SHIP: Ron and the various ships

[Kimberly]

No: HPFGUIDX 11596

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer <pennylin at s...> 
wrote:
>I still think that Hermione spent virtually all her time with Harry 
>during this fight --
> after the initial mediation attempts failed -- I can't imagine when 
>she might have had any chance to be with Ron otherwise given that 
>she was with Harry at meal-times, in between classes, during 
>classes, etc.  <snip longer bits>

I agree with this.  I think Hermione spent more time with Harry 
during the fight.  She knew he was pretty much alone without her, and 
she knew he'd done nothing wrong.  Hermione is a fair person, 
and is very disturbed by injustice - that's one of the few places 
where I can identify fully with her.  As some have mentioned, Ron 
wasn't isolated, he had other people, so it makes sense that she'd 
spend more time with Harry.  She clearly cared about how both of them 
were feeling.  If she hadn't, she wouldn't have bothered to try to 
bring them back together, and she wouldn't have been able to explain 
to Harry so clearly what Ron was feeling.  She knows how important 
they are to each other, and that their teenage boy pride was holding 
them back.

 But,
> whatever she said, I think she said it early-on ... as the fight 
wore
> on, she spent her time with Harry.  

I don't think she avoided Ron.  She's a persistant person, and I 
think she kept trying to get him to come around as well.  There are 
lots of classes, breaks, meals and days that are left out of the 
book, and there were also times when Harry was off dealing with the 
tournament.  I believe Hermione sought out Ron when she had the 
chance.  Both boys were stubborn, and it took awhile, but I know she 
was invested in them making up, by her reaction when they finally did.

Neither Ron nor Harry cared too much
> about the other persons' feelings IMO.  

I think both cared.  Harry made allusions to it himself, and Ron 
showed he did when he came downstairs to check on him in the common 
room.  I just don't think either could bring themselves to swallow 
their pride and allow themselves to see the other's point of view.

But, I still maintain that Ron's
> position is the more distasteful (IMHO anyway).

Of course Ron's position was more distasteful!  He was a world-class 
ninny about it :).  I don't know about anyone else, but I've always 
agreed that Ron was in the wrong.  He was blind and churlish and oh-
so-very adolescent.  But I personally remember teenage fights.  I 
remember being blind and churlish and adolescent myself, as my 
friends were also.  We, just like Harry and Ron, forgave each other 
and moved on.  I just don't quite understand the continued grudge 
against Ron for a mistake that he has been forgiven for.  If they're 
over it, then so am I.  Life's too short to hold a grudge.  

<snip>
There's a
> > middle ground between Weasley-bashing and utter Ron-worship, and 
I get
> > the feeling that even that middle ground wouldn't be tolerated. 
Again,
> > I've only visited Sugarquill once, and *extremely* briefly, so I
> > apologize if the impression I got from the site and the posts 
here was
> > the wrong one, but that was it.

I don't have any connection to Sugarquill, other than visiting the 
boards there every few days, but from what I've observed, you may 
well have gotten the wrong impression.  Then again maybe I'm the one 
that got the wrong impression - please, anyone who knows the details 
of Sugarquill, jump in if I'm way off-base.
I think their rules or whatever they are were meant in a joking way, 
but have been taken very seriously.  Last time I visited there was a 
thread about what will happen if Ron finds out that Harry gave the 
money from the tournament to Fred and George and paid for his new 
dress robes.  In that thread there was definitely some amused 
discussion about what an idiot Ron can be.  
But from what I can gather (and again, Sugarquill people, if I'm off-
base, correct me!) the people there are just trying to enjoy 
themselves and celebrate the characters they love.  It's no different 
from having a site for any other beloved fictional character or 
group, in that I'm guessing they assumed that people choosing to come 
there would be those who shared their enthusiasm, so the statments 
made were almost definitely jokes, rather than attempts to impose on 
anyone's first amendment rights ;).  I think it was more a tongue-in-
cheek way of warning people that if they're not Weasley fans they 
might not be interested.  At least that's the way I took it.


> 
> I don't think it qualifies as "Weasley-bashing" to consider the
> theoretical possibility that Ron's jealous insecurity & obvious 
desire
> for wealth and recognition might make him a very vulnerable target 
for
> Voldemort & the dark side.  But, anything short of "Ron would 
*never*
> betray his friend Harry, not under *any* circumstances" seems to be
> labelled as "Weasley-bashing."


I do consider this a possibility, in the deep dark secret part of my 
brain.  I don't believe it will happen, in part because it would be 
completely devastating to Harry, to Hermione, to Ron himself, to the 
whole Weasley family, etc., and I don't want to think JKR would go 
that far.  Plus it would devastate me also, so I'd rather not 
consider the possibility.  I think it would be worse for Harry et al 
than if she killed him off.
In all honestly I suspect there will be some temptation that Ron will 
have to endure.  It's just that I believe that he *will* endure it.  
I'd be surprised if there weren't a dark moment when he teeters on 
the brink - that's what we all have to go through to some extent if 
we're ever going to make the conscious decision that our lives are 
going to be about doing good.  I don't think he'll give in to 
temptation and betray them.  No matter what a git he can be 
sometimes, when push comes to shove, Ron has proven that he considers 
his own life small price to pay for his friends.  

Kimberly, 
Who has decided to catch up on some posts before she goes any further.