While Lord Voldemort, he’s often reliant on close friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The pair help him out of tough situations on multiple occasions and had he not met the duo on his first train journey to Hogwarts, he may not have been able to become the outstanding wizard he was meant to be.
Ron is one of the most popular characters in the franchise, but not all of his decision making was wise, and he’s often prone to mood swings like most teenagers. So here are some of the weirdest decisions he made throughout the series, ranked in chronological order.
Flying A Car To School
In the Chamber of Secrets book and movie, Harry and Ron find themselves unable to get onto Platform 9 3/4 to board the train to Hogwarts due to the fact Dobby has sealed the ageway (not that they know it at the time). As a result, they're forced to find an alternative mode of transport. And it's Ron who decides to take Arthur Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia, enraging his parents in the process.
They're spotted by muggles, and Ron isn't skilled enough to get the vehicle under his control, leading to the pair crashing into the Whomping Willow. Not only are they nearly expelled, they also risk the exposure of the entire wizarding world.
Cursing Draco With A Broken Wand
Also in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron's wand breaks. It's split in two after the Ford Anglia incident, with the Willow snapping it like a twig. However, this doesn't stop him from attempting to curse Draco Malfoy after he abuses Hermione for being muggle-born in front of a large crowd.
It's a shocking decision and one that greatly backfires. The spell rebounds, meaning Ron spends a whole afternoon and evening belching up slugs. In the book of the same name his detention with Argus Filch happens to take place on the same day and he coughs up the slimy creatures all over old trophies - which he's then forced to clean.
Shunning Harry Over The Triwizard Tournament
While Harry and Ron's friendship is extremely strong, even they fall out at times throughout the series. And one example of this is in the Goblet of Fire movie and book, with Ron shunning his friend after Harry's name is dramatically withdrawn from the Goblet - making him a Triwizard Tournament champion.
Now Harry is always up front with Ron and, obviously, there's no chance he'd have done this himself. But that doesn't prevent Ron from giving him the cold shoulder for a considerable amount of time, only backtracking and apologizing after the First Task.
Shouting At Fleur
Also in the Goblet of Fire, Harry and Ron face the daunting task of inviting a girl to the Yule Ball, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry does this the right way, asking Cho Chang (albeit too late) before then inviting Parvati Patil to be his dance partner for the night. As for Ron? Well things don't go quite to plan.
He shouts at Fleur Delacour and, when the horrific nature of the situation dawns on him, runs away. He never stood a chance inviting a part-Veela who is three years older than himself, and he ends up taking Pa Patil instead but neglects her for most of the night - much to the Ravenclaw student's annoyance.
Summoning The Brains
Some things are such terrible ideas that it shouldn't take more than common sense to avoid them. So there's genuinely no excuse for a confused Ron to summon brains from a mysterious room in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic during the battle there in the Order of the Phoenix book.
He was Confunded at the time but, even so, that was an extremely unwise call to make. The brains wrapped themselves around him and very nearly strangle him to death. Fortunately that doesn't happen but he's left scarred for life as a result.
Lecturing Ginny On Her Love Life
In the Half-Blood Prince book, Ron becomes weirdly obsessed with the love life of his sister, Ginny. Once a shy and tentative young girl, her confidence grows and she starts dating. She's with Michael Corner in Order of the Phoenix and then begins dating Dean Thomas the following year, angering her brother along the way.
It's understandable for Ron to be concerned, but his fascination with the subject is just plain odd. He has a go at his sister when he catches her and Dean kissing in public - despite the fact he himself is in a very public relationship with Lavender Brown. He doesn't really have a leg to stand on and, given she's only one year younger, Ginny is old enough to make her own decisions.
Defending Fleur
Also in the sixth Potter book of the series, it's revealed that Fleur is in a relationship with Bill Weasley, Ron's older brother. This is something just about everybody in the family has an issue with. They think she's pretentious, spoilt and bad for Bill - despite the fact she treats the family with nothing but the utmost respect and courtesy.
While Ron for defending her was irable, it's definitely not a bright move. Everybody rounds on him for speaking his mind and it serves little purpose besides to rile everybody, Molly Weasley in particular. He gains very little from adopting that stance and, therefore, it would have been best just to keep his mouth shut for the sake of harmony.
Giving Harry A Book On Girls
At the beginning of the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry, Ron and Hermione are plotting to abandon their final year at Hogwarts in order to go after Voldemort's Horcruxes. As a result, when it comes to his birthday, he gets some pretty cool stuff - including a watch, a pouch, a cake, and a kiss from Ginny.
Ron's present is unusual to say the least. Instead of giving his friend something useful or fun, he instead gives him a book on how to pick up girls. This... just isn't needed. And coming from Ron, who has had just one girlfriend by this point, is definitely unwelcome. Harry never uses the book and let's face it, would it really work? Even in a magical world?
Running Away From Harry And Hermione
With the trio struggling to find any more Horcruxes after managing to obtain Salazar Slytherin's old locket, tempers soon begin to rise. And it's Ron who feels impacted most of all. Away from his family and feeling as though Harry and Hermione are starting to become romantically involved, he then decides to take flight.
This, out of all his decisions, is totally wrong. And Ron soon regrets his actions, battling for months to find a way back to his friends. He eventually does so just in the nick of time, saving Harry after he nearly drowns trying to secure the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
Claiming To Be Stan Shunpike
During his time away from Harry and Hermione during the events of the Deathly Hallows book, Ron gets caught by a gang of Snatchers. They're a small-scale group of pure bloods who try to round up muggle-borns to acquire a fee from Death Eaters. And, having been captured, he then gives himself the name Stan Shunpike.
Of all the names to choose, he goes with somebody known. Both as the conductor of the Knight Bus and as a Death Eater, with the real Stan being jinxed in order to carry out Voldemort's bidding. It's no surprise they don't buy his act and, luckily, he's able to escape a horrible fate. However, he should have just given a different name.
