Ron Weasley

: "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first."
: — Ron's family and others' expectations[src]
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Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley (b. 1 March 1980) was an English pure-blood wizard, the sixth and youngest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley (née Prewett). He was also the younger brother of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and the elder brother of Ginny. Ron and his siblings lived at the The Burrow, on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole, Devon.
Ron began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He soon became close friends with fellow student Harry Potter and later Hermione Granger. Together, they made the Golden trio and faced many challenges during their adolescence, including keeping the Philosopher's Stone from Professor Quirinus Quirrell, rescuing Ginny from the Basilisk of the Chamber of Secrets, saving Harry's godfather Sirius Black from the Dementors of Azkaban, and guiding Harry through the Triwizard Tournament.
He also helped form Dumbledore's Army and fought in numerous battles of the Second Wizarding War. These battles included the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (1996), Battle of the Astronomy Tower (1997), and Battle of the Seven Potters (1997). Ron also became a Gryffindor prefect and a Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during his fifth year at Hogwarts.
He skipped his last year of school in order to accompany Harry and Hermione on a hunt to destroy all of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, during which he lost his brother Fred, a loss which devastated him and his family, especially George, Fred's twin.
After the war, Ron became an Auror and helped reform and revolutionise the Ministry of Magic. After two years as an Auror, he went to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with his brother George. He and Hermione eventually married and had two children, Rose and Hugo Granger-Weasley. Ron was also named the godfather of James Sirius Potter, his sister Ginny Weasley's and Harry Potter's eldest child.
=== Early life (1980–1991) ===
: "Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental. Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since!"
: — Ron on his brothers' attempt to get him to make an Unbreakable Vow[src]
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Ronald Bilius Weasley was born 1 March 1980, to Arthur and Molly Weasley (née Prewett), at the height of the First Wizarding War. During this war his maternal uncles Fabian and Gideon Prewett, both members of the Order of the Phoenix, were murdered while fighting a group of four Death Eaters led by Antonin Dolohov. While he was still a toddler, the war ended for a time after Lord Voldemort's first defeat at the hands of Ron's classmate-to-be Harry Potter on 31 October, 1981.
Ron and his five older brothers — Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George — as well as his younger sister, Ginny, grew up in The Burrow on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England. Like all his siblings, he was home educated in reading, writing and simple mathematics by his mother. The Weasley family was not wealthy at all, compared to other wizarding families. Many other pure-blood families, particularly the Malfoys, disdained them for their "blood traitor" beliefs and lack of wealth. They tried their best to make up for this with their love.
The Weasley siblings, especially Fred and George, were fond of teasing and playing pranks on each other, and Ron was a particular target for Fred and George. They once transfigured Ron's teddy bear into a giant spider, sparking his arachnophobia. On another occasion, the twins nearly got him to make an Unbreakable Vow, which finally made their father truly furious (and Fred would later state that his left buttock has "never been the same since" after the row that ensued). They also once got him to eat an Acid Pop which burnt a hole through his tongue.
When Ron was younger, he had a pet rat named Scabbers, whom he had inherited from Percy. This rat was actually Peter Pettigrew, a traitor to all wizardkind. Ron was very fond of Scabbers, but wasn't sad to let him go when he found out the truth about his old rat. Ron had a fairly happy childhood, which Harry, who had been brought up by his spiteful relatives the Dursleys, envied. To compensate for their impoverishment, Ron's mother indulged him in three delicious meals daily. This became so habitual that missing a meal in later life would irritate Ron.
==== Third year ====
: Hermione Granger: "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry..."
: Harry: "I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."
: Ron Weasley: "How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?"
: — Harry, Ron and Hermione discussing Sirius Black's escape[src]
In the summer following Ron's second year at Hogwarts, the Weasleys won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. Ron and his family used the money to travel to Egypt to visit Ron's eldest brother, Bill. News of their lucky break made the Daily Prophet, and Ron sent that newspaper clipping and a Sneakoscope to Harry for his thirteenth birthday. They met on the last day of the summer, when Ron and his family visited Diagon Alley with Harry and Hermione and took up rooms in the Leaky Cauldron in preparation for catching the Hogwarts Express.
During their stay at the Leaky Cauldron, Ron shared a room with his brother Percy. Unfortunately, this led to a fight. Percy believed that Ron had taken his Head Boy badge, which had actually been stolen by Weasley twins Fred and George. Harry found the twins hiding, enchanting the badge to say "Big Head Boy". Later, Ron was also accused of smudging a picture of Percy's girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater with tea (Penelope thus hid herself outside the frame so nobody could see her splotched nose).
Also that summer, Sirius Black, the most famous prisoner in Azkaban, escaped, and in light of this incident, security was tightened at Hogwarts which Ron and his friends noticed when the Hogwarts Express was stopped and searched by Dementors. Once at the school, Dumbledore announced that Dementors would be stationed around the school gates to prevent Black from entering Hogwarts. This was done under the assumption that Harry was being targeted by Black.
===== Beginning of term =====
: Ron: "But look, see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And — look— underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"
: Hermione Granger: "Don't be silly. Of course I won't be in three classes at once."
: — Hermione having an impossible timetable while talking electives[src]
Upon starting the term, the third-years began taking new lessons. Ron and Harry had chosen Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, while Hermione decided to take every possible class offered and began to exhibit strange behaviour that neither Ron nor Harry could figure out. The pair quickly decided that Divination was not a class they really liked and that the professor, Sybill Trelawney, was a fraud.
Ron's first Care of Magical Creatures was a disaster. Hagrid, the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, had planned what he thought to be a spectacular class on hippogriffs, when a hippogriff named Buckbeak attacked Draco Malfoy after Malfoy had insulted the rare creature, causing Malfoy to promise revenge. Also during that week, Ron had his first Defence Against the Dark Arts class with the new professor, Remus Lupin, and in short order Ron thought that Lupin was an excellent professor.
===== First time in Hogsmeade =====
: Ron: "See? I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a breakin, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"
: Hermione Granger: "Yes, but — but — Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet — what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"
: Ron: "He'd have a job spotting Harry in this. Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break."
: — Harry joining ron and Hermione in Hogsmeade without premission[src]
On Hallowe'en, Ron and Hermione went on their first Hogsmeade trip. Harry, however, could not join them as his uncle Vernon had not signed his Hogsmeade permission slip. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione visited every building in Hogsmeade and brought back loads of sweets from Honeydukes for Harry. They were discussing blood-flavored lollipops and Cockroach Clusters.
Harry used the Marauder's Map to sneak into Hogsmeade. He then met Ron and Hermione in Honeydukes. They visited the Three Broomsticks, a pub run by Madam Rosmerta. When Cornelius Fudge, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, and Rubeus Hagrid arrived, Harry hide underneath their table to avoid being seen. Harry used a tunnel to sneak into Hogsmeade village.
While sneaking back into the school, he overheard a disturbing conversation that had a severe impact on his mental state. Sirius Black was his parents' best friend, and was his godfather and legal guardian. Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper and he allegedly divulged the Potters' secret whereabouts to Lord Voldemort and murdered their friend Peter Pettigrew, as well as twelve Muggle bystanders. Peter left a finger to prove that he had been killed with the twelve Muggles. That evening, Sirius Black sneaked into Hogwarts, and the students were forced to spend the night in the Dining Hall.
===== The disappearance of Scabbers =====
: Fred Weasley: "Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow — he probably didn't feel a thing."
: Ron: "He bit Goyle for us once! Remember, Harry?"
: Fred Weasley: "His finest hour. Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory..."
: — Fred comforting Ron on the perceived death of Scabbers[src]
Just before Christmas, Rubeus Hagrid received a complaint from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures about Buckbeak the hippogriff. When he shared this incident with Ron, Harry, and Hermione, the trio promised to do everything in their power to help defend Buckbeak.
Ron and Harry put the defence of Buckbeak on the back-burner when on Christmas Day, Harry received a Firebolt broomstick from a mysterious sender. When Hermione, afraid for Harry's safety, turned the Firebolt in, Ron stopped talking to Hermione. The Firebolt incident only added to the rough tension between the two, as Hermione's new pet Crookshanks had been continually trying to attack Ron's rat, Scabbers. A few weeks later, when the two were on the verge of making up, Scabbers disappeared and Ron blamed Crookshanks, threatening the friendship between them.
===== Sirius Black's infiltration =====
: "IT WASN’T A NIGHTMARE! PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"
: — Ron waking up to a horrifying sight[src]
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In the meantime, Black was yet to be found, and the night following the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw Quidditch match, he sneaked into Gryffindor tower. Hearing the sound of ripping bed curtains, Ron awoke with a start to see Sirius Black standing over him holding a knife. He screamed, and Black fled.
When Ron had woken up the entire Gryffindor House they all gathered in the Gryffindor Common Room to discuss the events. Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Head of House, was called. Ron explained his story and theorised that Black must have gone for the wrong bed and was aiming for Harry Potter. McGonagall asked Sir Cadogan about it and he told her that he had let Black enter after Black gave him the correct passcode.
Another search of the castle took place, but Black escaped capture again. The Fat Lady resumed her duty of guarding Gryffindor Tower on the condition her portrait be guarded. Neville was placed in detention and stripped of his visitation rights to Hogsmeade for the rest of the school year and the other Gryffindors were forbidden to tell him the password to the tower, forcing him to wait outside for someone to let him in while the security trolls guarding the Fat Lady leered unpleasantly at him. But none of that compared to the Howler his grandmother sent him during breakfast, which shouted at him that he had brought shame to the family.
===== Defence of Buckbeak =====
: "The trip to Hagrid’s, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn’t brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defence for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant."
: — Harry, Ron, and Hermione researching Buckbeak's defence[src]
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This incident made Ron famous among the other students, but he came back down to Earth when Hagrid scolded him and Harry about their treatment of Hermione, who Hagrid told them was in over her head with all of her classes and the work she was doing for Buckbeak. Shocked, the pair patched things up with her a few days later, when they received a letter from Hagrid saying that Buckbeak had been sentenced to execution.
With exams coming up, the trio set about studying and attempting to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's appeal. The appeal took place on the last day of their exams. Hearing that Buckbeak had lost, and was to be executed, Ron, Harry and Hermione went to visit Hagrid in the evening just before the execution. They offered to help set the record straight, but Hagrid told them that they would be in big trouble if they were seen. Helping the sobbing Hagrid make tea, Hermione found Scabbers hiding inside a milk jar. Soon they were hurried out the back of the hut, all the while they continued to lobby for a chance to set the record straight. When they heard what sounded like the killing, Ron, Harry and Hermione set off for Hogwarts in a slight state of shock.
===== The Prisoner of Azkaban =====
: Harry Potter: "Where's the dog?"
: Ron: "Not a dog. Harry, it's a trap... He's the dog... he's an Animagus."
: — Ron revealing that Sirius Black was an Animagus[src]
Before they made it back there, Scabbers began to squirm in Ron's hands and escaped. Not wanting to lose his rat again, Ron chased after Scabbers with Harry and Hermione behind him. He caught up to Scabbers, but not before they were in the shadow of the Whomping Willow tree. He looked up to see a large black dog bearing down upon him. The dog dived at Ron and gripping Ron's arm in its mouth, it dragged him into the Whomping Willow. To try and stop the dog from pulling him further, Ron tied his feet around a tree branch, but the dog's grip was so powerful his leg snapped. When the dog reached the Shrieking Shack, it let go of Ron and revealed itself to be Sirius Black.
Sirius ambushed Harry and Hermione, disarming them when they entered the room where Ron was being held hostage. Upon seeing him, Harry attacked Black with Hermione and the seriously injured Ron helping in any way they could, but Harry could not bring himself to finish the job when he had Black in his power, and he was disarmed by Professor Lupin. Relieved at the sight of Lupin, Ron became worried when Lupin and Black greeted each other like brothers and demanded that Ron turn over his rat, Scabbers. Sirius and Lupin then told them about their own years spent at Hogwarts and how a wizard named Peter Pettigrew betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort then framed Sirius and transformed into a rat to go into hiding.
Still not fully convinced, Ron reluctantly handed over Scabbers when Lupin promised that if he was actually a rat, no harm would come to him. Scabbers was revealed to be Pettigrew, whom Sirius had recognised due to a missing toe. (Pettigrew has cut off one of his own fingers before transforming). A tearful Pettigrew confessed to the betrayal and begged for mercy from his former friends.
When it was decided that Pettigrew should be turned over to the Dementors, Lupin splinted Ron's leg, and the assembled company left for Hogwarts. Along the way, the full moon broke out, and Lupin began to transform into a werewolf. In the skirmish, Pettigrew stole Lupin's wand, stunned Ron, and escaped into the moonlight. Hours later in the Hospital Wing, Ron was recovering both from his broken leg and Pettigrew's attack. Ron was unable to walk, so he did not join Harry and Hermione on their rescue mission. Ron was told that Harry and Hermione had managed to save Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss and Buckbeak from execution with Hermione's Time-Turner.
===== End-of-term =====
: "Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. 'Keep him?' he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to Harry's and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff."
: — Ron receiving a miniature owl from Sirius Black[src]
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Ron understood why Hermione did not immediately mention the Time-Turner. Ron was slightly dismayed but, now knew the reason for her strange behaviour and timetable earlier on, he was nevertheless relieved that Sirius and Buckbeak were both safe and free.
As a replacement for his lost pet, Sirius sent Ron a tiny owl. Ron, to the surprise of both Harry and Hermione, allowed Crookshanks to sniff the owl. Crookshanks gave his approval, thus confirming that it was in fact just an owl. Ginny immediately named Pigwidgeon because she thought the name was "sweet"; annoyed and disgusted at this, Ron tried to choose another name, but it was too late, so he settled for using the nickname "Pig".
==== Fourth year ====
: "Look, it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault. I know you don't ask for it...but — well — you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous — he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many..."
: — Hermione explaining Ron's jealousy after Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire[src]
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===== The Quidditch World Cup =====
In the summer of 1994, Ron invited Harry and Hermione to accompany the Weasleys to the Quidditch World Cup, which was being held in Britain for the first time in decades. While Hermione joined the Weasleys at the Burrow, Harry had to be picked up from the Dursleys. Arthur Weasley arranged to pick up Harry via Floo Network, not knowing that the Dursleys' fireplace was blocked, so when Ron, Arthur, Fred, and George tried to fetch Harry they ended up stuck in the chimney. Part of the Dursley's house was destroyed before Harry returned to the Weasley's house.
The following day, Harry, Hermione, and all the Weasleys except Molly Weasley left for the Quidditch World Cup, where they set up camp and met many of their friends from Hogwarts or the Ministry. They had prime seats for the match, thanks to Mr Weasley, who had helped Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, out of a messy problem. During the match Ron watched Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, play an excellent match and catch the Snitch. Even though Krum caught the Snitch the Irish National Quidditch Team still won the match.
That night, while the Irish supporters were still awake celebrating their victory, trouble began. Some Death Eaters who had managed to avoid imprisonment in Azkaban, attacked the camp where Ron and his friends and family were staying. Mr Weasley ordered Ron, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny to get to safety, while he and the older Weasley children set off to help the Ministry of Magic. Fred and George were responsible for Ginny's safety, which left the trio to themselves.
