Ginevra Weasley

Ginevra Molly "Ginny" Potter (née Weasley) (b. 11 August, 1981) was a pure-blood witch, the youngest of Arthur and Molly Weasley's seven children, and the first female to be born into the Weasley line for several generations. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1992 to 1999 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. During her first year, she came under the influence of the memory of Tom Riddle's sixteen-year-old self, preserved in a diary, and was forced to re-open the Chamber of Secrets, endangering the lives of many students, including herself.

Following that ordeal, Ginny grew into a confident young woman, becoming an important member of Dumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter. She would later fight in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997, and the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. She was also an accomplished Quidditch player, playing Chaser and Seeker at different times for the Gryffindor House team.

After the Second Wizarding War she became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies. Upon retiring from the Harpies, Ginny became the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet. She married Harry Potter at some point in the early 2000s, and they had three children; James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.

Early life
Ginny was the last of seven children born to Arthur and Molly Weasley (née Prewett), the first girl born into the Weasley family in a long time, and the last for that generation. She was born shortly before the end of the First Wizarding War, during which her maternal uncles, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, were killed. Ginny grew up with her parents and six brothers at the Burrow in Devon, England; her room was on the third floor, overlooking the family's orchard and decorated with posters of The Weird Sisters and Gwenog Jones. Despite the majority of her brothers being keen Quidditch players, she was not allowed to play with them when she was a child. When she was six, she began a habit of breaking into the family broom shed and taking each of their brooms out in turn. She was never caught, and it only came to light eight years later. Ginny had always been shy around Harry Potter, when she had blushed and ran back to her room. Ginny had been looking forward to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ever since her eldest brother, Bill, started at the school.

On 1 September, 1991, she accompanied her mother to King's Cross Station to see off her brothers as they departed for Hogwarts. Despite being too young to attend the school, she still begged her mother to let her go with them. While saying goodbye to her brothers, she found out that Harry Potter was on the train, and tried to get her mother to let her go on the train to see him. As the train pulled out, she began to cry, despite her brothers promising to send her loads of owls and a Hogwarts toilet seat. She ran along the platform after the train, half-laughing and half-crying, then stopped to wave them off.

When the Hogwarts Express returned to King's Cross in June, 1992, Ginny was with her mother to welcome her brothers back and was again excited to see Harry, pointing him out to her mother as he came through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

First year
"I d-didn't know! I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it there and forgotten about it!"

- Ginny explaining how she got hold of the diary

After seeing Harry at King's Cross, Ginny developed feelings for him and talked about Harry all summer. When Harry arrived at the Burrow after being rescued from the Dursleys by Ron, Fred, and George, she became extremely shy in his presence. On their first meeting, she came down for breakfast to find him sitting at the table. Startled, she retreated back to her room and stared at Harry as he passed her bedroom on his way to Ron's. Ginny became extremely clumsy around Harry and had a habit of knocking things over when he entered a room. On the day their Hogwarts letters arrived, she knocked over a porridge bowl with a loud clatter and put her elbow in the butter dish when Harry asked her if she was starting at Hogwarts.

Ginny travelled to Diagon Alley with her family to buy her school supplies, and her excitement at finally going to Hogwarts was tempered by the fact that, due to the Weasleys' financial situation, she would have to make do with a lot of second-hand products, including her robes and books. In Flourish and Blotts, however, she became the owner of a brand new set of Gilderoy Lockhart's collected works. Harry, having been given them by Lockhart as a publicity stunt, gave them to her since he could afford a set of his own. With this act of kindness and recognition, Ginny finally spoke in front of Harry, standing up to Draco Malfoy when he started to insult him. Draco was with his father, Lucius, and the elder Malfoy took the opportunity to insult the Weasley family for associating with the Muggle parents of Muggle-born witch Hermione Granger and — in his eyes — being a disgrace to wizards. During his tirade, he managed to slip Tom Riddle's Diary into Ginny's battered second-hand copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

Ginny started at Hogwarts on 1 September, 1992 and was sorted into Gryffindor, like all the Weasleys before her. She discovered Tom Riddle's diary in amongst her school things and began writing in it. To her amazement, the diary wrote back, and she started to confide in Tom Riddle's memory, writing about how her brothers teased her, how she had to come to school with second-hand robes and books, and how she thought that Harry would never like her. She poured her heart out to the diary, and told Tom's memory all about Harry's story. At least once, Ginny went down toward Rubeus Hagrid's hut, hoping to see Harry there. In confiding in the diary her deepest fears and secrets, Ginny became increasingly vulnerable to Tom Riddle's memory, which began to pour a little of his own soul back into her and slowly started to influence her. By the start of October, the signs of the influence began to show on Ginny. She started to look peaky, but a spate of colds in the school covered up the true nature of her condition. Her brother Percy forced her to take Pepperup Potion to get her over it. By 31 October, the memory of Tom Riddle was able to take full control of Ginny and used her to open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk, which then petrified Argus Filch's cat, Mrs Norris.

Following the attack, Ginny seemed upset over Mrs Norris, and her brothers put it down to the fact that she was a cat-lover. She opened the Chamber of Secrets another two times, resulting in the petrification of Colin Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley. She became more visibly upset, and again, her brothers put it down to other causes — she sat next to Colin in Charms, and that she was worried that Ron might be expelled if he got in trouble. Fred and George attempted to cheer her up, but went about it the wrong way by leaping out at her from behind statues covered in fur or boils.

Ginny confided in the diary, however, that she thought she was going mad. She woke up with rooster feathers on her robes, and could not remember where she had been at Hallowe'en and when Colin was attacked. She started to think that she was attacking everyone.

Along with her brothers, Ginny remained at Hogwarts over Christmas, instead of going to visit her brother Bill in Egypt with her parents. She had started to become suspicious of the diary, and several weeks after Christmas attempted to get rid of it by throwing it down a toilet in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Free of the diary, Ginny sent Harry an anonymous Singing Valentine on 14 February, 1993. He received it in front of her, as she was going into a Charms lesson, when he was accosted by the dwarf assigned to deliver it. During the delivery, Harry's bag was torn and the contents were dropped onto the floor. To Ginny's horror, she saw that Harry now had the diary. To make matters worse, Draco Malfoy implied that she had sent Harry the Singing Valentine in front of everyone.

