Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

"The Wizard's Best Friend"

Ron Weasley

• According to J. K. Rowling, Ron was among the characters she created "the very first day". Ron is inspired by Rowling's best friend Sean Harris (to whom Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is dedicated), but she has clearly stated that she "never set out to describe Sean in Ron, but Ron has a Sean-ish turn of phrase." Like Harris is to Rowling, Ron is "always there" when Harry needs him. The character of Ron fits many of the stereotypes expected of the sidekick; he is often used as comic relief, is loyal to the hero, and lacks much of the talent Harry possesses, at least in terms of magical power. Unlike some sidekicks, he is not cowardly, demonstrating bravery several times, such as playing 'real wizard's chess' in the first book, and entering into the Forbidden Forest with Harry during the second book despite his arachnophobia.

• Some of Ron's qualities serve as foils to Harry. While Harry is an orphan with more gold than he needs, Ron comes from a large and loving but poor family; many of his possessions arehand-me-downs. Harry is famous but would prefer to avoid the spotlight; Ron, in comparison, is often perceived as a mere lackey and sometimes becomes jealous of the recognition Harry receives. Finally, Ron is the most mediocre of his siblings, being (as of the first book) neither an excellent Quidditch player, a noteworthy student, nor the daughter his mother always wanted. All these factors have combined to cause Ron serious insecurities; this inferiority complex, and his need to prove himself a notable person in his own right is the main thrust of his character growth.

• Rowling introduces Ron as "tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose." Ron has the trademark red hair of the Weasleys and is indeed one of Harry's tallest schoolmates, even outgrowing some of his older brothers. Rowling states in the novels that Ron has freckles, but Rupert Grint, the actor who plays Ron, has none. Rowling has also stated that Ron has blue eyes.

• Rowling in an interview described Ron as very funny but insensitive and immature, "There’s a lot of immaturity about Ron, and that’s where a lot of the humor comes from." Commenting on Ron's character development in the final book, Rowling explained that "Ron is the most immature of the three main characters, but in part seven he grows up. He was never strong footed, people see him mostly as Harry's friend; his mother had actually wanted a girl and in the last book he finally has to acknowledge his weaknesses. But it's exactly that which makes Ron a man."

• Ron is given Charlie Weasley's old, chipped wand, which is made out of ash and has a unicorn hair sticking out of the end. He holds the wand together with Spellotape after nearly breaking it in half at the start of Chamber of Secrets, but it malfunctions dreadfully after this, backfiring spells, making strange noises, and emitting objects from the wrong end. Ron's new wand is fourteen inches, willow and unicorn hair, which he procures before the start of his third year at Hogwarts. He also shows signs of exceptional tactical ability, as evidenced by his skill at Wizard's Chess (which is played exactly like normal chess but with living pieces). Ron's talents are rarely shown, but he, like the other DA members, survives a violent encounter with adult Death Eaters in Order of the Phoenix, and it is implied that during the Death Eater assault in Half-Blood Prince he held his own quite well because he was being helped by Felix Felicis, the good luck potion. In Deathly Hallows, Ron loses his original wand, and takes Peter Pettigrew's wand for his own. Following this, Ron begins to demonstrate more aptitude and general knowledge, along with a sudden spurt in maturity after a terrible row with Harry. For a while, he effectively leads the trio in the hunt for the Horcruxes while Harry suffers a major depression.

• Rowling has stated that Ron's Patronus Charm takes the form of a Jack Russell terrier, "a really sentimental choice" as Rowling herself owns a Jack Russell.

• Ron was born into the Weasley family on 1 March 1980, the sixth of their seven children, and the youngest son. His middle name, Bilius, is the same as that of a deceased uncle. Ron grew up in the family home, The Burrow, near the village of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon. Ron has six siblings; his five older brothers, Bill, Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George, and a younger sister, Ginny, each with their own distinct personality trait. One recurring factor in Ron's siblings is that they often appear to be more confident, self-assured and, to varying degrees, more outwardly talented than he is.
• The Weasley family is one of the few remaining pure-blood wizarding families, though they were considered "blood traitors" for associating with non-pure-bloods. Moreover, they are far from rich, and are looked down upon by snobbish "old families" such as the Malfoys. All of the Weasleys have been sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. All of the Weasley children, except Bill and Percy who both wereHead Boy, are known to have played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, with Charlie being the captain of the team for at least one of his school years. Charlie, Bill, Percy and Ron were also chosen as the prefect of their House. The Weasleys also all work for the Order of the Phoenix, and all are members except for Ron, Percy, and Ginny, who (as of the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) are not known to officially have been inducted into the Order. Arthur is distantly related to Sirius Black and is part of the famed Black family, though he and the rest of his immediate family have been considered "blood traitors" and are disowned. Other distant relatives include Draco Malfoy, Nymphadora Tonks, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

• Ron has made several appearances in parodies of Harry Potter. Seth Meyers appeared as Ron in Saturday Night Live in the sketch in which Lindsay Lohan portrays Hermione. On hisBig Impression show, Alistair McGowan did a sketch called "Louis Potter and the Philosopher's Scone". It featured impressions of Anne Robinson as Ron. In 2003, Comic Reliefperformed a spoof story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, in which Jennifer Saunders appeared as both Ron and J. K. Rowling. In Harry Podder: Dude Where's My Wand?, a play by Desert Star Theater in Utah, written by sisters Laura J., Amy K. and Anna M. Lewis, Ron appears as "Ron Sneasley". In the Harry Bladder sketches inAll That, Ron appears as ReRon and is played by Bryan Hearne. Ron also is a regular character in The Potter Puppet Pals sketches by Neil Cicierega. In one of the episodes, "The Mysterious Ticking Noise", Ron, along with Snape, Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore, is killed by a bomb placed by Voldemort; the episode being the seventeenth most viewed video of all time as of 2008 and the winner for "Best Comedy" of the year 2007 at YouTube. In the 2008 American comedy film Yes Man, Carl (portrayed Jim Carrey) attends a Harry Potter-themed party hosted by Norman (Rhys Darby), in which Norman disguises as Ron. In Team StarKid's theatrical productions A Very Potter Musical (2009) and A Very Potter Sequel(2010), Ron was portrayed by Joey Richter.