Running off into the woods, Ron, Hermione, and Harry quickly lost Fred, George and Ginny, but they did find Draco Malfoy. Malfoy meanly suggested that Hermione, being a Muggle-Born, could easily be targeted by the Death Eaters, causing Ron to insist that she and Harry join him in going deeper into the woods. Soon they reached a patch of woods giving off a silver glow, where the trio found a few Veela witches surrounded by admirers. Ron was entranced and stated that he would create a broom that would fly to space. They had reached an empty clearing when they heard an unknown person cast the Dark Mark.
===== Beginning of the year =====
: "Some lesson, though, eh? Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right —"
: — The trio witnessing the effects of the Unforgivable Curses for the first time[src]
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On 1 September, Ron and his friends departed for Hogwarts aboard the Hogwarts Express. That evening at the Welcoming Feast, Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts would host the Triwizard Tournament. Ron found himself caught up in dreams of being a Triwizard Champion, but he was snapped back to reality by his fourth year classes. In Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid had his students tending to Blast-Ended Skrewts, and in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ron was impressed by the new professor, "Mad-Eye" Moody, when he taught the class about the three Unforgivable Curses.
It was announced that the students from the Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic would be arriving at Hogwarts on 30 October. Ron was dumbstruck when he saw Viktor Krum among the Durmstrang students, not realising how young his hero was. He was disappointed when Krum sat among the Slytherin students.
===== Envying Harry Potter =====
: Harry Potter: "I didn't put my name in that Goblet!"
: Ron: "Yeah, okay."
: — Ron and the student body were sceptical of Harry[src]
Having discussed the possibility of somehow outsmarting the Goblet of Fire and the Age Line that Dumbledore had cast around it, Ron was surprised to find that Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. Jealous of the fact that Harry always seemed to receive all the attention, Ron refused to accept that Harry didn't put his name in the cup. He even went as far as to accuse Harry of cheating his way into the tournament. After the argument, he and Harry stopped talking to each other, and Ron began hanging out with other Gryffindors like Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.
When Ron heard Harry talking to someone one night, he went down to see who it was since Harry didn't tell him about such a thing. When Harry accused Ron of trying to spy on him and when he told him who he talked to was none of Ron's business, Ron was deeply offended to the point where he tried to get Harry to tell him whom he was talking to by accusing him of practising for an interview. This only made Harry throw one of Draco Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badges at him and tell him he could wear that during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. This made Ron finally realise that the reason Harry had started avoiding him was because Harry felt betrayed by him to the point where he had lost Harry's trust and respect and Harry no longer saw him as a friend, a realisation that deeply hurt Ron.
Ron and Harry did not talk to each other again until after the First Task. After seeing just how much danger was involved in the task, Ron realised Harry would never have put his own name into the Goblet of Fire, and the two became best friends once again.
===== The Yule Ball =====
: "Ron didn't answer. He was glaring at Hermione and Krum, who were dancing nearby. Padma was sitting with her arms and legs crossed, one foot jiggling in time to the music. Every now and then she threw a disgruntled look at Ron, who was completely ignoring her."
: — Ron's jealous of Hermione attending the Ball with Viktor Krum[src]
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Soon after the First Task, Professor McGonagall told Ron and the other Gryffindor boys about the traditional Yule Ball, held during the Triwizard Tournament. While all students above fourth year scampered around trying to find dates, Ron and Harry found it hard to ask girls to the ball. Struck by the beauty and charm of Fleur Delacour, the Triwizard Champion from Beauxbatons Academy and a part-Veela witch, Ron asked her to attend the ball with him, but fled in embarrassment without waiting for an answer. He also offended Hermione by not asking her, and then by suggesting that she did not have a date and thus could accompany him.
Harry was eventually able to get them both dates with twins Parvati and Padma Patil. Ron's evening was a fiasco of the first sort. His "traditional" dress robes embarrassed him and his date, Padma Patil, and when Ron saw Hermione with Viktor Krum, he became intensely jealous. This led to a blazing argument between them during the end of the ball, with Ron making comments about Krum being too old for her and Hermione accusing him of ruining everything. Though their friendship did not suffer, it was clear that both had developed feelings for each other.
During the Yule Ball, Ron had overheard Hagrid telling the Beaubaxtons Headmistress Olympe Maxime that he was half-giant. This information was also overheard by Daily Prophet Reporter Rita Skeeter, who wrote an article telling the wizarding world of Hagrid's heritage. This drove Hagrid to stop teaching for a time until Ron, Harry, and Hermione told him that they he was still their friend, no matter what.
===== Imprisoned by sea creatures =====
: "Ron was tied between Hermione and Cho Chang. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths."
: — Hermione was Viktor Krum's "hostage" during the Second Task[src]
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On 24 February, Ron was put into an enchanted sleep and tied up at the bottom of the Black Lake, to be "rescued" by Harry as part of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. When he found out that Harry had stayed behind to save Fleur's sister Gabrielle Delacour as well, Ron jokingly took him to task, but was impressed when Harry was given extra points for "outstanding moral fibre".
Fleur thanked Ron and Harry in turn for helping save Gabrielle, kissing both of them on the cheek. Ron gained much attention from the other students due to his being taken hostage for the task. He proceeded to exaggerate the events of what happened until Hermione called him on it.
===== Preparing for the end =====
: Draco Malfoy: "So. You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favourite boy again. Big deal. Trying not to think about it, are we? Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"
: Harry Potter: "Get out."
: Draco Malfoy: "You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this! Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well — second — Diggory was the f—"
: — Malfor taunting the trio over the return of Lord Voldemort[src]
Early in the spring, Ron joined Harry and Hermione in visiting Sirius Black, who had taken to hiding in Hogsmeade. There, they discussed the disappearances of Ministry officials Barty Crouch Snr and Bertha Jorkins. In the weeks leading up to the final tournament task, Ron and Hermione helped Harry prepare by researching and trying out different jinxes and other helpful spells for the task. Ron and Hermione watched Harry together from the sidelines.
They were shocked when Harry returned with Cedric Diggory's dead body. Ron was relieved to see Harry when he was brought to the infirmary by Professor Dumbledore, eagerly wanted to question Harry about Diggory, but he was told off by Molly Weasley who, along with his brother Bill Weasley, had come to watch Harry. Ron was furious with the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, when he refused to believe Harry and Dumbledore, and calmed Molly when she was shocked by Black's appearance in the room. Ron did not go against Harry's story when he finally heard it, sticking by his best friend.
==== Fifth year ====
: "Weasley cannot save a thing, he cannot block a single ring. That's why Slytherins all sing, Weasley is our king!..."
: — Slytherins mocking Ron's Keeper abilities[src]
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After Voldemort rose to power and the Second Wizarding War began, Dumbledore reformed the Order of the Phoenix. In the summer of 1995, the Order moved into their headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place with the Weasley schoolchildren and Hermione Granger, where they helped Molly Weasley clean the old house and remained watchful for information about Harry. In August, Harry arrived at the headquarters after a Dementor attack on his cousin. Ron felt sorry that he had to keep Harry oblivious to the Order's plan and soon learnt that Harry's anger had been growing due to his isolation from his friends and his persecution by the media.
Ron, Harry and Hermione stayed at Grimmauld Place throughout August. In late August, Ron and Hermione were made a Gryffindor prefect, for which Molly and Arthur gave Ron a new Cleansweep Eleven. Bound by their prefect duties, Ron and Hermione were separated from Harry on the Hogwarts Express and could only join Harry in his compartment for the last part of the journey. When they arrived, Ron expressed concern that Hagrid was not at the welcoming feast and was suspicious of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge.
At school, Ron was one of the many students who expressed frustration with Professor Umbridge's refusal to teach the class practical defensive magic. He also won the position of Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team but was described by the team captain as "needing improvement". Ron's Quidditch practice caused him to fall behind in his schoolwork, to Hermione's chagrin. Soon, Ron's brother Percy Weasley sent him a letter advising him not to remain friends with Harry, whom he accused of being mad for supporting Dumbledore. Ron was outraged by the letter's contents, tearing it into eight pieces and throwing it into the Gryffindor common room's fireplace, angrily declaring his brother to be "the world's biggest git".
===== Initiating Dumbledore's Army =====
: Hermione Granger: "Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about you, Harry."
: Harry Potter: "About me what?"
: Hermione Granger: "I'm talking about you teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts."
: Ron: "That's an idea."
: — The trio forming the initial idea of Dumbledore's Army[src]
Late in September, one evening when Harry returned from detention with Professor Umbridge, Ron, somewhat reluctantly, joined Hermione in convincing that Harry teach his fellow students defence against the dark arts. Harry initially disagreed, but after a few days he decided to give it a go. Around this time, Professor Umbridge was appointed the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor, giving her the power to randomly create new school rules and inspect teachers' lessons.
Late in October, students had their first visit to Hogsmeade. There, Harry, Ron, and Hermione met with several students who were interested in learning proper defence. Ron defended Harry against Zacharias Smithwhen questions rose, and was among the first to sign the recruitment parchment. On the way home from Hogsmeade, Ron became upset when he learned from Hermione that his sister Ginny was dating Ravenclaw student Michael Corner. The following morning, Ron awoke to find that suddenly, by order of Professor Umbridge, all student groups had been disbanded including the House Quidditch teams, but he was mollified when Harry said they would continue with their secret group, which Ginny named "Dumbledore's Army" during their first meeting, mocking the Ministry of Magic's fears of student uprisings.
===== Playing Quidditch and Hagrid's tale =====
: Harry Potter: "You knew where you were going? You knew where the giants were?"
: Rubeus Hagrid: "Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us."
: Ron Weasley: "Are they hidden? Is it a secret where they are?"
: Rubeus Hagrid: "Not really, it's jus' that mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, s' long as it's a good long way away. But where they are's very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there —"
: — Harry, Ron, and Hagrid discussing Hagrid's giant colony mission[src]
In the weeks following the first Dumbledore's Army meeting, Quidditch season arrived. Ron had nervous issues prior to the first match against Slytherin. They had made badges saying "Weasley is our king", which Harry decided could not mean anything good. In an attempt to distract Ron from the Slytherins, Hermione kissed him on the cheek for luck, effectively stunning Ron. Ron's play was abysmal, and it was not helped by the Slytherins' new song also entitled, "Weasley is Our King". Following the game Ron wanted to resign, but learned he could not, as Harry Potter, Fred, and George Weasley had been banned from Quidditch for life.
That evening Hagrid returned from his unknown disappearance. Although initially resistant he regaled the trio with his tales of the giants, though he refused to give them any hint about his gruesome injuries from Golgomath's tribe. Ultimately Hagrid's mission was a failure.
Following Hagrid's return, he took up his post as Care of Magical Creatures professor. In Hagrid's first lesson, Ron learned about Thestrals, magical creatures that could only be seen by wizards and witches who had witnessed death.
===== The attack on Arthur Weasley =====
: Harry Potter: "Your dad. Your dad's... been attacked..."
: Ron: "What?"
: Harry Potter: "Your dad! He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere..."
: — Harry has a vision of Arthur Wealsey being attacked by Nagini[src]
Frequent Dumbledore's Army meetings, O.W.L. homework, and his prefect duties took up most of Ron's time as the holidays approached. Following the last meeting of the term, Ron was amazed at Harry's "romantic" tale, earning him a stern talking to from Hermione who suggested that Ron had "the emotional range of a teaspoon." That night, Harry witnessed Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, being attacked by Lord Voldemort's snake, Nagini. When Harry's story was confirmed by Dumbledore and McGonagall, Ron, his siblings, and Harry were immediately sent to the Order's Headquarters, so they could look in on their father's convalescence, and there they spent the Christmas holidays, joined by Hermione the next day.
During their first trip to St Mungo's Hospital, Ron overheard "Mad Eye" Moody thinking that Harry had been possessed by Voldemort. Ron was worried when Harry became quiet after the visit and wanted to talk to Harry about it. He got his chance after Hermione arrived and convinced Harry to come downstairs. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny told Harry how worried they had been and managed to confess that he was not being possessed. They had an enjoyable holiday, but on their second visit to the hospital, Ron learned the truth about the torture of Neville Longbottom's parents.
Throughout the term, Ron continued to learn defensive and offensive magic from Harry. He also stayed on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, despite his very poor performances. Due to Quidditch, he missed the Valentine's Day visit to Hogsmeade. Though, he was impressed that Harry went public and hopeful that people might believe Harry when The Quibbler came out. Soon, Umbridge managed to sack Professor Trelawney, but her ability to name a replacement was pre-empted when Dumbledore arranged to have Firenze the Centaur teach the subject. Umbridge was affronted by this new staffing appointment.
===== Marietta Edgecombe's betrayal =====
: Cho Chang: "Harry, I never dreamed Marietta would tell... She's a lovely person really. She just made a mistake... You know, her mum works for the Ministry, it's really difficult for her —"
: Harry Potter: "Ron's dad works at the Ministry too! And in case you haven't noticed, he hasn't got 'sneak' written across his face!"
: — Harry and Cho discussing Marietta's betrayal and Ron's loyalty[src]
Soon after Trelawney's sacking, Marietta Edgecombe, a friend of Ravenclaw Student Cho Chang's who only reluctantly joined Dumbledore's Army, told Umbridge about the group, but was unable to give up any pertinent information once she saw a jinx activate on her face. Ron was able to escape when Umbridge, raided the Dumbledore's Army headquarters, but he was incensed when Professor Dumbledore was forced out of the school. He was also wary when his brothers Fred and George Weasley said they were going to do their part for Professor Dumbledore. After Fred and George's secret escape from Hogwarts, Ron was certain that his mother would blame him, but he was saved from this fate when Harry revealed that it was he who financed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Ron played in the final Quidditch match of the season, though Harry and Hermione did not watch, as Hagrid finally revealed the source of his injuries to them. Ron played better, and Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Ron was unable to settle to his studies the following day, but Harry and Hermione brought him down with Hagrid's secret injuries.
===== Battle of the Department of Mysteries =====
: Ron: "Honest, Harry, they're brains — look — Accio Brain!... Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it — Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird —"
: Harry Potter: "RON, NO!"
: Ron: "Harry, look what's happen — no — no, I don't like it — no, stop — stop —"
: — Ron being attacked by the brains in the Brain Room of the Department of Mysteries[src]
Shortly thereafter, their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams were upon them. Ron managed to do very well, but he made a few mistakes. During their final exam, Harry dozed off and had another vision. This time, he saw Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Ministry. When Harry told Ron and Hermione of this they were wary, and Hermione suggested that Harry try to contact Sirius first. Ron ran off to distract Umbridge, but the plan failed, and Ron and his friends were rounded up and taken to Umbridge's office. There, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna Lovegood managed to fight off Umbridge and her Slytherin Guards and escape to find Harry and Hermione outside the forest.
Ron insisted that he join Harry in rescuing Sirius, but also insisted that the rest remain behind, but realised when many Thestrals appeared. When Harry led them into the Department of Mysteries, Ron stuck with him into the deepest recesses of the Department. There, the six Dumbledore's Army members were ambushed by twelve Death Eaters, led by wizarding aristocrat Lucius Malfoy, and Ron helped defend the prophecy Harry took from the Hall of Prophecy, but his fight was soon over as a Death Eater had wiped his brains. Ron was so confused that he summoned a tentacled-brain from a vat in the Thought Chamber and was attacked by it, but soon recovered later on. Ron was devastated by Sirius's death, but made sure that Sirius's death was not discussed around Harry.
==== Sixth year ====
: Hermione Granger: "You said to us once before that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"
: Ron: "We're with you, whatever happens."
