Ron's sense of humor

[Athena Appleton]

This is just a little thread to talk about the number of times Ron has joked about something and it turned out true, or the number of times Ron has had an actual theory he's serious about and it's a laughable joke.

It came up in the New Minister for Magic thread that many of us feel like Arthur Weasley will become Minister of Magic because 1. Rowling said there'd be a new one, and 2. Ron makes a joke that "Dad has about as much chance of becoming Minister of Magic as we have of winning the Quidditch Cup" in OotP... well, they won the Quidditch Cup, so.....

Post away... if you can think of other jokes Ron makes that comes true, let us know here!

[pandora315]

This is going to take some research. I know they're in there but I don't know where. TOnight I'll re-read PS again and get back to you tomorrow on what I find. Shoud be interesting I think

[paintballdecoy]

Maybe Ron has got some true divination abilities that he did know about, kind of like someone else....

[darkcloak]

There's a whole load of them when he and Harry have to make predictions for Sybil (GoF) for their divination homework and they start making them up. Most of them come true.

Haven't got the quotes to hand but they are things like "getting stabbed in the back by a friend, getting injured etc.

[Ferrus]

It IS a point, rons "predictions" have a strange tendecy to come true...

[Athena Appleton]

Well, actually, his predictions don't usually come true (he kind of takes what is a plausible prediction and then takes it just one step too far), it's only his jokes that come true.

Unless you're talking about his "predictions" in the sarcastic tone about his Divination homework. In that case, it really is a joke in the first place...

He does make a few real predictions, though, and they are almost always laughable...

[paintballdecoy]

???Laughable??? What are you taking about?? Getting trampled by a raging hippogriff isn't unreal at all???

j/k but it is his sarcastic jokes that do come true

[Meg Boyd]

I remember talking about this a looooong time ago when I was a newbie here and I am sure that thread has been long gone for a loong time...hehe...

But honestly, I think JKR has an excellent tool for twists and foreshadowing with Ron for one simple reason...

He is not a credible character.

If Hermione would joke or predict things readers would hold her to her word and expect that, so the twists are not there....(at least in that manner)

However Ron is portrayed as common and almost stupid so any thing he says readers blow off, but lately his jokes have become gospel.

I think perhaps he is not a Seer, but just a handy literary tool that JKR has in her back pocket for some interesting irony and foreshadowing...

[Athena Appleton]

Yeah, I agree.

I came across something today, when I was reading CoS (again)... After their very first DADA class with Lockheart, Hermione reminds Ron and Harry of all the things he did in his books, and Ron mutters "or says he's done" or something right along those lines...

It is kinda funny, though...

[pandora315]

I read through PS last night and I came up with one joke that could be considered a "prediction" of something to come in Ch. Through the Trap Door ROn says " Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets DD down." The only other jokes he makes are related to hagrid, Harry's or DD insanity so unless Harry or DD are tortured into insanity I don't that'll mena anything.

[Athena Appleton]

actually, you know, I think it's more of something that develops in the books... I didn't notice much in the first book, but more and more as the books go on...

[Emma'I'm a real witch']

I haven't got my book to hand so this quote might be a little out but in GoF doesn't Ron say something about Percy handing his family over to to Dementors, it's after Harry has been in the Pensive and he's telling them about what crouch did to his son.

It'd be horrible if it was true but he was joking........

[Dumbledores Master]

yes he does say errum *I don`t know, percy would do anything for power* or something along those lines

[Emma'I'm a real witch']

And given Percy's loyalty to the Ministry in OotP do you not think this might just come true?

[Athena Appleton]

I don't know, I don't really think it's that literal, but I do think it's significant. I also don't think it qualifies as being a joke of Ron's.

I don't feel like the Weasleys are going to be turned over to dementors after what happened in Order of the Phoenix.

But that line about how Percy would do anything for power... well, that's really the first time we see Percy in that bad of a light. Up until that point, he's a lot like Hermione... a smartypants, goodie-two-shoes suck-up, but never any real harm. Up until Goblet of Fire, it would never have occurred to me that Percy would actually betray his family in order to get ahead, but that's exactly what he does in OotP. I do think, though, that that's all that line was about: that Percy would turn against his family if it was between that or his job/laws/rules, etc.