Ron's career choice

[templar1112002]

No: HPFGUIDX 127254


Marcela wrote: I don't think that Ron really wants to be an Auror 
because he likes fighting Dark Arts, but mainly because it 
sounds "cool" to him.<cut>
...kids get some skewed notion of a profession and idealize it. 
In all honesty, I don't really think that Ron is cut out to 
be an Auror.  

*Lea replied: I understand what you are saying, and even agree that 
it is unlikely he will follow that career path.  However, I am very 
curious as to why you feel Ron isn't cut out to be an Auror.  
<snip>
Ron has proven himself to be a strategist on several occasions.  His 
mastery of the game of chess at 11/12 years of age is impressive 
(wasn't it Dumbledore that set up that 'safe guard'?).  


**Marcela now: I also see your point with the Chess mastery. [BTW, 
the fourth task in PS was set by McGonagall, Dumbledore's was the 
Mirror of Erised and seventh.]  Yet, there were many opportunities 
in the books that followed PS in which Ron could have "applied" in a 
practical way this mastery with strategy and he didn't... To give 
you the latest examples: in OoTP, it was the Twins that came up with 
the plan to divert Umbridge's attention so that Harry would be able 
to break into her office... you might say, well the Twins excell at 
that and Jo needed to get them out of Hogwarts, I say fine... But 
then towards the end, when they needed to do the same to break into 
same office, it was Hermione who designed the plan, she came up with 
the idea that Ginny and Luna could be of help, she told everybody 
what to do, the rest followed her orders and willingly.  
Then again, at the MoM, it was Harry who thought up their escape 
from the DEs, and somehow, he found Hermione's foot, not Ron's -Jo's 
choice. 

What I'm pointing at is that, yes, he is a smart kid, but Jo has not 
made him the 'strategist' ever again since PS.

-----------------o------------------

Lea wrote: Nor did he run when presented with monstrous spiders once 
in there.

***Marcela: I hate to point this out, but he didn't run because he 
was in a state of shock: "...Ron looked exactly like Harry felt.  
His mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes 
were popping. ..." CoS page 276.
Disregarding this, I'm not questioning Ron's bravery, we know he is 
the truest Gryffindor of the three.

-----------------o------------------

*Lea wrote: Although we all know that Dumbledore didn't make Harry a 
Prefect because he thought he would have enough to handle, Ron must 
have enough 'redeeming' qualities to be the next choice.  He isn't 
the only other boy in Gryffindor in Harry's year.

And lastly, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, by the time they finish 
Hogwarts (if they survive), have faced danger, death eaters, and 
survived situations that were not in their favor.  Wouldn't this 
count as something?


**Marcela now:  I wasn't saying that Ron was useless, please.
I'm sure that not all Prefects go to Auror training, so Dumbledore 
choosing Ron over the other Gryffindors for Prefectship doesn't mean 
he'll be good as an Auror.

Addressing your second paragraph: that't my point!  I believe that 
Ron thinks the same as you.  He said something along those lines in 
GoF, when they were thinking about entering the TWT "...You know, I 
bet we could do them, Harry.  We've done dangerous stuff before...".
The only problem I see is that Ron didn't perform exactly very well 
and always got injured -except for CoS, yet his wand got stolen by 
Lockhart.
I really think that Ron has a distorted idea of what being an Auror 
might involve.  We already saw that he didn't like the prefectship 
responsibilities, yet one of his deepest desires was to be Head 
Boy... 
Back to my point: does Ron really want to be an Auror, or is this a 
maneuver of Jo's to create some drama in HBP, when the kids learn 
what their OWLs might let them choose from?

Jo has made two comments about Ron:
1) She didn't think that Ron had been a doing well as a prefect 
(infamous 'House points deduction' quote),
2) She said the new Q.Captain might not want Ron in the team.

Those comments and Ron's role performance in OoTP gave me the idea 
that perhaps she'll make Ron's life a bit more difficult in HBP.  
Taking the War issue out, what else is usually in kids minds at that 
age (apart from girls :D)?  Their future careers.

Marcela