, “Can’t you two lay off her for five seconds?” on page 91. Ron is frequently accused of only supporting her because of her beauty, insinuating that only ugly people deserve sympathy. Ron frequently defends Fleur, even when nobody else does.

As the year at Hogwarts goes on, Harry and Hermione are both invited to the Slug Club (a club hosted by Professor Slughorn, who likes to “collect” students into his club that he thinks will end up famous or in high positions of power). Ron is skipped over and not invited to these parties while both of his best friends are seen as more worthy than him. This doesn’t help his already low confidence levels and often puts him in a sour mood (page 235 is one example of this). Ron and Hermione end up getting in a bit of a fight in the sixth year when he gets a girlfriend Hermione didn’t like. Lavender Brown is another famously hated character that’s dislike stems from misogyny. Lavender was simply a girl with a crush on Ron. She was written with many typically “girly girl” qualities and for some reason, that makes her a terrible person in the eyes of many. Lavender Brown was a 16 year old girl who thought she was in love, and there’s no reason to hate her for it. Ron did eventually break up with her (he grew disinterested and felt that she was too clingy, Lavender thought he had a thing with Hermione, which is not true, though Ron had a crush on Hermione since their fourth year). Lavender Brown ended up dying from her wounds from a werewolf attack in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron resumed their friendship post break-up, but Hermione shouldn’t have stopped talking to Ron just because he was dating someone. After all, in the fourth book when she was 14 and dating 18 year old Victor Krum, Ron didn’t like it and she got mad at him for not supporting their relationship.

Ron seems to have bad luck with love in his sixth year; he accidentally consumed a love potion meant for Harry on page 390-391. When Harry goes and gets help from Professor Slughorn, he is given the antidote and resumes back to normal. Slughorn decides to give Ron a “pick-me-up” on page 396 of oak-matured mead. Mind you, these are sixteen year old boys. Wizards come of age at 17, and I don’t know this for a fact but I would guess that it isn’t also their drinking age. Either way, their professor was giving underage students alcohol. The alcohol ends up being poison meant for Albus Dumbledore (Slughorn wasn’t trying to kill Dumbledore, it was given to him as a gift for Dumbledore). If Harry hadn’t given Ron a bezoar (a stone found in the stomach of a goat that will reverse most poisons), Ron would’ve likely died that night on page 398.

When Luna Lovegood is in charge of the commentary of the Quidditch game, Ron compliments her and tells her, “I can’t remember enjoying commentary more!” (page 425). This means a lot to Luna. Luna is constantly bullied by her peers for being different and believing in things that no one does, earning her the nickname “Loony Lovegood.” Ron, wary of her quirky shenanigans at first, grows to care for Luna. Ron is a very supportive friend and always seems to know when someone needs an extra bit of encouragement. 

Death Eaters invade the castle at the end of the sixth book after being let in by Draco Malfoy. Ron was supposed to be monitoring Draco that night in case something happened. Page 617 says, “’I messed up, Harry,’ said Ron bleakly. ‘We did like you told us: We checked the Marauder’s Map and we couldn’t see Malfoy on it, so we thought he must be in the room of Requirement, so me, Ginny, and Neville went to keep watch on it… but Malfoy got away.’” Malfoy got past them using Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and his Hand of Glory, which “gives light only to the holder” (page 618). Ron was able to admit to his defeat and own up to his mistakes, something many struggle with. At the end of the book, Harry decides that he isn’t going back to Hogwarts the following year. Instead, he will be hunting down Horcruxes (items of dark magic concealing a piece of one’s soul). As long as there are Horcruxes, Voldemort cannot die. On page 651, Ron tells Harry, “We’re with you whatever happens.” Ron is willing to drop everything and sacrifice his education and future for the chance of helping Harry fulfill his destiny. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows brings new threats to the wizarding world. In chapter four, Ron takes polyjuice potion (a potion that turns you into someone else) to disguise himself as Harry, along with six other people. This puts Ron into the direct line of fire from Voldemort and his Death Eaters who want to kill Harry. Once again, Ron was willing to sacrifice himself for Harry. When they safely transport Harry from his house to the burrow, Nymphadora Tonks tells of Ron’s bravery. Page 76 says, “’Ron was great,’ said Tonks warmly, relinquishing her hold on Lupin. ‘Wonderful. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you’re aiming at a moving target from a flying broom-‘ ‘You did?’ said Hermione, gazing up at Ron with her arms still around his neck. ‘Always the tone of surprise,’ he said a little grumpily, breaking free.” Due to the movie’s shallow perception of Ron as a relatively uncaring and lazy student, many people forget that Ron is actually a talented wizard. Even in the books, Ron’s friends are surprised when he proves himself to be good at things. That in itself would create a self-esteem problem, especially when they verbally confirm his fears of not being good enough. Still, Ron grows to be talented at magic throughout the series.