: — A commit to Harry and his Horcrux hunt[src]
During the summer following the battle, Ron learned he had received seven O.W.L.s, only failing Divination and History of Magic. Ron explained he did not mind, as he, like Harry, didn't like those subjects very much, anyway. Also during that summer, Ron learned that his brother Bill was engaged to Fleur Delacour. While this annoyed his mother, sister, and later Hermione, Ron took to defending Fleur and if she surprised him, he would still take on that dumbstruck look. His soft spot for Fleur particularly annoyed Hermione, who was finding it harder to keep her feelings for him under wraps.
When Ron and Hermione learned that Harry was in fact the "Chosen One", Ron remained at Harry's side. Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur also visited the twins shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ron was impressed with the shop and the twin's flair for business. He attempted to take some products, but was told to put them back after he revealed he had no currency. The trio also followed Draco Malfoy and learned that he wanted something repaired and that he put something else on hold.
===== A rough start =====
: Cormac McLaggen: "Give me another go."
: Harry Potter: "No. You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square."
: — Ron becoming Gryffindor's Keeper[src]
Ron would suffer much personal turmoil in his sixth year. Harry was named Gryffindor team captain. Ron was nervous about Quidditch try-outs, but beat out Cormac McLaggen in saves, partly because Hermione cast a Confundus Charm on McLaggen in retaliation for him insulting Ron and Ginny. He was also envious when Harry and Hermione were invited to the Slug Club, while the new Potions professor Horace Slughorn ignored him, and when attention was paid to him, Slughorn usually got his name wrong.
During this time, Ron showed brief flashes of jealousy about Harry and Hermione's closeness. He would take exception whenever Hermione complimented Harry on something Ron thought was equally due to him. Ron was temporarily mollified about this when Hermione asked if he would like to attend the club's Christmas party with her, and he agreed, but thought it was only as friends.
Ron was also worried over his sister's increasing involvement with boys, and after stumbling upon her kissing Dean Thomas, he blew up at her. In retaliation, Ginny belittled him for his complete inexperience with the opposite gender, declaring that Harry and Hermione had also snogged people. The siblings treated each other coldly afterwards, and Ron was so bothered by this — and by the revelation that Hermione had kissed Viktor Krum almost two years earlier — that he began to perform poorly in Quidditch.
He also began to treat Hermione with a cold indifference, which confused her. He even offered to resign from the team. To boost his confidence, Harry pretended to pour the Felix Felicis into Ron's Pumpkin juice at breakfast. Harry even allowed Hermione to see the vial, so she would object to the cheating. This convinced Ron that he had an edge in the game, which caused him to play excellently. However, when after the match Harry revealed it was a trick, Ron rounded on Hermione and accused her of having no faith in his abilities.
===== Dating Lavender Brown =====
: Ron Weasley: "Well... we don't really talk much. It's mainly..."
: Harry Potter: "Snogging."
: Ron Weasley: "Well, yeah."
: — Ron's shallow relationship with Lavender Brown[src]
Shortly thereafter, Ron began his exhibitionist relationship with Lavender Brown. Hermione, incredibly angry and hurt by Ron's vindictive actions, conjured a flock of canaries to attack him; the birds scratched Ron badly. Although he did not report this, he spent a long time ranting about her violent and hypocritical act, and he and Hermione stopped talking to each other after that. When Hermione attended the Slug Club's Christmas party, she had originally wanted to attend with Ron but went with his hated rival, Cormac McLaggen, while Ron snogged Lavender in public and made fun of Hermione's behaviour in Transfiguration class, reducing her to tears.
By Christmas break, however, Ron was becoming disenchanted with his relationship with Lavender, who had become increasingly possessive, annoyed him with the nickname "Won-Won", and gave him a gift of a necklace that said "My Sweetheart". Hermione did not come to The Burrow for the holidays as she usually did, and Ron made an attempt to speak to her after returning to school, but she ignored him.
===== Poisoned twice =====
: "Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Harry outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened, she had taken almost no part in Harry and Ginny's obsessive discussion about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him."
: — Hermione visiting Ron in the hospital after he was poisoned[src]
:
On 1 March 1997, Ron ate chocolate that he believed to be one of the presents for his 17th birthday, but was in fact a gift from Romilda Vane to Harry spiked with a love potion. He found the box on the floor after Harry had chucked it out of his trunk thinking in was apart of his pile of presents by the foot of his bed. Upon ingesting the chocolate, Ron became maddened with an obsessive need to see and be with Romilda. Harry thinking fast proceeded to take Ron to Slughorn's office to get an antidote. When in Slughorn's office while Harry attempted to get Slughorn in a good mood hoping to get the true memory from him, Ron was nearly killed by poisoned mead intended for Albus Dumbledore. Harry managed to save Ron with a bezoar. The bezoar was one Slughorn had in his kit taken from a previous potions lesson. If it wasn't for Harry's timely actions and quick thinking Ron would have died.
A panic-stricken Hermione arrived at the Hospital Wing, forgetting her anger with him. Ron said Hermione's name in his sleep upon hearing her speak for the first time all day, and the two quietly reconciled after his near-death experience. Ron also took to feigning sleep whenever Lavender tried to visit him. He remained in the hospital the following week and was not able to play Keeper on Saturday 8 March for the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Quidditch match.
===== Re-embracing friends =====
: Harry Potter: "Fifty-seventh time lucky, you think?"
: Ron: "Lucky. Harry, that's it — get lucky!"
: Harry Potter: "What d'you mean?"
: Ron: "Use your lucky potion!"
: — Ron suggesting using Felix Felicis to retrieve the true memory from Slughorn[src]
On Monday 10 March Ron and Harry, who suffered a cracked skull from a mishit Bludger during the match, were able to leave the hospital wing, although Ron did not tell Lavender this. His subsequent avoidance of Lavender and simultaneous spending more time with Hermione made Lavender suspicious; after she spotted him and Hermione leaving the boys' dormitories, seemingly alone (Harry was with them, but under his Cloak of Invisibility), Lavender ended the relationship, much to Ron's relief.
Ron also had the idea of using Felix Felicis to retrieve Slughorn's true memory, while he and Hermione were preparing for their Apparition test. A little later, Ron was suitably impressed when Harry told him and Hermione how he managed to obtain the Horcrux memory from Professor Slughorn. A few weeks later, when Harry used Sectumsempra on Draco Malfoy, Ron lent his potions book to Harry, so Professor Snape would not confiscate the Half-Blood Prince's book. Ron did not endorsee what Harry did to Malfoy, but he did not consider it that bad. He took this stance because Malfoy healed okay and did not sustain any lasting damage. Ron also understood why Harry wanted the Half-Blood Prince's book back.
===== Battle of the Astronomy Tower =====
: "I messed up, Harry. We did like you told us: we checked the Marauder's Map and we couldn't see Malfoy on it, so we thought he must be in the Room of Requirement, so me, Ginny and Neville went to keep watch on it... but Malfoy got past us."
: — Ron participating in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower[src]
:
On the night of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Ron took Felix Felicis on Harry's instructions, along with Hermione and Ginny. Those three were joined by Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, whom Hermione had summoned using the D.A. coins. While Hermione and Luna monitored Professor Snape's office, Ron and the others watched the Room of Requirement. Ron fought in the battle and survived without any major injuries, thanks to the Felix Felicis.
He was shaken by his oldest brother Bill's scarring at the hands of the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Shortly afterwards, Ron attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, where he comforted a sobbing Hermione. He and Hermione informed Harry of their intention to accompany him on a quest to locate and destroy the Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort, forgoing their seventh year of school.
=== Horcrux hunt (1997–1998) ===
: Harry: "If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives — !"
: Ron: "—because it's the first time for all of us."
: — An argument over the seven Potters plan[src]
During the summer of 1997, Ron began planning ahead for his mission with Harry and Hermione. With the help of his father and Fred and George Weasley, Ron transfigured the family ghoul to resemble himself sick with spattergroit, which would serve as his alibi for not attending his seventh year of Hogwarts while travelling with his friends. Mrs Weasley was unware of this plan, as she was in denial about the trio's plans to drop out of Hogwarts.
==== Battle of the Seven Potters ====
: "Ron was great. Wonderful. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you're aiming at a moving target from a flying broom —"
: — Ron's helpfulness during the battle[src]
:
In late July, he participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his childhood home, taking Polyjuice Potion to be one of the "seven Potters." He flew with Nymphadora Tonks; they were pursued by at least three Death Eaters during the battle, including Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Ron stunned one of the Death Eaters in the face while flying. Ron reassured Hermione by nuzzling her back slightly upon landing as she had been quite worried about him and he was saddened at the death of "Mad-Eye" Moody. He was also saddened by the death of Harry's beloved pet owl Hedwig, over which he comforted Harry. Ron became concerned when Harry had a vision of an imprisoned Garrick Ollivander being brutally tortured by Lord Voldemort in the cellar at Malfoy Manor.
Once Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all convened at the Burrow, they made plans to leave, much to the displeasure of Ron's worried mother. During the preparations for Bill's wedding, Mrs Weasley set Ron, Harry, and Hermione to separate tasks to prevent them from planning. On Harry's seventeenth birthday, Ron gave Harry a copy of Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Later that evening, Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour visited the Burrow to dispense the contents of Dumbledore's will. He questioned the trio, and Ron let slip that they had no idea why Dumbledore would bequeath anything to him. Ron received Dumbledore's Deluminator.
==== Escape from the Burrow ====
: Ron : "You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross —"
: Hermione Granger: "Ron, we can't!"
: Ron : "Not to stay there, but to find out what's going on!"
: Hermione Granger: "We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?"
: — The trio looking for a safe place to stay after escaping the Burrow[src]
The trio attended the wedding for which, all summer, they had been forced to prepare the Burrow; the marrying couple was Ron's older brother Bill to Fleur Delacour on 1 August. Ron was irked and jealous that Viktor Krum was a guest, especially since he immediately complimented Hermione, who Ron quickly asked to dance shortly afterwards. When Viktor Krum asked who he thought was Barny Weasley (though it was really Harry in disguise) about the pair, he was somewhat disappointed to learn that they were "sort of" together, but not officially a couple.
The celebrations were interrupted with the news that the Ministry of Magic had fallen to Voldemort, and Hermione Disapparated herself, Ron, and Harry away from the danger to Tottenham Court Road. This was the starting point to the trio's adventure and search for the Horcruxes they needed to bring down Lord Voldemort. After they arrived at Luchino café they were ambushed by Death Eaters Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle there and a skirmish broke out. After stunning and wiping the memories of the Death Eaters, the trio took refuge in Harry's inherited house 12 Grimmauld Place left to him by Sirius Black.
==== Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic ====
: Ron: "Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes."
: Hermione Granger: "But you never told us that!"
: — Discussion of the Ministry infiltration plan[src]
There, the trio learned from Kreacher that Regulus Black had stolen the Horcrux Voldemort had made of Slytherin's Locket in 1979, and that it had been stolen from 12 Grimmauld Place by Mundungus Fletcher. Under interrogation, he informed them that the locket was now in the possession of Dolores Umbridge.
While they were waiting for Kreacher to fetch Mundungus, they were visited by Remus Lupin. He informed the trio about the goings on in the wider wizarding world. He told them that Harry was now the most wanted wizard in Britain and that Muggle-born witches and wizards were being rounded up. Ron immediately said that he would vouch for Hermione.
They formulated a plan to infiltrate the Ministry, involving the use of Polyjuice Potion to assume the forms of Ministry employees Reginald Cattermole, Albert Runcorn and Mafalda Hopkirk. Ron, disguised as Reginald Cattermole, quickly found himself forced to separate from his friends, as Death Eater and new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Yaxley, demanded that "Cattermole" fix the rain in his office.
Ron was in over his head, but may have found a solution to the problem after asking Arthur, who had no idea of Ron's true identity, for help. The trio reunited after Harry and Hermione stole the locket from Umbridge and freed some Muggle-born witches and wizards being held by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, and then escaped, but were forced to abandon Grimmauld Place as a hideout. Ron splinched himself during their escape into the countryside and was weakened by his injury. After receiving some treatment from Hermione, Ron fretted over the fate of the Cattermoles.
==== Exit and homecoming ====
: Harry Potter: "So why are you still here?"
: Ron Weasley: "Search me."
: Harry Potter: "Go home then"
: Ron Weasley: "Yeah, maybe I will! Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry I've-Faced-Worse Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here, well, I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuff –"
: — Ron lashing out against Harry's resulting in an intense row[src]
Afterward, weeks passed with no further progress. This, as well as the locket's negative influence, caused great tension and animosity amongst the group of friends. When he wore the locket, Ron was sullen and suspicious, lashing out at his friends and continuously complaining. Ron abruptly abandoned his friends one evening after getting into a fight with Harry over the additional task of locating Godric Gryffindor's Sword in order to destroy the locket. He accused Harry of having no plan and of not being very concerned about Ginny, whom they had learned was punished back at Hogwarts. When Ron asked if Hermione was going with him and she told him that she was staying, he accused her of choosing Harry over him, and left, despite Hermione screaming and crying for him to come back.
As soon as he was outside the influence of the Horcrux, Ron came to his senses and tried to return. However, he had a run-in with Snatchers first, who interrogated him. Ron claimed to be Stan Shunpike, and then took an opportunity to escape. He apparated numerous times to try to find Harry and Hermione, splinching fingernails off at one point, but could not find them. He then went to stay with Bill and Fleur at their new home, Shell Cottage. Soon after Christmas, Ron used the Deluminator Dumbledore bequeathed him to locate his friends.
Ron made his way to the Forest of Dean, where he arrived just in time to rescue Harry from drowning in a semi-frozen pond. When Ron attempted to use Godric Gryffindor's Sword to destroy the locket, horrible incorporeal images of Harry and Hermione came forth which cruelly mocked Ron about his many insecurities, including his fears that Hermione would choose Harry over him. This brought Ron to the point of tears. However, Ron successfully stabbed the Horcrux with Godric Gryffindor's Sword.
Afterwards, Harry took Ron aside to assuage his fears about Harry and Hermione. Saving Harry's life earned him Harry's forgiveness, but Hermione — who was unaware of what the Horcrux had done — was still furious with him for his abandonment for some time and attacked him mercilessly upon sight until Harry cast a Shield Charm to stop her.
==== Visit to the Lovegood House ====
: "Aha! That's got to be Luna's house, who else would live in a place like that? It looks like a giant rook!"
: — Ron describing the Lovegood's house[src]
:
Upon his return, Ron was happy to the point of giddiness, because he thought that they had an ally out there somewhere. He sought to hide this happiness when around Hermione in an act of contrition. When Hermione proposed a trip to the Lovegood's house to investigate a recurring symbol, Ron wholeheartedly agreed. Harry privately accused Ron of only agreeing to get back on Hermione's good side, a fact that he did not deny stating, "All's fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both."
The trio learned of the existence of the Deathly Hallows from Xenophilius Lovegood. Xenophilius, worried for his daughter Luna, who was being held hostage by Death Eaters, tried to capture the trio. They narrowly escaped, Hermione engineering it in a way that preserved Ron's alibi of being sick at home. While Harry obsessed over the Hallows, Ron and Hermione thought they should focus on finding the Horcruxes, as Dumbledore had instructed them. During Harry's period of listless obsession, Ron's leadership qualities began to show. He suggested that they search many wizarding settlements for clues if only to be in motion and actively searching.
