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Study Guide
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Courage
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Courage
RON [as Hermione runs up to hug him]: Thanks.
TONKS: Deserves that. Brilliant, he was. I wouldn't be standing here without him.
HERMIONE: Really?
RON: Always the tone of surprise.
Apparently Ron really earned his hug from Hermione by being super brave during Harry's transport…and Hermione is just a shade surprised. Ron is smiling when he says his line, but you can tell he's a little annoyed that Hermione is surprised that he was courageous. But hey, we'd be a little surprised to hear a teen wizard was able to protect a full-blown Auror, too, okay?
MAD-EYE: Everyone here is of age, Potter. They've all agreed to take the risk.
MUNDUNGUS: Technically, I've been coerced.
When Mad-Eye tells Harry the plan for transporting him safely at the beginning of the movie, Harry is super against it. You see, everyone is going to be taking Polyjuice Potion so they look exactly like Harry, which puts everyone in danger. Mad-Eye assures him that everyone is of age and has agreed to stick their necks out, but Mundungus is quick to clarify that he wasn't super keen on the risk. Guess he's not quite as gutsy as the room full of teenagers that have taken the risk without complaint or hesitation, eh?
BILL: Mad-Eye's dead. Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and Disapparated.
So, yeah, in the opposite of courage, Mundungus abandoned his partner during Harry's transport and allowed Mad-Eye to get killed. We get being afraid of Voldemort and all, but seriously, dude?
SCRIMGEOUR: "To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill."
HARRY: Is that it, then?
SCRIMGEOUR: Not quite. Dumbledore left you a second bequest: The sword of Godric Gryffindor. Unfortunately, the sword of Gryffindor was not Dumbledore's to give away. As an important historical artifact, it belongs…
HERMIONE: …to Harry. It belongs to Harry. It came to him when he most needed it in the Chamber of Secrets.
SCRIMGEOUR: The sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor, Miss Granger. That does not make it that wizard's property. And in any event, the current whereabouts of the sword are unknown.
So, the sword of Gryffindor can present itself to people who are super brave like Harry, but unfortunately, it seems to be AWOL these days. And that's really too bad, since Harry could use that sword to destroy some Horcruxes.
RON: Going somewhere?
HARRY: Nobody else is going to die. Not for me.
RON: For you? You think Mad-Eye died for you? You think George took that curse for you? You may be the chosen one, mate, but this is a whole lot bigger than that. It's always been bigger than that.
HARRY: Come with me.
RON: And leave Hermione? Are you mad? We wouldn't last two days without her. Don't tell her I said that.
Harry has the reputation for being the brave one, but Ron is actually being pretty gutsy here, too. He (and several others, it seems) are willing to put their lives on the line to try to defeat Voldemort. Harry isn't comfortable with all that, but as Ron says here, they aren't really giving him an option.
RON: Do you know why I listen to that radio every night, do you? To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name, or Fred, or George, or Mom.
HARRY: You think I'm not listening too? You think I don't know how this feels?
RON: No, you don't know how it feels! Your parents are dead. You have no family.
Whoa, low blow, Ron. Ron is trying to imply that the whole Horcrux search doesn't have high stakes for Harry because he doesn't have a family to protect/worry about. Ron can't be in his right mind, because we know Harry is brave. In fact, Ron's lashing out seems like the cowardly behavior here, if you as us.
RON: …Are you coming or you staying? Fine. I get it. I saw you two the other night.
HERMIONE: Ron, that's…that's nothing. Ron…Ron, where are you going? Please, come back. Ron. Ron!
Unfortunately, Ron's bravery kind of fails him when he, Harry, and Hermione end up wandering aimlessly for a while in the search for Horcruxes, and he leaves them out of frustration (and fear—he doesn't like not knowing what's happening with his family).
RON: I can't handle it. That thing affects me more than it affects you and Hermione.
HARRY: All the more reason.
RON: No, I can't.
HARRY: Then why are you here? Why did you come back? Now, I'll have to speak to it to open it. When it does, don't hesitate. I don't know what's in there, but it will put up a fight.
When Ron finally returns to the group, and he gets the opportunity to destroy that nasty Horcrux that made him so unpleasant, he's pretty afraid to be the one to battle it. As he says, it seems to affect him more than the others.
He pulls it together and gets the job done, though. That's some Harry Potter-level bravery, no?
HERMIONE: Don't think this changes anything.
RON: Oh, of course not. I only just destroyed a bloody Horcrux. Why would that change anything? Look, I wanted to come back as soon as I left. I just didn't know how to find you.
Despite the fact that Ron returned and saved Harry's life while snagging the sword of Gryffindor and destroyed a Horcrux, Hermione is so not welcoming him back with open arms. We're thinking his courageous deeds will eventually outweigh that little blip in his loyalty in Hermione's mind, right?