Ron chose his best friends during his first year at Hogwarts, and they went through more over their time together than he could have ever expected. Being friends with the titular Harry Potter character comes with its challenges, and Ron was tried and tested by every one of them. In addition, his relationship with Hermione was often tumultuous in a way that may not have helped him face these challenges.
In the end, Ron very likely would not have changed a thing. However, there were a few times throughout the series that he was tempted to step away from his friendships with both Harry and Hermione. This led Redditors to discuss whether Ron would have been better off without those relationships and share their reasons for believing so.
He Wouldn’t Have Thought His Mom Preferred His Friend
Ron struggled with insecurities from the moment he was introduced to audiences. This stemmed from the fact that Ron frequently felt overlooked by his mother, who had desperately wanted a daughter but ended up with him, her sixth boy, instead. Even once Ginny was born, Ron often felt lost in the sea that was his talented family.
Redditor Curseofablacklion pointed out that these insecurities were only exacerbated when he became friends with Harry, stating that “it was hard enough having to live with the expectations of literally all your siblings, without having to live up to Harry Freaking Potter.” It may have been Harry Potter’s destiny to become friends with Ron and gain Molly and a surrogate mother, but it didn’t help Ron’s insecurities.
He Would’ve Felt More Intelligent
Ron considered himself completely neutral when it came down to intelligence and skill. Compared to his talented older brothers, he never felt that he could keep up. Charlie, Bill, and Percy had all been prefects, and then Head Boy. When Ron started Hogwarts, he desperately hoped to live up to their names.
Therefore, being best friends with the smartest witch in their year didn’t boost his self-esteem any higher. In addition, Curseofablacklion felt that Hermione “constantly played him as dumb.” To be fair, this is how Hermione treated everyone, but for someone with Ron’s confidence level, it wasn’t very helpful.
He Would’ve Felt His Worries Were Important
With the weight of the wizarding world on Harry’s shoulders, Ron’s problems seemed rather small. This led Harry and Hermione, and even Ron himself, to often disregard Ron’s worries and anxieties.
“They overlook his entire anxiety about his family in Deathly Hallows,” said Curseofablacklion. Ron may have been under the influence of the locket when he blew up on Harry about not taking his family’s risks seriously, but the feelings still obviously came from a genuine place. Ron already felt overlooked compared to Harry, and it was too much for his problems to come second as well.
He Would’ve Had Easier Friendships
Ron was well-liked by the other Gryffindor boys of his year. When he stops talking to Harry in Goblet of Fire, Harry is almost completely isolated, but Ron immediately develops a stronger relationship with the likes of Dean, Neville, and Seamus. During that short time period, Ron was not the friend of the boy who lived, but just a regular kid at Hogwarts.
“Ron wouldn’t have faced any emotional turmoil if he befriended Neville, Dean, Seamus, literally ANYONE but Harry,” pointed out Curseofablacklion. Ron had the option to develop other close friendships, and if he had chosen his other classmates, his Hogwarts experience might have been less tumultuous.
He Could’ve Discovered His Value
It’s difficult for someone to recognize their value when they believe the others around them are far more valuable. Harry was brave and famous, and Hermione was endlessly loyal to her friends, while Ron had had moments of cowardice and was ashamed of the times in his life when he had let his friends down.
Redditor Lower-Consequence suggested that if Ron had had more time away from Harry and Hermione, he may have found “value in himself and [felt] like he could stand out from the rest of his family.” Ron did eventually prove to himself that he had value, but this may have come a lot faster if he had not had so much to live up to.
He Would’ve Developed An Identity Sooner
Redditor Nefarious_planet believed that Ron could have gone two different ways if he had never been friends with Harry and Hermione. “He’d either develop an identity of his own sooner, or he’d be ‘the sixth Weasley brother’ and get lumped in with his family.”
Being the best friend of Harry Potter became part of Ron’s identity, but it is possible that he could have developed a more individual identity on his own if Harry hadn’t become his foundation. When Ron cut Harry out in Goblet of Fire, it was one of the most frustrating decisions the golden trio made, but Hermione explained that it wasn’t because he actually doubted Harry, but because he simply couldn’t take being “Harry Potter’s friend” anymore.
He Would’ve Felt More Appreciated
In the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, audiences see that Ron and Hermione end up married. This was strange to some fans, who felt that their tumultuous relationship could not possibly have led to a healthy marriage.
Redditor Curseofablacklion pointed out that Hermione was mostly only ever exasperated by Ron, only “[starting] to appreciate him” in Deathly Hallows when he began sympathizing with her views on house-elves, and taking her side in arguments. It is possible that both Ron and Hermione would have been better off with other people, and that he wouldn’t have had to fight so hard for appreciation.
He Could’ve Had A Relationship With Good Communication
Ron and Hermione ended up at odds with one another on multiple occasions, and it was typically a result of poor communication. Neither of them was capable of properly sharing their feelings with the other.
“Hermione refused to talk to Ron for at least 3.5 months,” said Redditor Speakerfordead5, referring to when Ron started dating Lavender. In the Half-Blood Prince book, Ron started dating Lavender when he stopped talking to Hermione, simply because he learned she had once kissed Victor Krum. The jealousy and poor communication were not beneficial for either of them.
He Would’ve Been Safer
Many Redditors pointed out that if Ron had not been friends with Harry, Arthur would have died, since Harry wouldn’t have known who he was to save him. Mrs. Weasley even told Harry that they were lucky Ron chose to sit in Harry’s compartment their first year on the Hogwarts Express.
Redditor T00mey86 disagrees. Ron’s friendship with Harry may have been the only reason that the Weasley’s joined the Order, since neither of them had been a part of it in the First Wizarding War. It may be a wild Harry Potter fan theory, butT00mey86 believed that “if Ron had sat in a different compartment,” none of the Weasleys would have ever been in danger.
His Life Would’ve Been Easier Overall
When it comes down to it, Ron’s life would have been easier if he had never met Harry Potter, or if he had chosen to sever his relationship with both Harry and Hermione when things got hard. He would have watched the war going on from the sidelines. He might never have lost family members, like Fred Weasley, who died too soon. He could have found a significant other that did not challenge him to do better.
However, as Redditor Midnight7000 pointed out, Ron “emphasises the point between doing what is easy and what is right.” Ron may have been better off without Harry and Hermione, but they, and the wizarding world, would certainly not have been better off without him.
