Ron Weasley may be one of Harry Potter’s best friends and may be the less noticeable wizard among a family and friend group of wizards. But throughout the series of books, he has proven himself to be a competent pupil, a worthy warrior and a reliable friend. And it takes certain situations where his potentials are discovered, his skills are tested and his resilience are pushing him to improve.
It is amazing how such a reckless ginger-haired comic relief character evolved throughout, even as he reached adulthood. With that in mind, here are ten of the biggest changes that Ron Weasley went through.
Shifting His Views on House-Elves
Believe it or not, Ron once held prejudices against house-elves. Even in Hermione’s adamant action against house-elves oppression through S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare), he acted as a reluctant participant.
However, his interactions with house-elves, especially with Dobby, led him to shift his views. This is solidified in the Deathly Hallows during the Battle of Hogwarts when Ron expressed a desire to evacuate the house-elves hiding from the Kitchens. Hermione is touched by this, and kisses him for it.
Facing His Ultimate Fear
One of the most notable Ron moments in Chamber of Secrets is his arachnophobia. Who could forget the classic line, “Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be ‘follow the butterflies’”? This phobia is rooted when his three-year-old self was tricked by his twin brothers and his teddy bear turned into a spider. This fear scared him for so long, even in a nightmare during Prisoner of Azkaban.
Even if that occurrence ends in a spider car chase, it is triumphant to see Ron overcome his ultimate life phobia for the better.
Willing to Risk Himself
Even though he is known for never being the first in the fray, Ron will do everything to take courage for his friends. This is apparent in the first book, the Sorcerer’s Stone, when Harry, Ron and Hermione stumble upon a life-sized chess game as one of the obstacles to reach the Philosopher’s Stone.
With his skills of Wizard’s Chess, Harry and Hermione are able to overcome, at the risk of Ron being knocked out of the game. Thankfully, he was rewarded at the end of the year for “the best-played game of chess in Hogwarts”.
Improving in Dueling
In Hogwarts, students are expected to hone their magic through dueling. And Ron is one of the last students to be capable of dueling, due to either misplacing his wand or breaking it. However, he was able to learn from his mistakes – case in point, the slug incident in Chamber of Secrets – and improve on his dueling, which is pretty impressive.
This is fully evident in The Order of the Phoenix when the group overcomes the Death Eaters, and in Deathly Hallows when he disarms Bellatrix Lestrange in Malfoy Manor.
Becoming More Adult
One of the things that Ron had to deal with immaturely is on romantic relationships. This is core to winning Hermione over as their relationship evolved from childish pettiness to adult contemplation. However, the realizations for his feelings for the bookworm became apparent in Goblet of Fire, when he got jealous at Viktor Krum chaperoning Hermione.
Although their relationship was always rocky from the beginning, Ron found the urgency to take his pursuits to Hermione seriously during Half-Blood Prince when he recuperates from being poisoned, and two comforted each other.
Using Tactical Thinking
It is pretty clear that Ron is not the wisest of the characters around Harry Potter’s circle. Yet, he displayed a talent in tactical thinking. This was displayed in instances when the trio need to think of plans on the spot.
Aside from the aforementioned Wizards Chess obstacle, he was behind the idea of suggesting to Harry to use Felix Felicis on potions professor Horace Slughorn and the plan to use a Basilisk fang to destroy a Horcrux. His tactical thinking is what made him succeed in his Quidditch matches.
Exceeding Expectations in Quidditch
Speaking of Quidditch, it is surprising, but not unbelievable, for Ron to be a successful Quidditch Keeper for Gryffindor house. On his fifth year, he won the position of Keeper, but was described as “needing improvement”. At the same time, Ron had to balance his time with his efforts in Dumbledore’s Army.
Using his skills in flying (a Weasley trademark) and tactical thinking, Ron had proven that he was an excellent Keeper. This is despite an instance of losing confidence that prompted Harry to trick him into drinking Felix Felicis.
Overcoming Insecurities
Like many of the characters in the Harry Potter saga, Ron suffered from deep insecurity. In his family, he regarded as the “runt” when comparing to his older brothers’ abilities, and he was embarrassed further when he was always provided hand-me-downs. And of course, he felt inferior to Hermione and Harry, the best student at Hogwarts and the boy who lived.
However, with the discovery of his other skills, Ron was able to overcome his insecurities. He even courageously destroyed a Horcrux in Deathly Hallows Part 1.
Showing Compassion for His Family
The Weasley name is not something Ron is proud of to carry. Being born from poverty, he became a frequent target for Draco Malfoy to mock over their family’s “blood traitor” beliefs and lack of wealth. His twin brothers Fred and George do not fare well for Ron’s sanity, as he became a target for their pranks and teases.
However, that did not stop him from showing genuine care for his family. The biggest proof of this is on Ginny, whom he acted very protectively towards, especially around Dean Thomas.
Taking a Leadership Position
While Harry and Hermione possess the most strength in leadership positions in certain situations, Ron also proved that he has worthy leadership skills when he led trio in the Wizard’s Chess obstacle in the passage towards the Philosopher’s Stone.
His leadership skills came in full light when he co-led Dumbledore’s Army with Harry and Hermione, and briefly led the trio in their quest for the Horcruxes. Even after the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron co-initiated the reform of the Ministry of Magic’s Auror department and reduced prejudice between magical creatures.
