The youngest son of the Weasley family and Harry's best friend. Characterized by his modesty, occasional insecurity, and thirst to escape the ever-looming shadows of his successful brothers, Ron proves himself to be a loyal friend to both Harry and Hermione and a brilliant player of wizarding chess. Although Ron acknowledges the difficulties of being the youngest son of a poor wizarding family (resulting in constant hand-me-downs), he rarely expresses any resentment to his family and desires only to become individually successful and significant. As a wizard, Ron is mediocre, often needing Hermione's help for spells and homework assignments, but he is able to scrape by academically and never fails to perform during dangerous situations.