Ginny Weasley

The first time we meet Ginny is when Harry boards the Hogwarts Express in his first year. Ginny is overheard begging to go to Hogwarts, and then she is seen running alongside the train. We do not hear from her again until the second novel, in which she undertakes the key role of bringing Tom Riddle back to life via the enchanted diary. It is interesting that Rowling decides to use Ginny as the "victim" of the Chamber of Secrets, because the readers know next to nothing about Ron's baby sister. Of course, perhaps Rowling merely used Ginny as the connecting factor between the CoS and Ron. Had Ginny not been taken as a victim, I find it doubtful that Harry and Ron would've escorted Lockhart to the basilisk's lair.

Ginny appears throughout the third and fourth books sporadically  She is a lot like Neville Longbottom's character, in the sense that the readers come to know her personality and her character, but there is no real value placed upon her. It isn't until the fifth book when Ginny begins to date a few Gryffindor boys that the audience is given a glimpse into the potential of this pureblood witch. We learn that she is highly adept at hexes (the Bat Bogey hex in particular), and that she's is quite a bit like her twin brothers in the sense that she's a bit mischievous and very loyal.

However, the most intriguing aspect of Ginny is the relationship that develops between herself and Harry. Initially he sees her as nothing more than Ron's little sister, and as the years progress, he comes to view her as a friend. But in HBP, Harry starts to develop romantic feelings for Ginny, and the readers are taken along on their whirlwind relationship.

I firmly believe that had Ginny been kept as just Ron's little sister, the series would have ended very differently. Harry, who by all accounts is not a normal boy, would never be able to experience the very normal event of having a crush at school. Ginny plays an important role in the last few books, and had she not been such a brave and rebellious character in Hogwarts, Harry would never have been able to complete his task with the Horcruxes. We see this girl go from a virtual placeholder in the first novel to becoming an adept dueler standing next to Harry Potter.

Ronald Bilius Weasley

Blog Post #2 Response: Ronald Bilius Weasley

                Over the years at Hogwarts every student grows and changes significantly. Some, like Neville, begin to show their bravery and seem to come out of their shell. Others tend to mature far past their age and take on tasks that others would never dare, like Harry. And then there is Ron.

                Ron started of the series as the kid that always wears hand-me-downs and constantly gets compared to his many brothers. In year one at Hogwarts Ron is merely “another Weasley” which automatically makes him a redheaded boy that gets sorted into Gryffindor. Ron tells his predicament to Harry during one of their first conversations when he says, “Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.” So for most of his first year Ron basically just gets lost behind the Weasley name.

As the years go on Ron becomes much more than just another Weasley boy. When the sixth year at Hogwarts rolls around Ron really starts to develop. He gets informed early on in Order of the Phoenix that he has been selected to be a prefect. Later in the same year he makes the Quidditch team as the keeper. At this point Ron is still the “sidekick” to Harry, but he has started a nice reputation of his on with his personal accolades.  It’s no secret that Ron’s character will continue to develop in the coming years and he will play a vital role in the battle against Voldemort and his followers.

Zonkos! Those Weasley boys change quick!

The characters I enjoy watching change the most over the course of the Harry Potter series are Ron Weasley and some of his brothers.  As the story of Harry Potter continues the Weasley boy’s portray the theme “coming of age” very well by showing the different paths that a person can take.  Ron starts off as the sidekick to Harry through most of the series until book five.  As Ron truly moves from boy to young man he finally is given some of the things he saw in the mirror of Erised.  He is given the title of Prefect and is even the quidditch team keeper.  We have seen in the previous adventures that Ron is often left behind, in book three he has no real part in saving Sirius.  Now he even has a love triangle surrounding him.  His new love Lavender and the effect that it seems to have upon Hermione.  Ron moves rapidly from being the sidekick to having a clear role in the story.

            His brothers, George and Fred, show that school may not exactly be right for everyone.  Not everyone is made to be a scholar.  These two characters show ambition and wit; and this leads them to becoming young widarding entrepreneurs.  Opening their own, highly successful, joke shop proves that as some people come of age their ambition can take over and lead them to where they will find work and happiness.  

            From the older Weasley boys we hear mostly of Percy.  Who has turned his back upon his family and has taken government as his new fancy.  This shows that not everyone puts family first but instead takes work much more seriously in hopes that a successful career will bring them fulfillment.  

The Youngest Weasley Boy

Throughout the series so far, Ron Weasley has developed very much as a character. In the beginning of the books, Ron is just another Weasley. He is the youngest brother, and feels overshadowed by the other Weasley boys. Bill and Charlie have been successful after Hogwarts, working in exciting and dangerous tracts such as with goblins at Gringott's and studying dragons. Percy the Prefect may be on the outs at the moment but there is no doubt that his standards are high to live up to. Even Fred and George are envied by Ron, being the lovable class clown's and now successful business owners. We see Ron's deepest desires in the Mirror of Erised, with Ron as Head Boy, Quidditch Captain and having won the Quidditch Cup.

Ron also feels outshined by his own friends Harry and Hermione. He feels as though people just know him as the-famous-Harry-Potter's friend. Hermione is known for her own qualities, specifically being top of her class and a know-it-all, but Ron is really only known as being another red head and their sidekick. Ron starts to show his own moments of strength. At the end of the first book, he contributes to helping Harry by being an excellent chess player, however Ron yearns to be noticed, and this act would be one that only Harry and Hermione witness.

