Ginevra Weasley

**Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley** is a character in the *Harry Potter book series*. Ginny is the youngest child and only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley. She is a powerful witch who is part of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix in the Second Wizarding War. She fights in the Battle of Hogwarts. Later in life, she is a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. She marries Harry Potter and they have three children.

## Biography

### Early life

Ginevra Weasley was born on 11 August 1981. She was the youngest child of Arthur and Molly Weasley, and the only daughter of seven children. She was brought up at The Burrow in Ottery St Catchpole. Growing up, her brothers wouldn't let her play Quidditch. When she was six, she starting sneaking into the shed to take out one of her elder brothers' broomsticks in turn and developed into a very skilled player.

### Philosopher's Stone

In September 1991, Ginny helped drop Percy, Fred, George and Ron at King's Cross to take the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny was eager to join her brothers, but Molly told her she couldn't until she started attending next year. Ginny saw a child ask her mother for help finding the train. When she later found out the child was Harry Potter, she wanted to try and find him but Molly told her not to. When the train was leaving, she run by it and kept waving until she couldn't, laughing and crying.

At the end of their school year at Hogwarts, Ginny helped pick her brothers up at King's Cross again. Ginny pointed at Harry when she saw him, but Mrs Weasley told her it was rude to point. That summer holiday, Ginny spoke about Harry a lot. Harry went to stay at The Burrow a few weeks later and when Ginny saw him in the kitchen, she freaked out and run away.

During a shopping trip to Diagon Alley, Mrs Weasley and Ginny spent an hour getting robes and then went to Flourish and Blotts where Gilderoy Lockhart was holding a book signing. Ginny stayed at the back next to her new cauldron. Harry was given free copies of Lockhart's books, but he gave them to Ginny instead. Draco started teasing Harry and when Ginny defended him, Draco laughed at the thought that Harry had a girlfriend.

Arthur intervened and he and Draco's father, Lucius had an argument. Lucius had a plan to get Arthur's proposed Muggle Protection Act scrapped. Lucius took a book out of Ginny's cauldron to joke about it being second-hand and caused a fight. When it was over, Lucius snuck Tom Riddle's Diary into her cauldron when he put her second-hand book back. He hoped it would possess Ginny into opening the Chamber of Secrets, and cause a scandal for Arthur and stop the new law being adopted.

Unaware the Diary was a Horcrux, Ginny began sharing her thoughts and feelings in it and found out that Tom Riddle could write back to her. She found a confidant in Tom, who was actually a Horcrux slowly siphoning her life-force and taking possession of her. Ginny gained full confidence in the Diary and wanted to take it to her first-year at Hogwarts. However, she forgot the Diary when she was leaving and Arthur had to turn the car around to the Burrow and get it.

### Chamber of Secrets

Ginny began at attending Hogwarts in September 1992. In her first few days, she went to Hagrid's Hut and spoke to Rubeus Hagrid, telling him that he has done a good job at growing pumpkins. Hagrid thought that she was perhaps looking for and had a crush on Harry, and he told Harry how he thought she would love a signed photo.

Ginny spent ages sharing her feelings in Tom Riddle's Diary and confiding in him. She kept telling him of her feelings, her fears and worries and he kept feeding on her words and siphoning her life-force. He found her boring, but he helped her to feel understood. Ginny was soon possessed and began looking very pale and weary by October. Percy thought it was because she had a cold, and bullied her into drinking a Pepperup Potion.

Ginny had no recollection of her actions when she unlocked the Chamber of Secrets and unleashed a Basilisk. Tom was now powerful enough to tell her personal secrets. She began killing roosters in a possessed frenzy and because she had no recollection, she was confused by rooster feathers on her. Mrs Norris was soon Petrified, and she wrote in paint on a wall to give the school a warning. She was confused when she snapped out of her possession and found paint on her.

Ginny appeared fraught by Mrs Norris's fate and Ron tried to cheer her up by saying that she wasn't even a nice cat and she deserved it. He told her the culprit would be found, but she was still upset. She shared her fear that she was responsible to Tom, who supported her like a friend. Ginny was worried that Ron, Harry and Hermione would be sent home for petrifying the cat, but Percy told her not to worry because they were innocent.

Ginny was devastated when Colin Creevey, a friend in her year, was second to be Petrified. Fred and George were unhelpful when they thought scaring her by jumping out of statues would cheer her up. Percy shouted at them and told them he would send a letter home if they continued. Two new people, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick were soon Petrified too.

The whole school was scared of Harry when he spoke in Parseltongue to a snake, and thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. Fred and George thought it was funny and took Harry through corridors by telling everyone a Dark wizard was passing through, but Ginny found it very upsetting. She stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays instead of spending it at Bill's like her parents. She had began to lose confidence in the Diary, suspecting it was responsible for her actions and confusion.

