Ron Weasley

Tonight it occurred to me that for the normal fan Ron Weasley is an easy choice for the least popular of the Harry Potter trio. He is the little brother, the least special, the least likable in many aspects. He also, very notably, acts like a total dick to Harry despite being his best friend. You know, he freaks out on Harry for speaking snaketongue, he suspects Harry is lying to him when he is named by the Goblet of Fire. He abandons Harry in the forest in book 7. He is nowhere near as clever, or helpful, or brave as Harry or Hermione, and he is an easy guy to spit on.

He was my favorite of the trio growing up.

Ron wasn't anything at all like Harry and Hermione. Where Harry is the chosen one and Hermione, in comparison to her parents, is so extraordinarily gifted that she is a life-independent 12 year old. They are special little kids. Ron is not. They are talented where is normal, and they are brave when he is weak. 

Now Ron meets Harry on the train, and they're fast, best friends. He seems almost the opportunist. Enamored by Harry's celebrity and his charm. He is crushing on Hermione.

But Harry and Hermione have something in common that sets them apart from Ron so dramatically that even if he was every bit the equal in courage in talent, which he isn't, he still could never compete with them for greatness.

Harry and Hermione have nothing to tie to them to the generation that came before them. Harry's parents are dead. He knows nothing of family. He is the kid-slave turned into celebrity hero overnight. He is a little boy thrust into a literal dream come true. By all measure, Harry is probably spending the first 3 books on a the most serious endorphin high you can imagine. Going from nothing to everything must feel like falling in love every single day, over and over again. His life is a whimsical dream that keeps going and going.

Of course, this is bad for an eleven year old, and yeah Harry will be tortured for it, but Harry's torture is well-explored in the books. Ron's is not so much. 

Hermione is on the same life changing rush, but one or two notches dialed back. Her parents are ordinary dentists, and she is so gifted. She is smart, with a sense of independence most won't know until they are adults, oh and she can perform magic. She loves her parents on some level, but its apparent very quickly that her parents have no impact on her anymore.

   

Imagine how free they must seem to Ron.

Good family is an incredible support system. It is also a burden. I would never trade it in, personally, but it strikes me that Ron would have to be dead to not experience jealousy so strong that he has to question everyday he spends with the other two friends.

Harry doesn't get that he has 5 older brothers, all of them remarkable. His dad is a potent man. And lest we forget Ron has one job in his family's eyes, and that's to watch out for the little sister. She almost gets murdered by a damn snake, thanks in large part to the existence of his best friend. 

Harry Potter as a best friend is a bad life decision. He demands a lot Ron's time. He threatens everything the Dursleys stand for. He loves Harry, but objectively Harry is a poison. How many times should I risk my life for this mysterious, talented stranger? How many of my loved ones should die because I can't make the smart move and stay away from you? Why should I continue to suffer for you, and envy you, and twist my good normal life around for your damned Chosen One sonofabitch face? 

Ron is the common man. Uncommonly common.