Fearful that Harry would discover her secrets and that she might be responsible for the attacks, she waited until the boys' dormitory was empty, then ransacked Harry's belongings to recover the diary. Retrieving it, Ginny was once more overcome by the memory of Tom Riddle and opened the Chamber again, this time petrifying Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater.

Ginny tried to tell Harry and Ron what was going on but could not get the words out, and she was interrupted by Percy. The memory of Tom Riddle was furious, however, as he had been planning on taking on Harry Potter himself after learning his story. Realising that Harry would come to save Ginny, he made her write a farewell on a corridor wall, then enter the Chamber of Secrets to die. She had poured so much of her life into the diary that she could not fight Tom's control of her, and the last thing she remembered as she lay down on the floor of the Chamber was Tom coming out of the diary. The memory of Tom Riddle had fed off her, gaining enough strength to become corporeal. As Tom grew stronger, the life in Ginny faded away until she slipped into an unconscious state.

Ginny awoke in the Chamber to find that Harry had saved her, and destroyed Riddle's diary by piercing it with a basilisk fang, and Ginny's vitality was restored to her. Tearful and scared, Ginny revealed what had happened to Harry and was sure she was going to be expelled from school. After leaving the Chamber with the aid of the phoenix, Fawkes, Ginny was reunited with her parents in McGonagall's office. Despite her fears, Dumbledore did not place the blame on her, saying that older and wiser wizards had been duped by Lord Voldemort, and he sent her to the hospital wing to recover from her ordeal with a mug of hot chocolate.

Following this traumatic experience, Ginny returned to normal and was happy and relaxed for the rest of the summer term. At the end of the school year, she travelled back to King's Cross with her brothers, Harry, and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, playing Exploding Snap.

Second year
"You want to set a good example to your sister!"

- Molly Weasley on Ginny

Ginny travelled to Egypt in the summer of 1993 with the rest of her family to visit her brother Bill after her father won seven hundred Galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. She visited various tombs, but her mother would not allow her to go in the last one because of all the mutant skeletons.

Ginny and her family stayed at the Leaky Cauldron the night before setting off to start her second year at Hogwarts, and she met Harry again. She was even more embarrassed in front of him than usual, muttering a hello but not looking at him. The next day, on Platform 9¾, she did meet his eyes as they shared a laugh over Percy's behaviour when trying to impress his girlfriend.

On the Hogwarts Express, Ginny was separated from her brothers until the train stopped because of the Dementors. In the dark, she found her way into the compartment containing Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Professor Lupin. When the Dementors came to the compartment, Ginny was one of the worst affected by them as she had horrible experiences with Tom Riddle's diary last year. She went very pale and shook like mad, eventually sobbing and having to be comforted by Hermione.

Later in the year, after Harry fell from his broomstick in a Quidditch match during a storm, Ginny visited him in the hospital wing. She had made him a get well card that sang shrilly when opened and presented it to him while blushing furiously.

Third year
In the summer of 1994, Ginny spent a lot of time with Hermione, who was staying at the Burrow before and after the Quidditch World Cup. They shared Ginny's room and tent at the World Cup and solidified their growing friendship. Aware of her interest in Harry, Hermione advised Ginny to relax around him more and show him what she was really like, since she could barely talk if he was in the same room as her. She even suggested that Ginny start going out with other people. Although she was still shy around Harry, who was also staying at the Burrow, Ginny took Hermione's advice and was much more relaxed and spent time with him, Ron, and Hermione. She attended the Quidditch World Cup final with the majority of her family and was shaken by the appearance of Death Eaters in the aftermath of the Irish victory.

Ginny returned to Hogwarts, which hosted the Triwizard Tournament that year, she rooted for Harry the unexpected fourth champion and maintained a good relationship with Hermione. Ginny was the only one that Hermione confided in when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. As a third year, Ginny was not allowed to attend the ball unless asked by an older student. Neville Longbottom asked her to go after Hermione turned him down, having already accepted Viktor, and Ginny accepted since she was friends with him.

However, she still harbored feelings for Harry and was displeased to hear that he had asked Cho Chang to the ball. She was even more despondent when Ron suggested that Harry take her to the ball since he did not have a date. Struggling with the idea that she could have gone with Harry, she nevertheless remained loyal to her agreement with Neville and attended the ball with him. At the ball, she met Michael Corner and started dating him at the end of the year.

Fourth year
With the revelation that Lord Voldemort had returned in the summer of 1995, Ginny's parents became active members of the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix. As a result, the family was relocated to the Order's headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place that summer. Ginny stayed at headquarters, sharing a room with Hermione, and helped her mother to clean the place to make it a suitable base of operations. She learned the truth about Sirius Black and met Nymphadora Tonks, who acted like a big sister towards her and Hermione. When Harry arrived at Number 12, Ginny was pleased to see Harry, and, due to her taking Hermione's advice and her relationship with Michael Corner, was relaxed and composed in his presence, showing none of the embarrassment and shyness towards him that she had shown during previous meetings.

Due to her age, Ginny was never allowed into Order meetings, and, when Sirius insisted on filling Harry in on the Order and Voldemort, she was the only one banished from the meeting by her mother. However, Hermione &mdash; who was allowed to hear &mdash; told her everything anyway. When Harry was acquitted at his hearing for using magic in front of a Muggle while under age, she was extremely pleased and sang and danced with Fred and George.

Ginny returned to Hogwarts in the September of 1995 with her brothers. During the train ride on the Hogwarts Express, Ginny introduced Harry and Neville to Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw in her year. With the arrival of new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge and a theory-based course, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to form a study group to teach practical defence spells. Ginny joined the group, bringing her boyfriend Michael with her, and several other Ravenclaws. They all met in the Hog's Head where Ginny first demonstrated her sense of humour by mimicking Umbridge's cough. During the first official meeting of the group, she came up with the name for the group — Dumbledore's Army.

