Ronald Bilius Weasley: Character Analysis

[darklordspal]

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

"Designated Villain" is a term that refers to a character that is the villain...because there has to be a villain whether or not the guy is actually evil.

As in, there's no valid reason this guy is the bad guy other than the writers saying so. And I think it was done to Ron because Rowling needed a quick easy way to make others look better and kept using Ron in this role.

That is a real interesting idea.

I've often felt JKR was really sort of jealous of Ron. He seems as popular as Hermione (JKR's alter-ego in the Potter series). She may have felt Hermione's intellect was overshadowed by Ron's personality.

As an example, I always felt Han Solo unfairly recieved too much attention compared to Luke in the Star Wars series. But he was such an interesting character that Lukas simply couldn't ignore him. In the same way I think JKR got jealous of Ron compared to Hermione. She mentioned she was going to kill Ron off out of spite. That may explain why JKR started making Ron a less appealing character as the series progressed until she redeemed him in DH.

I often felt she sent Ron away so that Hermione and Harry could have some "alone time". Also, her quote about Harry and Hermione having a potential romance in DH indicates she was influenced a little by Kloves, who I think "lurves" Hermione and would have actually preferred H\Hr, IMHO.

And your idea of using Ron as a "friendly antagonist" would definitely allow her to examine how friendships and relationships among teenagers often go through tough times.

And the idea that she used Ron to make other characters look better as compared to him fits in with my idea JKR was jealous of Ron's popularity.

P.S. I wonder how Rupert Grint feels about this?...and Emma Watson?

[GingerCat1]

Originally Posted by darklordspal

I often felt she sent Ron away so that Hermione and Harry could have some "alone time". Also, her quote about Harry and Hermione having a potential romance in DH indicates she was influenced a little by Kloves, who I think "lurves" Hermione and would have actually preferred H\Hr, IMHO.

Doubtful as Harry and Hermione barely spoke to one another in the month and a half that Ron was gone. There certainly wasn't any moment where i thought something could happen between them. In fact the time they spent without Ron shows how badly Harry and Hermione need Ron just to keep their friendship going because without Ron there Harry and Hermione have difficulty maintaining their friendship.

[darklordspal]

Originally Posted by GingerCat1

Doubtful as Harry and Hermione barely spoke to one another in the month and a half that Ron was gone. There certainly wasn't any moment where i thought something could happen between them. In fact the time they spent without Ron shows how badly Harry and Hermione need Ron just to keep their friendship going because without Ron there Harry and Hermione have difficulty maintaining their friendship.

In an interview JKR said that when Harry and Hermione left the cemetary together and also when Hermione let her hand brush through Harry's hair after they talked about Dumbledore that those were "charged" moments between Harry and Hermione and that "it could have gone that way". I remember thinking the same thing when I read the part about Hermione touching Harry's hair. I feel it's a window into how JKR was thinking about Harry and Hermione.

Of course JKR has often contradicted herself concerning Ron. She couldn't decide what Ron did after DH. At first Ron worked in the Joke Shop, then she decided to give a little him maturity and made him an Auror. I think she added the Auror bit when she realized the readers took Ron's character more seriously than she did.

[Melaszka]

Guys, please can you try to leave discussion of the films/actors/directors out of the book threads.

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by darklordspal

In an interview JKR said that when Harry and Hermione left the cemetary together and also when Hermione let her hand brush through Harry's hair after they talked about Dumbledore that those were "charged" moments between Harry and Hermione and that "it could have gone that way". I remember thinking the same thing when I read the part about Hermione touching Harry's hair. I feel it's a window into how JKR was thinking about Harry and Hermione.

I had a very different impression of that. For one, Jo's comments came across as negative to me - as did Klove's. Kloves said he thought something was going to happen, but didn't know if he wanted it to - indicating that he felt it would have been detrimental. Jo said they shared some charged moments and "it could have gone that way", but she chose not to do it. I think she chose not to do it because, in those circumstances, it would have destroyed their friendship as well as their relationships with Ron and Ginny. That would have, essentially, presented Harry and Hermione having an affair because they were lonely - isolated from everyone and being forced to turn to each other for comfort - and hurt/angry over Ron leaving. Jo didn't really have the time or the luxury in the final book to deal with the negative consequences such an action would have and what would be required to repair the damage, IMO.

In looking at the situation as a whole - including all of the comments Jo made regarding the possibility of a Harry/Hermione romance prior to DH - I don't think Jo ever intended for them to be a romantic couple in any fashion. The personalities that she gave them individually were not conducive to a romantic relationship and Hermione's behavior towards Harry was always very motherly. Brushing her hand over his hair was a very motherly thing to do as a means to offer comfort. I do it with my own kids all the time. It's not something I would do with my husband - and he'd wonder if I'd lost my mind if I did. But that was always Hermione's role towards Harry - she was the "little mother" or the older sister. Harry never saw her as a romantic figure.

Of course JKR has often contradicted herself concerning Ron. She couldn't decide what Ron did after DH. At first Ron worked in the Joke Shop, then she decided to give a little him maturity and made him an Auror. I think she added the Auror bit when she realized the readers took Ron's character more seriously than she did.

Actually, Jo revealed that Ron became and Auror with Harry first - that was in the interview with Meredith Veira immediately after DH came out. The comment about Ron working with George in the joke shop was made during the Live Bloomsbury chat several days later. Likewise, Jo cleared that issue up during the readings she gave in October - stating that Ron did become and Auror with Harry and moonlighted at the joke shop because George needed the companionship and Ron needed the extra money.

Ron was very loosely based on Jo's best friend, Sean. His sense of humor and wit, the Ford Anglia - these came from Sean and Jo's good memories of him. She discussed that in one of the documentaries about the series and Sean made an appearance because they are still friends. With everything Jo had said about Ron, I never got the impression that she didn't like the character or was jealous of him. On the contrary, my impression was always that she adored Ron because she put so much of her best friend into him.

[darklordspal]

MEESHA,

I may be wrong about Ron's post DH career. I was probably mistaken about the sequence of Joke Shop-Auror. I bow to your superior knowldge.

But...

Where did the "spite" originate for killing off Ron? And why did JKR turn Ron into a, well...semi-jerk...after giving him such a rousing start in PS and COS? It doesn't appear she was planning the big redemption in DH if she was seriously considering killing him. (I know JKR changed things as she went along; most writers do, especially in projects as big as Harry Potter.)

Another point is an article that I saw here at Mugglenet where JKR said she really appreciated that Klove's favorite character was Hermione (no surprise there ). She said most ppl loved Ron, but Kloves "got" the stories if his favorite character was Hermione. It just seems JKR wanted the readers to appreciate her alter-ego and she might have been upset when they seemed to like Ron more. Just an opinion and speculation on my part.

I remember seeing an interview where JKR was upset they didn't include Hermione's "Potion puzzle" in the PS movie b\c it showed how important Hermione's intellect was to the series. I think she said the producers felt the audience wouldn't be entertained by it ( which indicates to me that they were underestimating their audience, but that's another argument )

Taking these together (and I admit it is scrappy evidence) it could be argued that JKR may have developed a slight jealousy toward Ron's character at some level and this may have been reflected in the way she seemed to be less than charitable toward him in some later books.

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by darklordspal

MEESHA,

I may be wrong about Ron's post DH career. I was probably mistaken about the sequence of Joke Shop-Auror. I bow to your superior knowldge.

But...

Where did the "spite" originate for killing off Ron? And why did JKR turn Ron into a, well...semi-jerk...after giving him such a rousing start in PS and COS? It doesn't appear she was planning the big redemption in DH if she was seriously considering killing him. (I know JKR changed things as she went along; most writers do, especially in projects as big as Harry Potter.)

Another point is an article that I saw here at Mugglenet where JKR said she really appreciated that Klove's favorite character was Hermione (no surprise there ). She said most ppl loved Ron, but Kloves "got" the stories if his favorite character was Hermione. It just seems JKR wanted the readers to appreciate her alter-ego and she might have been upset when they seemed to like Ron more. Just an opinion and speculation on my part.

I remember seeing an interview where JKR was upset they didn't include Hermione's "Potion puzzle" in the PS movie b\c it showed how important Hermione's intellect was to the series. I think she said the producers felt the audience wouldn't be entertained by it ( which indicates to me that they were underestimating their audience, but that's another argument )

Taking these together (and I admit it is scrappy evidence) it could be argued that JKR may have developed a slight jealousy toward Ron's character at some level and this may have been reflected in the way she seemed to be less than charitable toward him in some later books.

Well, you and I have discussed Jo's soft spot for Hermione before - a point we agree on. Hermione is more personal for her because she is based more on her than the other characters. However, that doesn't prevent her from liking Ron's character as well - particularly considering how much of Ron's character came from her own best friend.

I posted my thoughts on this in the revelations thread, but I think that the "out of sheer spite" comment - which she said while laughing by the way - was probably in regards to fans and maybe the films to some extent. She said she considered killing Ron about midway through the series - which would coincide with GOF, her starting to feel a bit burned out after writing the first four books a year apart - with some overlap of POA and GOF and the crunch of having to rewrite so much of GOF before the deadline, as well as the shipping wars heating up with Ron's character becoming the focus of a lot of hatred and vitriol - which Jo publicly stated she found very disturbing.

I always thought that was a large part of the reason why she tried to end the shipping debates with HBP and publicly stating that it would be Ron and Hermione in the end. After watching that video, I got the impression that considering the possibility of killing Ron at that point was part of all that - particularly when she finished that comment with "there, now you definitely can't have him". So that came across as being directed towards an external source - fans who were hating on Ron at the time seems most likely to me. Jo also said in that video that, while she did consider it, she would never have actually done it.

I don't think the purpose of Ron's story arc was to present him as a jerk. I certainly never saw it that way. Ron was a very insecure and that led him to do some pretty stupid things, but there was always more to it than what appeared on the surface and it came across as realistic for me. Ron was the most normal of the three - your average, everyday teenage boy loaded with insecurities and doubts about himself. Putting someone like that into extraordinary, stressful circumstances with the two friends that he viewed as extraordinary in comparison to himself would lead to a lot of inner turmoil and doubt - particularly when you add in the locket corrupted by Dark Magic telling him how worthless he was and how his family and friends thought they would be better off without him. It was never just jealousy or even anger because so much of his behavior stemmed from his own insecurity and the feeling that what he did wouldn't matter to anyone - that he wouldn't matter.

While Jo did make some changes as the story progressed, I do think the basic outline - particularly in regards to the trio and their relationships - remained the same. She laid the groundwork for Ron's insecurities and self doubt in the first book with him telling Harry that he didn't think anything he did at Hogwarts would matter because his brothers had already done everything - prefects, Head Boy, Quidditch captain, popular, good grades, etc... She laid the groundwork for his issues with Molly by showing how upset he was that she forgot he didn't like corned beef and always knitting him a maroon sweater even though he hated maroon. He makes excuses and tries to explain it because, in his head, he knows that she is busy and has a lot to deal with getting all of them ready to leave for school. But it's still clear that it upsets him and he wants to stand out - which Jo also laid the groundwork for with Ron's vision in the Mirror of Erised.

As such, I don't think it was ever an issue of her deciding she didn't like the character or feeling jealous that others did - she always seemed more amused by that than anything else to me. It was the hatred and vitriol generated towards the character that disturbed her. I think all of that had a purpose and Ron's journey was always going to involve him do stupid things that he regretted and felt bad about. It was all part of him growing up and confronting his deepest fears to fully make that transition between childhood and adulthood, IMO.

