To this day, the Harry Potter fandom seems pretty divided on Ron Weasley as a character, among both book lovers and movie watchers. To some, he is the epitome of the underdog — overshadowed by his popular best friend and successful siblings and relatable AF. To others, he's kind of whiny, a lame friend, and treated Queen Hermione Granger with too much disrespect to be blanket forgiven for it by his feelings for her. Seeing as feelings about Ron Weasley are still a polarizing topic in the fandom, a lot of fans might be surprised by the deleted Harry Potter scene featuring Ron Weasley actually being, y'know, a solid bro of a friend. If it had been left in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the movie that set the tone for all the other movies to come, would some fans have seen Ron Weasley in a different light?
The deleted scene in question takes place over Christmas, in the aftermath of Harry showing Ron the Mirror of Erised. It's kind of important not just for showing that Ron was a real bro, but also for contextualizing just how much of an effect that mirror had on wee Harry, who is sulking in the Great Hall while everybody else is celebrating Christmas. Ron sees how upset Harry is and separates himself from the pack to try and cheer him up.
In the scene, Ron offers to play chess or go visit Hagrid, ostensibly to distract Harry from the ice bucket of angst that is coursing through his baby veins. And yes, we do have a few moments of Genuine Ron Friendship in the movies and books — but most of them come after some kind of prior Ron Screw-Up, as an apology or some indication that he is a better friend than he would outwardly lead people to believe. So it is definitely a point of curiosity, whether or not leaving this scene in the movie might have shifted fan opinion of him — it shows a rare moment when Ron is acting entirely unselfishly, without any prompting from Hermione or any other character.
Alas, it ended up being one of many deleted scenes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a lot of which are available online.
What better way to celebrate the upcoming 15 year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on Oct. 31 than watching what-might-have-been? Really, a lot of these are a laugh — but I guess stuff has to get cut for time, lest all of our bladders explode mid-film in the theaters. In any case, this scene with Ron is just one of many deleted scenes that impact how viewers might have seen the characters — but I, for one, will not be changing my opinions about one Ronald Weasley anytime soon.
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures
