Rant: Ron's and Wormtail's relationship is a huge missed opportunity.

One thing that’s always bothered me about the Harry Potter series is how Ron and Wormtail basically stopped interacting after Prisoner of Azkaban. There is so much wasted potential in this relationship - it’s downright frustrating.

Wormtail spent years pretending to be Ron’s pet, creating a deeply invasive relationship between an adult and a child. Over that time, Peter would have learned everything about Ron - his insecurities, his struggles, and the source of them. It’s disturbing on so many levels, yet the books never really address how this might have impacted Ron. Most of us would need therapy after discovering something like that, but the story just moves on, leaving this unsettling dynamic unexplored.

Peter also never uses that knowledge in any meaningful way later in the series, which feels like a huge missed opportunity. He’s one of the few characters who could’ve truly gotten inside Ron’s head and manipulated him on a personal level. We see in Deathly Hallows how the locket Horcrux exploits Ron’s fears and doubts - how much more powerful would it have been if Peter had done something similar earlier, like during the Ministry fight in Order of the Phoenix? It could have added real tension and given Ron a much more personal villain to confront.

The parallels between Ron and Peter’s stories also deserved more attention. Both take similar roles in their friends' groups. Both are defined by loyalty, but they each falter when it’s tested. Ron turned away from Harry briefly in Goblet of Fire when he felt excluded, a moment that might foreshadow his bigger breakdown in Deathly Hallows, when he leaves Harry and Hermione. But where Ron redeems himself and comes back stronger, Peter doubles down on his betrayal. That contrast could have been incredible to explore, especially if Peter’s decision to help the trio at the end stemmed from seeing what he could have been if he’d made better choices.

I feel like one of the biggest issues with the series is that it doesn’t give us enough counterweights to the main cast. There is lots of parallels between Harry and Voldemort, maybe Neville's vendetta against Bellatrix. Maybe there is some hint of personal conflict between Hermione and Bellatrix in Deathly Hallows. Ron and Wormtail could have been an excellent foil for each other, showing how two people with similar struggles and roles can end up in completely different places depending on the choices they make.