During her time in the D.A, Ginny's talent for defensive magic was shown as she had swift reflexes with the Disarming Charm and considerable power with the Reductor Curse, the latter of which highly impressed Harry (much to Ginny's delight) and made her brothers jealous. Toward the end of the fall of 1995, Harry, along with Fred and George, received a lifelong Quidditch ban from Umbridge for attacking Draco Malfoy after their game against Slytherin (although their bans were lifted right after Umbridge was removed from Hogwarts). Ginny tried out for the team and became the new Seeker. Although she admitted that Harry was better than her, and that she preferred playing Chaser and scoring goals.

What should have been a happy time for Ginny was marred by the attack on her father by Nagini just prior to Christmas. Along with her brothers and Harry, she was instantly sent to 12 Grimmauld Place by a portkey to await news. Relieved to find out he was all right, Ginny saw him the next day in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and hugged him immediately. Following the visit, she noticed that Harry started to distance himself from everyone, refusing to speak to anyone in the house. After Hermione skipped a skiing trip with her parents to come to the house, she talked Harry out of hiding in Buckbeak's room, leading him to Ginny and Ron. Learning that Harry had convinced himself that he had been possessed by Lord Voldemort and attacked her father, Ginny railed on him for not seeking advice from the one person who had definitely been possessed by the Dark Lord. She quieted his fears by relaying her experiences to him and admitted that she had never truly gotten over it.

Ginny spent Christmas at 12 Grimmauld Place and visited her father again on Christmas Day. During this visit, along with Ron and Hermione, she found out the truth about Neville Longbottom's parents, and how they had been tortured into insanity by Barty Crouch Jr, Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange using the Cruciatus Curse at the end of the First Wizarding War.

Returning to Hogwarts after Christmas, Ginny played her first game for the Gryffindor House team against Hufflepuff. Despite losing the match, Ginny captured the Golden Snitch, although she downplayed the achievement by saying it was not a fast Snitch and that the opposing Seeker, Summerby, had a cold. Probably as a result of her being more confident and relaxed in front of Harry, her willingness to stand up to him, and their shared experiences of being a Seeker, Harry and Ginny grew closer. Around Easter the two had their first real one on one conversation in the library, during which they ate Easter eggs together. Harry confided in her that he needed to speak to Sirius, and she encouraged him to do so, even insisting that she might be able to help. It's around this time that Ginny started to speak to Harry like a friend, and Harry in turn began to enjoy her company, although Ginny bringing chocolate into the library infuriated Madam Pince to the point of violently chasing her and Harry out. Ginny then went to Fred and George, and asked them to find a way for Harry to speak with Sirius.

In May, Ginny played her second game of Quidditch for the Gryffindor team against Ravenclaw. She managed to capture the Golden Snitch, beating Cho Chang and securing the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. In the aftermath of the victory, Michael became very moody and sulked about the result. Because of his attitude, Ginny dumped him shortly after the match.

When Harry had a vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries by Voldemort in June, he informed Ron and Hermione. The latter convinced Harry to check to see if Sirius was at 12 Grimmauld Place before rushing off to rescue him, and Ginny and Luna came to their assistance. With Harry and Hermione breaking into Umbridge's office, and Ron distracting her with news that Peeves was wreaking havoc, Ginny and Luna stopped people from entering the corridor leading to the office by saying that someone had flooded it with Garrotting Gas. Unfortunately for them, Umbridge saw through their ruse since she knew of Peeves's true location and ordered the Inquisitorial Squad to round them up. Ginny was captured by Warrington, and when Neville saw what was happening and tried to help, he was caught as well.

When Umbridge threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry to make him tell her what he was doing, Hermione faked a breakdown and told a lie about a weapon that Albus Dumbledore had told them to make. She and Harry lured Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, leaving Ginny, Ron, Luna, and Neville alone with the Inquisitorial Squad. They managed to break free using skills that they had acquired in their D.A. sessions; Ginny hit Draco Malfoy with the Bat-Bogey Hex. They then regrouped with Harry and Hermione, who had left Umbridge with a group of enraged Centaurs.

Convinced that Sirius was in mortal danger, Harry resolved to travel to London and rescue him. Although Harry tried to prevent Ginny, Neville, and Luna from accompanying him, Ron and Hermione eventually persuaded otherwise. After flying Thestrals to London, they entered the Ministry of Magic using the visitor's entrance and headed for the Department of Mysteries. In the Hall of Prophecies, they found no sign of Sirius, but Ron did find a prophecy pertaining to Harry. As Harry removed it from the shelf, the group was surrounded by Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy and learned that Voldemort had used the connection between himself and Harry to lure him there to remove the prophecy. Ginny was threatened with torture by Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius's sister-in-law, who wanted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her to force Harry to hand over the prophecy.

At Harry's signal, all six D.A. members fired Reductor Curses at the shelves to distract the Death Eaters and began running. Ginny, along with Luna and Ron, were separated from the other three and were chased through various rooms by Death Eaters. In one room containing a three-dimensional representation of the solar system, one of the Death Eaters grabbed Ginny by the ankle, breaking it. Luna used the Reductor Curse to blow up the model of Pluto in the Death Eater's face. Ginny was helped to safety by Luna, but she was in shock and pale, and played no further part in the battle. Luckily, the Death Eaters were intent on grabbing the prophecy from Harry and were soon distracted by the arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Following the battle, Ginny recovered in the hospital wing at Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey fixed her ankle in a trice. On the train ride back to London, Ginny revealed that she had ditched Michael, who was being sulky about Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw in Quidditch, and who had moved on to Cho Chang. Ron told her to choose better next time, while casting Harry an oddly furtive look, to which she replied that she already had. Ginny was now dating his classmate Dean Thomas, much to Ron's horror. She comforted Harry, who had lost his godfather, Sirius Black during the battle, when he was pushed right through the veil, the portal separating the world of the living from the world of the dead by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Fifth year
Ginny spent the summer of 1996 at the Burrow with Harry, Ron, Hermione and the other Weasleys. Despite having to put up with her brother Bill's new fiancée, Fleur Delacour (whom she nicknamed "Phlegm" and strongly disliked), she had a good summer practising Quidditch and planning to try out for the House team as a Chaser. On a trip to Fred and George's new shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, in Diagon Alley, she bought her first pet, a purple Pygmy Puff that she named Arnold.

