Celebrating Friendship: Ron Weasley
Harry Potter is fortunate to have made so many wonderful friends at Hogwarts. In order to celebrate that friendship, I shine a spotlight on Harry’s best friends and all they did for him. These are the friends who ventured into danger with him, supported him as the years became steadily darker, and became his closest, most trusted allies in the fight against Voldemort.
Ron Weasley has been Harry’s brother from the moment they met each other on the Hogwarts Express. They are for the most part inseparable from then on; they rely on each other completely, and wherever one goes, the other follows. Ron’s loyalty to Harry, though sometimes challenged by his insecurity, remains unbreakable. To celebrate their friendship, here are some of my favorite often-overlooked moments that truly make Ron Harry’s brother.
1. “I told her you didn’t expect any presents and – oh no… she’s made you a Weasley sweater” (SS 200).
Ron mentions to his mother that Harry won’t be expecting any Christmas presents – probably knowing full well that Molly will want to immediately remedy that – so Harry can feel included on Christmas Day. It’s very sweet that when Ron realizes Harry has no family to spend Christmas with, he ensures that Harry becomes part of his own family – an honorary Weasley.
2. “‘Come on,’ said Ron’s voice in his ear, ‘Move – come on -‘” (CS)
When Harry unknowingly speaks Parseltongue, Ron immediately realizes how bad Harry looks and drags him out of the room before the situation can escalate. He explains to Harry exactly what happened before Harry can hear from the rest of his peers that he is evil or deranged. Ron does not doubt Harry for one second, but he makes it his priority to get him out of a tense situation.
3. “Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor” (PoA 185).
Though Malfoy’s foul Dementor impressions are directed at Harry, it’s Ron who retaliates on Harry’s behalf. Ron cannot sit idly by as his best friend is mocked for a horrible experience he had. And watching a slimy heart smack Malfoy right in his smug face must have brightened Harry’s day. Isn’t that what friends are for?
4. “Ron’s indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him” (GoF 360).
Having Ron back after weeks of tension and anxiety lightens Harry’s heart immensely. Though Ron’s insecurity sometimes causes tension between them, his love for Harry is unbreakable, and he always comes back. Ron’s friendship clearly makes Harry happy; he feels as though he can endure anything with Ron at his side.
5. “‘Harry? HARRY!’ Someone had hit him around the face. The insane laughter was punctuated with a cry of pain” (OoTP 541).
In Harry’s most vulnerable moments, Ron is there to look after him. When Harry collapses into these fits, it’s Ron who snaps him out of them and then sits with him and allows him to talk about what he’s seen. He listens to Harry when most of the world refuses to and gives him a space where he can be vulnerable without judgment.
6. “It was a mark of the strength of their friendship that Ron did not laugh” (HBP 169).
Sensitivity isn’t typically Ron’s strong suit, but here he shows how well he can read Harry by remaining serious even though the story behind Harry’s broken nose is quite ridiculous. Ron can recognize when Harry is embarrassed or angry, when he’s unwilling to talk or when he needs to talk. He does all he can to respect his feelings.
7. “‘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!'” (PoA 339)
At age 13, Ron Weasley confronted a notorious mass murderer for Harry while standing on a broken leg. Though he is clearly terrified and in serious pain, Ron places himself squarely between Harry and certain death. Ron proves time and again that he would die for Harry. The love Harry and Ron have for each other can be described as nothing other than brotherly love.