On page 96, Harry tries to convince Hermione and Ron to stay behind and not go with him on his quests for Horcruxes. Ron, expecting this, immediately shuts the idea down. Ron is given the opportunity to continue his life without the danger of being Harry Potter’s right hand man, but he knows that he has to do the right thing. When Dumbledore died, he left Ron a Deluminator. Page 125 described a deluminator as something that “looked something like a cigarette lighting, but it had, he knew, the power to suck all the light from a place, and restore it, with a simple click.” This is a surprise tool that will help him later.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape the Death Eaters and end up on Tottenham Court Road, they have to decide where their next destination will be. Harry suggests going back to Ron’s house, but Hermione tells him it would be too dangerous. Page 163 then says, “’She’s right,’ said Ron, who seemed to know that Harry was about to argue, even if he could not see his face.” Ron knows Harry so well that without even looking at him, he knows what Harry is thinking. If that’s not true friendship, I don’t know what is. When Death Eaters attack them again at a cafe, the trio must decide what to do with them. On page 167, Ron whispers, “Kill them? They’d kill us. They had a good go just now.” When Harry decides to wipe their memories, the book reads, “’You’re the boss,’ said Ron, sounding profoundly relieved.” Ron is scared that he is going to have to kill people and clearly wishes to avoid it. Regardless of the fact that the Death Eaters just tried to kill him and his friends, he is grateful to be able to spare their lives.

Later on, it is revealed that the Ministry of Magic has been rounding up Muggle-borns for “stealing” their magic from a witch or wizard (which is impossible, you are either born with magic or you are not). When Ron finds this out, he is willing to risk everything to keep Hermione, who is a Muggle-born, safe. Page 209-210 says, “Ron glanced at Hermione, then said, ‘What if purebloods and half-bloods swear a Muggle-born’s part of their family? I’ll tell everyone Hermione’s my cousin-‘ Hermione covered Ron’s hand with hers and squeezed it. ‘Thank you, Ron, but I couldn’t let you-‘ ‘You won’t have a choice,’ said Ron fiercely, gripping her hand back. ‘I’ll teach you my family tree so you can answer questions on it.’” Ron could be thrown in Azkaban (wizard prison) for such a crime to the Ministry during this time, but he is willing to risk it as long as Hermione is safe. His efforts hardly matter though; being on the run with Harry Potter, they would both be arrested anyways. We find out on pages 251-251 that Ron’s family is being monitored and tracked; the Ministry is just waiting for one of them to slip up so they can lock them away. Even with himself and his family in great danger, Ron perseveres and continues to loyally stay with Harry… that is, until he didn’t. 

