Becoming Harry Potter: Gathering Your Trio
“Anyone sitting there?” he [Ron] asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.” –SS/PS
“But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” –SS/PS
Friendships may begin by accident but they are fueled on purpose. Ron and Harry happened to sit in the same car on their first trip to Hogwarts. Harry could have just as easily wound up in Draco’s car. Does that mean they would have been friends? Only if Harry chose to be Draco’s friend, which he is given the opportunity to and refuses. Why? Because he sees the character of Draco and, owing much to his own character, chooses Ron.
Together Harry and Ron chose Hermione. Not for her wits or intellect, but because she stood by them in the fight with the troll and took the fall when it wasn’t her fault. Circumstances brought the trio together, their choices kept them together.
Neither Harry, Ron, nor Hermione were without their faults but they each found in the others something worth investing in. Harry’s selflessness. Hermione’s unwavering bravery. Ron’s loyalty and generosity. They fought and disagreed but they stayed true to each other until the end.
“We’ll be there, Harry….We’re with you whatever happens..” –Ron, HBP
We all need to belong to a trio. Those friends that we’ll face a three-headed dog with, negotiate with an acromantula, face the dementors, help us train for the Triwizard Tournament, join Dumbledore’s Army, and leave everything behind to help us fight and destroy Voldemort.
Challenge: Identify you trio. Ask yourself who you would be willing to do all of the things listed above for. Who would you risk expulsion from Hogwarts for? Who would you face acromantula for? Who would you leave behind everything to face Voldemort for? Who have you been there for over and over already? Make a list.
Now ask yourself who would do all of the above for you? Who has already been there over and over for you?
Harry had many friends who stood by his side in battle, but two of those were his closest companions. They were the ones he trusted with the knowledge of the Horcruxes. They were the ones Dumbledore trusted because, time and again, they stuck by his side—even in the face of death.
Narrow your list down to those two people that make up your “golden trio.” Then, make sure you invest in fueling those friendships. Commit to sticking by their sides even when it is not easy. Be their Ron or Hermione before you expect them to be your Ron or Hermione.
Perhaps you don’t have two. Start looking. Keep your eye open. In the meantime be the kind of person worthy of a devoted trio.
Who are your two? #BHPMyTrio
Next Week: Becoming Ron Weasley