On 1 September, she met up with Dean Thomas on the Hogwarts Express, but was interrupted by fellow D.A. member Zacharias Smith, who attempted to get information out of her regarding what had happened that night in the Department of Mysteries. Tired of his continued questioning, she cursed him with the Bat-Bogey Hex and was seen by the new Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn. Ginny feared detention, but Slughorn was so impressed with the hex that he invited her to take lunch with him as part of a select group of students he hoped to cultivate.

As term started, Ginny tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, of which Harry had been made the Captain. She excelled as a Chaser and was given a spot on the roster. Following one Quidditch practice, she and Dean were caught kissing by Harry and Ron.

She and Ron had a blazing argument over her kissing Dean in public, but Ginny countered that Ron only saw it as being wrong because he had never kissed anyone before. The argument led to a frosty relationship between the two siblings which lasted quite some time.

During the first Quidditch match of the season against Slytherin, Ginny scored several goals to help the team to victory. Following the match, she purposely crashed her broomstick into the commentary box because the commentator, Zacharias Smith, had been making disparaging remarks about the Gryffindor team. Her feud with Ron over his attitude towards her and Dean was worsened when, in the aftermath of the victory, he began going out with Lavender Brown, who he often snogged in public. Ginny branded her brother a "filthy hypocrite" for his actions.

Ginny spent Christmas at the Burrow with her family and Harry, and when Ginny returned to Hogwarts, she seemed unenthusiastic about meeting up with Dean. After Ron was accidentally poisoned on his birthday, Ginny visited him in the hospital wing, and they seemingly forgave each other. She and Harry discussed what had happened to Ron endlessly, trying to come up with an explanation for what had happened.

Ginny played in the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, where Ron's bedridden status forced Harry to play the reserve Keeper Cormac McLaggen. During the match, McLaggen took one of the Beater's bats and pelted a bludger directly at Harry. Harry was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull. Dean, who had been playing as reserve Chaser in place of Katie Bell, laughed about the incident, causing him and Ginny to have a row. Ginny subsequently visited Harry in the hospital wing.

Ginny and Dean were going through a rocky patch, and in April they finally split up when she accused Dean of always trying to help her through the portrait door into the Gryffindor common room. In reality, Harry had been wearing his Invisibility Cloak and bumped into her while under the influence of Felix Felicis, but the incident finally brought an end to their already unstable relationship. Despite the break-up &mdash; or because of it &mdash; Ginny was still her usually bubbly self and hung around with Harry and Ron more because of Quidditch training. She also defended Harry's use of the Dark Sectumsempra spell against Draco Malfoy, even if it had earned him a detention that forced him to miss the last Quidditch match of the year.

With Harry in detention, Ginny took the role of Seeker for the Gryffindor team for the final match against Ravenclaw. They won the match and the Quidditch cup, and, during the post-match celebrations, Ginny and Harry spontaneously kissed. Ginny, who had never really given up on Harry, was over the moon, as was he, as he had been harbouring feelings for her all year. Ginny and Harry started dating, although their time together was limited due to Harry's weekly detentions and Ginny's O.W.L. reviews.

In June, Death Eaters were let into the school by Draco Malfoy while Dumbledore and Harry were away searching for one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Harry, who had suspected that Draco was a Death Eater for a while, forewarned Ron and Hermione to be vigilant and gave them the remains of the Felix Felicis potion. Ginny, joined Ron and Hermione in taking the potion, giving them extra luck in case they needed it. Along with Ron and Neville who had answered the D.A. call to arms, Ginny staked out the entrance to the Room of Requirement, which Harry believed that Draco was using for some unknown purpose.

They watched Draco emerge from the room with the Hand of Glory; when he saw them, he threw Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, blinding them and leading Death Eaters into Hogwarts via a Vanishing Cabinet. Fighting their way clear of the darkness, they met up with Remus Lupin and other members of the Order of the Phoenix that were patrolling the school under orders from Dumbledore.

In the ensuing battle, Ginny duelled with Amycus Carrow, but suffered no injuries due in part to the Felix Felicis potion. In the aftermath, Ginny was shocked to find that her brother Bill had been badly injured and permanently scarred by Fenrir Greyback. She was able to lead Harry away from Dumbledore's body and up to the hospital wing, where Harry broke the news that Dumbledore had been killed by Severus Snape. She seemed to accept Bill and Fleur's relationship after witnessing the love between them in the hospital wing.

Ginny took her O.W.L.s despite the tragedy that had occurred at the school and attended Dumbledore's funeral. After the former headmaster had been laid to rest, Harry broke up with Ginny, fearing that if Voldemort knew how he felt about her, she would become a target, and he could not knowingly endanger her life. Despite saying that she knew the risks involved in being with Harry, she accepted his decision.

Sixth year
With the death of Dumbledore, and the knowledge that the protective charm over Harry was due to end soon, the Order of the Phoenix arranged to move him from the Dursleys' home to the Burrow. While most of her family went off to assist in the operation, which turned into a battle, Ginny stayed behind with her mother. As the team started to miss their Portkeys, Ginny started to worry for their safety and was only partially relieved to see Harry turn up at the Burrow. When George turned up with his ear cursed off, Ginny was shocked and helped her mother tend to him. Finally, as each member of her family returned, she relaxed, but the deaths of Mad-Eye Moody and Harry's beloved pet owl Hedwig sobered the occasion.

Over the next few days, Ginny interacted little with Harry because of their split, despite her feelings towards him. However, while setting the table for dinner, Harry let slip that he, Ron, and Hermione were about to set off on a quest to stop Voldemort. On Harry's seventeenth birthday, Ginny confessed that she did not know what to give Harry since anything she gave him would have to be small enough for him to carry around. Instead, she "kissed him like she never had before" in the hopes of giving him something to remember her by. However, they were interrupted by a disapproving Ron, with Hermione in tow.

On 1 August, Ginny served as a bridesmaid at Bill and Fleur's wedding, along with Gabrielle Delacour. She wore a golden dress, and as the ceremony began, her Auntie Muriel remarked in a carrying whisper that her dress was far too low cut. Ginny responded to this by turning around and winking at Harry. During the reception, she danced with Luna Lovegood, Lee Jordan, and others. Harry, disguised as a member of the Weasley family, jealously warned Viktor Krum off of speaking with her when he remarked on Ginny's attractiveness, warning him that she had a big and jealous boyfriend. In the middle of the celebration, the guests were warned by Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus that the Ministry of Magic had fallen, that Rufus Scrimgeour was dead, and that the Death Eaters were coming. As the Death Eaters arrived, Hermione Apparated herself, Harry, and Ron away to begin their quest. The Weasley family was questioned, but none of them were harmed.

As part of the new Ministry's regime, Hogwarts attendance became mandatory and Muggle-borns were being rounded up. Once at school, Ginny joined up with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood to restart the D.A. and defy Snape's regime. They openly defied authority and snuck out at night painting graffiti on the walls of the corridors — "Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting". On one occasion, they attempted to steal Godric Gryffindor's Sword from Snape's office but were caught and punished. Ginny served detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest and was banned from all trips to Hogsmeade. Ginny and Neville were left to lead the D.A. without Luna after she was abducted by Death Eaters over the Christmas holidays.

During the Easter holidays, Ginny was at the Burrow when the Weasleys were forced into hiding at Aunt Muriel's after Ron's accompaniment of Harry and Hermione was discovered by the Death Eaters.

Battle of Hogwarts
"Harry turned and saw Ginny and Tonks, both with their wand drawn at the next window, which was missing several panes. Even as he watched, Ginny sent a well aimed jinx into the crowd of fighters bellow."

- Ginny in the opening stage of the battle

When Harry, Hermione, and Ron returned to Hogwarts in search of a Horcrux, they were met by Neville and the remnants of Dumbledore's Army that had stood up to Snape. Acting on a promise to Ginny, Neville sent word to her, via the enchanted galleons, that Harry was at the school. Ginny arrived with her brothers, Lee Jordan, and Cho Chang on the understanding that a battle was about to be fought.

As more members of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix arrived for battle, Mr and Mrs Weasley forbade their daughter to take part in the fighting, since she was under age. Ginny furiously argued against it, not wanting to leave when her whole family and Harry would be fighting and wait at home for news. Remus Lupin offered a compromise: Ginny would stay in the Room of Requirement so as to be on the scene, but would not involve herself in the fighting. Although she did not like it, she grudgingly agreed.

During the battle, Harry needed the Room of Requirement to change form in order to retrieve Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. He asked Ginny to leave the room, on the proviso that she would re-enter it once he had completed his task. Freed of her sanctuary, Ginny joined the battle. After the initial fighting, Lord Voldemort called a temporary truce to allow the combatants to retrieve their dead, and for Harry to give himself up to avoid further killing. Ginny was shocked and heartbroken by the death of her brother, Fred and was comforted by Hermione. She later assisted in the recovery of the wounded outside the castle. When Harry passed her on his way to face Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest under the Invisibility Cloak, she was comforting an injured girl. Harry thought she might have sensed his presence as he walked away, but the two had no contact.

When the seemingly lifeless body of Harry was presented to the defenders of Hogwarts by Voldemort, Ginny cried out in disbelief and grief. However, his apparent death spurred the defenders on, and Neville took up the Sword of Gryffindor and beheaded Nagini. With the battle restarted, Ginny, along with Luna and Hermione, duelled Bellatrix Lestrange. Just as a Killing Curse missed Ginny by inches, her mother took up the fight and killed the witch who had threatened her daughter. Ginny witnessed Harry's final defeat of Lord Voldemort and sat with her head on her mother's shoulder during the victory celebrations in the Great Hall.

Later life
"Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing.... and the redheaded girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm."

- Harry and Ginny escorting their children to the Hogwarts Express

After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Ginny and Harry rekindled their romance. Ginny became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies for several years, and married Harry at some point. She then retired and had a family with Harry, giving birth to three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. She would also become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

In her capacity as Quidditch correspondent, Ginny attended the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in the Patagonian Desert. While here, she wrote several articles for the Daily Prophet using her married name, Ginny Potter. Her family joined her to watch the finals of the Cup and Ginny covered the outcome of the Brazil versus Bulgaria match live along with Rita Skeeter.

In 2017 Harry and Ginny escorted their children James and Albus to the Hogwarts Express, were Albus would begin his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Physical appearance
Ginny inherited the typical Weasley family traits: fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. Ginny was described as an extremely pretty girl with red hair, which she wore in a long mane. Its stated that do to her appearance she attracts a certain amount of attention from boys and that she's to popular for her own good. She was of petite stature and had bright brown eyes like her mother.

When she blushed, which was often around Harry in the early years of their friendship, she would go so red that it was said to match her hair. She was known to get a "hard, blazing look" when very emotional.

Personality and traits
"You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy, she never shuts up normally —"

- Ron Weasley on his sister

Ginny was a forceful, independent girl who often knew her own mind. She had an energetic, lively personality; having feelings for Harry, however, during the first few years of their friendship, she became shy and withdrawn in his presence. On the advice of mutual friend Hermione Granger, however, she overcame it. She relaxed and reasserted her usual self, which was when Harry finally started noticing her. One of the traits Harry was attracted to was that Ginny rarely got weepy; contrary to Cho Chang, who started to cry throughout the year after her boyfriend was killed. Ginny also had a knack for imitating the mannerisms of others very accurately, much to the amusement of those around her, as she managed to mimic Dolores Umbridge's signature fake cough.

Growing up with six older brothers toughened her up, and Ginny was not afraid to stand up to anybody, friends and enemies alike. Notably, she stood up to Draco Malfoy on their first meeting in Flourish and Blotts when he insulted Harry in The Chamber of Secrets. She was even known to stand up to Hermione, her close friend, in defence of Harry's use of the Sectumsempra curse. Also, she could be harsh towards those whom she disliked; for instance, she made fun of Fleur Delacour behind her back when she first became engaged to Bill, and both hexed and crashed into Zacharias Smith when he irritated and insulted her on two separate occasions during her fifth year.

