I'm going to stay out of the discussion, which seems to have moved far past where I'm at Also no chapter today, I got off work at eight and start at seven thirty tomorrow, I just don't have the energy to blitz a chapter of this (which now take me almost an hour each).

Quote Originally Posted by Tyndmyr View Post
Intended by the author or not, Harry's attitude does result in him having less honest friendship than in the original books. A great deal less.

I think this is realistic, but also a valuable lesson that may not be wholly intended.
Certainly, and I'm probably acting a bit more annoyed than I should be, but the author essentially has dismissed Ron almost as much as Harry, whereas he was originally as important as Hermione to the story (if not moreso). While his main positive qualities are his loyalty and courage, with his intelligence likely being average (it's not really possible to establish intelligence levels from the original books, but Ron's at the very least not stupid), and his main skills might be in Chess and Quidditch over practical magic, but the fanfic is really doing him a diservice right now. Plus wasn't he the most strategic one of the trio? It's been a while since I read the books.

I still remember his introduction in Philospher's Stone, where he was the first member of the wizarding world Harry's age to really talk to him, while amazed by the fact it was Harry Potter didn't start fanboying, and just treated him as a person. I always felt like Harry latched onto Ron at the beginning much more than the other way round.

Although I might be getting even more annoyed because I just began The Furthest Station as my 'for fun' reading (at least the depiction of Amersham is much more authentic than The Hanging Tree's attempt at High Wycombe, I must have missed the mansions in my years of living there), and PC/DC* Peter Grant manages to be a relatively rationalist magician while still being able to make friends.

* I don't think he was ever officially made a detective despite spending most of his time in plainclothes. Doesn't quite matter, looks like it might be Insp/DI by the next book.