Ron Weasley has always been Harry Potter’s best friend. From their first meeting, the redheaded boy who loved sweets never cared if his BFF was The Boy Who Lived. However, this changed when they were in their fourth year.
You can’t have Harry Potter without Ron Weasley, his best friend since their first encounter on the Hogwarts Express on their way to school for their first year. They went through a lot together including almost being killed several times by magical beasts alongside Hermione Granger. However, something in their friendship changed during their fourth year when the sweet loving redheaded Gryffindor who was the second youngest of seven suddenly became jealous of his more famous pal.
TheTriWizard Tournament tested them in ways they couldn’t describe and poor Hermione was stuck in the middle. So, what was the reason Ron became jealous of Harry when he already was famous? We’ll explain why and dive into the deeper meaning behind it all.
A Secret Desire
Ron always knew that as the second-youngest of seven children that his older brothers and his younger sister would amount to great things despite their poor financial situation. Many people saw him as ordinary and as nothing special but even he had dreams.
During the first three adventures, we see Ron act heroically to help Harry out whenever possible but during their fourth year at Hogwarts everything suddenly changes and not for the better. With the threat of Lord Voldemort’s return looming, the boy who lived was forced to endure so much more than what he was used to.
Not to mention, the school year was crazy as the TwiWizard Tournament was happening, though he had no desire to partake, Ron, however, secretly did. There was one issue: students had to be 17 years of age to enter which was fine by Harry as he didn’t want the glory anyway.
Jealous Much?
Unbeknownst to anyone Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody wasn’t who everyone thought he was. Death Eater Barty Crouch Junior had captured the real Auror and had been masquerading as him all year and had put Potter’s name in the Goblet of Fire.
When his name got called out, it stunned everyone, especially Ron whom Harry knew wanted to participate. This irked his best friend and basically started his jealous patch. It also caused friction with Hermione whom they used as a back-and-forth since they weren’t talking.
Ron and Harry had known each other for four years and one little thing like this just tore them apart. Didn’t Weasley know Potter at all? The boy who lived would never betray his BFF by seeking out fame.
Weasley should have known that Harry didn’t want the fame as he had had it for the past four years. He never wanted it to begin with. Potter was the only person to ever survive Voldemort’s killing curse which made him famous.
Hungry For Fame?
With Ron jealous of Harry, is it possible the redhead wanted fame for himself? Did he feel inferior to his best friend to the point where he felt he needed to outdo him?
It’s incredibly possible that Ron felt that his life was so terrible that he needed to make it better by becoming famous. We learn in Deathly Hallows that his deepest fear is that his mother sees Harry as her favourite.
Mrs Weasley always thought of Harry and Hermione as her own, but Potter held a special place in her heart. Also, all her other children had or would find their place in the world.
Bill was a cure-breaker.
Charlie dealt with dragons.
Percy served the Ministry of Magic, though it turned him against his family.
Fred and George would run a successful Joke store until Fred is killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Ginny would play professional Quidditch, marry Harry, have three children with him and will serve as the Sports Editor for the Daily Prophet.
Ron, on the other hand, would become an Auror before he retires and joins forces with George in running the joke shop.
What The Distance Does To Harry
When Ron was hating on him, it hurt Harry as it basically turned all his other friends against him. Poor Hermione was caught in the middle of the conflict and felt like she was being treated as an owl. This ultimately caused an outcry as seen in the Goblet of Fire movie. Not sure if it happened in the book.
Harry felt alone as he couldn’t rely on his friends when he needed them. He knew he couldn’t allow Hermione to get involved as he didn’t want Ron thinking she favoured him and it only made the situation worse. This is what happened three years later when they went looking for the Horcruxes.
Conclusion
Was Ron being jealous for the sake of being so? It would appear that way. He let the idea of fame overtake his mind to the point he couldn’t think clearly. Harry was his best friend and he would never have betrayed him by doing something he clearly wanted.
Ron was selfishly thinking about himself. Being jealous of Harry wasn’t like him and it was as if he was tired of being viewed as the boy who lived’s best friend.
