Ron's Middle Name

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 105141

Alina wrote:
I keep on seeing posts on the Bubble Gum Wrappers Anagram thread
asking if Ron's middle name begins with a B, even though several
people replied that yes, it's Bilius. So here it is once and for all.
Here's a copy/paste of the transcript of the chat where JKR revealed it:
<quote from the World Book Day Chat snipped>

Carol:
Thanks for providing that link. We can add that Ron is named after his
Uncle Bilius, the one who died after seeing the Grim (mentioned
somewhere in PoA).

What I don't understand, though, is how supposed information about
"Ron B W" being a Muggleborn (rather than a pureblood, as we've been
led to believe for five books) would be in any way significant enough
to be the message that the gum wrappers are intended to convey. Even
if it were true, it wouldn't be the reason the Longbottoms were tortured.

I still believe that the gum wrappers are only a touching gesture
intended to convey that Alice vaguely recognizes Neville and Neville
values anything she gives him. Why aren't there any bubbles? Because
Alice has forgotten how to blow them and just chews the gum as if it
were Wrigley's spearmint (see JKR's desk). And I see no reason not to
believe Dumbledore that the Longbottoms were tortured in hopes that
they could provide information on Voldemort's whereabouts. (How the
DEs knew he wasn't dead or whether it had anything to do with Neville
and the Prophecy, I can't say.) I do know that JKR took Umbridge--erm,
umbrage--with fans who suggested that Peter Pettigrew might be
Neville's father, implying that Alice Longbottom, in her view, is a
heroine whose name should not be smirched with the suggestion of a
dalliance with a Death Eater/traitor. (See her cross reference to the
question about Lily Potter being a Death Eater and its response: "How
dare you?") Putting Alice in the same category as Lily suggests that
she won't recover and emphasizes the parallel between Neville and
Harry; to all intents and purposes Neville, like Harry, has been
"orphaned" by Voldemort or his agents. Note that Harry holds Voldemort
ultimately responsible and sees Neville's tragedy as in some ways
greater than his own--an important chance for Harry to develop
compassion that would be lost if Neville's parents recovered.

Carol, who firmly believes that Ron is a pureblood, Petunia and Dudley
are Muggles, Snape is a good guy, Lupin is not ESE!, and we're all
seeing clues that aren't there. Of course, I also believed all those
points (except the last) even before the Mark Evans fiasco
disillusioned me.