Re: The Meeting
Ron watched the exchange between his wife, brother, best friend and Dumbledore. He very much agreed with his wife and brother, and knew Harry was acting as if he didn't care. He frowned and raised a finger before interjecting into the conversation.
"I'm sorry to question your judgment here, sir. As much as I love my nephew, I can't in good conscience accept him as a leader without at least trying to figure out your reasoning behind it. I know Harry won't question your motives in public, but if he'd allow me, I'd like to point out a few things that should really be taken into account.
"First of all, his age is a major factor. He's only twenty. Not to say that Jamie is immature for his age, but every twenty-year-old is immature. I remember my twenties quite well, and while at the time I thought I could handle some major responsibilities, the truth of the matter is that I never would have been able to. I believe this to be true of everyone at that station in life, whether you remember it or not. A responsibility of this caliber might be more than he is ready to handle.
"Second, he's had little leadership experience. All he's had are school related things; quidditch captain, head boy, and prefect. It doesn't relate at all to the leadership experience he needs here. Granted leadership can be learned, but are we willing to wait while he learns leadership skills?
"And my last major point is: What is he going to do if he has to give orders to his mum or dad? No offense, sir, or Jamie, but there is a fine level of tact that must be taken when giving orders to your family. I'm not entirely convinced that Jamie is able to master that yet. In fact, I'm still learning it."
He frowned and looked at Hermione and Harry, and hoped that neither would take anything he said about Jamie offensively. As for Dumbledore, well, someone had to point these things out, and Ron really did believe that he was losing his marbles.