Does Ron Weasley Really Deserve His Place in Gryffindor House?

Our next Quibble of the Week comes to us from Ellis, and he ponders a somewhat controversial question: Does Ron Weasley truly deserve his place in Gryffindor House? If not, in which house would he be better suited?

Surprisingly, Ellis thinks Slytherin! Reflecting that Ron is not always the bravest member of the trio – (specifically when it comes to facing a boggart, or entering the forbidden forest, or building up the courage to confess his true feelings to a certain book-loving witch), Ellis suggests Ron’s cunning and ambition may be equal to (if not greater than) his bravery.

Speaking to Ron’s ego and ambition, Ellis writes, “…the image he saw in the Mirror of Erised was of himself in the position of both Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. If Ron was not ambitious, why would he be jealous of the amount of attention that Harry receives?”

What do you think of this theory? It seems true that Ron is not always as recklessly courageous as Harry, perhaps, but does being frequently scared of spiders make anyone less brave? Or do you think Ellis might be right, and Jo just got it wrong?