Disclaimer: Ron, in all his angsty, teenage glory, is the property of JKR, Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Warner Bros. Inc. I've borrowed him for a bit, but they'll get him back in mint condition, morals still intact, I promise.

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All my life, I've been judged by those around me. My family, the red-haired Weasleys with lots of kids and not much money. My brothers, Quidditch captains and Head Boys. And my friends.

These past few years, it's been my friends. The brilliant Hermione, head of every class. I'm known as that one who wants to copy her homework. And Harry. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and I'm just the red-haired sidekick.

But I'm tired of it. Everyone sees me as a pawn in Harry's chess game of life, the one who tags along, hoping for glory; the stooge who looses his temper while Harry keeps his cool.

But I want to be judged for me, even if it's less flattering than what people think of me now. I'm not just a Weasley, or Harry Potter's best friend.

I'm Ron. I'm tall, gangly, red-haired, hot-tempered. And I'm a chess master. Bobby Fischer probably couldn't beat me. That's why I look at life like a chess game. Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes you have to take a loss to get what you want in the end. Take one for the team, if you will. These past four years, everyone thought I was just a pawn in this game, but now it's time for me to show everyone the truth. In my game, I'm the king. I'm taking control of my life and I'm not going to be known as Harry Potter's sidekick anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to stop being Harry's friend, if that's what you're thinking. Nope, he's a big part of my life, and I'm a big part of his. When we got in that fight last year I realised how important he is. Hermione, too. Recently, I've come to see that she's really important to me also. And you know what? I'm OK with that. We come as a package, the three of us. In our third year, when I told Sirius Black he'd have to kill all three of us, I meant it. Harry doesn't have to fight all by himself. We're right there with him.

I know that these last four years, I've lost my temper a lot, usually in defence of those I care about. But I don't think I could keep my temper even if I wanted to. Those I care about, I'd die to protect, and I don't care if people know that. I'm loyal.

So, yeah, things are gonna change. I'm going to show the world that I'm not just a pawn. There's a certain someone in particular that I want to see me for who I really am, but who knows, maybe she already does. In any case, I'm out to show the world that Ron Weasley is nobody's pawn.

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