Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!

“Don’t worry about it” said Ron. “They’re looking at me, I’m extremely famous.” -Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Whenever I tell people Ron is one of my favorite characters from the HP series, I’m met with some responses of surprise and confusion. Poor Ron, the most unexceptional out of his large family and of course the trio – NOT. After paying close attention to the books and movies, it becomes clear that there’s so much more to him than the ‘goofy and under-shadowed best friend’ persona.

He Can Sacrifice

In the Philosopher’s (or Sorcerer’s if you’re American because apparently J.K. Rowling’s publisher didn’t think we could understand the term “philosopher” but I digress) Stone, Ron and the rest of the trio were no older than twelve. At age twelve he was willing to get creamed by a massive, living, chess piece for the good of the world. He was ultimately unharmed, but he could have easily been less fortunate. Later in the series, his sacrifices include dropping everything to help Harry when he believed Sirius Black was in trouble in Order of the Phoenix, and putting his life on hold to help Harry hunt for horcruxes in the Deathly Hallows.

He Figured Out Tom Riddle First

“Maybe he murdered Myrtle, that would’ve done everyone a favor…” Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Hermione may get the credit for realizing the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk, but Ron (who admittedly was joking) proposed Myrtle’s death being the result of Tom Riddle, so props to him!

He Rescued Harry and Gave Him a Family

Not even a full year after befriending Harry; Ron, Fred, and George steal their Dad’s flying car to rescue him from his abusive living situation. That’s pretty commendable. After that he constantly has Harry over for the holidays as well as parts of the summer. In his first year at Hogwarts, Ron tells his mother that Harry won’t get any Christmas gifts from the Dursleys, knowing full well she’d go all out in showering Harry with gifts. Ron Weasley gave Harry on of his strongest desires; a loving family.

He’s a Goofball

When you really think about it the HP series is actually quite dark. There’s inequality, loss, abuse, death, etc. And sometimes the best way to escape darkness is through utilizing humor – like the “riddikulus” spell for boggarts. Ron is the “riddikulus” in the series.

He Beat the Chess Game

I know I already touched on the chess set but I’m going to return to it. Professor McGonagall, a Gryffindor-Ravenclaw hats tall, created a life-sized wizard’s chess set as an obstacle to keep the Philosopher’s (*sighs* or Sorcerers) Stone safe. And first year Ron Weasley beat it. He bested McGonagall. That’s a huge deal. I’m certain that after this incident the professor began to realize his potential and intellect.

Eat Slugs!

As a second year, Ron comes to Hermione’s defense when Draco Malfoy calls her a “Mudblood.” The spell backfires and hits Ron instead due to his broken wand. So what’s so impressive about this? It was a non-verbal spell and the only reason it wasn’t perfectly executed is because his wand was broken. Students at Hogwarts don’t learn how to execute non-verbal spells until their sixth year. So Ron performed a pretty neat piece of magic.

Ron is more than a sideshow. His character is courageous, fun, intelligent, and has more depth than what someone may originally notice. This was a Ronald Weasley Appreciation Post and there’s honestly so much more I could have added but I didn’t want to make the post too terribly long. So to J.K. Rowling, I thank you for including Ron in your stories.

If you’re intrigued by this post and looking forward to what I’ll write about in the future, you can expect a new post every Saturday. Also, if you feel inclined, feel free to leave a comment below about what you think. Thanks for all your support and I hope you’ll come back next week. Stay Amazing!