MBC**

[stephab67]

No: HPFGUIDX 179761

**MOST BELOVED CHARACTER
Steph:
I'm going to go with Ron with Hermione a close second.  

I'm probably going to get booed for liking Ron, since so many people
seem to hate him.  Yes, he's insecure, and doesn't like school much,
and can be insensitive.  But I get why he's insecure, with all those
older, cooler brothers (well, maybe not Percy), and a cool, really
popular younger sister, all of whom tease the heck out of him. Of
course the all Weasley boys have 'done it all' before he has, so he's
not anything special.  He seems to be the butt of all the jokes in the
Weasley family.  Fred, George and Ginny are particularly horrible to
him in OotP, as I recall.  I got relentlessly picked on by my older
brother so I can related to Ron, I suppose.  I can also relate to his
insecurities, especially in regards to the opposite sex.  

I like him because I can relate to his flaws, but also because he's
funny (some of the best lines in the books are Ron's), loyal, and can
think straight when Harry isn't always able to.  He welcomed Harry
into his family and got him away from the Dursleys, but didn't expect
anything in return.  He apologizes when he's wrong (especially in DH).
 He also has the brains to like Hermione, who is really a good match
for him.

Why Hermione?  I like that she's not afraid to be smart (even though
it's a defense against her insecurities), and isn't a girly-girl. 
She's a hard worker, and has the welfare of her friends in mind.  She
knows there's a limitation to her book-learning and that there are
things that can't be learned from books.  She's willing to break the
rules if the rules are wrong.  She's braver than she thinks she is. 
She also is smart enough to know when she's found someone who can
match her verbally and can make her laugh and relax.  

This isn't to say that I haven't wanted to shake both of them at
times, but overall, they've been consistently my favorites.  I do have
a tendency to like the sidekicks better than the heroes, though.  I
like Harry, he's a fantastic character, but I like Ron and Hermione
better.