Weasley deaths & Re: Clash of Heirs, Ron as Heir

[nobodysrib <nobodysrib@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 53185

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "karenkyla3 <karenkyla3 at a...>" 
<karenkyla3 at a...> wrote:
> In a post, Brin states:
> "The idea of Harry, Ron and Hermione as the other three heirs is 
very 
> appealing. 
<snip>
>  
> But did you already consider the big, looming, morbid fact that 
> comes with this theory? That an heir is the *oldest child*? 
> 
> Someone recently posted (tried to find it now but couldn't - sorry) 
> about whether Ron's Erised image in PS was a terrible 
foreshadowing -
> standing alone as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. Say, do you feel 
> that cold breeze??"
> 
>Stacy responded:
> 
> I'm getting chills.  I simultaneously don't want to think about it 
> and am seduced by it.  While I want to scream, "no, you can't kill 
> them off!", the effect it would have upon Ron's character and 
> adding depth is strangely intriguing.  
<snip>
> The mirror thing had not occurred to me, but 
> remember that it does not show the future, only his desire which 
> could definitely come back to haunt him, but i don't see it 
> predicting a whole lot.  But I could be wrong.  

My turn:

I've got chills, too.  I adore the Weasleys, but now I *almost* want 
to see this plot line followed through.  (And remember - if Ron needs 
to be the oldest Weasley in this situation, that means the Ginny 
doesn't have to die.)  

One of the ways I can see this developing Ron's character: his 
jealousy of Harry would be curbed.  He would see that although Harry 
does have a vault of gold, etc., nothing makes up for losing your 
parents.  This could be, perhaps, the only way for Ron to truly see 
how fortunate his life is and how his Harry-jealousy is pretty much 
in vain.

Also, although the mirror doesn't predict the future, isn't one of 
the worst feelings in the world when you wish for something, get it, 
and realize it ain't all it's cracked up to be.  (ie, "careful what 
you wish for...")  So we've got Ron, who's both jealous of his older 
sibling's accomplishments as well as feeling pressure to live up to 
those accomplishments.  And you just know that he's had those moments 
where he wished he were an only child - or at least wished that Bill, 
Charlie, Fred, and George weren't around to make him feel that 
jealousy and pressure.  We've seen evidence of this when he looked in 
the mirror of Erised and was standing by *himself*.  (No images of 
his parents or siblings standing and cheering him for his 
accomplishments.)  But then, much to Ron's horror, his deepest, 
darkest wish actually comes true (and family members die), and not 
only does he have to deal with that grief, but also with the deep 
semi-secret that he had sort of wished that it would happen.  Oh, 
poor Ron!

- Nobody's Rib