J. K. Rowling Wanted to Kill Ron Weasley

[rattlesnakeroot]

This is eye-opening: J. K. Rowling considered killing off Ron Weasley in Deathly Hallows!

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*hears boom as collective heads of Ron Fandom literally asplode*

So much for the theory that Ron was essential to Harry's victory, LOL.

ETA: I've always said that Ron reminded me of James ~ holy snitch-nicker Batman!

Considering the

Comments

[merrylore]

I definitely agree that authors often don't have the depth of feelings for their characters that many of the readers have. I'm on book 5 of George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, he has two more novels to go and a new HBO series, but he's all but admitted he's bored with it and wished he'd written about 5 kingdoms instead of 7 so he could skip the last two novels completely.

I like Ron -I think he's the most humorous character, and I think he's an excellent match for Hermione. I think she enjoys spice and a little drama, and he keeps her from being too bookish. That being said, I wouldn't have cried if JRK killed him off. I wasn't all that attached to him, either. Besides, she killed all of MY faves - Snape, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Dobby, Lupin (the only Marauder I actually liked).

[rattlesnakeroot]

One time JKR said in an interview (I think in the A&E Harry and Me biography) that she had "dated a couple of Rons." Of course, her best friend from school was a tall red-haired boy - Sean Harris - and the one who had the Ford Anglia that could get her out of the house. So I think she was emotionally attached to someone like Ron, but not as husband material

[drinkingcocoa]

I'm glad she didn't kill Ron. I think that would have elevated his character terribly and put a halo of grief around his every appearance in canon, even if it did make the point about the cost of war.

I'd have been happy with her just figuring out a better romantic match for Hermione. :-)

[rattlesnakeroot]

Me too! And I'm glad we did't get "Ron the Martyr." That's a relief!

Really she would have been doing Ron's character a favor by killing him off since he comes across as juvenile in the Epilogue.

[melusin_79]

i never minded Ron and as a first boyfriend for Hermione, he's OK. Wouldn't have lasted though. There aren't that many people these days who marry the boy they were in school with and make it last. Even with the epilogue of doom, I see Hermione seething at Ron's careless driving (one of many irritants, no doubt) and has already made her mind up to leave once Hugo gets on the Hogwarts Express.
Pity JKR didn't save her the trouble

[rattlesnakeroot]

LOL ~ "Well, train's gone, honey ~ I'm outta here! See ya!"

[drinkingcocoa]

I'm now imagining that he died for Hermione, at Malfoy Manor while rushing to protect her from torture. Or in some self-sacrificial way, parallel to how he solved the chess puzzle in the first book, in a situation where they would all have died otherwise.

[rattlesnakeroot]

Yes, it would have been nice to have a chess-related scene in the last book, maybe with the marching suits of armor. Ron could have jumped on a thestral and led the soldiers to victory.

Alas, that didn't happen! Instead we have the off-page incident with the basilisk fang. At least they filmed it for the movie, which made it almost bearable for me.

[asphodeline]

I'm very relieved Ron survived - after Snape he's my favourite "potter" male