Marge O'Neal

## Marge Finnigan (née O'Neal)

**Marge Finnigan** (née **O'Neal**) (born 2 March, 1956) was a half-blood Irish witch and a member of the O'Neal family. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1 September, 1967 to June 1974 and was a member of Gryffindor House.

She married a muggle, Mr. Finnigan, in 1979, before she told him she was a witch, and it was a "bit of a nasty shock for him" when she told him after the wedding. The couple had one child together, Seamus. She was an avid fan of the Irish National Quidditch Team and brought her son to the Final in August 1994.

## Biography

### Early life

Margaret "Marge" O'Neal was born on 2 March, 1956, in Gawley's Gate, Craigavon, County Antrim, Ireland. Gawley's Gate is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the south-eastern shore of Lough Neagh, seven miles to the north of Lurgan and ten miles west of Lisburn. She was born into the O'Neal family, and at least one of her parents was a witch or wizard. She had at least one brother, Greg O'Neal. She had a cousin named Simon O'Neal.

#### Hogwarts years

She began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1967, and she was sorted into Gryffindor. She was a fan of Quidditch, supporting the Irish National Quidditch team. She owned a wand made of aspen and dragon heartstring. She was a member of the Hogwarts Duelling Club in the 1970s.

#### Married life

She met and fell in love with Mr Finnigan, a Muggle, marrying him without telling him that she was a witch. At some point after the Finnigans' wedding, she told him that she was a witch, which proved a "nasty shock" to him. They had a half-blood son named Seamus, who went on to study at Hogwarts.

Marge's brother Greg married a witch and they had a child together, Fergus. She also had a cousin, Simon O'Neal, who married a muggle, and they had a child together, Rionach.

#### Quidditch World Cup Final (1994)

**Ron Weasley**: "*Harry wouldn't do that — we met your mother, we liked her...*"
**Harry Potter**: "*That's before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!*"
— Ron Weasley and Harry Potter on Mrs Finnigan
Mrs Finnigan took Seamus and his friend, Dean Thomas, to Roberts's campsite to watch the 1994 Quidditch World Cup final between Ireland and Bulgaria. The Finnigans' tent was covered in shamrocks, and located near several similarly-decorated ones. The Ministry of Magic was displeased with the decoration, but Mrs Finnigan believed that they had the right to show their colours, pointing out the Viktor Krum posters being hung by the supporters of Bulgaria.

At the campsite, Mrs Finnigan met Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, though it is unknown if she knew who Harry was at the time. She asked the trio if they were supporting Ireland, eyeing them beadily before their confirmation.

### Second Wizarding War (1995-1998)

**Harry Potter**: "*Oh well, I guess you should read the "Prophet" then, like your stupid mother. That'll tell you what you need to know.*"
**Seamus Finnigan**: "*Don't you dare talk about my mother like that.*"
**Harry Potter**: "*I'll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar.*"
— Seamus and Harry Potter on Mrs Finnigan
A reader of *The Daily Prophet*, Mrs Finnigan believed the series of slander and lies they printed against Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore in the summer of 1995. She did not want Seamus to return to the school that year as a result, believing that Dumbledore was incapable of acting as headmaster. However, she relented, and allowed him to.

#### 1996

*I just wanted to say, I believe you. And I've sent a copy of that magazine to me mam.*"
—Seamus to Harry
In 1996, her son, Seamus, sent Marge a copy of the *Quibbler Magazine* in an effort to sway her into believing Harry Potter over *The Daily Prophet's* lies.

#### 1997

After Dumbledore's death and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in June 1997, Mrs Finnigan attempted to take Seamus home. However, he refused, leading to a loud argument between them in the Entrance Hall before she agreed to allow him to stay for the funeral. Mrs Finnigan encountered considerable difficulty finding somewhere to stay in Hogsmeade, due to the large amount of witches and wizards wishing to attend the funeral.

When Voldemort made Hogwarts attendance compulsory after he took over the Ministry, Mrs Finnigan was forced to send Seamus to school for the 1997-1998 school year.

It is unknown whether Voldemort's control of the Ministry affected Irish wizards as strongly as it affected English, Scottish, and Welsh wizards, but if it did, Mrs Finnigan might have been under suspicion for her marriage to a muggle and her son's participation in Dumbledore's Army.

## Etymology

The name Margaret is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "pearl".

The original Gaelic form of the surname O'Neal is Ó Néill, which means descendant of Niall, a personal name of Irish origin, thought to mean "champion."