[HPforGrownups] Re: Ron's chess ability

[Laura Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 38286

Grey Wolf:
>Which leads me to believe that Ron is going to be one of the major 
>planners in the war against V in book 7, and he's going to realize 
>that a piece needs to be sacrified: himself <snippage>

I don't think it'd be in character for Ron to take over the planning part of the Trio's endeavors.  So far, that's been pretty much Hermione's forte, and she's done a good job at it and really doesn't need replacement.

Perhaps if Hermione is killed or otherwise incapacitated, Ron may be forced to take over a planning role **is very suspicious that JKR is going to kill Hermione**, however, I think it's more in character for Harry to step into this role.

Think of the CoS, when Ginny is captured and Hermione is petrified (and therefore unable guide the boys) -- Harry is definitely the one taking the initiative there.  I'm not saying that Ron wasn't totally gung-ho to save his sister, just that Harry was definitely in the lead.

Come to think of it, perhaps that's why so many people (including me) get the innate feeling that Ron is "weak".  Because it's Hermione and Harry that usually take up the lead.  With the exception, of course, of the Giant Chess scene, which sticks out like a sore thumb..However, neither Harry nor Hermione were really experienced with chess, so that means the Ron only took over because the other two were incapable of it.

And it's unlikely that we'll see Ron stranded and taking the lead in the Voldemort situation, because everything is from Harry's POV.

Unless Harry and Hermione were tied to stakes and being forced to watch Ron bargain for their lives..or a similar scenario.

The point is, I think the planning/leading role will most likely fall to Hermione in the Voldemort battle, with Harry carrying out the plan with Ron and possibly Hermione backing him up.  This pattern fits with the canon we have so far -- In fact, it's exactly what happens with the whole Polyjuice Potion thing in CoS.

Notice that whenever the Trio are debating something, Hermione's opinion of the appropriate course of action almost always wins out.  Ron argues against her points quite hotly, of course -- but it never seems to get him anywhere.  Harry might follow his advice for a short while (during which the reader is expected to feel that he is seriously misguided), but ultimately he either takes Hermione's opinion or his own.

However, I do feel that JKR is planning to give Ron something special to do in the upcoming battle -- I just am not sure of what.

laura  


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