==== Skirmish at Malfoy Manor ====
: Bellatrix Lestrange: "All except... except for the Mudblood."
: Ron: "No! You can have me, keep me!"
: Bellatrix Lestrange: "If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next. Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them — yet."
: — Ron begging Bellatrix while in Malfoy Manor[src]
During the Easter holidays of 1998, the trio was captured by a gang of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback after Harry accidentally broke the Taboo on Voldemort's name. Hermione hit Harry in the face with a Stinging Hex in order to disguise him. Harry, Hermione, and Ron quickly lied and gave fake names; Harry being Vernon Dudley, Hermione being Penelope Clearwater, and Ron being Stan Shunpike. Ron was beaten (his mouth extremely bloody) and was then forced to use another name, Barny Weasley. This was due to the Snatchers already knowing who Stan Shunpike was. The Snatchers also found Godric Gryffindor's sword in their tent, there was no explaining that.
They were then brought to Malfoy Manor, where Lucius Malfoy attempted to get his son to identify Harry. Draco said that he did not know whether it was Harry or not, but immediately recognised Ron and Hermione. The trio then meet with Bellatrix Lestrange, whom separated them. Ron tried to persuade Bellatrix to take him for questioning instead of Hermione. She responded that she would interrogate him next if Hermione died during questioning, as "blood-traitor was next to mud-blood in her book". Ron was forced into the dungeon with Harry, Dean Thomas, and the goblin Griphook. In the dungeon they found Luna and Mr Ollivander, whom were captured in 1996.
Hermione was kept upstairs and tortured by Bellatrix, her screams reducing Ron to tears. The group was saved by Dobby, who was sent by Aberforth Dumbledore. He freed Harry and Ron to run upstairs to save Hermione, who managed to lie under torture about where they had obtained Gryffindor's Sword. Ron disarmed Bellatrix after she avoided a chandelier dropped by Dobby, and pulled Hermione from the wreckage of the fallen chandelier, Disapparating them both to Bill and Fleur's home Shell Cottage. They stayed there with Luna, Fleur, Bill, Mr Ollivander, and Griphook. He attended the burial of Dobby, where he humbly gave him his shoes and socks.
==== Gringotts break-in ====
: Travers: "Who is your friend? I do not recognise him."
: Hermione Granger: "This is Dragomir Despard. He speaks very little English, but he is in sympathy with the Dark Lord's aims. He has travelled here from Transylvania to see our new regime."
: — A disguised Hermione introducing a disguised Ron to Travers[src]
At the cottage Hermione recovered and she, Ron, and Harry planned to break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank in order to take Hufflepuff's Cup, and a Horcrux, within the Lestrange Vault. Griphook the goblin agreed to help them in exchange for Gryffindor's Sword. Ron, knowing that the sword was needed to destroy Horcruxes was reluctant to let Harry part with it. Harry suggested that they delay handing the sword over until the Horcruxes were destroyed. As the planning went forward, Ron along with Harry and Hermione found Griphook to be increasingly distasteful.
On the morning of 1 May 1998, they broke into Gringotts with Hermione disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ron as a fictional foreign wizard named "Dragomir Despard", and Harry under his Invisibility Cloak with Griphook. As they were headed down into the vaults, the Gringotts defences (the Thief's Downfall in particular) were set against them, and Ron's disguise melted away. Once in the vault, it was discovered that all the treasure had Geminio and Flagrante curses put on them. Although they were betrayed by Griphook, the trio obtained Helga Hufflepuff's cup and escaped the wizarding bank on the back of a dragon.
==== Battle of Hogwarts ====
: "They can help. We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."
: — Ron persuading Harry to let Dumbledore's Army help[src]
:
After getting off the dragon escaping from the wizarding bank, Ron saw Harry having one of his visions. He was told that Lord Voldemort finally knew that they were hunting Horcruxes and that the final one was at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparated under the invisibility cloak to Hogsmeade looking for a way into Hogwarts. They were soon cornered by Death Eaters set to watch the town. Ron drew his wand ready to fight them, but Harry suggested that advantage lay in stealth and that attacking would give away their position. Once the Death Eaters ordered Dementors to search the town for the trio, Harry was forced to perform the Patronus Charm. After Harry's Patronus chased away the Dementors the trio found refuge in the Hog's Head.
A heated discussion with the proprietor followed, who turned out to be Aberforth Dumbledore. The discussion revolved around Harry's mission and the seeming defeat of the Order of the Phoenix. After this they were lead into Hogwarts by a badly beaten Neville Longbottom, whom in Harry's absence became the de facto leader of the D.A. They arrived in the Room of Requirement and found that the reformed Dumbledore's Army was hiding out there. Harry whom had developed trust issues, did not like the idea of allowing the other DA members to help. Ron persuaded Harry to let the others do so anyway.
While Harry searched for Ravenclaw's Diadem, Ron and Hermione entered the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve basilisk fangs. Ron mimicked the Parseltongue he had heard Harry use to open Salazar Slytherin's locket and succeeded in gaining entrance to the Chamber. Hermione used the fangs to destroy the Horcrux of Hufflepuff's Cup, and they then reunited with Harry. When Ron expressed desire to evacuate the house-elves from the Kitchens, Hermione, who had always been concerned for creatures so often mistreated by society, was so touched that she ran, nuzzled and kissed him, much to Ron's delight. However, their kiss was interrupted by Harry, who pointed out that there was a war going on and that they could carry on later, to which Ron pointed out there might not be later.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Room of Requirement to find Ravenclaw's diadem, but were ambushed by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. When Crabbe unleashed a cursed fire, the trio escaped by means of broomsticks; Harry saved Draco, and Ron and Hermione saved Goyle. They then witnessed the death of Ron's brother Fred in combat, which devastated Ron, who wanted revenge. Hermione managed to calm him by reminding him that they would have to fight on their way to finding Nagini, Voldemort's final Horcrux. The trio made their way to the Shrieking Shack, and witnessed the snake kill Severus Snape on Voldemort's orders. While dying, Severus Snape's memories leaked out of him, which Harry collected into a glass phial to latter view in the headmaster's office.
During the pause in the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron went to the Great Hall, where Bill comforted him over Fred's death and Hermione comforted Ginny. Harry went up to Dumbledore's office and emptied Snape's memories into the Pensieve. He entered the Pensieve and finally learned the truth of it all. After emerging from the Pensieve, he made use of the distraction to slip out and confront Voldemort. Following his alleged death, the battle resumed, and Ron and Neville Longbottom brought Fenrir Greyback down together. Ron witnessed Harry defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all, and survived the battle without serious injury.
=== After Hogwarts (1998–2014) ===
: "Harry and Ron utterly revolutionised the Auror Department in — at the Ministry of Magic. So they — I mean, they are now the consummate — they are experts... And by the time — 19 years later — I would imagine that Harry is heading up that department, which is not corrupt in any way. "
: — J. K. Rowling regarding Harry's career after the war[src]
:
Ron never received a seventh year of education at Hogwarts. Instead of completing his education, he moved on to become an Auror (along with Harry) at the Ministry of Magic, where he helped track down and capture those of Lord Voldemort's supporters that had gone into hiding, or else feigned innocence or ignorance whilst having actually cooperated and willingly supported his regime. Two years after he started at the Auror Office, he left to help his brother George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley, although he retained strong ties in the Ministry, and their work revolutionised both the Auror department and the instiution at large, and along with Hermione, the trio helped "make a new world" for the wizarding community.
His decision to do so was questioned by Rita Skeeter, who thought that Ron was tired of standing in Harry's shadow, and wrote in her gossip column that Ron was likely mentally ill (this must, of course, be taken with more than a small pinch of salt due to Rita's habit of writing scathing lies in articles), having said himself that the Horcrux hunt had "took its toll" on him.
Sometime between 1998 and 2006, Ron married Hermione, and later the couple had two children: Rose and Hugo. Ron was also the godfather and uncle of Harry and Ginny's oldest son. At some point, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all featured on Chocolate Frog Cards for their accomplishments, which Ron considered his "finest hour".
Ron himself noted that he and Hermione were quite young when they were married and that he became rather drunk afterward, having very little memory of the night after the ceremony.
On 31 October 2009, Ron came back to Hogwarts to bring his Deluminator to Headmistress McGonagall so she could take another look at it. On the way there, he travelled past London and used the Deluminator to collect the lights of half a street. When he arrived, he happened to be attracted to Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's Deathday Party, where he talked to a student and showed them the Deluminator. When Peeves caused the lights in the party hall to go out, Ron encouraged the student to use the Deluminator to restore the lights.
During the 2010–2011 school year, Ron came back again to his alma mater to join the defence force against Dementors and other Dark creatures when they attempted to attack the castle. He was seen putting up and reinforcing the spherical shield around the castle with students and staff, and he also participated in the big battle that ended the attacks. He discussed with Harry, Hermione and the staff about the cause of the attacks afterwards, and when Harry said he had an idea, Ron guessed that he meant the Death Eaters, though it was not what Harry had in mind.
=== Later life (2014–) ===
: "In the immediate aftermath of the battle Weasley, whose famous ginger hair appears to be thinning slightly, entered into employment with the Ministry of Magic alongside Potter, but left only two years later to co-manage the highly successful wizarding joke emporium Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Was he, as he stated at the time, 'delighted to assist my brother George with a business I've always loved'? Or had he had his fill of standing in Potter's shadow? Was the work of the Auror Department too much for a man who has admitted that the destruction of He Who Could Not Be Named's Horcruxes 'took its toll' on him? He shows no obvious signs of mental illness from a distance, but the public is not allowed close enough to make a proper assessment. Is this suspicious?"
: — DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY REUNITES AT QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP FINAL[src]
:
==== 2014 Quidditch World Cup ====
Ron, Hermione and their children Rose and Hugo all attended the final of the 427th Quidditch World Cup in the Patagonian Desert in July 2014, alongside Harry, Ginny, James, Albus, Teddy Lupin, Neville, Hannah, Luna, Rolf, Bill, Fleur, Victoire, and potentially others. Ron also became close with Harry's children, one of whom, James, was his godson. Lily Luna Potter and Ron's son were close in age and good friends, as were Ron's daughter and Albus Severus Potter.
==== Seeing off his daughter ====
: Albus Potter: "Why are they all staring?"
: Ron: "Don't let it worry you. It's me. I'm extremely famous."
: — Ron talking about the reason of people staring[src]
In August of 2017, Ron, having settled into a rotund middle age, obtained a Muggle driving licence. He also admitted putting a Confundus Charm on the Muggle driving inspector because he had forgotten to use his wing mirror properly, excusing this mistake because casting a Supersensory Charm would be more effective. That year, he and Hermione sent their daughter off for her first year at Hogwarts, and Ron encouraged Rose to be Sorted into Gryffindor House and to beat Scorpius Malfoy in marks. He hugged Hugo gently.
As the train faded away, Ron remembered his time at Hogwarts and how he would love to be going back. At a gathering with Hermione, Harry and Ginny, they talked about the meeting and Ron attempted to cheer everyone up by making jokes which led them them telling him to stop. Before the start of the new school year, Ron and Hermione told Rose to try and befriend Albus again since they have drifted apart since starting Hogwarts.
==== Fighting Delphini ====
A while later, Ron attended a meeting at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione was worried about how Harry was having nightmares and his scar was hurting again. Ron got into an argument with Draco Malfoy.
When Albus and Scorpius meddled with time, they changed Ron's life. In one alternate reality, Ron helped Harry and Ginny find Albus. Ron never married Hermione and instead married Padma Patil. In another alternate reality where Voldemort won, Ron was in hiding with Hermione as a member of what remained of Dumbledore's Army. They were visited by Severus Snape and Scorpius who told them about the original timeline where they won. Ron agreed to help correct time by time-travelling to the moments where Albus and Scorpius changed time and use a Shield Charm to stop them.
However, when they stopped them the first time, they returned to a present that hadn't changed much. They were attacked by Dementors and Ron and Hermione sacrifice their souls after professing their love for each other to give Scorpius time to escape. Their sacrifice, combined with Snape's a short time later, allowed Scorpius to return to the Second Task and set things right completely.
When the original timeline was restored, Ron was asked to attend a meeting with Professor McGonagall to talk about what happened. He turned up late having somehow ended up in the kitchens instead. Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny and Draco were very forgiving of Albus and Scorpius so McGonagall reminded them of the great dangers of what they had done.
Albus and Scorpius were kidnapped by Delphi and made to time-travel to 31 October, 1981. Ron went with Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Draco to the past to save them and stop Delphi. However, under Ginny's prodding, they realised that Delphi did not to want to kill baby Harry, but rather to stop Voldemort from doing so in the hope he would live and his reign would continue. Delphi thought she could make her father stronger as he would know love when he met her, which its lacking was what had originally led to his downfall. Ron helped Harry duel Delphi and they apprehended her. Ron then returned to the present where Delphi was sent to Azkaban.
==== The Calamity ====
: "Ron's abductor must have used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate me, just like Ginny's attempted abductor took on the appearance of her Editor—in—Chief."
: — Hermione Granger regarding Ron's abduction and Ginny's near abduction[src]
:
	'Engorgio!'
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During the Calamity, Ron would assist the members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force who pursued a Professor Profession when he ran into them in the Leaky Cauldron by debating on defensive footwork during duelling, causing them to gain increased resilience.
In the spring of 2021, The Unforgivable threatened Harry and Hermione after the two began wrenching control of Calamity surges away from the cabal. The two feared that their children would be targeted, but Harry insisted on continuing to fight against the Unforgivable. Harry redirected a Calamity surge and controlled it using memories of the Marauders. By April, Ginny had been attacked and Ronald had been abducted.
== Physical description ==
Ron inherited the typical Weasley family traits: fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. When he became embarrassed, his ears notably turned red. He had blue eyes, a long nose, and was described as being very tall and lanky, with big hands and feet. In this way, his stature was similar to those of his older brothers Bill and Percy, rather than the heavily built Charlie, and Fred and George.
His sister Ginny once joked to the trio that Ron had a Pygmy Puff tattoo, though it is doubtful that the remark had any truth in it.
By 2014, when he was at the age of 34, Rita Skeeter remarked on a Daily Prophet gossip column that his "famous ginger hair appears to be thinning slightly".
By 2017, Ron had settled into a round middle age and was later described to be getting "a bit of a gut" by his nephew, yet hiding it extremely well.
He had scars from the brains which attacked him in the Thought Room in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
== Personality and traits ==
: "...Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home and you're his best friend, and you're really famous — he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with you and he never mentions it..."
: — Description of Ron's loyalty, despite his insecurities[src]
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Ron was a very loyal, brave, strong and humourous person, but sometimes immature, and insensitive. He had a sardonic, wisecracking sense of humour that often brought his friends laughter and relaxation. However, as Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood pointed out, his humour could occasionally be hurtful, even if unintentionally. During his time searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes with Harry and Hermione, Ron matured greatly, and even took to leading the trio when Harry temporarily fell into a depressive mood.
Though his loyalty and bravery never faltered Ron's character was also marked by occasional jealousy and insecurity rising from feeling overshadowed by his five older brothers and his parents' constant comparisons between him and their other children. He could be argumentative, a trait particularly displayed in his bickering with the equally argumentative and occasionally highly critical Hermione. Though their bickering was frequent, it was never malicious (with the brief exception of sixth year) and generally a way to hide their deeper feelings for each other.