When they acquire the locket containing a horcrux, the three take turns wearing it before they can destroy it. There are very few things that can destroy a horcrux, such as basilisk venom. The Sword of Gryffindor was immersed in basilisk venom in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and the goblin-made sword takes in what will make it stronger. This means that the Sword of Gryffindor is able to destroy horcruxes. The problem is that at this point in the story, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have no idea where the sword could be. Horcruxes often have negative effects on the people they are around because of the insensitivity and horridness of the dark magic they conceal. Ron’s mood while around the locket becomes worse and worse. Even when he wasn’t wearing the locket, his spirits were quickly dwindling. On page 293, when Ron is particularly unpleasant, it says, “Harry glanced automatically at Ron’s neck and saw, as he had expected, the golden chain of the Horcrux glinting there. He managed to fight down the impulse to swear at Ron, whose attitude would, he knew, improve slightly when the time came to take off the locket.” The locket affected Ron so much that Harry could pinpoint exactly when Ron was wearing the locket just based upon his mood. As the journey goes on, Ron feels more and more useless and secluded from his friends (page 306). Ron and Harry began to fight about the progress, or rather, little to no progress they’ve been making. At this point, Ron has sacrificed so much for Harry. At 11 years old, he had sacrificed himself in a giant game of chess for Harry’s success. At 12, he faced his worst fear so Harry wouldn’t be alone protecting Hagrid’s name, his sister was possessed and kidnapped by Voldemort, and he went down into the Chamber of Secrets without knowing if he would ever walk out again. When he was 13, he stood on a broken leg in the face of an Azkaban escapee and told him that he would have to go through himself before he could hurt Harry. At 14, he helped Harry to succeed in the Triwizard Tournament and was taken down into the depths of the black lake because of his and Harry’s friendship. When he was just 15 years old, the greatest dark wizard of all time was back and Ron’s family became prime targets as members of the Order of the Phoenix, his brother abandoned his family, and Ron himself battled Death Eaters after breaking into the Ministry of Magic. He was poisoned at 16 and barely survived, then later battled Death Eaters who had broken into the school. Now he is traveling Britain in search of Horcruxes that they can’t even destroy. Not to mention, his arm was splinched in an Apparation accident after breaking into the Ministry of Magic on page 269 and still wasn’t healed. Ron has been through tremendous amounts of trauma and is allowed a break down. The dark magic of the locket amplifies his worries and traumas, it’s understandable why Ron overreacted. On page 306, Ron says, “…you know with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my backside off every night. I just hoped, you know, after we’d been running around for a few weeks, we’d have achieved something.” Ron has a right to be upset, but with the locket influencing his moods it became too much. On page 308, Ron reveals that Hermione had been thinking the same thing. Ron is exhausted and feels like he is finally done. After a long yelling match, he Disapparated, leaving Harry and Hermione to find Horcruxes on their own. I’m not saying what Ron did was right. I’m just saying it’s understandable. Many people hate on Ron because he left Harry and Hermione that day in the woods to fend for themselves. Ron had been through terror upon terror and was being influenced by the dark arts through the Horcrux often hanging around his neck and we should give him a little grace.

After weeks without Ron, Harry has seen the Sword of Gryffindor at the bottom of a frozen pond. When he dives down to get it, he very nearly drowns. However instead of dying at the bottom of a frozen pond, Ron dives in and saves Harry. He had been trying to get back to Harry and Hermione for weeks. Ron apologizes to Harry for his actions before he left on page 378. Anytime Ron makes a mistake, he apologizes and owns up to it. On page 381, he said, “I wanted to come back the minute I’d Disapparated…” As soon as he had gone, Ron regretted his decision. He spent a very long time trying to figure out where Hermione and Harry were, but their protective enchantments kept them hidden. When Ron heard Hermione’s voice coming out of the Deluminator, he clicked it and a floating ball of light appeared (page 384). It went into his chest and he said that he “knew it would take me where I needed to go.” Once he had rescued Harry, Harry asked Ron to destroy it. Ron doesn’t want to. Page 374 explains, “’Because that thing’s bad for me!’ said Ron, backing away from the locket on the rock. ‘I can’t handle it! I’m not making excuses, Harry, for what I was like, but it affects me worse than it affected you and Hermione, it made me think stuff- stuff I was thinking anyways, but it made everything worse, I can’t explain it, and then I’d take it off and I’d get my head on straight again, and then I’d have to put the effing thing back on- I can’t do it, Harry!’” This line is an exceptionally important insight into Ron’s character. Ron knows that he was out of line and tells Harry that he isn’t trying to make excuses, but he is scared of the locket’s power. The line is even more important during the scene where the locket is destroyed. Harry convinces Ron that he is the one who is supposed to destroy the Horcrux. The locket opens when Harry commands it in Parseltongue. When it opens, the fragment of Voldemort’s soul trapped inside begins to talk on page 375, “’I have seen your heart, and it is mine.’ ‘Don’t listen to it!’ Harry said harshly. ‘Stab it!’ ‘I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible…’ It continues on to page 276, saying, “Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter… Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend… Second best, always, eternally overshadowed…” The locket amplified Ron’s fears and dreams. Looking back at his quote from page 374, he said, “…it made me think stuff- stuff I was thinking anyways…” We already know that Ron was insecure in himself and felt as if everyone was always better than him, but this scene brings how intense these feelings were to light. It’s no wonder that Ron got fed up and left if the locket was continuously playing with his greatest fears and desires. Then Hermione, the girl he loves, and Harry, his best friend, come out of the locket. It’s not actually them, of course, but rather a mirage of a mix of Tom Riddle (Voldemort’s real name) and his friends. They tell him things like “we were better without you”, “Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter?”, and “Your mother confessed that she would have preferred me as a son, would be glad to exchange…” on pages 376-377. Imagine watching as the girl you loved and your best friend confirm your worst fears, even if they weren’t real. Ron overcame his terror of the horrendous things that Horcrux was telling and destroyed the locket with the Sword of Gryffindor. He shows tremendous courage and bravery for coming back to Harry and owning up to his mistakes, and even more so for destroying the Horcrux that was confirming his trepidations. 