Although she hid it from her brothers, Ginny was also an accomplished flier and made the Gryffindor House team in her fourth and fifth years, playing as both Chaser and reserve Seeker. In later life, she would go on to play for the Holyhead Harpies like her hero, Gwenog Jones, and became a Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

Ginny was popular during their time at Hogwarts, and was fancied by numerous boys. Her brothers, especially Fred, George, and Ron, often thought that she was too popular for her own good. She was also known to be quick-witted and funny and could often make others laugh even when they were feeling down. Ginny was also good at lying and capable of being opaque when necessary. While staying at 12 Grimmauld Place, she was taught by Nymphadora Tonks how to check if a door had been imperturbed by flicking dungbombs at it and watching them bounce away as if hitting an invisible wall. When asked by her mother who was responsible, she blamed it on Crookshanks, even though her hands were filthy at the time. During the first meeting of what would become the D.A. in the Hog's Head, she coughed exactly like Professor Umbridge, scaring those gathered into believing the real Umbridge had caught them. Her acting talents were put to good use later when Harry and Hermione broke into Umbridge's office to contact Sirius through the fireplace. She convinced passing students that the corridor to Umbridge's office had been flooded with garroting gas.

Ginny was also an animal lover, and was known to be fond of cats. When Mrs Norris was petrified in her first year at Hogwarts, her brothers put her shock down to this fact, not knowing that Ginny was scared because she could not remember what she was doing at the time and feared that she was responsible. She named Ron's owl "Pigwidgeon", and was known to be able to lure Crookshanks out of hiding to play with her when she wanted. In her fifth year, she finally got her own pet, a purple Pygmy Puff from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that she named Arnold.

Magical abilities and skills
Ginny was a very talented and powerful witch. At the age of fourteen, she was able to conjure a corporeal Patronus — a very advanced piece of magic and proof that she possessed superior magical ability.


 * Charms: Ginny was able to cast the very advanced Patronus Charm, which took the corporeal form of a horse. She once used a single Scouring Charm in 1995 to clean all the Stinksap out of a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, all since the age of fourteen, so she is clearly proficient in this aspect of magic.
 * Dark Magic: Ginny is at least moderately skilled in Dark magic, particularly when it came to the Bat-Bogey Hex, which she was noted to be quite adept in from a fairly young age. Indeed, she was able to cast the hex so efficiently that her brothers even commented on it to others, and she gained the notice of Professor Slughorn, who invited her to join the Slug Club entirely because she performed a "marvellous Bat-Bogey Hex". She used this spell successfully on Draco Malfoy and Zacharias Smith. Ginny has also been shown to be capable of casting a powerful and impressive Reductor Curse since Fourth Year.
 * Duelling: For her young age, Ginny was a talented duellist. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (which she participated in despite being only fourteen), she was unable to fight much because her ankle was broken, but she survived the battle with only that minor injury. She fought Death Eaters again during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and emerged unscathed — partly due to the use of Felix Felicis, and partly due to her agility and reflexes (she had an uncanny ability for dodging her opponents' curses). In the Battle of Hogwarts, she fired well-aimed curses into the crowd of attacking Death Eaters, and held her own against Bellatrix Lestrange, an extremely powerful witch whom she fought alongside Hermione and Luna.

"Come on, Ginny's not bad. Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us"

- George on Ginny's Quidditch skills


 * Flying: Ginny taught herself how to fly by sneaking out to use her brothers' broomsticks from the age of six. She eventually became an accomplished flier, and played both Chaser and Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team during her school years. Despite not playing Seeker regularly, she was able to defeat Cho Chang, a seasoned Seeker, and effectively stepped into the shoes of the extremely talented Harry Potter (winning Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup in 1996). As an adult, she became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies.
 * Leadership skills: At the young age of sixteen, Ginny was able to effectively co-led Dumbledore's Army alongside Luna and Neville.

Possessions

 * Wand: Ginny's wand is of unknown length, wood and core materials. Like most wizards and witch's, she purchased it at the age of eleven before beginning her education at Hogwarts in 1992.
 * Dress robes: Ginny wore dress robes to the Yule Ball in 1994. She was accompanied to the ball by Neville Longbottom.
 * Arnold: Ginny's Pygmy Puff, or miniature Puffskien, purchased from her brothers Fred and George Weasley at their shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, in August of 1996.
 * Bridesmaids dress: This was the dress Ginny wore to Bill and Fleur's wedding. She was a bridemaid along with Fleur's younger sister Gabrielle.

Weasley family
"Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat, and I thought someone should."

- Ginny to Harry Potter about her brother Ron

Ginny's relationship with her family was a good one, having been raised in a loving environment. The only daughter in the family, she had to deal with an over-protective mother, who tried to prevent Ginny from fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, despite her previous displays of strength and skill fighting alongside Dumbledore's Army at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Some of Ginny's brothers also had difficulty accepting that their little sister was popular with the opposite sex; Ginny and Ron had a particularly nasty row after Ron caught her snogging Dean Thomas, though they eventually made up.

Ginny appeared to worship her brother Bill, defending his choice of earring and hairstyle to their mother, and initially feeling that he could do a lot better than Fleur Delacour, whom she mockingly called "Phlegm". Ginny got on well with Charlie, but found Percy to be a little overbearing and stuffy. She caught him kissing his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, during her first year at Hogwarts, and proceeded to tell her other brothers about it after her recovery from possession by Tom Marvolo Riddle's memory.

Percy tried to be a role model for Ginny (like he tried to with Ron), but she, like Ron, took after Fred and George, the fun-loving twins. Following Percy's decision to turn his back on his family over their support of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter instead of the Ministry, Ginny was furious with him and even chased him out by splattering his glasses with mashed parsnips when he came to the Burrow at Christmas in 1996. In temperament, she resembled the twins, Fred and George, and, like them, often teased Ron, who was closest to her in age. She had no problem telling him (or anyone else) off when she believed his behaviour was unreasonable, and she had no issues with embarrassing him in public, as when she openly mocked him for his crush on Fleur and even tripped him in front of her. Ginny has something of a love-hate relationship with Ron, while she loves him as a brother very much and cares deeply for him, their fights are usually quite ferocious. In 1994, Ginny comforted Ron when he humiliated himself by asking Fleur Delacour to attend the Yule Ball with him, while still managing to find the situation funny. In 1996 she and Ron had an incredibly vicious fight about Ginny kissing her boyfriend in public, it went as far as both siblings using wands and reducing Ginny to tears, something she hardly resorted to. Ron fired a curse right at Ginny but missed and if Harry had not interfered, Ginny would have retaliated.

