The Blog

7 Underrated Fantasy and Sci-fi Sidekicks

1. Ron Weasley – Harry Potter

Being the youngest son in a family of 7 children is hard enough; being best friends with the famous Harry Potter can only extend the shadow that you exist in. Still, Ron Weasley has stood by Harry's side more times than we can count and was extraordinarily brave in the books. Now, some would say the first instance of his bravery was when he sacrificed himself in the giant chess game at the end of Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone, but I'd like to argue that his first brave action was befriending Harry in the first place before he even knew Harry as The Boy Who Lived. Ron even offers some of his food before Harry buys the entire trolley! In their second year, it is Ron, along with Fred and George, who rescue Harry from the Dursleys. Ron also braves his greatest fear, spiders, when he goes with Harry into the Forbidden Forrest and talks with Aragog and his children. During the trio's third year, Ron stands on a badly broken leg inside the shrieking shack to defend Harry against Sirius Black who they all thought to be a murder, and although the line was given to Hermione in the film, he utters my favorite line ever: "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" During the Tri-wizard Tournament, Harry and Ron are not speaking to one another, but Ron still gives Harry the tip about dragons being the first challenge. In fifth year Ron followed Harry into the Hall of Prophecy at the Ministry of Magic where he fought numerous deatheaters and was attacked by a tankful of mysterious brains with tentacles, for which he still bears the scars. In their sixth year, Ron pledges to help Harry hunt down Voldemort's Horcruxes. In what would have been the gang's seventh year he does indeed go Horcrux hunting with Harry and Hermione, leaving his family behind, and eventually destroying Slytherin's locket after pulling Harry from the lake in the Forrest of Dean. He then goes on to fight in The Battle of Hogwarts where he reminds Hermoine to save the house elves. Eventually, Ron becomes an Auror. Pretty good for a sidekick, I'd say!

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2. Bonnie Bennett – The Vampire Diaries

Whenever the residents of Mystic Falls need some Witchy-woo-woo Bonnie Bennet is the one they call, and for good reason. Bonnie is a descendant of Qetsiyah, who was the original witch and who first created vampires. In addition to being a powerful witch, Bonnie's real super-power lies in her immense sense of friendship. Bonnie is constantly putting others before herself and does her best to be there for her friends anytime they need her. This does not come without heartache. She lost her Grams while helping Elena, Damon, and Stefan escape a sealed tomb. Bonnie even goes as far as to fake her death when an ancient psycho vampire named Klaus comes after Elena. In later seasons, Bonnie becomes the anchor between the living and the dead and suffers great pain whenever a supernatural being crosses over to the other side. While there are too many instances of Bonnie sacrificing her happiness or even her life for others to name, we definitely think you should give The Vampire Diaries a try, if you haven't already.

Photo Credit: chanuka30wh