In chapter 22, Ron, Hermione, and Harry learn about the Deathly Hallows: the elder wand, the invisibility cloak, and the resurrection stone. Hermione rejects the idea of them being anything but a story, but Ron theorizes that they could actually exist on page 426. He then mentions Harry’s invisibility cloak, but little does he know that the very invisibility cloak he was speaking of was one of the original Deathly Hallows. Once again, Ron finds the missing piece of a puzzle when the box hasn’t even been opened yet. In chapter 23, the Golden Trio is captured by Snatchers (basically wizard bounty hunters) and taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix Lestrange then finds they had the Sword of Gryffindor, which was supposed to be in her vault at Gringotts (the wizarding bank), and is furious. Page 463 says, “’Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback.’ ‘Wait,’ said Bellatrix sharply. ‘All except… except for the Mudblood.’ Greyback gave a grunt of pleasure. ‘No!’ shouted Ron. ‘You can have me, keep me!’ Bellatrix hit him across the face; the blow echoed across the room. ‘If she dies under questioning, I’ll take you next,’ she said. ‘Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book.’” Ron isn’t concerned with his own safety at this point, his biggest concern is making sure Hermione is okay. He is locked in the cellar and forced to listen to Hermione’s screams as she is being tortured above. Ron is in agony waiting in the cellar, unable to help. He yells her name over and over, he even tries Disapparating without his wand (pages 464-466) until they can escape with the help of Dobby the house-elf (house-elves are basically wizard slaves who can only be freed when presented with clothing). Given the proof throughout the series of how much Ron cares about his friends, this was its own kind of physiological torture for Ron. When Dobby dies rescuing the prisoners of Malfoy Manor, Ron takes off his socks and shoes and gives them to Dobby to be buried in (page 479) because he knew how much that would mean to the elf. House-elves can only be freed when their master gives them clothes. Dobby was actually the Malfoy’s house-elf and was treated terribly. Unlike most house-elves, he wished to be free. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry tricked Mr. Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock, freeing him. Dobby was loyal to Harry ever since. The elf was looked down upon by other house-elves for enjoying his freedom, wanting pay for work, and wearing as much clothes as he could. The fact that Ron thought about what a house-elf would’ve wanted when most wizards wouldn’t spare a glance says a lot about his character’s growth.