In February, she attempted to destroy the Diary in a rage but Harry found it and took it. For Valentine's Day, she sent Harry a poem sung by a dwarf in wings. Ginny happened to be nearby and she saw Harry try to run away. The dwarf grabbed and forced Harry to hear it, so he dropped a bag on the floor. In the bag, she saw the Diary and panicked that Tom would tell Harry about her. She later broke into Harry's dormitory and stole the Diary back.

In April, Tom wanted to persuade Harry to keep searching for the Chamber of Secrets and had the Basilisk petrify Hermione Granger, and by coincidence Penelope Clearwater too, causing the whole school to go into lockdown. Ginny knew Penelope was Percy's girlfriend because she saw them kissing, but he had begged her to keep it secret. Ginny was behaving very subdued that evening and sat in silence watching Harry, Ron, Fred and George play Exploding Snap for hours.

In May, Ginny looked scared in the Great Hall and Harry and Ron thought she wanted to say something. They encouraged her to speak until Percy interrupted her, and she jumped up in fright and run away. Ginny would later tell Harry she was going to tell him about the Diary. Percy thought she was going to tell everybody she saw him kissing Penelope. Later that evening, a possessed Ginny was in the final stages of possession. The counterpart of Tom Riddle in the Diary had siphoned her life force enough to start gaining a physical body. He wanted to lure Harry into the Chamber of Secrets, and forced her to put a final warning on the wall: "HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER".

Ginny locked herself in the Chamber and eventually fell into a deep sleep. Her life force was slowly leaving her and she was dying. The school was going to be closed down, but Harry and Ron worked out the location of the Chamber and Harry managed to find her. Her body was in the middle of Salazar Slytherin's statute. Tom told Harry what had happened and what he intended to do, but Harry managed to slay the Basilisk due to Fawkes help. He used a Basilisk fang to destroy the Diary and saved Ginny's life.

Ginny woke up and apologised for what had happened. Fawkes took Harry, Ginny, Ron and Lockhart back to the school. Ginny was taken to Professor McGonagall's office and found Mr and Mrs Weasley in there. They hugged her and Dumbledore told everybody Ginny wouldn't be punished for what happened, because she was enchanted by a powerful Dark wizard. Arthur told Ginny to remember she shouldn't keep artefacts if she doesn't know where it originated. Ginny was sent to the Hospital Wing.

In June, Ginny finally told her brothers and Harry about Percy and Penelope on their way back home for the summer holidays. Fred and George promised Ginny they wouldn't say anything but Harry knew they would.

### Prisoner of Azkaban

In the summer holidays, Arthur won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw and took the family on a month-long holiday to visit Bill. A photograph of the family was included in a newspaper. When they arrived home, they decided to stay at the Leaky Cauldron so they could keep Harry company and shop in Diagon Alley. Ginny was very embarrassed when she saw Harry and couldn't look him in the eye. That evening, she giggled when Fred and George were winding Percy up causing Mrs Weasley to get angry because she thought they were setting a bad example to her. The next day, she and Hermione giggled at a story Mrs Weasley was telling about how she once concocted a Love Potion.

In September, Ginny and her family were taken to King's Cross by Ministry of Magic guards for Harry's safety because Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban. Upon arriving, Percy run right towards Penelope causing Ginny and Harry to look at each other and laugh. She wanted to sit with Harry, Ron and Hermione on their train but Ron told her to get lost.

When Dementors stopped their train, Ginny and Neville Longbottom run to Harry's compartment. She watched when Harry was attacked by one and fainted before Professor Lupin intervened. Ginny was pale and shaking, and had to be held by Hermione. In October, Ginny was confused about what was happening when the Fat Lady's painting was slashed.

In November, she put together a "get well" card for Harry when he was hurt playing Quidditch. She blushed when she visited Harry in the Hospital Wing, but he kept having to shut the card under a bowl of fruit when it kept singing shrilly. In January, Ginny learned that Ron's pet Scabbers had supposedly been eaten by Crookshanks and was shocked when Fred was insensitive about what happened.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ Harry Potter Lexicon's archive from J.K. Rowling's old website note her birthday to be 11 August. In order for Ginny to begin attending school on 1 September 1992, she needed to be eleven before then. Her year of birth can therefore only be 1981.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 6
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 3
4. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 26
5. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 17
6. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 4
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 5
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 18
9. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 7
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 17
11. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 8
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 9
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 11
14. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 12
15. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 13
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 15
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 16
18. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 1
19. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 4
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 5
21. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 8
22. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 10
23. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 13