[crmdy1023]

Originally Posted by GingerCat1

Doubtful as Harry and Hermione barely spoke to one another in the month and a half that Ron was gone. There certainly wasn't any moment where i thought something could happen between them. In fact the time they spent without Ron shows how badly Harry and Hermione need Ron just to keep their friendship going because without Ron there Harry and Hermione have difficulty maintaining their friendship.

I completely disagree with this. Harry, at this point in the story, was at least semi-aware of the feelings that Ron and Hermione shared for eachother. He understood that Ron leaving was a huge disappointment to Hermione and she was very sad and felt abandoned by Ron's angry departure. I think the fact that Hermione stayed with Harry and didn't go with Ron when he asked her to make a choice shows her loyalty and love for Harry. I think the reason they didn't speak was because they were both sorting out their own feelings about him leaving. Harry says Hermione cried for a week and probably longer only she didn't want him to see her.... I think Ron's leaving was a blow to both of them but look at the graveyard, then Hermione saving at Bathildas, then her sassy albeit entertaining reaction when Ron returns.

Harry and Hermione had a brother/sister relationship. To me hermione was always the sister harry never had. He outright SAYS this in Deathly Hallows to Ron when he returns after he destroys the locket/horcrux. Their behavior throughout the story is clearly that of a close sibling relationship--he laughs with her, gets annoyed with her, doubts her and semi resents when she proves him wrong-- I love their friendship. (I know i'm repeating myself but)I think the graveyard scene in Godrick's Hallow says it all.

[leah49]

Originally Posted by GingerCat1

Often people think Ron only got together with Lavender to make Hermione jealous but i completely disagree as i don't think that thought ever crossed Ron's mind.

Well, it might not have been "I want Hermione to love me so I'll make her jealous" sort of thing, but I do believe he got with Lavender partly because of Hermione. Ginny said she kissed Krum and that made Ron feel lousy.

Originally Posted by craiggles

I don't know about that. Like leah49 said, Ron getting a secondhand wand requires that one of his brothers had a wand to give away - logically it follows that Ginny had to get a new wand as they didn't have extras lying around.

I seriously believe if there had been an extra wand for Ginny that would have been given to her instead of her buying one from Ollivander's.

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

"Designated Villain" is a term that refers to a character that is the villain...because there has to be a villain whether or not the guy is actually evil.

As in, there's no valid reason this guy is the bad guy other than the writers saying so. And I think it was done to Ron because Rowling needed a quick easy way to make others look better and kept using Ron in this role.

You said the term refers to a character that is the villian...wouldn't that be Voldemort?

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

That's the difference between "Designated" villain and normal villain. Rowling used him to make other characters look better and to generate forced conflict, but rarely did that to any of the other characters.

Where are the examples of Ron being "villianized"?

Originally Posted by darklordspal

And why did JKR turn Ron into a, well...semi-jerk...after giving him such a rousing start in PS and COS? It doesn't appear she was planning the big redemption in DH if she was seriously considering killing him. (I know JKR changed things as she went along; most writers do, especially in projects as big as Harry Potter.)

Killing Ron doesn't mean she wanted to get rid of him or that he was a jerk or that he was a bad guy. Good guys die. I think that's one thing that would have been portrayed had Ron died. Ron a semi-jerk? Why because he was jealous of Harry being a Twiwizard champion? Because he was jealous of Hermione and Krum? Because he dated Lavender? Because he left the trio on the camping trip? I wouldn't call all of that jerkish and I do think he did redeem himself in each situation.

[Moriath]

Please make sure to present your opinions as such and try to stick to character analysis in LS. For the discussion of recent revelations about Ron, please go to JK Rowling: Revelations Since Deathly Hallows. I mean, it's fine if you want to discuss how the loss of Ron would have influenced the series but the discussion of why JKR may have done this or that and what your reaction to the interview is, is off-topic here. This is not an 'analyse the author' thread.

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

Usually, when JK needed to generate conflict between characters she always used Ron for it.

I really don't see that Ron caused any more conflict in the trio than either of the other two. Ron's nature overall seems to be very easy-going. The things that take him "out of sorts" are issues that he has with self-esteem & confidence in his own identity outside the family. Given that Ron has that problem to deal with, his anger/resentment have to be taken in context with his underlying issues. Ron's being best friends with Harry & Hermione is not exactly easy, because Ron would like (one could argue, needs) more attention to boost his confidence; being best friends with a famous person and an overachiever is going to stir Ron's insecurities.

In my view, the choosing of champions for the Triwizard tournament was a classic example. With Fred & George talking about it all the time & trying to finagle their way in, and Ron already thinking it would be a great thing to be chosen, with Ron's insecurities it was almost beyond his control to not think that Harry figured out a way to trick the system. Ron saw the tournament as a way to get recognition and possibly glory in victory -- and it would be something his brothers had not done (just like the image Ron saw in the mirror...Head Boy just like Bill -- Percy had not yet done that -- and Quidditch Captain like Charlie). I think nearly all Ron's instigations of conflict in the series are a result of his struggle with underlying insecurities.

[ShadowSonic]

Again, that is sort of an "enforced inequality" situation since Harry and Hermione have overt character flaws like that, at least not ones that play any role in the story or their relationship with everyone else.

Heck, I wouldn't have minded it if Rowling had maintained Hermione's bossy, pushy arrogant attitude towards people for most of the series instead of toning it down and having plenty of conflict come from that.

Course the question would be why Harry and Ron stayed friends with her.

I'm gonna get a notification for bringing up non-Ron analysis here so I'll just stop now.

[meesha1971]

Originally Posted by HedwigOwl

I really don't see that Ron caused any more conflict in the trio than either of the other two. Ron's nature overall seems to be very easy-going. The things that take him "out of sorts" are issues that he has with self-esteem & confidence in his own identity outside the family. Given that Ron has that problem to deal with, his anger/resentment have to be taken in context with his underlying issues. Ron's being best friends with Harry & Hermione is not exactly easy, because Ron would like (one could argue, needs) more attention to boost his confidence; being best friends with a famous person and an overachiever is going to stir Ron's insecurities.

In my view, the choosing of champions for the Triwizard tournament was a classic example. With Fred & George talking about it all the time & trying to finagle their way in, and Ron already thinking it would be a great thing to be chosen, with Ron's insecurities it was almost beyond his control to not think that Harry figured out a way to trick the system. Ron saw the tournament as a way to get recognition and possibly glory in victory -- and it would be something his brothers had not done (just like the image Ron saw in the mirror...Head Boy just like Bill -- Percy had not yet done that -- and Quidditch Captain, something his brothers hadn't). I think nearly all Ron's instigation of conflict in the series are a result of his struggle with underlying insecurities.

Those are really good points. One correction though - Charlie Weasley had been Quidditch Captain while he was at Hogwarts. Ron mentioned that in PS/SS and in HBP. As Dumbledore said, what Ron saw in the mirror was himself standing apart from his brothers - "the best of all of them". Bill had been a prefect and became Head Boy - but he was never Quidditch Captain. Charlie was Quidditch Captain and apparently a prefect - from what Molly said in OOTP - but he was never Head Boy. Percy was a prefect and the odds were in favor of him being made Head Boy even then, but he was never Quidditch Captain. The twins were popular, funny, and very clever with their jokes, but neither of them was Quidditch captain and neither would ever be made a prefect or Head Boy - and weren't particularly interested in that. Ron saw himself as doing it all - not just Head Boy, but Quidditch Captain as well and not just having those positions, but excelling in them by also winning the House cup and the Quidditch cup.

Something that stands out for me with Ron is that there is a shift in his insecurities within GOF. In the first three books and the early chapters of GOF, Ron's insecurities were primarily a fear that nothing he did would matter because his brothers had already done everything. He felt overshadowed by them. That's why he saw himself doing it all in the mirror - his brothers had individual honors, but none of them had done it all. Being friends with Harry and Hermione - The Boy Who Lived and the brightest witch of their year - later added to that because their accomplishments would overshadow his as well. But that was much later and, up to that point, Ron had never actually questioned his own abilities. It wasn't an issue of him thinking he could not do those things or even that he couldn't do the same things Harry did, but rather feeling that it wouldn't matter if he did.

