When it comes to the Harry Potter books, many readers have expressed how Ron and Harry are the best BrOTP. No matter what trials or tribulations they faced, they were inseparable. They were so loyal that they would follow each other to the ends of the earth if they had to.
However, the films were a different matter. Hermione seemed to replace Ron as Harry’s best friend, providing more support and comfort in the darkest of times. From Harry’s lack of support to Ron taunting him about his family, here are 10 reasons why Harry and Ron aren’t real friends.
Harry never supports Ron
One pretty apparent thing is that Harry never supports Ron in his time of need - especially when his friend is often the face of public embarrassment. This can first be apparent in The Goblet of Fire when Ron has been deemed a laughing stock for wearing that terrible outfit to the Yule Ball, whereas Harry made himself look elegant.
Even when Ron is telling him about how he humiliated himself in front of Fleur Delacour, Harry tunes him out and gets distracted by the Patil sisters walking past. He then abandons Ron in the middle of his story to ask them both to the Yule Ball. It was so nice of him to comfort his friend whilst he was upset.
Ron doesn’t stay behind
A very minor issue in the friendship of Ron and Harry came in the Prisoner of Azkaban. At one point in the film, the students are allowed to visit Hogsmeade village - granted that they have their signed permission slips from their parents/guardians.
Since Harry’s family hate anything to do with the wizarding world, the chances of Harry having his slip signed were slim. As expected, McGonagall refuses to let him go. Instead of volunteering to stay behind so Harry didn’t feel excluded, Ron decides to go ahead to the village with their friends. Ron further rubs salt in the wound when he tells Harry about all the amazing shops they went to. A true friend wouldn’t have done this.
Lashing out at Ron after he defended him
There’s no doubt that Harry takes his friends for granted, especially Ron, who treats him like he is his brother. It’s even truer after Order of the Phoenix when Harry lashes out at those around him. This is because the majority of the school have ostracized him, believing Harry to be lying about Cedric’s death and the return of Voldermort.
When Seamus confronts Harry in the Gryffindor common room, the only person to defend him was Ron. Instead of showing gratitude, Harry’s frustrations get the best of him and he takes it out on Ron. It’s not the first time he does this either as the beginning show Harry getting angry over Ron and Hermione keeping him out of the loop. He didn’t even consider what problems they could have faced.
Taking things that didn’t belong to him
Everyone knows that Ron loves his food - in the majority of the books and films, he never stops. However, does he think with his stomach more than his brain? In The Half-Blood Prince (film), Ron crosses a line when he opens the box of chocolates on your Harry’s bed without a thought about whether they could be a gift or not?
It’s not the first time that Ron has opened something “accidentally” as The Prisoner of Azkaban also sees Ron opening another gift for Harry without asking him permission. It does make you wonder what else he could be taking without Harry knowing.
Lack of communication
There is another issue that isn’t glaringly obvious and that is the lack of communication between Ron and Harry. If you consider that Harry and Ron are meant to be the best of friends, then why do they keep so many secrets from each other?
For instance, let’s recall the “Ginny and Hermione situation”. Harry kept his burdening feelings for his best mate’s sister a secret - which is fair enough because it would be a little awkward. However, Harry knew that Hermione was in love with Ron but never said anything. He could have saved them (and us) from all moping if he would have spoken up.
Ron’s Goblet Of Fire incident
The fight between Harry and Ron had to be one of the stupidest plots fans had ever seen. When Harry was announced as another contestant in the Triwizard Tournament, the friendship between the two was strained. Harry was ostracised by his peers despite claiming he was innocent.
The fight eventually led to the two friends refusing to speak to each other for weeks. Ron’s pettiness got the best of him - going as far as to not tell Harry about the first task, which proved to put his life in immense danger. If you’re not concerned about your best friend’s putting his life at risk, then are you really friends? If Ron had any trust in Harry, he should have believed him what he said, no matter what.
Harry’s Goblet Of Fire incident
The blame cannot all be placed on Ron when Harry plays a part in their fight during Goblet of Fire. While Ron was wrong to ostracize Harry because he was jealous of all the attention he received, Harry didn’t do anything to repair the bond either.
There were many opportunities for Harry to take the high road. After Ron walked in on Harry talking to Sirius and asked him what was going on, Harry dismisses him. He also acts petty by talking to Ron through Hermione. If you even think about it, Harry could have thanked Ron for passing on Hagrid’s “message”. Sirius told him to keep friends close so why did he ignore his advice?
Abandoning Harry in his time of need
The fight in The Deathly Hallows put Ron and Harry’s friendship to the test, especially when Ron chose to abandon him in the middle of their quest. Ron had already been feeling the pressure of their trip after he was forced to abandon his family. It didn’t help either that the Horcrux necklace Ron was wearing amplified all his bad thoughts.
However, it was selfish of Ron to try and convince Hermione to leave with him, especially as it would mean Harry would be left alone to search for the remaining Horcruxes. Even his family wouldn’t have agreed with Ron for abandoning Harry when the world needed him most.
Harry’s insensitivity in Deathly Hallows
Again, it wasn’t like Harry’s behavior in the Deathly Hallows can be excused as he proved to be an inconsiderate friend when he lashed out at Ron and Hermione.
Although Ron didn’t have to go with him, Harry never expressed any gratitude for the sacrifices his friends made. Since Ron had chosen to leave his family behind, he took comfort in listening to the radio for news. However, Harry gets annoyed with him constantly listening to it, saying it sets him on edge. Harry knew how important family was to Ron so he should have empathized. If this was what gave Ron hope to push on, then who was Harry to squash it.
Throwing the death of Harry’s parents in his face
One of the malicious things Ron has ever done is to throw the death of Harry’s parent back in his face. Even though he had been wearing the Horcrux necklace at the time, it was harsh for Ron to use the death of Harry’s parents against him. It was even worse when he dismisses Harry’s worries, saying he would never be able to relate.
Considering that Harry has been treated by the Weasleys like he was one of their own and vice versa, it had to be a kick to the stomach to hear Ron remind him that he’s not part of their family. Even if he didn’t mean them, we don’t even see him apologize for what he said.
