Alright, so this is kind of an interesting thought. When Draco petrifies Harry on the train, kicks him in the face and breaks his nose, later on he tells Ron. typical. but it says that when telling Ron, Harry was "grateful he didn't laugh," right? right, well why would Ron laugh? Ron and Harry are friends, and both of them hate Draco. So that doesn't exactly make sense of Ron and the possibility of him laughing at Harry when Draco breaks his nose. Does it? I don't think it does.

So why would he laugh? What is so funny about a broken nose to someone who is one of your best friends? sure, Draco finally got one on Harry, beat him at something, but Ron shouldn't find that funny. does anyone else find this a bit strange?

That is waaay odd. I totally have no idea why Ron would laugh. I don't picture Ron as that type of person.

Maybe Ron thinks that Harry got what was coming to him for stalking Draco???

Any thoughts?

May be Harry thought that walking with a broken nose is a laugh

yeah i don't get why ron would've laughed either....i mean how many people laugh at their beast friends when they get beaten up? i don't lol

perhaps harry was a little paranoid...he knows it was stupid and irrisponsible to go stalking after draco and the outcome was typical of the situation he put himself in... pehahaps it was harry's putting himself in such a situation that would make ron laugh no the actually getting punched...does that even make sense?

It is possible that he thought Ron would laugh because Harry let Draco get the best of him.

It's all about pride and being a sixteen year old boy. I know quite a few guys when I was that age that would have laughed at their closest friends if they got beat up simply because they either didn't or couldn't fight back. Privately the reaction might have been different of publicly, it's all about being machismo and taking care of yourself.

I also think that Harry, like Voldemort, doesn't trust that many people because they people that he did trust, many, he came to find out, bit him in the backside. Up until he went to Hogwarts, the only people that he could trust for his protection were the Dursleys and well, they didn't fare all that well. Year one Harry put a great deal of emphasis on Quirrell being this weak guy to be pitied but he was deceived. Year two Harry trusted Riddle. We all know where that one went. Year three Harry trusted Lupin and while Lupin was still on Harry's side, there's that element of deception that still struck him. Year four Harry lost Ron as a friend and put a lot of faith in Moody who turned out he wanted to kill him. Even after he got Ron back, I think it would take a good beating for him to realize that Ron would be around for quite some time. In year 5, the government agency that people trusted to help them only hurt them when the Ministry denied the return of Voldemort. There's goes Harry's trust even more. And in book six we see Harry being forced to trust Snape only in the end to want to kill him.

Harry has had wavering trust and I think it was normal for him to think that Ron would laugh at him for getting beat up, even though the situation was against him. The fact that he didn't sealed, in Harry's mind, that Ron is a true friend that would, like Draco would to Crabbe or Goyle, laugh if they got their head stepped on.

This is a stupid thought but maybe he would of laughed because Harry got caught off guard. I mean it isn't really funny at all but the thought of his inferior enemy catching him off gurad breaking his nose getting found by Tonks, then yelled at by Snape and comming in with blood on his face and in muggle clothing, might be funny. Or maybe Harry was embarrased and was just afraid that it would make ron laugh. It didn't actually "say" that ron was tryning "not" to laugh right? Anyone?

OOO, good point.. There is nothing to indicate that Ron was going to laugh.. it could very well have been Harry's imagination... Great point!

Maybe the quote was meant more like, Ron would laugh had it been someone else, but he doesn't find it funny because it's Harry??

I don't know. I'm not entirely sure that Ron wouldn't laugh if it happened to someone else, except for that it's Malfoy. Ron hates Malfoy. Why would he laugh at anything Malfoy does?

Okay this post has gotten me really confused, I'm not sure what my point is anymore.

Interesting, i have no idea why Ron would have laughed...

i don't know, i think Harry's just being paranoid. But i mean, he sure has a right to be. Everybody's trying to kill him. It's his privilage to think like that. But I don't think he need sto think that way about his BFF, right?

I think Harry realized that most people would ridicule if they found out what had happened to him and he thought that Ron would too.

Um, I've been in a similar situation, and I'm not sure, but when it was me, it's just the fear, you don't want to be made fun of, and you forget that your friends wouldn't laugh at that.

Because pain at other people's expense is funny. And because Ron is a git some of the time. *dodges angry fangirls*

Haha yeah, that's true.^

that doesn't seem so strange to me. if harry had told someone else who didn't know his suspicions of malfoy and just thought he was a mean kid, they probably would have been slightly amused or entertained. just like how when there's a fight at school, everyone stands around cheering and laughing...but if you were the person or their close friend, it wouldn't be so funny.

That is very starnge. Never relize that. Well I don't think Ron would really laugh. Maybe it was typo?

Maybe he wouldn't laugh so much at the beating up part as just the fact that Malfoy "outsmarted" him in a way. Malfoy is kinda an idiot, and it's somewhat surprising for him to have seen a flash and A.) realize is was a foot and B.) assume it was *Harry's* foot
Other than that, I can't see Ron laughing at Harry for being beat up

When I read it I thought that Harry still thought that Ron was jealous of him, for being the one everyone knows, and the hero, while Ron was like the side kick, and just "Harry Potter's friend." With the insecurities of being a teenage boy, he was embarrassed by Draco getting the best of him, and after they had the tiff with GOF, Harry was probably felt that Ron would tease him about Draco getting the better of him.

He probably didn't laugh because he hates Malfoy too much.. and would've laughed if Harry broke Malfoy's nose etc etc.

That is way weird. I don't know why Ron would laugh. I never pictured Ron as that type of person and still don't.

That is odd, they are friends so i don't get that

well honestly if ron was going to laugh harry might have seen how dumb and not very responsable he was. Its one of those things that you do it and realize how stupid it was later and the friend snickers and says "Told ya so". ya know what i mean?

Well, it says it was a mark of their friendship. I guess it means Ron might have laughed if say... Neville got his nose broken?

I think Ron might've laughed because of the whole situation. I mean, Harry stole into their compartment and was eavesdropping while he was curled up into the luggage bin. That in itself is pretty funny. And of course Ron might've laughed at that part. But it isn't funny that Draco acted so childishly and despicably, and Ron obviously recognized that, so of course he didn't laugh at anything. He was too angry with Draco for being a complete git to laugh at his best friend.