The tournament was turning point in many ways. Ron did see that as a wonderful opportunity and a big honor - as most did. It was something his brothers had never done so it would matter - it would make him stand out from his brothers. He never questioned whether or not he was capable of succeeding - on the contrary, he felt that he and Harry would both be able to do it because of their past successes. He wanted to share that with Harry - he didn't mind a little friendly competition and if they had both figured out a way to enter their names and Harry was chosen, he would have been fine with that. He thought he had an equal shot to Harry at getting chosen himself at that point.

That changes when Harry did get chosen. Not because Harry was chosen, but rather because it appeared that Harry had found a way to enter and did not include him. At first, Ron was sure there must be some explanation for it - maybe it was something that only one person could do. But both of them being stubborn, teenage boys, they end up arguing about it instead of talking it through and they both say hurtful things so the issue wasn't resolved until weeks later. It comes across to me that Ron came away from that argument thinking that Harry felt he couldn't do it. That Harry questioned his abilities. We see a shift in Ron's attitude about himself. Instead of thinking that he could do things, but it wouldn't matter if he did, he starts to doubt himself and question whether he could do them at all. Or if he could do them, maybe he wouldn't do them as well as someone else - i.e. Viktor Krum or McLaggen. His self-esteem and confidence dropped considerably that year.

That was an issue with Ron's perception. Harry never actually questioned Ron's abilities - he actually considered himself and Ron pretty equal - but Ron got the impression that he did because of the argument. And even though they resolved the argument weeks later and he realized he had been wrong, he couldn't fully overcome those doubts in himself. The seeds had been sown and had taken root in his mind. And that did lead to conflict within the trio at times because Ron was struggling with those doubts and fears. There were times that he lashed out at others because he was upset with himself. There were times that he took it out on his best friends.

However, I don't consider that unusual. The teenage years are difficult and we see the same type of behavior from both Harry and Hermione. Their reasons are not the same, but the overall behavior is very similar. When Harry had his breakdown in OOTP, he took his anger out on Ron and Hermione - often lashing out at them in anger. When Hermione was stressed out because she took on too many classes in POA - and in OOTP when she was worried about the OWLs - she lashed out in anger at her friends and anyone else who happened to be handy. That's normal, IMO. Sometimes such conflicts are easily resolved. Other times it takes a while to resolve the conflict. But they are always resolved in the end and that's what really matters. Those conflicts made their friendship stronger because they learned lessons from them and they learned more about themselves and each other.

[Goddess_Clio]

Totally OT and feel free to ignore this post but I just noticed that Ron's character thread is titled "Ron Bilius Weasley: Character analysis"

While Harry's is left as "Harry Potter: Character analysis" and Hermione's as "Hermione Granger: Character analysis".

Why no middle names for Harry of Hermione? =^P

Again, feel free to ignore...

[darklordspal]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

Totally OT and feel free to ignore this post but I just noticed that Ron's character thread is titled "Ron Bilius Weasley: Character analysis"

While Harry's is left as "Harry Potter: Character analysis" and Hermione's as "Hermione Granger: Character analysis".

Why no middle names for Harry of Hermione? =^P

Again, feel free to ignore...

Interesting point. I don't want to go looking for anti-Ron bias where it doesn't exist, but that is an interesting (and amusing) point.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by darklordspal

Interesting point. I don't want to go looking for anti-Ron bias where it doesn't exist, but that is an interesting (and amusing) point.

I don't know if it has anything to do with anti-Ron biases, it just interested me to see that despite everyone KNOWING harry and hermione's middle names (James and Jean respectively), of the trio's character analysis threads only Ron's included his middle name in the title.

Wonder why that is?

For the record, I like Ron. 7=^)

[Hes]

Because the individual thread maker chose to add it. There is no agenda behind it. Can we continue to discuss Ron's character now please? Thanks.

[Pan_Kleks]

Originally Posted by GingerCat1

Doubtful as Harry and Hermione barely spoke to one another in the month and a half that Ron was gone. There certainly wasn't any moment where i thought something could happen between them. In fact the time they spent without Ron shows how badly Harry and Hermione need Ron just to keep their friendship going because without Ron there Harry and Hermione have difficulty maintaining their friendship.

I think their friendship was a bit different, they didn't need Ron to keep them together. Ron helped to add a more relaxed and humorous atmosphere to the friendship, which helped them unwind, since Harry and Hermione were often wound up rather tight. Harry was a hot-head who always wanted to rush into things head first (until Dobby's sacrifice, where he was shown to have matured; as he decided to not go after the wand). Hermione on the other hand, was very bookish and studious and wouldn't have made time for relaxation as she wanted to be the best she could be!

[GingerCat1]

Originally Posted by Pan_Kleks

I think their friendship was a bit different, they didn't need Ron to keep them together. Ron helped to add a more relaxed and humorous atmosphere to the friendship, which helped them unwind, since Harry and Hermione were often wound up rather tight. Harry was a hot-head who always wanted to rush into things head first (until Dobby's sacrifice, where he was shown to have matured; as he decided to not go after the wand). Hermione on the other hand, was very bookish and studious and wouldn't have made time for relaxation as she wanted to be the best she could be!

You have to admit though that generally speaking when Ron wasn't around for a longish period of time Harry and Hermione didn't seem to get along that well. I mean they didn't fight as such but they didn't have fun either. How long can a friendship last without any fun in it?

I do think that Harry and Hermione needed Ron to keep their friendship going long term.

[Pan_Kleks]

If you're alluding to Ronald Weasley's decision to leave the Horcrux quest, than I think we have to remember that Ronald was the most self conscious one (he used humour as a safety mechanism; it was well established in the series that he was embarrassed of his family's lack of money, his own property, he was jealous of Harry, he loved Hermione and that his jealousy of Harry even extended to that).

The Horcrux affected them negatively, it lived off of their fears, their worries, their emotions (basically). The near catastrophe of infiltrating the Ministry, plus losing their safe house, added to a feeling of failure. At first they didn't know how to destroy the Horcrux, than when they realised what they must do, they felt overwhelmed by the fact that the sword wasn't in their possession and was 'missing'. This, all doubled with the negative affect of the Horcrux, I think it's easy to say that they wouldn't be a cheery bunch. When Ronald left, Hermione was emotionally spent, the love of her life abandoned her and with the Horcrux, I think you'd be hard pressed to not be depressed when their whole world was falling apart, Hermione had to erase herself from her parents memory and she was being hunted like an animal.

I think though, the group dynamic was best when the trio was together. They were able to loosen the tension, ensure that they could plan and prepare, and that when they needed the ounce of bravery they had it. I mean each member of the trio brought an important factor into the relationship. Ronald and Harry's friendship would have been strong either way, but I think it would have lacked that focus and clarity that Hermione was always able to provide.

I mean, we see throughout the series, that both Harry and Ron cared very much for Hermione. Harry may not have stood up to Ron when he acted like a jerk throughout their sixth year to Hermione, but he did ensure that he was there as a support for her even if he wasn't great at being an emotional ballast.

At any other time that Ronald was away from the group, Harry and Hermione were supportive of each other, sure, may be they didn't have fun, but friends aren't about just having fun and laughing together. Besides, at any point that the trio was separated, it was usually because of in-fighting, so I think it would be hard to imagine that they could have a lot of fun when for example Harry was hurt by Ron's jealousy in Goblet of Fire, Hermione was hurt by Ron's physical relationship in the Half Blood Prince or when Hermione was heartbroken by Ron's departure.