The Battle of Hogwarts begins on chapter 31, bringing new horrors and traumas. Harry wouldn’t have gotten far without Ron. Harry, Ron, and have acquired their newest Horcrux: the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. At this point in the story, they were forced to give up the Sword of Gryffindor and have no way to destroy the Horcrux. That is, until Ron has the brilliant idea of going down to the Chamber of Secrets to get a basilisk fang, which has the venom to destroy a Horcrux (page 622). Not only did he have the idea when nobody else knew what to do, he learned Parseltounge, the language of snakes, simply from remembering what Harry had said (page 623). Without Ron’s quick thinking or sharp memory, they would’ve all been doomed, for Voldemort could not die until all the Horcruxes were destroyed. During the midst of the battle, Ron shocks us while they are accounting for where everyone is fighting. On page 625, it says, “’Hang on a moment!’ said Ron sharply. ‘We’ve forgotten someone!’ ‘Who?’ asked Hermione. ‘The house-elves, they’ll all be down in the kitchen, won’t they?’ ‘You mean we ought to get them fighting?’ asked Harry. ‘No,’ said Ron seriously, ‘I mean we should tell them to get out. We don’t want anymore Dobbies, do we? We can’t order them to die for us-‘” This is a huge point in Ron’s character development. Throughout the series, we see house-elves who are enslaved to wizards. The oddest thing is that they seem to like being enslaved (at least, that’s how J.K. Rowling portrays them). Hermione was a big advocate for house elf rights, even creating the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or S.P.E.W. for short. Ron has always brushed off her rants and told her to drop because the elves like being enslaved and never really gave it a second thought. To Harry and Hermione who grew up in the muggle world, the slavery of the house-elves is very wrong to them. Ron has grown up in the wizarding world and has always just accepted it as a fact of the way things work. At this point in the series we see him realizing that just because they are house-elves doesn’t mean they should be forgotten. Ron doesn’t suggest that the house-elves should fight or die for a wizards war, instead wishes to get them to safety. Perhaps his views of house-elves changed with the death of Dobby. Either way, Ron willingly taking steps to get over the bigotry that was instilled in him is a testament to how great of a character he truly is. 

Both a great blessing and a tragedy are bestowed on the Weasley’s in this book. Percy Weasley, who had abandoned them after being blinded by his ambition, returned to Hogwarts to fight on Harry’s side. On page 606, Percy apologies sincerely, and the book reads, “’It’s been coming on for a while,’ said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his traveling cloak. ‘But I had to find a way out and it’s not so easy at the Ministry, they’re imprisoning traitors all the time.’” The Weasley’s were at last all reunited and Ron had his older brother back. In the next chapter, he loses another. Fred Weasley dies on page 636 right in front of Percy, Ron, Harry, and Hermione. As soon as the Weasley family is complete, Fred passes on, leaving his twin George behind in the fight.

At the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry dies and sacrifices himself for the good of the wizarding world. If you’ve read the books, you know that he chooses to come back, but the fact remains that when Voldemort was boasting and showing Harry’s presumably dead body like a first grader at show and tell, Ron had to watch knowing his best friend for seven years was gone. When Harry is presented as dead, the book says on page 730, “’NO!’ The scream was even more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound.” A few lines later, the book says, “Ron’s, Hermione’s, and Ginny’s voices were worse than McGonagall’s…” If Harry couldn’t even fathom that the scream of McGonagall was so terrible, imagine how awful the sound of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny’s screams were. Voldemort commands silence and the cries stop, but then Ron yells out, “He beat you!” Ron stood against the most powerful dark wizard that had ever ruled and defended his best friend, even when he believed Harry to be dead. Ron knew that even with Harry’s death, that Harry’s sacrifice had enabled Voldemort to still have a chance at being defeated. He never once gave up during the battle, even when it seemed all hope was lost. 

Ronald Weasley deserves to be remembered as one of the best characters in Harry Potter rather than one of the worst. A loyal and devoted friend, he never falters when it comes to caring for those he holds dear. He is hardworking, courageous, supportive, and never fails to defend those who need it. Without Ron, Harry would have never been able to save the wizarding world. The amount of effort and love Ron pours into his friends is unfathomable. He faced trauma upon trauma and did it while still lifting the spirits of those around him. Ron shouldn’t go down as the cheap comic relief character who happens to be Harry’s friend, he is so much more than that. Ron Weasley is the most underrated character in the series and the one I will always remember as one of the greatest characters of all time.

Sources:

• Wizardingworld.com. 2020. Wizarding World – The Official Home Of Harry Potter. [online] Available at: <https://www.wizardingworld.com/> [Accessed 18 September 2020].
• Rowling, J. (2015). Harry Potter: The complete collection (1-7). Pottermore Publishing.
• Rowling, J. (2017). The Hogwarts library collection. Pottermore Publishing.

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