Ginny has a vast humorous side and makes many jokes to keep people's spirits up very much like Fred and George; however, her relationship with them was not perfect. She got angry with them for questioning her on her dating life and while they respected her relationship with Harry Potter, they were not above finding ways to tease them about it. Ginny genuinely cared for all of her family, though, and would often comfort them in times of need, such as when Ron made a fool of himself by asking Fleur to the Yule Ball, or when Bill was permanently scarred by Fenrir Greyback. She was broken-hearted by the death of her brother, Fred, during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Harry Potter
"I never really gave up on you. Not really. I always hoped... Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more — myself."

- Ginny to Harry in 1997

Simply put, Harry Potter was the love of Ginny's life. At age ten, she only briefly made his acquaintance when he boarded the Hogwarts Express with her brother Ron, but developed feelings for him nonetheless when he visited the Burrow. Shy and clumsy around him, she confided her feelings in Tom Riddle's diary, and her outpouring of emotions enabled Riddle's memory to take control of her. Harry eventually saved her life in the Chamber of Secrets, but this served only to make her more withdrawn when in his presence, barely able to speak in front of him. Meanwhile, Harry was friendly toward Ginny, but did not return her romantic feelings. Ginny sought advice from Hermione, who suggested that she relax in front of Harry, be true to herself, and possibly even date other boys. Taking this advice, Ginny dated both Michael Corner and Dean Thomas in her fourth and fifth years, though she never completely gave up on the hope that Harry would reciprocate her affections.

In Ginny's fifth year, Harry started to fall in love with her, from feelings which had presumably been developing since the previous year. She had reasserted herself as a vibrant, witty, and independent young woman, rather than an awkward and shy little girl. They had a lot in common — both played Quidditch, both had suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort, and both showed great strength in defensive and offensive magic, having fought alongside one another on a number of occasions. In the beginning of the year, Harry was slightly disappointed when, after a summer together, he remembered that Ginny did not normally hang around Harry, Ron and Hermione at school. However, he did not realise the scope of his feelings for her until he and Ron ran into Ginny and Dean kissing, after which he frequently hoped that Dean and Ginny would break up.

By the end of her fifth year, Ginny and Harry began dating after spontaneously kissing in the aftermath of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup. They broke up shortly thereafter, as Harry realised that if they continued dating openly, Voldemort would seek to use her to get to him, and that he could not endanger her life while he sought a way to destroy Voldemort. Calling the break up an "act of nobility", Ginny accepted his decision, but always held onto the hope that he would return to her, and in spite of the break-up, their feelings for each other remained as strong as ever. On Harry's seventeenth birthday, Ginny kissed him "like never before," though they were interrupted by Ron, with Hermione in tow; the former discouraged Harry from "getting [Ginny's] hopes up," mentioning that his sister was "really cut up" when Harry ended their relationship. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed to be more sympathetic toward Harry and Ginny's actions.

While hunting for Horcruxes, Harry would stare at her dot on the Marauder's Map for hours, hoping that she could somehow sense that he was watching over her. At school, Ginny participated in and helped lead an underground rebellion, during which she, Neville, and Luna even attempted to steal Godric Gryffindor's Sword from the Headmaster's office. When they next saw each other shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, Ginny was still evidently possessive of Harry. She was visibly displeased with the attention Gabrielle Delacour paid him, and spoke up when Harry's ex-girlfriend, Cho Chang, volunteered to take Harry to see Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, insisting that Luna take Harry instead. As Harry prepared to be killed by Voldemort, he thought of Ginny, "her blazing looks, and the feel of her lips on his." When it seemed that Harry had been murdered by Voldemort, Ginny was beyond heartbroken and screamed louder than anyone. The supposed death of her one true love was enough to drive Ginny to attack the incredibly powerful Bellatrix Lestrange alongside Luna and Hermione.

Ginny and Harry rekindled their romance in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts and were eventually married. The union produced three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna.

Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger was one of Ginny's best female friends and her confidante. Ginny was a year below Hermione in Hogwarts, and they had become close by Ginny's second year; Hermione comforted Ginny that year when the presence of Dementors upset her (Ginny was more affected than most others due to her possession by Voldemort the previous year). Hermione stayed in Ginny's room during her frequent visits to the Burrow during summer vacations. Ginny was the only one that Hermione confided in when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball, and the only one who knew that she had kissed him at least once. Ginny also told Hermione about her teaching herself how to fly and about her relationship with Michael Corner before her family and most others were aware of either.

Hermione gave Ginny advice on how to deal with her feelings for Harry — advice that would lead to her going out with him and their eventual marriage. In the summer of 1995, when Hermione was staying at the Burrow, Ginny and Hermione openly disliked Fleur Delacour and criticised her together. Ginny appeared to be disgusted with her brother Ron, Hermione's love interest, when, after a fight with Ginny, Ron began dating Lavender Brown. However, Ginny was not afraid to stand up to Hermione when she felt she was wrong, for example when Hermione scolded Harry for using the Sectumsempra spell. The two became sisters-in-law upon Hermione's marriage to Ron, and Hermione is the godmother of Ginny's oldest child.

Fleur Delacour
Ginny did not care much for Fleur Delacour when she first arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the Triwizard Tournament in 1994. She found Fleur humourless and irritating, as she was given to complaining loudly about what she perceived as Hogwarts' many faults, often comparing the school unfavourably to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Ginny teased Ron for his crush on her. She also disapproved of Fleur's engagement to her eldest brother Bill.

