Remember Ron Weasley, The Boy Who Stood Up To His Own Kind When It Was The Right Thing To Do

Ronald Weasley, the one who got hidden behind the shadow of Harry’s destiny and Hermione’s brilliance. For casual movie watchers, he might not even have existed. But for those of us who read the books, that red-headed boy with hand-me-down robes and old books was the one that mattered the most.

In Philosopher’s Stone, Dumbledore awards Neville Longbottom 10 points because of his courage to stand up his friends.

Ron Weasley, much like the rest of his family, stood up to his own community. Ron was a pureblood, as were all the Weasleys.

So when Voldemort came asking for birth certificates and confiscated wands from half-bloods and muggle-borns, accusing them of stealing magic, he did not have to worry. It shouldn’t have concerned him.

He could have lived happily with his family, not supporting the Death Eaters of course, but not fighting them either. Life could have been much easier. Fred would have been alive. He could have come out of school and worked wherever he wanted.

But that’s not what Ron was about. And he knew that’s not was magic was about. It was a gift, presented without the prejudice of birth status. The wand chose the wizard. And he wasn’t going to let anyone say or do otherwise.

And it is that very reason why the man, even before he could grow facial hair tried to get Malfoy to eat slugs when the latter had called Hermione a ‘Mudblood’.

He wasn’t going to stand down when discrimination of any kind was being perpetuated. And for the next 5 books, he didn’t.

He stood up and rebelled against the ministry when it tried to cover up Voldemort’s return. He was there every step of the way, fighting alongside Harry, even when it meant attacks on his family and him.

Ron Weasley was a hero, who recognised his privilege of being born a pureblood and looked beyond it. He wasn’t destiny’s child with a scar, nor did he have the brains or the skills to make up for it.