Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter in front of the series' book covers

The Harry Potter books are full of exciting twists, but the series gives some of these reveals away with one Ron Weasley trend. Although Harry Potter falls into the fantasy genre, the books utilize mystery tropes to tell their stories. This is particularly true of the earlier installments, which follow the Golden Trio as they attempt to work out mysterious happenings at Hogwarts. But even the later books feature their fair share of surprises. From Snape being the Half-Blood Prince to Deathly Hallows’ Elder Wand revelation, Harry Potter has a knack for upending readers’ expectations.

Of course, the Harry Potter books drop plenty of clues leading up to their big reveals, and that’s part of the reason readers are so impressed with such twists. Anyone who pays attention will be able to piece together many of the series’ plot points before they happen. Harry Potter even gives away some of its biggest developments using Ron Weasley — though the manner in which it does so makes this easy to overlook.

Ron Weasley’s Jokes In The Harry Potter Books Often Predicted Major Reveals

He Was Often Right About Things Without Realizing It

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in Divination Class

Of the members of the Golden Trio, Ron Weasley is most often used for comic relief throughout Harry Potter — and the series uses this to its advantage. Ron jokes around a lot in J.K. Rowling’s books, and he often uses sarcasm to cope with school, as well as the greater threats the trio faces. Ron’s humor may seem like a means to uplift the mood, but it also teases many of Harry Potter‘s big revelations.

In Chamber of Secrets, Ron is forced to clean a trophy belonging to Tom Riddle while he’s in detention. Not realizing Riddle is Voldemort, he jests that the former student might have been awarded this honor for killing Moaning Myrtle. Later, the book reveals that Tom Riddle actually is the one who murdered Myrtle — though this isn’t why he was recognized by the school. Ron’s joke gives away one of the biggest twists in Chamber of Secrets, teasing who Tom Riddle really is. However, readers aren’t likely to pick up on this the first time around.

Ron’s humor may seem like a means to uplift the mood, but it also teases many of Harry Potter ‘s big revelations.

Ron’s refusal to take Divination seriously also results in moments like this one. In Goblet of Fire, Ron fabricates a future for Harry, believing their Divination homework to be rubbish. However, Ron’s predictions — that Harry will be threatened by burns, lose something valuable, and face a betrayal — all come true during the Triwizard Tournament. He also jokes about Hermione’s Boggart being “a piece of homework that only got nine out of 10” in Prisoner of Azkaban, and he jests that Cormac McLaggen looks “Confounded” in Half-Blood Prince. Both sentiments turn out to be true.

Hiding The Truth In Ron’s Humor Was A Clever Way For Harry Potter To Drop Hints

The Books Hide Their Clues In Plain Sight

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley with His Wand Raised in Harry Potter

Using Ron’s humor to foreshadow later developments is one of the smarter things the Harry Potter books do. With Ron frequently joking or using sarcasm, it’s easy for readers to gloss over these quotes. This allows Rowling’s clues to hide in plain sight, and they seem even more clever after Ron’s predictions come true. Ron’s statements also showcase how perceptive he is. Although Hermione has the reputation for being the clever one in the Golden Trio, it’s clear Ron is capable when it comes to assessing situations and people. The Harry Potter books highlight this far more than the movies.