Inheriting the Weasley trait of a strong temper Ron was not above provocation especially when dealing with the spiteful treatment of Professor Snape and the bigotry and hatred of Draco Malfoy. Always willing to stand up for his friends and family even when angry with them, Ron never stopped standing up for Hermione when she faced Muggle-born related prejudice and hatred. He also stood by Harry's side when he was met with disbelief and scorn from his classmates and Wizard society in general. Ron frequently demonstrated great bravery in attempting to protect those he loved, from facing his arachnophobia to stand by Harry in his second year to trying to take Hermione's place when Bellatrix Lestrange isolated her for interrogation with the Cruciatus Curse.
: Ron: "What are you doing? Are you staying, or what?"
: Hermione Granger: "I... Yes — yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help —"
: Ron: "I get it. You choose him."
: Hermione Granger: "Ron, no — please — come back, come back!"
: — Ron abandoning Harry and Hermione after an intense row[src]
As a boy, Ron was very sensitive about his family's poverty, and sometimes embarrassed by them. Many, if not all, of Ron's possessions were hand-me-downs, including his robes, school books, wand, and even a pet rat whom he called Scabbers. His family's lack of finances often made Ron a target for taunting by Draco Malfoy, a spoiled, arrogant Slytherin. Ron was also prone to insecurity about his abilities, when compared to his older siblings and to his famous best friend. When he felt insecure or embarrassed, it was noted that his ears turned red. This became his tell-tale sign of his anger and embarrassment. He felt as if he was consistently overshadowed by the legacy of his older brothers and the fame of Harry; this lead to a feeling of being "second-best".
Although passionate about Quidditch, especially the Chudley Cannons, and a fine flyer, Ron had a problem with nerves, and sometimes his playing ability suffered for it. Salazar Slytherin's Locket revealed that Ron's deepest fears were that his mother loved him least and that Hermione preferred Harry to him. He also suffered from arachnophobia, a fear originating from his brother Fred transfiguring his teddy bear into a spider when Ron was a child.
Ron's point of view on many topics was often that of the stereotypical wizard, which clashed many times with those of Harry and Hermione because they were both raised by Muggles; but in exchange, he was typically more aware of standard factors abided by wizardkind. Examples of this are that while he liked Lupin the entire third year, the moment he discovered that Lupin was a werewolf he exclaimed "Get away from me, werewolf!"; that he was more shocked and disgusted than Harry and Hermione at discovering that Hagrid was half giant; and when he got into an argument with Griphook over wizards not giving goblins wands. However, he was clearly very much appreciative of Dobby's sacrifice for them, as he helped Harry dig the grave, found it difficult to say stuff at the grave (it is mentioned it "came out thickly", implying he was choked up), and he had sat on a rock and stripped off his shoes and socks, giving them to Dobby to be buried in.
Ron was particularly fond of food. He had a tendency to talk with his mouth full, often to Hermione's disgust, and a great fondness for bacon sandwiches, though he disliked corned beef sandwiches, as mentioned in his first year; his love of food eventually made him settle into a portly middle age. And like Harry, Ron was intelligent, but lacked the motivation to put forth effort in class due to incredible laziness; during their years at school, Ron frequently expected Hermione's help, and when she either refused or was unavailable, he was often dumbfounded about how to proceed. If not for Hermione's help, he would have undoubtedly failed his exams.
Ron was also shown to have a habit of swearing. In 1993, he called Professor Snape something that caused Hermione to exclaim: "Ron!". Also, after Draco Malfoy insulted him, Ron told him to do something he would never have dared say in front of Mrs Weasley. He also called Draco Malfoy a "two face-bastard" during the Battle of Hogwarts after saving him from a Death Eater, and rescuing him for a second time, from death.
Ron was brave, to a level which would put him on a par with his best friend Harry; he never hesitated to put himself into extremely dangerous situations with his best friends Harry and Hermione, and as shown many times, he would rather die than have someone else he cared about be harmed. He risked his life on many occasions, and his bravery was not unnoticed by his friends.
Ron was also quite pragmatic and, despite his occasionally fierce temper, was usually able to keep a more level head in stressful situations compared with Harry and Hermione. His pragmatism was demonstrated by his defence of Bartemius Crouch Senior's harsh treatment of his house elf Winky, with Ron stating that Winky liked being told what to do by Crouch to the point that she held a seat for him despite her acrophobia and that this was because she wasn't human and as such didn't think like one. Another example of Ron's pragmatic nature was when he discovered the truth about Albus Dumbledore's past with Gellert Grindelwald as while Harry was disgusted by Dumbledore's past desires to rule over Muggles alongside Grindelwald and Dumbledore's secrecy over this, and even Hermione expressed huge shock over this, Ron simply stated that Dumbledore was still growing up at that age and changed as he got older. However, Ron's pragmatism occasionally made him naïve and insensitive, as while he believed that Winky liked being told what to do and acknowledged that she wasn't human, he was ignorant to Winky's acrophobia and her emotional distress once she was sacked by Crouch Senior.
Ron was also a person who liked to do things the easy way, as he did not like to work hard. This quality was reflected in his first year when he just picked up books from the Hogwarts Library shelves randomly when finding out about Nicolas Flamel. He also had a tendency to make up predictions for his Divination homework, and frequently copied most of his homework from Hermione Granger. However, he could afford to let go of this tendency of his during tougher times, like when he researched information to help Hagrid in letting off Buckbeak in his third year. His peculiar trait did not seem to vanish, even after he grew up, as he confunded his driving examiner (breaking the International Statute of Secrecy which is considered illegal) and shrugged off his guilt by saying "I could always use a Supersensory Charm for that".
Ron was very protective of those he cared about, and this was shown perhaps, best of all, when Ginny was involved in a relationship with Dean Thomas. He was, of course, looking out for her, but his temper got the best of him and he lashed out at her, as she did the same to him.
== Magical abilities and skills ==
: "First — to Mr Ronald Weasley for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
: — Albus Dumbledore acknowledging Ron's talent at Wizard's Chess[src]
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Ron was often insecure about his own abilities, when compared to his elder brothers and famous best friend. However, once that lessened he proved to be a powerful wizard in his own right. Ron was able to conjure a corporeal Jack Russell terrier Patronus, a mark of superior magical ability.
* Charms: Ron was rather good at this field, being able to cast the Levitation Charm successfully in his first year, and receiving an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam in the subject, allowing him to study it further at N.E.W.T. level. He was also known to be able to proficiently cast the Patronus Charm by his fifth year, the latter of which is noted to be extremely advanced and powerful magic not usually taught on the Hogwarts Curriculum. His Patronus assumed the corporeal form of a Jack Russell terrier. He could also successfully cast many simple charms such as the Fire-Making Spell, Cheering Charm, Wand-Lighting Charm, Boggart-Banishing Spell, Seize and pull charm, Summoning Charm, Banishing Charm, Impervius Charm, Severing Charm, Unlocking Charm, Locking Spell and various others. He was also very skilled with Defensive Charms such as the Disarming Charm and Stunning Spell. Furthermore, he claimed to be able to perform the Supersensory Charm and Confundus Charm in his adult years.
* Potions: Although Ron had disliked the subject just as much as Harry due to Severus Snape and frequently achieved poor marks that were among the worst in his class as a result, when Snape was not around, he proved to be surprisingly talented and proficient in the field, as he was able to achieve an 'Exceeds Expectations' grade on his O.W.L. exam and was one of only twelve students able to go on to N.E.W.T.-level in 1996. After becoming an Auror, it is safe to assume that Ron had became at least sufficiently adept in poisons and antidotes considering it was deemed to be essential as an Auror.
* Wizard's Chess: Ron was extremely talented at chess. It was he who taught Harry how to play. Ron and Harry often played Wizard's Chess together when they had free time. In his first year, his logistic ability helped him, Hermione, and Harry play past Professor McGonagall's magically Transfigured giant chessboard to get to the Philosopher's Stone and prevent it being stolen by Voldemort. As a result, he got fifty points for his house for "the best played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years", as Dumbledore himself noted.
* Duelling: Ron was more than capable in battle; it is notable that he survived both the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and fought very courageously in both. He fought well in the Battle of the Seven Potters, stunning a Death Eater while flying. This was seen as such a noticeable feat that Tonks stated that she couldn't believe it and that it was a very hard thing to do. Ron also disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange, and saved Hermione during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. Later he took down Fenrir Greyback with Neville Longbottom and defeated several other Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts. He also escaped a group of Snatchers, unharmed after he temporarily left the Horcrux hunt. It should also be noted that Ron had a physical approach to fighting as well as magical, as more than one occasion, he resorted to fighting physically rather than magically especially in his earlier years. He advised Harry to punch Draco Malfoy if his wand did not work during his first year as well as fight him with Neville during a Quidditch match. He took this trait to his later years when he wrestled with Wormtail at Malfoy Manor and punched Draco after saving his life a second time during the Battle of Hogwarts. When Ron became an Auror, his skills greatly improved as he was able to track down and defeat multiple Death Eaters after the Battle of Hogwarts. He was also shown to help in overpowering Delphini when she tried to go back in time to stop Voldemort from killing Harry when he was a baby.
: "'Riddikulus!' bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over..."
: — Ron's successful casting of the Boggart-Banishing Spell in his third year[src]
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* Defence Against the Dark Arts: Ron was very skilled in this subject as, in 1996, he managed to achieve an 'Exceeds Expectations' grade on his O.W.L. exam which allowed him to study it further at N.E.W.T. level. He was able to successfully use various defensive spells, such as Boggart-Banishing Spell which he mastered in his third year. Ron was also the co founder of Dumbledore's Army and mastered all the defensive and offensive spells that Harry taught. Ron participated in several battles against the Death Eaters (dangerous and powerful Dark wizards) during the Second Wizarding War, which all he fought vigorously and skilfully in, and survived all of them, showing his highly impressive defensive abilities. When he became an Auror his defensive and offensive magic greatly improved as he was constantly put up against fighting the Dark Arts.
: "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!"
: — Ron attempting to curse Draco Malfoy[src]
:
* Dark Arts: Ron was shown to be rather good with dark magic, as he was able to successfully cast many dark charms successfully. He was able to successfully cast the Slug-vomiting Charm in an attempt to curse Draco Malfoy in his second year (although the curse backfired upon himself due his broken wand at that point). Other dark charms Ron mastered were the Knockback Jinx, Impediment Jinx, Melofors Jinx, Revulsion Jinx, Tickling Hex, Full Body-Bind Curse, Leg-Locker Curse and Reductor Curse.
* Apparition: Despite not achieving a licence in his sixth year, Ron was still able to Apparate during the hunt for the Horcruxes, though he did splinch himself on occasion.
* Transfiguration: Ron advanced to N.E.W.T.-level and achieved an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam, showing aptitude in the subject. He was also able to cast Transforming Spells successfully, including the Avifors Spell and Lapifors Spell. As an Auror, Ron's skills likely improved as being sufficiently skilled in transfiguring and untransfiguring was essential to the job. He was capable of helping in turning Harry into a doppelganger of Voldemort, further showing he had increased his skills in the field.
* Herbology: Ron achieved an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam. He attended N.E.W.T.-level Herbology in his sixth year. He could also cast Herbology related charms such as the Fire-Making Spell and the Herbivicus Charm.
: "My turn ... There's a blob a bit like a bowler hat. Maybe you're going to work for the Ministry of Magic.... But this way it looks more like an acorn.... What's that? A windfall, unexpected gold. Excellent, you can lend me some ... and there's a thing here, that looks like an animal ... yeah, if that was its head ... it looks like a hippo ... no, a sheep ..."
: — Ron making a surprisingly accurate prediction in his first Divination lesson[src]
:
* Divination: Like Harry, Ron disliked Professor Sybill Trelawney's Divination class, but unlike Harry, who entirely lacked ability in the subject, Ron apparently had some innate skill in Divination as he did make at least two accurate predictions. In his first attempt at reading tea leaves, he predicted that Harry would receive "a windfall, unexpected gold". Harry received unexpected gold the following year (by winning the Triwizard Tournament after Barty Crouch Jnr secretly submitted his name). He later inherited gold from his godfather, Sirius Black, after the death of Sirius. Ron also saw "a blob a bit like a bowler hat" among the tea leaves. Cornelius Fudge had a bowler hat when he met with Dumbledore and Harry after Voldemort's re-birth, and refused to believe Harry's story about the incident.
* Nonverbal magic: Ron was able to stun a man who attempted to attack Hermione in 1998 without saying the incantation, which is highly advanced magic. He is also noted to have been able to achieve this at a young age as demonstrated in his second year when he attempted to "curse" Draco when he insulted Hermione. The curse worked without him saying the incantation, even though it backfired due to him using a broken wand.
* Astronomy: Ron earned on O.W.L. in this subject. It is unknown if he was able to continue on to the N.E.W.T. class, seeing as he did not apply for advancement.
* Care of Magical Creatures: Ron got an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. in the subject. He showed talent in handling dangerous creatures like his brother Charlie Weasley.
* Flying: Like his brothers, Ron was good at flying. He was good enough to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and he flew successfully during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Ron was a reasonably good Keeper for the team, however his performance sometimes suffered due to his lack of confidence, but overall he was a highly talented broomstick flyer and Quidditch player.
* Tactical thinking: Ron was good with tactical thinking and showed a talent for thinking outside of the box. For example, it was Ron who suggested that Harry use Felix Felicis to try to get Horace Slughorn's memory of telling Tom Riddle about the Horcruxes, and Ron's idea to go to the Chamber of Secrets in order to get Basilisk fangs to destroy the Horcruxes. Ron was also able to keep a level head in highly stressful situations, and was generally more pragmatic than either of his best friends. His knack for strategy allowed him to consistently outclass his peers in both combat and strategy games such as Wizards Chess. His tactical mindset allowed him to recognise Quidditch plays and strategies almost instantly, which is an impressive feat, given that Quidditch is a sport with a three-dimensional playing field.
* Impersonation: Ron was clever at imitating voices. While at Malfoy Manor, he was able to convincingly imitate Peter Pettigrew to avoid arousing the suspicions of Bellatrix and the Malfoys. He was also able to mimic Parseltongue effectively, which is a rather difficult language to learn or even imitate, enough to open the Chamber of Secrets after previously hearing Harry do it.
* Leadership skills: While it was mostly Harry or Hermione who did the leading, Ron also had relatively good leadership skills as he took charge of the Wizard's Chess obstacle during their search for the Philosophers Stone and ordered Harry and Hermione to continue searching for it when he decided to become a sacrifice in the end. He later formed and co-lead Dumbledore's Army alongside Harry and Hermione, and temporarily lead their Horcrux hunt when Harry briefly fell into depression over his obsession for the Deathly Hallows. After the war ended, his leadership skills were again shown when he, Harry and Hermione helped to reform the Auror department and Ministry of Magic, and help reduce the prejudice towards non-pure bloods and other underprivileged magical creatures, and when he co owned Weasley Wizard Wheezes afterwards alongside George Weasley.
* Business: As Ron co-owned Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes alongside his brother George after leaving his profession as an Auror, he likely developed good business skills as he helped turn the business into a big "money-spinner" and helped George run it after Fred's death.
== Possessions ==
: "You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat."
: — Ron talking about being the youngest son in the family to Harry[src]
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* Ron's first wand (formerly Charlie Weasley's): Ron initially used his brother Charlie's old, chipped wand, made of ash with a unicorn hair sticking out of the end. He held the wand together with Spellotape after nearly breaking it in half at the start of his second year, but it malfunctioned dreadfully after this, backfiring spells, making strange noises, and emitting objects out from the wrong end. It eventually exploded when Gilderoy Lockhart tried to cast a Memory Charm with it on Ron and Harry in the Chamber of Secrets.
* Ron's second wand (first own wand): Before his third year, he received a wand, fourteen inches, willow and unicorn hair. This wand seemed to suit him better, but he lost it at Malfoy Manor in 1998 and it is questionable whether he ever retrieved it.
* Ron's third wand (formerly Peter Pettigrew's): Ron took this wand from Peter Pettigrew during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor and used it from then on; it was made of chestnut, long 9¼ inches and had a Dragon heartstring core. It is unknown whether he ever recovered his own wand or kept using Pettigrew's.
* Scabbers: Ron inherited Scabbers from Percy, who was gifted of an owl (Hermes) by his father in 1991 for becoming a Prefect. It was an old, grey rat which missed a toe. Scabbers was already very old when Ron got it, and even if Ron complained about it all the time, saying that Scabbers was useless, he got angry when it seemed that Crookshanks ate the rat. At the end of Ron's third year, it turned out that Scabbers was actually the unregistered Animagus Peter Pettigrew, who was believed to have died in 1981.
* Pigwidgeon: Ron's first pet owl he was gifted to him from Sirius Black in June 1994, when Sirius used the owl to carry a letter to Harry. Black said that Ron might keep the owl as he didn't have a rat anymore. Pigwidgeon was described by Harry as resembling a "fluffy snitch". Though Ron acted very rude to Pigwidgeon in public, he was actually very attached to Pig, since this was his first owl. The name was chosen by Ginny Weasley, but Ron thought it was "a stupid name" and tried to change it; it was too late however, and the owl wouldn't respond to anything else.
* Cleansweep Eleven: In the summer of 1995, Ronald Weasley was given a Cleansweep Eleven as a present from his parents for becoming a Prefect, and used it when he played as Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
* Shooting Star: Ron had a Shooting Star when he was young.
* Weasley jumpers: As every other member of the Weasley family, Ron got from his mother a home-made jumper with a "R", his first initial, as a Christmas gift every year. On Christmas 1991 he complained about his jumpers being "always maroon".
* Dress robes: Ron wore a set of dress robes to the Yule Ball in 1994. They were very traditional in style, and thus old-fashioned and frilly, much to Ron's distaste. Ron also owns a second set of dress robes, a present from the twins in the summer break of 1995. These robes were bought with some of Harry's Triwizard winnings, as a stipulation of him giving the money to Fred and George. These robes were only mentioned, never described.
* Sweetheart necklace: Ron received the necklace from Lavender Brown as a Christmas present in 1996, though it is unlikely that he kept it following their break up.
* Prefect badge: Just like all of his brothers except the twins, Ron became a Prefect during his fifth year, and received his badge in the summer of 1995.
* The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle: In his youth, Ron was an avid reader of this comic, and he kept a large stack of issues in his bedroom.
* Chudley Cannons' posters: Ron was a supporter of the Chudley Cannons and he put posters of the team everywhere in his bedroom.
* Spello-tape: Ron used Spellotape to hold together his first wand after nearly breaking it in half at the start of his second year, but it malfunctioned dreadfully after this, backfiring spells, making strange noises and emitting objects from the wrong end. He borrowed the tape from Seamus Finnigan.
* Deluminator: Ron inherited the Deluminator from Dumbledore's will, which helped him during his Horcrux mission to "illuminate the darkness".
* Watch: He received a golden wristwatch on his 17th birthday from his parents.
* Chocolate Frog Cards: Ron had about five hundred chocolate frog cards in 1991, including six cards of Morgana and probably at least one of Albus Dumbledore, but none of Agrippa nor Ptolemy. Supposedly, in his adulthood, he owned his own card, which he was extremely proud of.
* Wizard's Chess Set: Ron had a battered old Wizard's Chess set in 1991. Like most other things he had, it was secondhand, being passed down to him by his grandfather — it was left unsaid whether it was Septimus Weasley's or his Prewett grandfather's. However, his chessmen were therefore more likely to trust his judgement in battle.
* Car (supposedly): Ron mentioned having parked this car near King's Cross on September 1st, 2017, when he carried his family to the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. It is however left unclear if the car was Ron's or Hermione's. He said that the Supersensory Charm could be used for parking, so he probably charmed the car with that.
* Muggle driving licence: On September 1st, 2017, Ron mentioned having obtained the Muggle driving licence, even if Hermione, according to him, didn't believe that he could pass the exam without Confunding the examiner. (As a matter of fact, however, Ron admitted having Confunded the examiner, because he forgot to look in the wing mirror).
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
==== Weasley family ====
: Molly Weasley: "It's not funny. And look after Ron."
: Fred and George Weasley: "Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."
: Ron Weasley: "Shut up."
: — Ron with his family at King's Cross Station[src]
Ron was quite close with his family. Although he was sometimes embarrassed by their lack of money, Ron was fiercely protective of his siblings, and always stoutly defended his parents. He was outraged when his brother Percy called their father a failure and greatly upset their mother with his estrangement, as Ron was close to both of his parents.
Ron looked up to his older brothers Bill and Charlie, though their accomplishments also made him feel insecure about what he had to live up to. Percy tried to be a role model for Ron, but Ron considered him rather pompous and annoying, and took after Fred and George more in terms of personality. Notably, Ron was the only family member Percy contacted after his estrangement from his family, congratulating Ron on becoming a prefect and advising him to cut ties with Harry, even though Ron was further disgusted by Percy's estrangement. Once he reconciled with his family, Percy was also the one who comforted Ron over Fred's death during the Battle of Hogwarts. The twins delighted in teasing Ron, as did his younger sister Ginny, though they were all close. Ron was very protective of Ginny, particularly in disapproving of her love life, which sometimes led to them fighting.
Other relatives of Ron were Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who were his uncles and members of the Order of the Phoenix. During the First Wizarding War, the brothers were attacked by five Death Eaters, including Antonin Dolohov. Both were killed in battle and were described as having "fought like heroes".
After the Second Wizarding War, Ron's family was extended when four of his siblings were married and had children. He also had two children with Hermione Granger, Rose, and Hugo Weasley.
==== Harry Potter ====
: "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!"
: — Ron's loyalty to Harry[src]
:
Harry Potter had been Ron's best friend since 1991. The two were as close as brothers, as the Weasleys became like a surrogate family to Harry soon after the pair met on the Hogwarts Express at the start of their first year. They took to each other immediately, bonding over the vast array of wizarding sweets Harry happily shared with Ron, who was not able to afford his own from the Hogwarts Express food trolley. When Draco Malfoy spoke disparagingly of Ron's family, Harry rejected Draco's offer of friendship in favour of Ron's. Both Ron and Harry were Sorted into Gryffindor and therefore shared a dormitory. Ron defended Harry from fellow classmates and even Professor Snape.
Like all real brothers, Harry and Ron occasionally fought, especially when Ron's insecurities got the best of him. When Harry was chosen by the Goblet of Fire as Champion for the Triwizard Tournament, Ron believed Harry had indeed cheated to get into the contest. The two briefly fell out, but the friendship was repaired after the Tournament's First Task, when Ron realised that Harry could possibly lose his life to an event he had genuinely not wanted to enter.
The two had another falling out in 1997, when the negative energy in Salazar Slytherin's Locket affected Ron to the point of making him resentful of Harry and unreasonably jealous of Harry's relationship with Hermione Granger, their other best friend and Ron's love interest. Ron temporarily abandoned his friends, though he instantly regretted it, and returned to save Harry's life. By and large, Ron was always fiercely loyal to Harry and risked life and limb on countless occasions for him. Even in 2020, Ron tried to prevent Harry from being transfigured into Voldemort due he didn't want Harry to be affected by his trauma. The two eventually became brothers-in-law when Harry married Ron's sister. Ron was the uncle of Harry's three children, and was godfather to Harry and Ginny's son James. Since the two became Aurors, it is likely that they worked together later in life.
==== Hermione Granger ====
: "Oh, maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counselling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counselling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical."
: — J. K. Rowling on Hermione and Ron's adult relationship[src]
:
Ron's relationship with Hermione was rocky, but by and large, the two were good friends for most of their adolescence, with building romantic tension that culminated in a kiss during the Battle of Hogwarts. From the time Ron first met Hermione on the Hogwarts Express at the start of their first year, he found her annoying for "showing off" and regularly reciting the school's rules. His first thought was that he didn't want to be in her house and he groaned when she was Sorted into Gryffindor. Later on, he informed others of his annoyance with her, and mentioned that it was unsurprising that she didn't have any friends, which she overheard. Hurt, Hermione hid in the bathroom, crying, until Harry and Ron saved her from a troll that had been let into Hogwarts by Professor Quirrell. Following the troll incident, Hermione lied to Professor McGonagall to prevent Harry and Ron from getting into trouble. From that time onwards, the trio were best friends, in spite of Ron and Hermione's tendency to bicker.
Ron first began showing signs of romantic interest in Hermione in their second year; he was irritated by her crush on Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart, became so angry that Draco Malfoy called her a "Mudblood" that he tried to hex him, and was even more upset than Harry when she became one of the victims of the basilisk. In their third year, Ron and Hermione had their first real fight, when Ron accused Hermione's cat Crookshanks of eating his pet rat Scabbers, which had gone missing.
The two stopped speaking to each other for a time, but made up after Hagrid scolded Ron and Harry for their treatment of Hermione; Ron offered to help her with Buckbeak's trial, and Hermione hugged him. Also in their third year during their Defence Against the Dark Arts class when Professor Lupin was "ill" and Professor Snape was teaching instead, Ron was the only person that had enough courage to go as far as standing up to Snape when he called Hermione an "insufferable know-it-all".
In their fourth year, Ron and Hermione's romantic feelings for one another began to grow and become more obvious. Hermione was jealous of Ron's crush on Fleur Delacour, the part-Veela champion from Beauxbatons, and Ron became jealous of Viktor Krum, with whom Hermione attended the Yule Ball after Ron failed to ask her in time and then offended her with his clumsy attempt to do so. Though they rowed heatedly over Hermione seeing Krum, their friendship only suffered slight strain. Hermione's frustration over Ron's failure to realise and act on his feelings continued into their fifth year, as she commented that he had "the emotional range of a teaspoon". Ron was visibly affected when Hermione kissed him on the cheek before his first Quidditch game and irked that Hermione maintained a correspondence with Viktor Krum.
Their sixth year would be a trying time for Ron and Hermione. When Hermione and Harry were invited to the Slug Club, while Professor Slughorn ignored Ron, Ron became resentful and jealous. He brightened up considerably after Hermione asked him to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her. However, Ron had a row with his sister after catching her snogging Dean Thomas, during which she revealed that Hermione had snogged Viktor Krum sometime during their fourth year. Ron started acting coldly towards Hermione, much to her bewilderment.
In an attempt to boost Ron's confidence for an upcoming Quidditch match, Harry pretended to slip him some Felix Felicis in Ron's morning pumpkin juice, giving Ron the desired placebo effect that kept his nerves from hindering his performance as a Keeper. Harry had managed to trick Hermione into thinking he had given Ron a drop of the Felix Felicis as well, and she berated both Harry and Ron for taking an unfair advantage in the game. Though Ron had initially believed the Felix was behind his flawless performance, when Harry revealed he had not actually slipped anything in Ron's drink, Ron accused Hermione of not having faith in his abilities and thenceforth started ignoring her completely.
All this caused Ron to begin a shallow relationship with Lavender Brown. Hermione was hurt and furious, conjuring a flock of canaries to attack Ron, after which the two did not speak for months. Hermione even retaliated by attending the aforementioned Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen, an older Gryffindor whom Ron despised, simply to annoy Ron. By this time, Ron was already growing tired of his relationship with the very clingy Lavender.
When Ron was accidentally poisoned with mead on his birthday, Hermione forgot her anger in her worry for him, staying by his side until he recovered. Ron looked forward to these visits from her while pretending to be asleep whenever Lavender visited him. By the time Ron was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing, he and Hermione were closer than ever, and the former's romance with Lavender ended quickly when Lavender saw Ron and Hermione coming down from the boys' dormitories together, while Harry was with them under his Invisibility Cloak. At the end of the year, their mutual affection was visible when Ron gently comforted Hermione as she cried on his shoulder at Dumbledore's funeral.
Afterwards, the two grew much closer, though were only "sort of" together, according to Harry. They danced together at Bill and Fleur's wedding, where Ron also showed his continuing jealous dislike of Viktor Krum, who was a guest. During the hunt for the Horcruxes with Harry, Ron comforted Hermione several times by putting his arm around her, and the two were generally kinder to one another; Harry even suspected that they had fallen asleep in 12 Grimmauld Place holding hands after waking up and noticing that their hands were barely an inch away from each other.
When Remus Lupin informed them of the Ministry's crack down on Muggle-borns, Ron offered to vouch for her by telling people that Hermione was his cousin, at which Hermione affectionately touched his hand and reminded him that they were on the run with the most wanted wizard in Britain. When Ron temporarily left his friends, Hermione cried over him for weeks; Ron was able to return by hearing Hermione's voice saying his name through his Deluminator. When Ron destroyed the locket Horcrux, it taunted him with visions of his greatest fears, one of which was Hermione preferring Harry to him. Hermione was initially furious with Ron for his abandonment, to the point of physically attacking him, though she eventually forgave him.
Later on, when the trio was brought to Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange isolated Hermione for interrogation by the means of torture. Ron begged in vain to be taken in her stead, and after being thrown into the basement, Hermione's screams from above caused Ron to call her name in anguish, eventually reducing him to tears. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione was touched when Ron expressed concern for the castle's house-elves, for whom she had always been concerned, and initiated a kiss, to which Ron responded very enthusiastically.
Sometime after the end of the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Hermione married and had two children, Rose and Hugo.They were rather young when they married, as noted by Ron in 2020. His nephew, Albus, noted that Ron was rather openly affectionate towards his wife and was known to kiss her in public rather frequently. At this time Ron proposed to Hermione again after reading about renewing wedding vows, showing that Ron had become rather romantic as he matured, which made Hermione melt, deeply touched by her husband's romantic gesture and agreeing on the spot to it. This shows hows Ron and Hermione's relationship had evolved and much of their bickering subsiding a bit for a more gentle marriage, yet still rife with their uniquely combative and verbally alarming undertones to it.
==== Children ====
: "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood"
: — Ron joking with his daughter Rose about Scorpius Malfoy[src]
:
After the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Hermione had two children, Rose and Hugo. As Rose was preparing to leave for her first year at Hogwarts in 2017, Ron jokingly told her that if she wasn't in Gryffindor he'd disinherit her. He also told her to beat Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius Malfoy on their tests, and that he was grateful she had inherited her mother's brains.
Ron's daughter Rose was close in age to Harry and Ginny's younger son Albus Severus, while Ron's son Hugo was close in age to Harry and Ginny's daughter, Lily Luna and they all appeared quite close.
==== Nieces and nephews ====
: "You interrupted them? You are so like Ron —"
: — Ginny to her son James Sirius[src]
:
After the Second Wizarding War, Ron had many nieces and nephews through his siblings. Bill and Fleur had three children: Victoire, Dominique, and Louis. Percy and his wife, Audrey, had two daughters, Molly (after Ron's mother) and Lucy. George and Angelina had two children, a son named Fred (after Ron's older brother) and a daughter named Roxanne. Ginny also married Harry and had three children, James (to whom Ron was godfather), Albus, and Lily.
==== Fleur Delacour ====
: "I don't know what made me do it! What was I playing at? There were people — all around — I've gone mad — everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall — she was standing there talking to Diggory — and it sort of came over me — and I asked her! She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then — I dunno — I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."
: — Ron's humiliating attempt to ask Fleur to the Yule Ball[src]
:
Fleur Delacour was a very beautiful, French, part-Veela witch. Ron developed a crush on her when he met her in 1994, during the Triwizard Tournament. He asked her to go with him to the Yule Ball, but she refused. However, after the the second task in the Tournament, when Harry "saved" Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle from the Black Lake, Fleur treated both Harry and Ron (whom she believed helped Harry save Gabrielle) much more warmly. Following the death of Cedric Diggory and the end of the Tournament, Fleur kissed Ron and Harry and said goodbye to them before she left. After the Tournament, Fleur started dating Ron's brother, Bill. Bill sent her to live with his family for a few days, so that she could become more familiar with them. Ron told Harry that it was difficult to get used to her visiting when she kept appearing suddenly, leaving Ron in a sort-of trance.
Fleur eventually married Bill, and they lived at their own house, Shell Cottage. While Ron was looking for Horcruxes, he abandoned Harry and Hermione temporarily after they fought and spent that time at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur. Ron went to Shell Cottage again, after the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, and Fleur cared for him and his friends like a mother.
Eventually, Ron and Fleur fought alongside each other and survived the Battle of Hogwarts.
=== Neville Longbottom ===
: "No, you're not. You just said that to get rid of Neville."
: — Ron to Hermione Granger regarding Neville's invite to the Yule Ball[src]
:
Neville Longbottom became Ron's room mate in their first year at Hogwarts. Neville was shy and nervous, and regularly found himself being bullied by Slytherin students, like Draco Malfoy. Ron encouraged Neville to be more confident and to stand up for himself, and the two became close friends. Both Ron and Neville became members of Dumbledore's Army in 1995, and fought together in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996, and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997.
Ron was shocked when he learned that Neville's parents were patients at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, having been tortured to the point of insanity by Barty Crouch Jnr, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, and sympathised with his friend.
While Ron, Harry and Hermione left Hogwarts to find Voldemort's Horcruxes, Neville led Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood and several other students in reviving Dumbledore's Army and maintaining a steady opposition against the new Headmaster Severus Snape and professors Amycus and Alecto Carrow. Neville was adamant that the rest of the DA be included in whatever Ron, Harry and Hermione were doing to bring down Lord Voldemort, and he fought together with them in the Battle of Hogwarts, ultimately beheading Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor and destroying the last remaining Horcrux. Together, Ron and Neville took down Fenrir Greyback.
After the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Neville remained close and saw each other regularly, as Neville was appointed Herbology professor at Hogwarts, and taught Ron's daughter in 2017.
=== Draco Malfoy ===
: "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
: — Draco Malfoy upon first meeting Ron[src]
:
Ron and his family were looked down upon by the Malfoy family for their lack of wealth and "blood traitor" status. Upon meeting Ron on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of their first year, Draco Malfoy immediately expressed his disdain for the Weasleys. He was further irritated when Harry turned down his offer of friendship in favour of Ron's. Like their fathers, Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, Ron and Draco despised each other and frequently exchanged insults.
In their second year, Ron tried to hex Draco to vomit slugs after he called Hermione a "filthy little Mudblood", but the charm backfired due to a broken wand. He also attempted to physically attack him after Draco expressed a wish that Hermione was killed rather than petrified during the Chamber of Secrets affair. In their fourth year, Ron was immensely amused when Alastor Moody (Barty Crouch Jnr in disguise) transfigured Draco into a ferret. The following year, Draco invented the song Weasley is Our King to demean Ron's abilities as a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After he, Harry, and Hermione saved Draco and Gregory Goyle from the Room of Requirement, Ron punched Draco in the face and called him a "two-faced bastard" upon seeing him with a Death Eater.
By 2017, Ron and his friends' enmity with Draco had faded, though none of them were near friends. Ron discouraged his daughter Rose from becoming "too friendly" with Draco's son Scorpius. In 2020, it is shown Ron is slightly annoyed with Draco becoming friendly with Harry, and even cited that despite this he still disliked him. Nevertheless, he admitted that he felt sorry for Draco for the loss of Astoria, showing that despite their mutual enmity, even Ron in the end was not entirely without empathy for him.
=== Luna Lovegood ===
: "You know, she's grown on me, Luna. I know she's insane, but it's in a good way."
: — Ron regarding Luna during his sixth year[src]
:
Ron met Luna Lovegood in 1995 on the Hogwarts Express, and found her very odd. She found him very funny, but Ron suspected she was making fun of him when she laughed uproariously at a joke he made. After getting to know her better through Dumbledore's Army, Ron gradually became fonder of Luna, especially after she was one of the only D.A. members to come to the trio's assistance when they ventured to the Ministry of Magic and a battle ensued, during which Luna protected a cursed Ron and his injured sister.
Ron was very amused when Luna commentated on a Quidditch match the following year, and when she danced by herself at the wedding of his older brother Bill and Fleur Delacour. He thought highly of her bravery, but still teased her on occasion, regardless the two remained close friends in their adulthood.
=== Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas ===
: Seamus Finnigan: "You believe all the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who, do you, you reckon he's telling the truth?"
: Ron Weasley: "Yeah, I do!"
: Seamus Finnigan: "Then you're mad too."
: Ron Weasley: "Yeah? Well unfortunately for you, pal, I'm also a prefect! So unless you want detention, watch your mouth!"
: — Ron sticking up for Harry against his friend, Seamus[src]
In addition to Harry and Neville, Ron's room mates at Hogwarts were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Although he was not as close to them as he was to Harry, Ron was nevertheless friendly with both of them. When he and Harry had a falling out over the Goblet of Fire drawing Harry's name, Ron spent a lot of time with Seamus and Dean.
Ron stood up for Harry against Seamus when he and Harry argued about Lord Voldemort's return. Also, when Dean began dating his younger sister in 1996, Ron became irritated with him, especially after catching the two snogging, though they seemed to have put the matter behind them completely by the time Ron, Harry and Hermione met Dean again in 1998.
Seamus and Dean were also members of Dumbledore's Army. Dean, like Ron, Harry and Hermione, left Hogwarts in 1997, because it was supposed that he was a Muggle-born. He was caught by a group of Snatchers, led by Fenrir Greyback, along with Ron, Harry and Hermione. They escaped from Malfoy Manor, where they had gone, and lived for a few days at Shell Cottage.
Seamus and Dean eventually fought along with Ron in the Battle of Hogwarts.
=== Scabbers/Peter Pettigrew ===
: "I let you sleep in my bed!"
: — Ron disgusted at Peter Pettigrew[src]
:
Scabbers was an unusually old and scraggly-looking rat that originally belonged to Percy Weasley, but was passed down to Ron when Percy was given Hermes. At first, Ron showed little outward affection for Scabbers, as the rat was uninteresting and one of Ron's many hand-me-downs. However, Ron later demonstrated that he genuinely cared for the rat; he was so devastated when Scabbers disappeared during the 1993–1994 school year that he nearly ended his friendship with Hermione Granger, believing her cat, Crookshanks, had eaten Scabbers. Ron was clearly overjoyed when they later discovered Scabbers hiding in Rubeus Hagrid's cabin. When Sirius Black and Remus Lupin revealed that Scabbers was actually an Animagus named Peter Pettigrew, Ron refused to believe it until they forced the rat to transform back into his human form. Ron took this revelation as a personal insult, and refused to listen to Pettigrew's pleas for mercy.
In 1998, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were captured and imprisoned in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. When the house-elf Dobby came to rescue them, Peter was sent to investigate the noise. Harry and Ron ambushed Pettigrew, and Ron took his wand. Harry reminded Pettigrew of the life-debt he owed Harry when Pettigrew tried to strangle him, and Peter momentarily loosened his grip. However, the silver hand given to Peter by Voldemort turned on him instead, and, despite Harry and Ron's attempts to save him, Pettigrew was killed for showing the slightest bit of mercy. Ron subsequently gained possession of Pettigrew's wand. This could be seen as poetic justice for Pettigrew, who had deceived Ron for so long.
=== Rubeus Hagrid ===
: Hermione Granger: "Look, Hagrid is our friend, so why don't we just go and ask him?"
: Ron: "That will be a cheerful visit. "Hello Hagrid. Tell us, have you sent anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?""
: — Ron and Hermione on whether to ask Hagrid about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets[src]
Ron first met Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper for Hogwarts, during his first year at the school in 1991. Hagrid was very fond of Harry, Ron and Hermione, regularly inviting them to his hut for tea. Though all three returned Hagrid's affections, Ron was openly incredulous of Hagrid's love of dangerous Creatures, and was furious with Hagrid after his pet Acromantula, Aragog, and Aragog's family tried to eat him and Harry. During Ron's fourth year, it was revealed to the wizarding world that Hagrid was a half-giant, and Hagrid consequently received a good deal of hate mail, which led to his self-imposed seclusion within his hut. Through the efforts of Ron, Harry, Hermione and Albus Dumbledore, Hagrid became convinced that people still loved him and wanted him around.
Ron and Hagrid also fought alongside one another in the Battle of the Seven Potters and in the Battle of Hogwarts. After the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Hagrid probably remained friends.
=== Remus Lupin ===
: Hermione Granger: "Harry! How could you?"
: Ron: "You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin."
: — Hermione and Ron after Harry yelled at Remus for leaving his wife[src]
Ron was among the students who were very impressed by Remus Lupin's teaching when he was professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, during Ron's third year at Hogwarts. Though Ron was initially afraid when he learned Lupin was a werewolf, he quickly realised that being a werewolf didn't change who Lupin was in human form, and the issue never came between them. In 1997, when Harry fought with Remus for attempting to temporarily leave his pregnant wife to aid Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their mission, Ron expressed his disappointment in the way Harry handled the situation, despite agreeing with the point Harry was trying to make.
Ron and Lupin fought alongside each other in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, the Battle of the Seven Potters, the Attack at the Burrow, and the Battle of Hogwarts, where Remus was murdered by Antonin Dolohov. After Remus was murdered in the Second Wizarding War, Ron remained close with Remus's son Teddy Lupin, who was also Harry Potter's godson.
=== Sirius Black ===
: Ron Weasley: "No one knows how he got out of Azkaban. No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."
: Hermione Granger: "But they'll catch him, won't they? I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too...."
: — Ron about Sirius Black after he escaped from prison[src]
Ron first learned about Sirius Black in 1993, when the latter became the first wizard to escape from Azkaban, and was believed to be planning to track down and kill Harry at Hogwarts. As it turned out, Sirius was actually after Ron's pet rat, who was actually the Animagus Peter Pettigrew in disguise. At the end of their third year, Ron, Harry and Hermione learned that Sirius was not only innocent of the crime of betraying Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort, but that he was, in fact, Harry's godfather. After revealing Pettigrew's true form, Sirius felt responsible for Ron's loss of "Scabbers," and gave him an owl as replacement. During their fourth year Ron along with Harry and Hermione provided food for Sirius, who was hiding in a cave outside of Hogsmeade.
During the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Sirius bonded during their time cooped up at 12 Grimmauld Place, and Ron defended Sirius against all of Hermione's critical remarks about Sirius's selfish treatment of Harry as a friend rather than a godson, as well as her belief that Sirius was trying to live vicariously through Harry, Ron, and herself.
=== Minerva McGonagall ===
: Professor McGonagall: "You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."
: Ron Weasley: "Not much. Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted —"
: Professor McGonagall: "The Sorting Ceremony is over. Your sister is also in Gryffindor."
: Ron Weasley: "Oh, good."
: — Professor McGonagall to Ron Weasley at the beginning of the 1992–1993 school year[src]
Minerva McGonagall was the Transfiguration Professor and Gryffindor Head of House during Ron's time at Hogwarts. She was very strict, and regularly reprimanded Ron, Harry and Hermione for the many instances they ended up bending or outright breaking school rules. However, she was just and impartial as a disciplinarian, and always acted in the best interest of all Hogwarts students, often showing lenience and understanding where it was deserved. She clearly cared about Ron, as she cared about all of her students, and Ron fought alongside McGonagall during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle of Hogwarts, both surviving the Second Wizarding War.
=== Nymphadora Tonks ===
: Ron: "Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean, Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but [...] "
: Ginny Weasley: "She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm!"
: — Ron and Ginny comparing Tonks and Fleur[src]
Nymphadora Tonks was a young witch, a metamorphmagus, and an Auror. Ron met Tonks in 1995, when both became members of the Order of the Phoenix. Ron generally liked Tonks and found her amusing, despite at one point comparing her looks unfavourably to Fleur Delacour's. Saying that she was merely okay looking "when not doing stupid stuff to her nose and hair". He also mentioned that she was not as much of laugh anymore as she was starting to "look more and more like Moaning Myrtle".
Tonks and Ron fought alongside each other during the: Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Battle of the Seven Potters (where they were paired together), the Attack at the Burrow, and the Battle of Hogwarts, where Tonks was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. Ron was devastated by her death and after the war, he became a friend of Tonks's son, Teddy. It can also be assumed that he was around Teddy often, seeing as his best friend was Teddy's godfather.
=== Severus Snape ===
: Hermione Granger: "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you ever been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough."
: Ron: "He used to be a Death Eater. And we've never seen proof that he really swapped sides."
: — Ron's mistrust towards Snape[src]
Severus Snape was the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House during Ron's time at Hogwarts. He made no attempt to hide his preference for his own House, nor his disdain for the Gryffindor students, and showed particular dislike for both Ron and Hermione as Harry's best friends. Ron believed that Snape, who was a former Death Eater, had never truly joined their side, and that he was still working as a double agent for Voldemort. During his fifth year, Ron suggested that Snape was trying to open Harry's mind to Voldemort rather than close it during Harry's Occlumency lessons.
In 1997, Ron fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, after which he learned that Snape had killed Albus Dumbledore, and a few months later, during the Battle of the Seven Potters, Snape accidentally cursed off George Weasley's ear, while aiming a Sectumsempra at a Death Eater who was poised to kill Remus Lupin. Ron, like most of the Order and Hogwarts staff, viewed Snape as a cowardly, heartless murderer. However, Ron witnessed Snape's death as ordered by Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, and eventually learned that Snape had been working for their side all along, at great personal risk. It was likely that Ron came to appreciate Snape's unwavering bravery.
=== Albus Dumbledore ===
: "Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker all right!"
: — Ron's own unique compliment of Dumbledore[src]
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Ron was raised within the wizarding world, and knew of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster and probably the greatest wizard of the time, since childhood. Ron met Dumbledore when he first attended Hogwarts in 1991. Although Ron never spent much, if any, one-on-one time with Dumbledore, it was clear that Dumbledore trusted Ron, along with Hermione, and valued their individual skills. He felt Ron and Hermione could be trusted to aid Harry in his mission to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, the existence of which was a secret of vital importance unknown to a living a soul aside from the trio, Dumbledore, and Voldemort himself.
