A View From The Outside

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley: the infamous trio, inseparable dream team. I confess I am another classmate that wished I would one day become part of this great group. It's not that we weren't friends; it was just we weren't that close. After countless years of hoping and praying; I finally came to the realization sometime fifth year that it wasn't going to happen. At first I blamed myself for being a clumsy git, but I realized that it wasn't my fault. I wasn't meant to be part of the trio, God knows I wanted to be, but I wasn't.

I, Neville Longbottom, am here to present my view on the trio, as I saw them as an outsider looking upon this great bond of friendship. When the Witch Weekly first approached me with this offer, I turned them down, but after a while, I decided to accept it.

Hermione...I must admit I had a crush on the female member of the trio. After all, she was my potions partner for years and always offered to help me with my homework. She was kind, smart, beautiful...I could go on and on, but this is not an article about a schoolboy's crush. Hermione was, of course, the logical, witty one, that always got her best mates out of the jams they got themselves into. No doubt that she was what kept the boys in check. Like in most relationships, the woman was in control, and Hermione was very good at it.

Of course there were fights and such, but they always were resolved. The majority of the fights were between Ron and Hermione, because Ron was stubborn and short tempered. As was Hermione, but she at least knew when to apologize and concede defeat. In the times when Ron went too far, Hermione was often upstairs crying her eyes out. This is when Harry would yell at Ron for being and inconsiderate git and storm off to comfort Hermione. Harry was always the sensitive guy, who would pull everyone back together. Then, after a mightily yelling, Ron would trudge up the stairs to Hermione and apologize. I have the uttermost respect for Hermione Granger now, Potter. I am glad I had the chance to grow up with this witch of highest caliber, wit, knowledge, and understanding of others.

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Ron...where do I begin? Ron, being a Weasley by blood and temperament, was always one with a smart remark, clever comeback, exploding temper and comical relief. Although he wasn't as funny as his brothers, he still provided the bits of laughter when everyone most needed it most. I remember this one time in particular, when Ron started to...sorry, I'm heading down that all too familiar memory lane. But moving on, Ron was always the one to be either too daft to understand or too daft to want to understand. I'm not saying that Ron was dumb, but he was not as clever or the first one to catch on as Harry and Hermione were. That might be the reason why their friendship blossomed into a successful, loving, and understanding relationship that they still have to this very day. But getting back on the topic of Ron...Ron was someone you could always depend on, come hell or high water. He would never betray confidence and that is how I shall always remember him. Ronald Weasley was an honest, trustworthy, funny and loyal friend. God rest his soul, but I shall not dwell on the sadness of Ron's untimely death, for he hated to dwell on the past. So I shall tell you about his accomplishments. Ron, as he said once, was not a person to recite a book like Hermione, but one to just get by from the skin of his teeth, so he did not have that many academic accomplishments, but that's not to say he didn't have any. He received top marks along with Harry, though most of his years in DADA, and surprisingly, he and Harry did well in Divination, considering they made it all up. I shall never forget my dear friend Ronald Weasley, for he saved my life in more ways than one.

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Harry...the most courageous and brave man I know... How can I explain his story when it has been told so many times and in every possible way? Well, I shall try my best... Harry was the undisputed leader of the group, not that they ever needed one, but Harry showed his friends how to take a new lease on life. See, Harry had already come to terms with life; his understanding was live life to the fullest, because no one knows when it will end. That's how he lived and continues to live his live out today. Even with his youth behind him, he still plays quidittich and lives like a teenager.

I shall not go into detail about his battle with Voldemort throughout the years, because it is already a common story. But I shall tell about how he dealt with it... Being a teenager is no easy stage of life, but being a teenager who was expected to battle the most powerful Dark Lord in the world must have been horrible. Harry was the best at hiding his emotions, but Hermione could see right through his façade. She was the only person who could get him to open up, but when Harry was determined to live life, he bottled up all of his emotions and set it aside. This bottle shattered in 5th year with all that had happened. Not just Harry had gone out of control, but the whole school, everyone's patience, was running thin with that hag of a woman, Umbridge. Oh, God, how we all detested her. There were some days when we...uhh, sorry again, getting a little too carried away. But back on the topic of Harry. Harry was and still is the ideal person we all strive to be. The nature that he became known for was a tragedy, but we cn not turn back time and fix that. Harry was thrusted into the limelight, and he hated every second of it. Those of us that craved for the attention he got did not fully realize what we wanted. We also did not understand the most important saying that we all have come to know, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Harry is and forever shall be the greatest man I have had the pleasure to know in my life.