Ron as a Key Player

I really enjoyed the development of Ron’s character in this seventh installment of the Harry Potter series.  While Ron again plays Harry Potter’s sidekick and best friend, this book brought out Ron as an individual as well.  After living in the shadow of his best friend for the last six books, it added to the plot to see the internal struggle and triumphs that Ron went through and how they differed from Harry.  Naturally, Harry shines in every book, but this last book seems to offer a sort of closure with Ron growing into himself.  This is seen clearly in his feelings towards Hermione, his momentary departure from Harry and Hermione in their quest for the 7 Horcruxes, his return, saving Harry, and his destruction of a Horcrux.  Also, through this process, Ron seems to gain a small insight into the life of Harry and recognize that it is not as glamorous as it may seem.  The development of Ron was definitely a crucial sub-plot in this book.