Core Classes
Astronomy: It wasn’t that Ron disliked the class, or didn’t find the subject matter interesting, it was that it was so bloody late at night that he struggled with it. He found it a hard slog trying to stay focused and functional in the class when he wanted nothing more than to escourt Aria back to her dorm (which became more romantic as the years rolled on), and get back to his so he could rest up for the next day. Adding to it was the decision to dump the class after Fifth Year, as it didn’t figure into his class plan after OWLs. Still, he couldn’t, at least not with a good conscience, blow off the class or the OWL, so he continued to put in a concerted effort to do decently in it. As a result, he managed a passing grade. ~ Acceptable
Charms: “Can’t really call oneself a wizard if one can’t cast Charms,” was what somebody told Ron once, and he agreed. Most spells he used on a daily basis were Charms of some sort, so this was a bit of a ‘bread and butter’ class for him, and part of the ‘second trinity’ of classes, owing to the way he chose to study Charms, Transfigurations and Alchemy, with the skills learned in one feeding into the study of the others. It didn’t hurt that Charms came easily to him, and he and Aria helped each other prepare. His facility was such he could have taken the OWL wandless. ~ Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts: The casting of Curses, Hexes, and Dueling were things Ron had no love of, owing to the ideal that he inclined to heal hurts, not inflict them himself. That changed the day he, Aria, and Brianna were attacked at school, and while he was able to shield Aria from harm (notably, using the skills he’d learned in Alchemy), he was grievously harmed in the process, and it ate at his conscience that he could do nothing to protect his little sister from harm. When she needed him, he wasn’t there. Thereafter, he started going to Dueling Club, and had a new attitude when it came to his Dark Arts classes. When it came time to take his OWL, the written portion went well, as did the practical, and he was well on his way to an ‘EE’, right until the boggart took the form of a freshly and horrifically murdered Artemisia Rosalie League… ~ Acceptable
Herbology: Herbology was one of those classes he called ‘the first trinity of classes’, as Herbology, Potions, and Alchemy were so tied to each other, and that they were studies critical to his future career plans. For him the practical side of the class was always easy, which worked out well, as he and Aria paired up in the class and their strengths and weaknesses dovetailed nicely. As to the written portion, he worked hard to improve that side of his knowledge. Being a Mentor in the Herbology Club, and tutoring his younger sister gave him the additional study time to post a solid grade. ~ Exceeds Expectation
History of Magic: Ron understood how important the study of history was, after all how was one to know where one was going as a culture if one didn’t know where one started in the first place? Never mind the meme of ‘those who fail to learn from history…’, there was the knowledge that his history teacher taught the same class for his mother, which was a bit of a mind-bending concept, as well as extra incentive to do well in the class. Here, his ability to put names and dates in a frame of reference which made sense to him helped him to do well on the OWL. It also helped having somebody who liked study-dates as much as he did. ~ Outstanding
Potions: Dad was a pharmacologist and researcher at AstraZeneca, failure at Potions not only was not a option, but Ron felt it would be a personal failing and an embarrassment for his family. So, yeah, no pressure here, although, in truth, the pressure was all his doing, as his desire to live up to his parents’ example drove him. However, he’d tried to read his father’s books since he was little, and this served him in good stead in Potions. He also found that his Alchemy studies helped him here, in the same way that the study of calculus could help one understand algebra. During the practical exam, he assembled the required potion in a series of sub-assemblies, which he added together in stages as required. ~ Outstanding
Transfigurations: Part of what Ron thought of as his ‘second trinity’ of classes, he appreciated the more mathematical approach to this, the more difficult of the magics taught at Hogwarts. It appealed to his sense of order, and this is what made the class relatively simple for him, rather like Potions in this regard. Again, he found that Alchemy, and the holistic approach he was taking to his studies aided his understanding of the subject matter. “It’s all one” summed it up for him, his performance on his OWL reflected it, and he got a new pet into the bargain. ~ Outstanding
Elective Classes
Alchemy: This was an essential part of what Ron referred to as the ‘first trinity of classes’, owing to how interrelated they were to each other. As it was an advanced class for Charms and Transfigurations, it was also an essential part of the ‘second trinity’ as well. What he learned here also spared him the worst of the assault of hostile spells he was the focus of during his Fourth term. Ron spent a significant amount of time and effort in preparing for this OWL, aiding his cause in a number of other OWLs. ~ Outstanding
Art: This has always been a fun class for Ron, and this is why he picked it up in the first place. Since he was a young kid, he’d been drawing and creating his comic stories, be it superheroes or fantasy stories. He’d created a tale based on the ‘Song of Fire and Ice’ series of books, where fictional versions of he and Aria were running around Westeros having adventures. As much as the creative portion of the class interested him, he also found the history of art to be interesting as well, and thankfully, he had a good memory for the names, dates and periods studied in the class. ~Oustanding
Cursebreaking: Ron decided at the last moment to take this class, as his mother recommended he take it, because of the medical applications for the what was taught there. She also pointed out that if he were forward an application to the hospital, he would need to have extra skills in his back pocket to stand out from other applicants. He soon discovered the class to be interesting, and a logical extension of DADA, and he certainly didn’t mind being able to undo hexes and curses, especially after what happened to him, and especially his sister last term. ~ Exceeds Expectations
Healing Arts: As of yet, Ronald was unsure if he wished to pursue a career as a Healer, like his mother, or a researcher, like his father. As it was, he started taking this class simply because it felt right for him to be there. The class seemed a natural extension of his Charms class, and he found the subject matter interesting and challenging. It also didn’t hurt that he had a study partner in Aria, and had a couple of Healers at St. Mungo’s he could ask questions of, his mother being one of them. When it came to the exam, the written portion was relatively easy for him, and the practical he handled in a logical fashion. ~ Outstanding
Wandless Magic Practice: There were practical reasons for taking this class, the main one being that it would be so easy to deprive a wizard of their magic by simply taking their wand away. Ron originally took the class because of this notion, and because Aria was also taking it. He found out this was difficult subject matter, and that his holistic approach to his studies couldn’t help here. In fact, Wandless screwed up the calculations for Transfigurations by throwing out one of the more important variables in the basic equation. It was all about his ability to focus and balance his emotions against the force of his will. He passed the OWL, but that was about all one could say about his performance. ~ Acceptable
