Is it Ron?

[Melody <Malady579@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52705

JenD wrote:
> I know this has been discussed a million times but I can't shake the
> fear that it will be Ron that JKR offs in OoP. Look at him. He's the
> most flawed of the "good guys."

Well to be honest before I start off, who can we say are the "good
guys"?  I would classify the "good guys" in this series as being the
ones that want Voldemort's reign of terror to end forever.  So within
that definition, I would place Snape in there too, and he, in my
opinion, is the most flawed "good guy".  Well, it is not that easy to
define that either, since he could have other motives for his actions.
 He is more complex in his reactions than Ron.

But to say someone is going to die just because they are flawed?
Frankly to date, JKR has killed the characters that she has not really
developed that well at *all*.  Ron's character is more complex.  He
has motives and goals to attain still in the text.  I think JKR would
not kill him off until his little spats with Draco are settled, and
they will not be settled probably until Arthur's spats with Lucius are
too.  I see a father/son bonding over the victory over the Malfoys.

That of course, *could* happen in OoP, but it seems too early.  There
are two more books after this one.


> In PoA, he cared more for his rat than a friendship.

He was 13 and has had that rat around him almost all his life.  People
get rather attached to pets.  Even though Ron does shrug off his care
for Scabbers, Harry saw through it.  Ron may grumble about his
hand-me-down pet, but he truly does care for it.  It is his, and a
Weasley defends what is theirs, or rather, what they care about deeply.

So it is not like he cares more for his pet than *Hermione*.  He just
is defending what is his when he thought it was being attacked.  It
was Hermione's pet that was after Scabbers.  Hermione was no shrinking
violet in defending her pet either, so they reached a stale mate.
Both were pigheaded about the whole ordeal.  I do not think Ron's side
is any worse than Hermione's in that situation.  They both were at fault.

And in fact, Ron had more right cause to be pigheaded.  He was the one
that was correct.  Crookshanks was after his pet.


> He was so completely jealous of Harry in GoF that
> he walked away from their friendship.

I take it you did not read Dicentra's post last week.  Well even
without that post, I still think Ron was more hurt by the betrayal of
Harry than jealous.  If you look at it that way, then Ron was not
being a little prat.  He was deeply hurt.  He hid that behind the
cause of jealousy, but we know better.  If you think someone you think
so highly of betrays you, how else are you to react than the way he
does?  At first you are furious and pouty.  Then after a while, your
true feelings for then seeps out again like when Ron went downstairs
to find out where Harry was.  He does care for Harry.  He did not walk
away from it really.  It is too much a part of him.  He just had to
get some air and sort some things out.  I think he should be entitled
to do that.  He does have a lot to deal with too.

I guess what you are saying is that Ron's actions based on his
emotions are not the most honorable.  Funny, I find them to be honest.
 He has had a rather cushioned life emotionally.  Happy warm family
and childhood.  Respectable and smart older brothers.  Then he is
introduced to Harry and his tragic life.

Comparatively Harry would be more mature than Ron.  Harry has had to
face more and deal with more.  He has had to learn patience in the
face of complete unfair and bias adults.  He has had to learn the
preciousness of life and how good friends are rare.  Ron has not had
that yet.  He has still to learn all that.

Harry also knows what it is to truly "need".  Ron may *think* he
knows, but what he is confusing with "need" is really "want".


> He's a really tragic figure,
> short-sighted, painfully and angrily aware of his family's finacial
> situation, quick to judge.

When is he short sighted?  If that from the times he is quick to
judge?  Funny, he was taught that by his parents.  They are the ones
after all that say "never trust anything that can think for itself if
you can't see where it keeps its brain."  (CoS, Ch 18)  They are
teaching thier kids that some things are black and white.  I don't
think it fair to hold that over his head.  Yes, he needs to learn that
not everything is that simple, and motives are often complex, but
seems he *is* learning.  He does not hold Lupin's werewolf status
against him anymore.  Does not treat Hagrid differently because he has
learned he is a half-giant.

