GOF: Ron's a real twit (git)

[Kate Harding]

No: HPFGUIDX 110234

T--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, juli17 at a... wrote:
 > So why is Ron considered Harry's best friend, including by Harry
 > himself? Because Ron's family has taken Harry in several times, or
 > because Ron is a boy?
<snip>
 > Though it's understandable that Harry sees Ron as his best friend, I'd
 > love to see him acknowledge at some point that the one person who has
 > stood next to him through *everything,* and has proven to be his truest
 > friend of all, isn't Ron, it's Hermoine.
<snip>
 > These two reactions have been repetitive throughout the books. Ron
 > usually ignores or dismisses Hermoine's feelings, while Harry is the
 > one who often notices and sometimes tries to alleviate her fears or
 > sadness.

I think it's true that Ron can be astonishingly insensitive - qv easter egg 
incident - but so can Harry - qv his complete inability to understand Cho's 
feelings in GoF. I get the impression that Jo sees this not so much as a 
function of their personalities, but of their age and gender. Teenage boys 
are not renowned for their sensitivity (with apologies to anyone who's ever 
been one!). I have faith they will grow up to be perfectly considerate 
young men.

I do think that Hermione is a steadier friend than Ron. She never falls out 
with Harry, even though he sometimes falls out with her. It's not that I 
think that Ron cares less for Harry than Hermione does, simply that he is 
more impulsive. For example, the conclusions he leapt to over Harry's entry 
into the Tri-Wizard Tournament and resulting falling out. We've never seen 
Hermione act like that.

But despite this, it's clear that Harry and Ron have a special bond, and to 
me it seems to be simply that they understand each other. They both seem to 
regard Hermione as a slightly alien incomprehensible creature - they may 
love and admire her, but they don't understand how she works. But they *do* 
understand each others' minds, because they are very much the same in many 
ways. Perhaps this is partly because they are both boys, but I think it 
goes deeper than that.

Julie concludes:

 > I don't have strong 'ship preferences for either R/H or H/H, but
 > I have yet to see any reason Hermoine should go for Ron.

To my mind Ron shows plenty of admirable qualities, such as courage, 
loyalty, a passionate caring for those he's close to, and a willingness to 
sacrifice himself for other. While I feel that Harry, by the end of OotP, 
is going through a particularly unlikeable patch - understandable, but 
still unpleasant. But I think our liking/dislike for them is pretty 
irrelevant, because the fact is that nobody chooses who they fall for! And 
it seems clear to me from the text that Hermione and Ron have begun to fall 
for each other.

psyche 

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