In the later books, Ron begins to come into his own. He not only makes the Quidditch team, but wins the match for Gryffindor to win the Cup! He remains loyal to Harry, but an important development for me was the fact that he and Harry had their first fight (over Harry's name being in the Goblet of Fire). Although things work out in the end, that to me signified that Ron was finally forming his own opinion and growing a back bone rather than just always agreeing with Harry and Hermione. He also is forced to face more dangerous situations with Harry, from flying on thestrals to dueling with Death Eaters, all of which he faces with bravery to continue to build his best characteristic: being a loyal and supportive bestfriend to Harry.

Oh Neville!

J.K. Rowling is wonderful at creating characters that are very unique and interesting. Throughout the series, she builds her story around those characters, and she sometimes surprises the readers with unexpected details about certain protagonists. Neville Longbottom is a perfect example of a character that had unexpected details revealed about him that allowed the readers to understand more about his personality.

First, Neville Longbottom comes off as a shy and clumsy boy. He seems very genuine and loyal, but it is difficult to imagine him as a mentally and physically strong person, and we feel sorry for him that he is so terrible at everything he does. 

The first event that made us think that he was brave was in the first book, when he tried to stop Harry, Hermione and Ron to sneak out again and said "You can't go out, you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble... I won't let you do it. I'll — I'll fight you!" (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 272). He was raised by his grandmother, which makes us think that he is innocent and naïve and never good enough in anything, but in this scene he is not afraid of fighting his friends and standing up for a good cause. This is the first time we have hope for him that he will finally succeed in life, and we start liking him more.

Also, we learn that his parents are not dead but that they have been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater, and that they lost their minds to the point that they do not even recognize their own son. Knowing this allowed us to have more compassion for Neville because we know that he went through a traumatizing event very early in his life. When Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban in the fifth book, it pushed Neville to become more focused and determined to get better in magic for his parents, and he “worked relentlessly on every new jinx and countercurse… working harder than anyone else in the room” (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 553). We feel terrible for him, and we want Neville to be happy and feel better. Seeing that he reacts this way by fighting for his parents' honor is very touching, and it proves us that he is a really good person. Therefore, we know now that he is a brave and strong person mentally because it takes a lot of strength to have parents who are alive but who do not recognize you anymore. 

Neville started as a very awkward and clumsy character, but book after book he became more confident and essential to the story. He went from a fragile boy to a strong teenager, and we like him this way! 

ron weasley

When I first read this prompt I knew I was going to talk about Ron Weasley. In the first couple books Ron was always viewed by me as a "side-kick" to Harry. Hermione was always the smart one with all the answers and Harry was the brave one that at the end was always winning. Harry was defeating Lord Voldemort and he was the youngest Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Also in the begining books Ron was out shadowed by this older brothers. Bill the oldest works at Gringotts bank, Charlie studies dragons, Percy was a perfect and got great grades at Hogwarts and then Fred and George were always pranking people and were good at Quidditch. Ron was always being compared too and out shined by them. Ron was always loyal to Harry. No matter how dangerous the situation was Ron always risked his life for Harry but was never seen as the hero by many. 

Ron has had his shining moments through out the series. Some of the brave and significant parts of Ron's journey that sand out to me are when he played Wizards Chest to get to the sorcerers stone. When he drives his father's flying car to pick up Harry from the Dursley's house. When Ron is faced that his rat, Scabbers, is not actually his rat and during that same scene when Ron faces a werewolf. Also when he fights against the death eaters and Voldemort over the prophecy. 

I think that in book six Ron steps out of everyone's shadows and becomes an individual. He finally gets attention from girls and has his first girlfriend, Lavender Brown. Now that Ron has and girlfriend and has made the Quidditch team for the second year he is finally making his own path and setting a name for himself in a positive way. Since this is my first time reading the books I have a feeling that Ron's character is going to continue to grow and have a large part in the rest of book six and during the last book. 

Ron takes one for the team

Ronald Weasley is the most obvious example of the coming of age story. Throughout the series he has not only helped his friends Harry and Hermione but also helped himself by developing his true goal in his life. We see in the first book when he looks into the Mirror of Erised, that he wants to be better than his brothers by having fame and fortune. But throughout the course of the series, we see Ron’s priorities change.

            As stated earlier, we meet Ron as he is just coming to Hogwarts as an 11 year old kid. But as he goes through the next seven years of school we watch as he figures out what is right. He learns that loyalty and friendship come before fame and fortune. We see Ron support Harry in the first three books as he is faced to all of this new danger such as mass murderers, dementors and Basilisks.

            But Ron’s true loyalty is tested in the fourth book, when he and Harry have their first fight over Harry’s fame in the Triwizard Tournament. There is a point after the fight that you think that Ron might not come through for Harry but sure enough by the end of the book, he is right back by Harry’s side putting aside his own feelings to help his best friend. Even through the 5^th and 6^th book we see him break into the ministry and   even help Harry in the Quidditch pitch. This breaks everything that Ron was against in the first book and I think that shows that he is serious about his friendship with Harry.

            Ron Weasley has gone from a nervous and attention-seeking boy to a loyal and fierce friend by the end of the 6^th book. Throughout the series, I have always looked up to Ron for his loyalty and self-sacrifice that he had given to Harry and Hermione. So if you ask me, he is the perfect example for the coming of age story Rowling is trying to portray.