After Dumbledore's death, it was discovered that the Headmaster had bequeathed Ron his Deluminator. Unknown to Ron at the time he received it, the Deluminator had the magical ability to return Ron to his friends if the time came, as Dumbledore had anticipated, when Ron would part ways with Harry and Hermione during their quest. The Deluminator's function as a homing device for Ron's friends suggested that Dumbledore understood Ron well enough to know that as surely as he would struggle with the mission, he would be just as certain to want to return to his friends' sides.
In return, Ron admired Dumbledore for his extraordinary magical prowess and intelligence greatly and felt a great amount of respect for him. During Dumbledore's funeral, Ron was clearly distraught as Dumbledore's body was laid to rest. This respect clearly became greater than ever when Ron realised that Dumbledore valued him as Harry's friend enough to give him the Deluminator, showing great appreciation and gratitude for the Headmaster's trust in him. Due to his pragmatism, he is entirely unaffected by the revelation of Dumbledore's past with Gellert Grindelwald whereas even Hermione could not help but be deeply shocked by it, believing it only happened because Dumbledore was still growing up at that age and defending him from Harry when he mentioned about it.
Ron, along with Hermione and Harry, visited Dumbledore's portrait after the Battle of Hogwarts to discuss the fate of the Deathly Hallows.
=== Lavender Brown ===
: Ron: "I love you, Hermione."
: Hermione Granger: "Don't let Lavender hear you saying that."
: Ron: "I won't. Or maybe I will...then she'll ditch me..."
: — Ron and Hermione discussing Ron's relationship with Lavender[src]
Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor in Ron's year, developed a crush on him when they entered their sixth year. At first, Ron seemed vaguely flattered, but not particularly interested in Lavender's flirtatious behaviour. However, after becoming angry with Hermione and being taunted by Ginny over his lack of romantic experience, Ron began an exhibitionist relationship with Lavender. The couple was frequently seen snogging in public, much to the disgust of a jealous and hurt Hermione as well as Ginny, who considered him a "filthy hypocrite" because he insulted her for being caught kissing her boyfriend earlier in the year.
Lavender threw herself into the relationship almost obsessively, alarming even her best friend, Parvati Patil. Lavender called Ron by the annoying nickname of "Won-Won", pressed Harry for details of Ron's feelings for her, and gave him a necklace with the words 'my sweetheart' for Christmas. After that Christmas, Lavender tickled Ron, and was noticed by Harry. Ron found these traits irritating, and admitted to Harry that the relationship consisted of little talking and mostly snogging.
By his birthday, Ron was unhappy in the relationship; he feigned sleep whenever Lavender visited him in the infirmary after his poisoning and said Hermione's name in his sleep. He was spared the task of breaking up with Lavender when she became suspicious that something was going on between him and Hermione, and ended the romance. Ron was happy to see things finished, though he felt guilty for it, but Lavender was upset for some time afterwards. It is unknown how Ron reacted to Lavender's death in the Battle of Hogwarts. It can assumed that he was saddened by it, as they were once friends.
=== Viktor Krum ===
: "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"
: — Ron jealously mocking Hermione's relationship with Viktor Krum[src]
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Ron was a huge fan of Viktor Krum, as he was the Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team, enthusiastic to the point of purchasing a miniature Krum figurine at the Quidditch World Cup and bringing it with him to school. However, his feelings changed markedly when Krum began seeing Hermione Granger and the two attended the Yule Ball together in 1994. Despite his jealousy, Ron asked Krum for his autograph following the end of the Triwizard Tournament, much to Krum's surprise and Hermione's amusement. During Ron's sixth year, he discovered that Hermione had "snogged" Krum in the course of their brief romance, which caused Ron's jealousy of Krum to resurge. He expressed these feelings in 1997, at Bill and Fleur's wedding, when Krum's appearance as a guest inspired Ron to whisk Hermione away to dance.
=== Pigwidgeon ===
: "I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."
: — Ron regarding his pet owl[src]
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Pigwidgeon became Ron's owl in 1994. He was given to Ron by Sirius Black, as Sirius felt partially responsible for the loss of Ron's pet rat, who turned out to be the Animagus and Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew, in disguise. Initially, Ron loved him, and enjoyed having an owl of his own, but Pig, as Ron preferred to call him, turned out to be very tiny and hyperactive, and became mainly annoying to Ron (as Errol and Hermes, according to Ron) and had to be kept away from them. It can be assumed that deep down Ron still loved Pigwidgeon considering that before he found out the truth about Peter Pettigrew he still loved "Scabbers" despite complaining about his uselessness nonstop.
=== Crookshanks ===
: Ron Weasley: "OY! GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"
: Hermione Granger: "Ron, don't hurt him!"
: Ron Weasley: "CATCH THAT CAT! Look at him! He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"
: Hermione Granger: "Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong! All cats chase rats, Ron!"
: Ron Weasley: "There's something funny about that animal! It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"
: — Ron's inital dislike of Hermione's cat[src]
Crookshanks was Hermione Granger's large, bandy-legged, ginger-coloured, half-Kneazle cat. Ron strongly disliked him at first, largely due to his antagonistic behaviour towards Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. In 1993, Scabbers, who was actually the Animagus, Peter Pettigrew, faked his own death for the second time after Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Ron initially believed Scabbers had been eaten by Crookshanks, and he nearly ended his friendship with Hermione.
When Ron discovered the truth about Scabbers, and found that Crookshanks had been helping Sirius all along, he seemed to appreciate Crookshanks as a good judge of character, and even half-jokingly asked the cat if Pigwidgeon was really an owl. When Crookshanks meowed happily, Ron actually seemed relieved. It is unknown if Ron ever saw Crookshanks after the Battle of Hogwarts, since he had been left at the Burrow during Bill and Fleur's wedding.
=== Cormac McLaggen ===
: "Well, good luck. Hope you hammer McLag — I mean, Smith."
: — Ron to Harry Potter before a Quidditch match[src]
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In 1996, Ron's competition for the Keeper position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team was Cormac McLaggen, a Gryffindor a year above him. Before the try-outs, Hermione overheard McLaggen insulting Ron and Ginny, and placed a Confundus Charm on him that made him miss his last save. Ron thus beat him, though McLaggen claimed that this was due to favouritism. Ron greatly disliked him, which prompted Hermione to attend Professor Slughorn's Christmas party with him to retaliate against Ron for his romance with Lavender Brown. Ron disliked McLaggen even more, and was happy when his date with Hermione did not go well, and when McLaggen did not perform well as replacement keeper while Ron was in the Hospital Wing.
=== Dolores Umbridge ===
: Hermione Granger: "She's an awful woman, awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in ... we've got to do something about her."
: Ron Weasley: "I suggested poison."
: Hermione Granger: "No ... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defence from her at all."
: Ron Weasley: "Well, what can we do about that? 'S too late, isn't it? She got the job, she's here to stay, Fudge'll make sure of that."
: — Ron's hatred of Umbridge[src]
In 1995, Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry employee, was appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. She was a sadistic, very unpleasant woman who derived great satisfaction from torturing students as punishment (most notably, forcing Harry Potter to carve the words "I must not tell lies" into the back of his own hand, using a Blood Quill). Ron, like most of the students and faculty at Hogwarts, greatly disliked her intrusive, hypocritical and often outright insulting ways, in return Umbridge disliked Ron, as he was a main offender of the rules and loyal to Harry and a member of Dumbledore's Army. She had an obsession with pure-blood status and both hated and feared people she called half-breeds, like centaurs and half-giants. She also hated Muggle-borns, and probably half-bloods, despite being half-blood herself. In the end of the year, she was attacked by a group of centaurs and eventually brought to the Hospital Wing by Albus Dumbledore. Though she attempted to abscond, Peeves the Poltergeist discovered her sneaking away, and led the students in driving her out Hogwarts.
Ron met again Umbridge in 1997, when he was disguised as Reg Cattermole, a Ministry official, and while Umbridge was in charge of trying Muggle-borns before they were sent to Azkaban. Harry stunned Umbridge during the interrogation of Mary Cattermole, when Umbridge attempted to flaunt Salazar Slytherin's Locket as proof of her relation to the Selwyn family. After Hermione retrieved the locket and replaced it with a decoy using the Geminio curse, Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded to help the Muggle-borns awaiting trial escape from the Ministry. After the Second Wizarding War, Umbridge herself was imprisoned in Azkaban for life.
=== Ghosts ===
: Moaning Myrtle: "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me."
: Ron: "But, it can't hurt if someone throws something at you. I mean, it would just go right through you."
: — An example of Ron's unintentional insensitivity to ghosts[src]
Ron's lack of sensitivity causes him to be unpopular with the Hogwarts ghosts, namely Nearly Headless Nick and Moaning Myrtle. Ron first met Nearly Headless Nick in 1991 during his first welcoming feast. He knew Nick because he heard Fred and George talking about him. Nick requested that Ron should address him as "Sir Nicholas" instead of Nearly Headless Nick. During later feasts, Ron would annoy Nick by reminding him he was dead and how much he enjoyed food.
Ron met Moaning Myrtle in 1992, during the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Myrtle was upset since Ginny had unknowingly thrown a diary at her. Ron pointed out that it couldn't hurt Myrtle since she was a ghost, and the book would go through her. Myrtle swooped down on Ron with rage and sarcastically commented that everyone should throw books at her and make a game out of it.
=== Lord Voldemort ===
: "He beat you!"
: — Ron to Voldemort (talking about Harry Potter) during the Battle of Hogwarts[src]
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As Ron was raised within the wizarding world, he had grown up fearing the name of Lord Voldemort, the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time. He was afraid to say the name or even to hear it, and protested when Harry refused to refer to Voldemort as "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named". Ron helped Harry protect the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort at the end of their first year, when he won a game of Wizard's chess by sacrificing himself. Ron also helped Harry get into the Chamber of Secrets and save Ron's younger sister.
Ron's fear of saying Voldemort's name ended up being justified and delaying the capture of Harry, Hermione and himself, as he managed to convince Harry and Hermione to refer to Voldemort as "You-Know-Who" around the same time saying the name was made Taboo. In 1998, Ron used Godric Gryffindor's sword to destroy Salazar Slytherin's Locket, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The locket tortured Ron, as a "Riddle-Harry" and a "Riddle-Hermione" appeared, eventually kissing, telling Ron that he was useless, that no woman would choose him over Harry, that his own mother will choose Harry as a son instead of him, and that she wanted a girl when she had him. Ron showed the strength of his personality in by overcoming his insecurities and stabbing the locket with Godric Gryffindor's Sword, destroying the Horcrux.
During the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron was present when Voldemort told the crowd that Harry had been killed while trying to save himself. Forgetting his fear, and breaking the Silencing Charm Voldemort had placed over the crowd, Ron shouted that Harry had defeated him. Ron also witnessed Voldemort's final duel with Harry.
=== Dumbledore's Army ===
: Neville Longbottom: "Dumbledore's Army's supposed to be about doing something real. Or was all that just words to you?"
: Ron: "Maybe you don't have to do this all by yourself, mate."
: — Ron, along with Neville, showing his loyalty to the Army, and to Harry[src]
Dumbledore's Army was an organisation led by Harry Potter, in order to oppose Dolores Umbridge, and as a supplementary means of practising defensive magic. In 1995, Ron and Hermione convinced Harry to teach anyone who was interested about protective spells and counter-jinxes that had helped him survive his many encounters with Voldemort, as the purely theoretical instruction they were receiving from Umbridge was wholly inadequate. Six members of the D.A. fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. In addition to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Fred and George, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas, there were eighteen other known members.
The Gryffindor students who were members of the DA included Colin and Dennis Creevey, Parvati Patil, Lee Jordan (Fred and George Weasley's best friend) Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell (members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team) and Angelina Johnson (captain of the Team, and Ron's future sister-in-law, after marrying George). Fred and Colin Creevey were both murdered by Death Eaters in during the Battle.
The Hufflepuff students were Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Zacharias Smith. Ron was friendly with all of them, except Zacharias, the only one who didn't fight in the Battle of Hogwarts.
The Ravenclaw students were Padma Patil (Parvati's twin sister), Cho Chang, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Marietta Edgecombe. Ron attended the Yule Ball with Padma, who wasn't pleased with Ron's appearance in his tattered dress robes, and Ron wasn't particularly fond of Michael Corner, who was Ginny's ex-boyfriend. They all fought together during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, with the exception of Marietta, who did not return to Hogwarts at any point.
=== Order of the Phoenix ===
: Harry Potter: "So what is this place?"
: Ron: "Headquarters."
: Hermione Granger: "Of the Order of the Phoenix. It's a secret society. Dumbledore formed it back when they first fought You-Know-Who."
: — Ron and Hermione explaining to Harry the Order[src]
The Order of the Phoenix was an organisation founded and led by Albus Dumbledore. The Order included Ron's family, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Rubeus Hagrid, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Fleur Delacour, Minerva McGonagall, Nymphadora Tonks, and Severus Snape as well as several other notable members of the wizarding community.
In 1994, for Ron's fourth year at Hogwarts, Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody, an Auror famous for his great skill, vast experience, and growing paranoia, was appointed professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Prior to the start of the school year, on Lord Voldemort's orders, Moody was attacked and imprisoned in his own magical trunk by Barty Crouch Jnr, who impersonated Moody and took his place at Hogwarts by using Polyjuice Potion until 24 June, 1995. Ron clearly held Moody in high regard, as he looked forward to his classes and persistently hoped that Moody would tell him he would make a good Auror, as he had Harry and Hermione (albeit, it was actually Barty Crouch Jnr who suggested Harry and Hermione consider becoming Aurors). Ron met the real Mad-Eye later in 1995, at 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order. Ron and Moody fought alongside one another in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and in the Battle of the Seven Potters, where Mad-Eye was killed. Ron, like the other members of the Order, was shocked and devastated by the death of someone as tough and skilled as Moody.
Ron was also familiar with the "useless git" Mundungus Fletcher, an almost grudging member of the Order. Though Ron was initially amused by Mundungus, he quickly grew disgusted with Mundungus's continued general disregard for other people, or their property and safety, particularly when he abandoned Alastor Moody in the midst of the Battle of the Seven Potters. Ron met Mundungus again when he, Harry and Hermione wanted information regarding the whereabouts of Salazar Slytherin's Locket and appeared amused by Kreacher's repeated abuse of Fletcher.
When Ron, Harry and Hermione apparated into Hogsmeade, intent on sneaking into Hogwarts to find an object that had once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, they found themselves in a trap set by Death Eaters. They were saved by Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore's younger brother, and owner of the Hog's Head. They discovered that they had been saved by him once before; it was Aberforth who had sent Dobby to rescue them from the Malfoy Manor after Harry saw his eye in the remaining shard of Sirius's two-way mirror. They were later also informed by Neville that Aberforth had been supporting Neville and the other DA members remaining at Hogwarts by feeding them, passing messages using enchanted coins, and generally backing them in their resistance against Severus Snape and the Carrows.
Other Order members Ron encountered were Kingsley Shacklebolt, a skilled Auror who would later go on to become Minister for Magic and who was greatly admired by Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys; Elphias Doge, Albus Dumbledore's friend; as well as Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, Sturgis Podmore, and Emmeline Vance. Emmeline Vance was killed by Death Eaters in 1996, and Podmore was imprisoned because he attempted to get into the Department of Mysteries, under the Imperius Curse, the news of which shocked and horrified Ron.
It is likely that every surviving member of the Order (except Arabella Figg, who was a Squib and unable to fight, but might have helped in another way) fought in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside Ron, Harry, and Hermione.