There are few friendships in fiction as intense and as realistic as the one shared by the Golden Trio, but it's important to that there are only two of them at the beginning of Harry Potter — Ron and Harry. This pair is initially drawn together by their shared disgust of Draco Malfoy's bigotry aboard the Hogwarts Express, and nothing has been able to separate them since.
Harry and Ron inevitably encounter conflicting situations like nearly all good friends do, but the manner in which they resolve their differences and return to being best buddies is heartwarming. That being said, is it possible to reimagine these two characters as soulmates?
Ron "Sacrifices" Himself For Harry
During the race to get to the Philosopher's Stone in the first book, the three of them are faced with a number of different magical puzzles devised by Hogwarts professors.
When it comes time for the Wizarding Chess match, Harry and Hermione are completely stumped, but Ron saves the day by playing, according to Dumbledore, "the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years." This is reflected not just in Ron's skill but his willingness to sacrifice his Knight, and, therefore, himself, just so Harry could complete his mission. If that isn't love, nothing is.
Harry's Second Triwizard Task
Harry figures out, by his own analysis and by others dropping hints for him, the watery nature of the Second Triwizard Task. What he discovers much later through Dobby is that he is supposed to rescue Ron from the depths of the Great Lake.
This comes as a surprise to nobody, and it makes total sense that the judges choose Ron due to his special relationship with Harry. Interestingly, the other two boys participating in the event have to rescue their romantic partners at the time, Cedric saves Cho and Krum saves Hermione. This fact merely makes Ron's bond with Harry that much more intimate.
When Ron Returns To Harry For The Last Time
The curses embedded in Salazar Slytherin's Locket twist Ron's mind against his two best friends, who try their best to assure him that there is nothing to be concerned about.
Unfortunately, Ron abandons Harry and Hermione in the middle of the Forest of Dean for several weeks. Luckily, Dumbledore had made plans for such an exigency, which is why he entrusts his patented Deluminator to Ron, who eventually uses it to return, consequently saving Harry's life (again) and destroying the Locket with Gryffindor's Sword.
Their Second-Year Flight To Hogwarts
Ron and Harry miss the Hogwarts Express when Dobby seals the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, so they naturally decide to fly themselves to school in Arthur Weasley's ancient car. This is not the kind of decision one would make when traveling with most people, but Ron trusts Harry enough (and vice-versa) to attempt a harebrained scheme of such magnitude.
The boys even crash the poor car into the Whomping Willow, forcing it to eject them and flee to the safety of the Forbidden Forest. How many other relationships can claim to have a bond this deep?
Ron Fights Through A Broken Ankle
The so-called Grim attacks Ron at the base of the Whomping Willow, and forcibly hauls him into the Shrieking Shack (the Golden Trio are unaware of Scabbers' real identity at this time).
Ron's smart plan to prevent himself from being taken by Sirius' animagus form backfires, because the leg he "hooked around a root" breaks anyway. In spite of the pain he must have been in, Ron tells Sirius that "if [he wants] to kill Harry," he would need to kill all of them.
Ron's Knowledge Of Parseltongue
One of the more unexpected Ron moments takes place when he and Hermione try to reach the Chamber of Secrets from the famous bathroom.
However, they're stuck until Ron makes "a horrible strangled hissing noise," imitating what he re of Harry's Parseltongue. This fact, combined with Ron's general disinterest in ing things, suggests an entirely new level of closeness with his best friend.
The Mead & The Bezoar
The entire storyline surrounding love potion-spiked chocolate exists to reinforce the extent that Harry would go to for Ron. After they both go to Slughorn for something to cure or at least mitigate, the effects of the potion, Ron takes a swig out of some mead that Draco had earlier poisoned (as a present for Dumbledore.)
The Potions Master is stunned when Ron begins to foam at the mouth, leaving Harry to "wrench open his jaw and thrust the bezoar into his mouth." This is not the first or last time that they save each other's lives.
Ron & Harry Vs. Snape
Ron has always stood up for Harry against Snape, from trying to keep his knowledge of Sectumsempra secret to ing Harry's practical answer over the textbook distinctions between inferi and ghosts.
Ron pays for his sass in almost every case, usually in the form of House points, but he always goes ahead with it anyway. Harry's rage and confusion over Snape's behavior towards him has clearly been rubbing off on Ron.
Harry Would Rather Be With Ron's Sort
Harry and Ron hit it off the minute they meet for the first time, an encounter that's unfortunately tainted by the arrival of Draco Malfoy and his two minions.
He tells Harry that "some wizarding families are much better than others," and that he shouldn't make "friends with the wrong sort." Harry bravely, and coldly, informs Draco that he "can tell who the wrong sort are by" himself. It's this moment that establishes the unbreakable bond between him and Ron.
The Quidditch World Cup, 1994
Ron tells Harry that they are going to watch the Quidditch World cup come hell or high water. In fact, when Hermione asks Harry to "cheer up" despite losing Sirius at the end of The Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron quickly interjects.
He asks his best friend to "come and stay" at the Burrow for the summer, and that he would "fix it up with Mum and Dad" before giving him a call on the "fellytone." It's quite adorable that Ron distracts Harry from the prospect of a gloomy summer, especially considering Hermione doesn't offer more than a few encouraging words.
