Ron (just Ron ... no SHIP); Bickering

[serenadust]

No: HPFGUIDX 38706

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny Linsenmayer <pennylin at s...> wrote:


 I haven't meant to suggest that I think all relationships should 
follow the Penny Model or that the Penny Model is spice-free.  <g>  
I can fully get behind challenging, dynamic, "spicy" and even 
riotous (though I draw the line at turbulent ... because it implies 
emotional ups & downs that I could frankly live without).  But, I 
think I would find frequent (and certainly incessant) bickering as 
Harry does: tiresome & exhausting.


Harry certainly does get sick of Ron & Hermione sniping at each 
other, and even goes to the Owlery to get away from it.  The point, 
I think is that *Hermione* certainly doesn't seem to find it 
tiresome.  In fact, the fact is that it takes two to bicker and 
since she is always just as engaged in it as Ron is, I've always 
gotten the impression that she finds it stimulating rather than 
upsetting.

Penny:

> Yes, my threshold for bickering is very low.  Harry appears to 
find it distasteful on occasion but generally puts up with it.  So, 
the question du jour: how do Ron & Hermione really feel about it?  I 
guess we'll find out.

Well, I've given my opinion on Hermione's feelings above.  There's 
certainly no reason she couldn't just walk away from Ron when their 
arguments get heated.  She never does, though, and it seems very 
important to her that she stay engaged in the conflict until it 
blows itself out.  Hermione gives as good as she gets.


Penny:

  I'm the one who's hugely offended when people try to say things 
like "Ron is more important to Harry than Hermione" for example.  I 
*know* I've said this before: if asked to name his 2 best friends, 
it's clear Harry would name Ron and Hermione (and I don't think he'd 
even agree to prioritize them).  If asked to name her 2 best 
friends, I'm sure Hermione would say Harry & Ron.  And obviously Ron 
would name Harry & Hermione.  I don't think there are any 
hierarchies of any sort within the Trio.  

But, but...Ron *is* more important to Harry when push comes to 
shove. I really don't want to "hugely offend" you but JKR makes it 
clear on two occasions in GoF, that if forced to choose, Harry would 
prefer Ron to Hermione.
"Harry liked Hermione very much, but she just wasn't the same as 
Ron.  There was much less laughter and a lot more hanging around in 
the library when Hermione was your best friend"  GoF, Chapter 19

This clearly indicates that before their rift, Harry regards Ron as 
his *best* friend, and Hermione as one of his best friends. In the 
second task, of course, Ron is the one thing Harry will miss most.  
Now I suppose you could argue that Ron was chosen because Krum had 
already chosen Hermione, but I really think that since Fleur would 
miss her sister more than anything else, Ron functions as 
Harry's "brother".  Cho and Hermione are there as 'girlfriends', and 
even though Harry had a fierce crush on Cho, he doesn't value her or 
anyone else quite as much as he does Ron.  As much as we'd like it 
to be otherwise, friendships between three people never are exactly 
equal, are they?

Hermione is certainly a very, very valuable friend to Harry and 
she's a hugely important part of the trio, but it seems to me that 
Harry values the laughter and fun he gets from Ron over the 
nurturing and nagging he gets from Hermione.  Of course, Ron seems 
to value her in a *completely* different way from Harry, so I have 
to wonder who he would choose as his most valued friend, at the end 
of the day.

Jo S.