Why The Deluminator In Harry Potter Means More Than You Think
The "Harry Potter" movies are filled with magical spells, potions, and various objects that would no doubt be a wonder to behold in real life. As each movie came out and the main characters got older, the world they inhabited seemed to grow larger with magical wonder. Seeing as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends were young children when the franchise began, this approach arguably makes sense. The audience learns more about the wizarding world as the characters do, and some pieces of magic that seem small at first have greater significance later on.
In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the two-part finale that wraps up Harry's story, each of the three main characters is presented with an item left to them by the late Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). Harry receives the Snitch he caught during his first year at Hogwarts, Hermione (Emma Watson) receives a copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," and Ron (Rupert Grint) receives Dumbledore's Deluminator, an object that can put out lights with the click of a button. Of course, it's later revealed that the Deluminator also aided Ron in getting back to Harry and Hermione after Ron angrily abandons the duo.
However, the Deluminator and Ron's use of it means far more than fans may think.
Did Dumbledore know that Ron would need the Deluminator?
While it's hand-waved away in both the movies and the books that Dumbledore gives the Deluminator to Ron because he knew that Ron would be the most likely to leave the trio and need a method to find his way back, how exactly did Dumbledore know this for certain? Wizarding World Digital speculates that Dumbledore is basing this on Ron's past actions in the books. He has always harbored something of an inferiority complex when it comes to his friendship with Harry, feeling that he could never be as good in comparison to the supposed Chosen One.
This has inevitably led to arguments and temporary spats between Harry and Ron. Perhaps Dumbledore saw this as a sign that he needed to leave Ron the Deluminator more than the other two central characters. On a more character-driven level, the Deluminator could represent who Ron is as a person: someone who is quick to anger and jealousy but still very loyal to his friends. Dumbledore likely knew this was the case, so he gives Ron the means to return to his friends after he cools down. Of course, without actually hearing it from Dumbledore himself in-text, it's impossible to say for sure. But this seems like one of the more likely explanations.