However, neither Harry nor Hermione is willing to excuse
Ron’s desertion based on the fact that he’s wearing the Horcrux
when he decides to leave. Rather than a true case of possession,
the Horcrux’s negative influence is like the hunger or frustration
that they all experience—it’s something that tests them and makes
it harder to do the right thing but that doesn’t take away their
free will. Ron’s abandonment of his friends is a true moment of
failure for him, one that stems from flaws in his character that
are specific to him. Ron’s overindulgence in food is a running joke
throughout the series, and of the three friends he is least used
to being deprived of material comforts. In fact, because of his
mother, he is used to being taken care of and takes it for granted
that other people will take care of him, and in that sense he is
still the most childish of the three. We can see that his action
is not due to the Horcrux later in the book, when we find out that
Dumbledore long ago predicted Ron’s moment of despair and his abandonment
of Harry based solely on Ron’s character. Fortunately for Ron, Dumbledore,
that famous believer in second chances, has prepared a way back
for Ron.
