Not everyone was suited to becoming a combat wizard. Magic was a force of the mind, and you could tell from someone's usual behavior.
The more aggressive their personality, the better suited they were to the combat side of magic.
Of all the students from previous years that Anton knew, the one with the greatest potential in that regard was probably Aberforth Dumbledore, who was now holed up in the Hog's Head.
Back at school, this man had been a towering figure whom nobody dared challenge to a duel. A textbook Gryffindor, he was perfectly suited to wielding a longsword in one hand and a wand in the other.
As for why he had never made a name for himself in mainstream wizarding society, it was largely because of his childhood—and because his unbelievably powerful big brother had resolutely abandoned the march of social change and taken the utterly disgusting route of becoming a teacher at the school.
Anton could imagine how tragic life must have been for Aberforth when Albus was teaching there. In Aberforth's eyes, his brother had surely been no better than Snape was in Harry's.
By comparison, Ron was clearly a little out of step with Harry and Hermione. He was gentle but had a stubborn streak, which didn't make him particularly suited to the tough, hard-edged combat side.
Even though he was brave—whenever Draco tried to bully Harry or Hermione, Ron was always the first to step in—he still didn't perform as well as he could have. There was a reason for that.
He seemed to have a more sensitive heart than his brothers. Though he was born into a Pure-blood family, he remembered every little thing about the wizarding world, and was often the new-player guide for Harry, his friend who had grown up