More on Ron...

[harry_potter00 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11490

Kathy wrote:
"There was a time when I actually thought it possible that Ron might 
betray Harry, but after rereading the books more, I just don't see 
it.  He's far too protective of Harry and willing to sacrifice for 
him.  The Chess game in SS/PS has been hashed over endlessly, but 
what struck me recently were the scenes in PoA Ron pushes Harry out 
of the way when the dog attacks (Ron doesn't know about Sirius yet of 
course) and the way he stands up for him in the Shrieking Shack 
("You'll have to kill all 3 of us!).  I just can't see someone who 
cares about his friend that much betraying him.  It just doesn't 
tally with Ron's character at all, IMO."

I still think that it is very likely that Harry will be betrayed by 
someone. Not Ron, but someone.  The people who are closest to Harry 
are Hermione and Ron.  I can't see Hermione betraying Harry, even 
accidentally, she's too level headed. Ron OTOH is rather given to 
emotional outbursts.  His personality is, I don't know, more- 
volatile.  

I'm not even saying that I think Ron will betray Harry knowingly 
(that is if he does). Perhaps someone that Ron trusts will trick him. 
Or perhaps in a moment of anger he'll let something slip and then try 
to fix.  If he does betray Harry in some way I can see him coming 
back and trying to fix things, or dying heroically trying...

Kathy wrote:
"That said, I must say with reluctance that I think it far more 
likely (and it pains me greatly to say this) that Ron will not make 
it to the end of Book 7 alive.  We have already seen a few instances 
where he willingly "sacrificed" himself for Harry, and I suspect 
there's some foreshadowing there.  (And also very poignantly in the 
fact that Ron was the thing Harry would miss the most.) I am hoping 
against hope that this scenario does not play out, because I would be 
devastated personally, much more so than if Harry died. It doesn't 
bear thinking about."

WOW, I actually agree with you here! (goggling at the fact). For all 
practical purposes the death of Harry would also be the end of the 
canon. If Ron were to die then the reader would experience Harry (and 
Hermione and everyone else's pain) at the experience as well as 
feeling their own pain. This could easily make it more difficult.

Scott