Ron's first reaction may be out of learned fear like telling a kid to
"never take candy from strangers", but that fear or judgment is based
on good sound advise from his parents.  Werewolves *are* dangerous.
Giants *are* dangerous.

And as for the money well, I do kind of get annoyed with him about
that.  Mostly because when one is not as well off as they would like,
it never does any good to complain about it.  ::shrugs::  But then
again, he is young.  And no one tells him that his complaining is
annoying.  They should you know.


> He has many good qualities but face it,
> he's provided a lot of the dramatic tension with his flaws. Of all
> the characters I am supposed to care about, he's the one that makes
> me the maddest. And yet, Harry still values him above all else.

Ron is *incredibly* loyal to Harry.  He is a true friend that is not
there because Harry is famous.  Ron like Harry.  A lot.  They get
along just swimmingly.  Do you blame Harry for being friends with Ron?
 If I was him, I would be.  Ron is a good friend.  He is always there
for Harry.  Well except for their little spat, but spats like that
sometimes need to happen so the friendship can move on deeper.  It
cleanses out the misunderstandings, and after task two, I think Ron
can not longer doubt Harry's deep abiding care and love for him.


> It would be the ultimate challenge for Harry to face life without
> him.  Can someone tell me why it won't be Ron?

Well, all my reasons are metathinking, but then again the question is
a metathinking one.

First:
Ron's plot has not finished yet.  If he was to die now then Draco's
and his plot line would die short as I said before.  His and
Hermione's tension would fall flat.  Ron's desire for out doing his
brothers would be unrequited.  It seems to me that it is too soon for
Ron to die.  He has too much to accomplish.

Second:
Harry's tie to the Weasleys would vanish.  Without Ron, Harry has no
reason to be as close to them as he is.  Yes, he could be an adopted
son, but Harry is not as close to the other brothers as he is to Ron,
so it would be a bit awkward.  Even if Harry dated Ginny, it still
would be odd.  The connection to the Weasleys via Ron is too important
with JKR to throw that away this soon.  Harry is adopted in through
Ron, but Ron is the important one there.

Third:
Harry would truly be alone.  No amount of girl love would replace Ron,
and there is not boy to date in the series even close to replacing
Ron.  Harry already knows that kind of loneliness.  I don't think JKR
wants to revisit it.

Fourth:
JKR could kill off Hermione better than she could Ron.  Ron's death
interrupts too much of the plot lines.  The tie there to Harry is so
intense that it would greatly disturb the books.  Hermione's death,
while being tragic and impacting, is not as jarring to Harry as Ron's
would.  Harry has never visited her home or with her parents beyond
normal pleasantries.  He does not write as much to her.  He does not
pal and play around as much with her.  Harry even does not share the
same room with her, so Hermione is not dug in as deeply as Ron.  Ron
is a brother.  Ron is similar in nature.  If JKR kills Ron, she kills
a big part of Harry.

So, if JKR "needs" to kill one of the trio, she can accomplish the
same tragic impact with Hermione but keeps Harry stable.  If has been
established, I think, that Harry is better off with Ron than he is
with Hermione.  Yes, yes, I know a terrible thing to say, but it is
Harry's true heart right now.  He does like Ron better as a friend.
He leans more on Ron.  They both are deep in his heart, but by killing
Ron instead of Hermione, Harry is left much more weakened and
distraught.  *That* kind of mourning, JKR does not have time for in
her books.

In my opinion, if she desires a deep inner circle death, then she
needs a more cursory character that has gotten in Harry's inner circle
of his heart but not so much that he collapses from their death.  I
think Hagrid fits that very well.

Then Harry can still run to the Weasleys for comfort.  Ron and
Hermione are there with their own brands of comfort.  Hagrid's place
can be filled fairly easily by Lupin or some other person Harry does
care about already and just needs that adult shoulder to listen.  In a
way, Sirius has already taken that role.

I just do not see Ron dying this early.  Maybe in book six.  Ehh,
probably not.  Book seven all is fair play, so I will not say there.
But Ron is too important to the plots now to jerk him out from it all.

Melody