Ron's talents

[Marcelle]

No: HPFGUIDX 96957

> celletiger:
Melanie, I think you are right about this. Ron's gift is friendship. 
One of the reasons he'll sacrifice himself for Harry and Hermione in 
the end. <snip> But after he does a Fawkes-like rescue, the battle 
can be continued without him, as he has nothing to contribute other 
than his life in friendship.
> 
> Bookworm:
> <snip>
> That said, Celletiger, I think you are contradicting yourself. 
First you say that Ron's friendship is great enough for him to 
sacrifice himself, then `he has nothing to contribute.'  
> 
> First of all, self-sacrifice for a friend is the ultimate 
> contribution.<snip>

> Second, Ron's friendship is *everything* to Harry. Through Ron, 
> Harry has a family. IMO it is that sense of family that gives 
Harry the strength to keep going. <snip>


celletiger:
I don't mean to be contradictory - I agree that self-sacrafice is 
the ultimate contribution for another (I'm Christian, after all), 
but I mean Ron, or anyone else that cares enough, can offer his life 
out of love for Harry - but he is not offering anything else right 
now, in the meantime or a motive for doing so.  Perhaps he doesn't 
need to serve any other function than to be the one to whom Harry 
bounces his ideas and fears off of?  Ron is Harry's cup of pain - 
Harry can handle what he can because he can pour it into Ron?

Bookworm's right, of course: Harry values Ron's friendship more than 
anyone, more than Hermione's, at least that's what he says to us.  
After all, when Hermione is your best friend you spend a lot more 
time in the boring old library. 

Bookworm is right again in that Ron does give Harry a family, 
especially a mother.  In POA on the train platform, Molly frets over 
Harry a little longer than everyone else, but he likes it.  The 
hospital hug at the end of GOF brings me to tears each time I read 
it.  We are so aware of Molly's fussing over Harry in OOP because 
Harry is so conscious of it - it feels good to him to be 
acknowleged.  I'm not discounting the fact that Ron's friendship 
offers Harry the family he never had, but I want more from Ron 
himself.  

I want Ron personally to give me something to chew on now, not in 
the (slim?) chance he does get to sacrafice himself for Harry.  If 
he does get to perform this ultimate sacrafice, as forshadowed in 
PS/SS, my argument is that he's offered nothing in between (except 
an attentive ear?).  We know why Harry loves Ron as a friend.  Why 
does Ron love Harry as a friend?  

celletiger, who sometimes sings "Weasley is our king" in the shower