Ron & the 2nd Task

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 16548

Hi --

Capn Kathy AKA Elanor Gamgee wrote:

> I wrote: >Um .... well, we don't know how the hostages were chosen. We don't know that Hermione wasn't already Krum's hostage >when it came time to decide who Harry's hostage should be. I really think it was >ultimately a plot device to be sure that 3 people that >Harry cares about were hostages; I have a very hard >time thinking that JKR was sending a direct message that Ron is more important >to Harry than Hermione.
>
> Kathy said: Well, as you probably already know, I strongly disagree on that one. I think there is plenty of evidence that Ron would be Harrys thing-he-missed-most over Hermione any time. But thats already been argued and argued, so anyone who wants to go into that can check the archives. What I would like to say, however, is that I think Hermione would know thisand I dont think she would be angry or feel slighted by this, as some have suggested. I think she would be happy for Ron, I really do.

Rose raises the good point that the egg doesn't say that the merpeople are taking what's "most important."  It's taking something that the champion "will sorely miss."

I still disagree that it's a good idea to try & decide which of 2 best friends is ultimately the most important to Harry.  I don't think it's possible for one thing.  It is quite possible to have more than one "best" friend & be unable to say definitively that when push comes to shove, Friend A is a smidge "more important" to you than Friend B is.

In any case, I think Harry himself has answered that question for us -- take a look at what happens down in the Lake & what Harry says:

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He began to hack at the ropes binding Ron, and after several minutes' hard work, they broke apart. ......"

Harry looked around.  There was no sign of any of the other champions.  What were they playing at?  Why didn't they hurry up?  He turned back to Hermione, raised the jagged rock, and began to hack at her bindings too --

At once, several pairs of strong gray hands seized him.  Half a dozen mermen were pulling him away from Hermione, shaking their green-haired heads, and laughing.

"You take your own hostage," one of them said.  "Leave the others ....."

"No way!" said Harry furiously -- but only two large bubbles came out.

"Your task is to retrieve your own friend .... leave the others ...."

"SHE'S my friend too!"  Harry yelled, gesturing toward Hermione.

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If asked point-blank, I suspect he'd look at you like you were crazy and say more or less what he does above, "They're *both* my friends; they're *both* important to me."

*I* like Hermione loads better than Ron, but I don't think Harry does.  I think they are his two equally-important best friends.  He wouldn't choose between them down in the Lake, and I doubt he'd choose any differently above-ground under normal circumstances.

Penny