Much to Ginny's displeasure, Bill sent Fleur to live with the Weasley family for a few days, during which time Ginny took to referring to Fleur as "Phlegm," and complained about Fleur's tendency to patronise Ron. However, when Bill became permanently disfigured by Fenrir Greyback and Fleur indignantly defended her husband's bravery, Ginny began to recognise Fleur's admirable qualities. The two eventually got along well, and Ginny even became a bridesmaid for her wedding.

Children
"He'll be all right."

- Ginny watching Albus Potter leave for Hogwarts

After the Second Wizarding War, Ginny had three children with Harry; two sons named James Sirius and Albus Severus, and a daughter named Lily Luna. Lily looked like her mother, and was jealous of her brothers, who were leaving for Hogwarts, exactly as her mother had been in 1991. Ginny comforted Albus, who physically resembled his father, when he was nervous about the possibility of being sorted into Slytherin house, and scolded James for teasing his brother. After James interrupted his cousin, Victoire, while she was kissing Teddy Lupin, Ginny noted how similar he was to Ron.

Nieces and nephews
As Ginny had five brothers who survived the Second Wizarding War, four of whom married at some point, she had quite a few nieces and nephews by 2017. Ginny's own children seemed closest to Ron and Hermione's children, whose son Hugo was the same age as Lily, and their daughter, Rose, was the same age as Albus.

Bill and Fleur's children were Victoire, Dominique, and Louis; Percy and his wife, Audrey, had Molly (named after her paternal grandmother) and Lucy; George married Angelina Johnson and named their son Fred after George's late twin brother, while their daughter was called Roxanne. When Ginny's son, James, discovered Victoire kissing Ted Lupin at King's Cross Station, he proceeded to interrupt them and then run back to his family to triumphantly announce what he'd seen, prompting Ginny to compare him to his Uncle Ron.

Neville Longbottom
Neville asked Ginny to the Yule Ball after he was turned down by Hermione, who had already agreed to go with Viktor Krum, and the two attended together as friends. When Ron suggested that she go to the ball with Harry, who had yet to find a date, she was disappointed at having missed a chance to go with him, but remained faithful to her agreement with Neville. Ginny defended Neville when others laughed at him, and told him not to put himself down when he described himself as "nobody." She was also quite horrified when she heard that Neville's parents had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and become permanent residents of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Ginny was among the friends who likely contributed to Neville gradually gaining confidence and courage, and, along with Luna Lovegood, the two of them maintained the strongest support of Dumbledore's Army throughout the Second Wizarding War. She and Harry remained close friends with Neville in their later years, as Ginny asked her son, James Sirius, to "give Neville their love" when Neville taught James Herbology at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Cho Chang
Ginny always held an amount of jealousy toward Cho, as Cho was Harry's first crush, girlfriend, and shared with Harry his first kiss. Ginny, always tried to beat Cho at everything to impress Harry more such as Quidditch. When Cho offered to take Harry to the Ravenclaw common room so he could see the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and her diadem, Ginny cut across her and said that Luna would take Harry to the common room instead, implying that she still felt somewhat threatened by Cho and her still present crush on Harry.

Luna Lovegood
"Ginny's been nice though, she stopped two boys from calling me "Loony" the other day [...]"

- Luna Lovegood to Harry Potter, discussing Ginny

Ginny was friendly with Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw student in her year, although the two did not grow close until they were both members of Dumbledore's Army in their fourth year. Ginny referred to Luna as "Loony Lovegood" just before introducing her to Harry and Neville in 1995, but soon stood up to those who ridiculed Luna. In return, Luna genuinely appreciated Ginny's friendship; she once mentioned, at random, how much she liked Ginny while commentating on a Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match in which Ginny was playing Chaser.

Ginny was also one of the five portraits — along with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville — that Luna painted and hung from her bedroom ceiling, with the message "friends" joining them together in gold writing. Ginny later gave her daughter Lily the middle name "Luna", implying that the two remained good friends well into adulthood. Luna may be one of the best female friends of Ginny (along with Hermione), as she was only seen with these girls during her school-time at Hogwarts.

Nymphadora Tonks
"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family. At least she's a laugh."

- Ginny Weasley

Ginny met Nymphadora Tonks in the summer of 1995 through the Order of the Phoenix, and she and Hermione immediately struck up a friendship with the young Auror. Ginny appreciated that Tonks, although an adult, was interested in having fun. She taught Ginny how to check if a door had an Imperturbable Charm on it by flicking Dungbombs at it. She also entertained Ginny and Hermione by displaying her Metamorphmagus abilities, usually at the dinner table.

In 1996, Ginny hoped her brother, Bill, would choose Tonks over Fleur Delacour — an idea Ron seemed to find laughable. After Tonks was killed by her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts, Ginny duelled Bellatrix, along with Hermione and Luna, although it is unknown if Ginny knew that it was Bellatrix who had murdered Tonks. After the Second Wizarding War, Ginny and her children were very close to Teddy, the son of Tonks and Remus.

Sirius Black
"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!"

- Ginny to Harry Potter before the Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Though Ginny first learned of Sirius in 1993 as an Azkaban escapee convicted of killing 12 muggles, she was soon made aware of his innocence through her connections to the Order of the Phoenix and his godson, Harry. She and Sirius grew closer during their mutual time spent at the Order's headquarters, and she later told Harry that she cared about Sirius as much as he did, insisting on accompanying Harry to the Ministry of Magic, where they believed Sirius was being held and tortured by Voldemort. When Sirius and four other members of the Order arrived at the Ministry to rescue Ginny and her friends, who had walked into a trap and been attacked by Death Eaters, Sirius was killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Ginny was devastated by Sirius's death, and later duelled Bellatrix in the Great Hall during the Battle of Hogwarts. Ginny gave her eldest son James the middle name "Sirius".

Hogwarts staff
Remus Lupin was Ginny's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher during her second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lupin comforted Ginny after her first encounter with Dementors by giving her a piece of chocolate, and she likely believed, along with many other Hogwarts students, that he made an excellent teacher. Ginny and Remus met again in 1995, at 12 Grimmauld Place, and several times after that, as Remus was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and good friends with Ginny's parents. Ginny was thrilled when he married Nymphadora Tonks, and remained close with their son, Teddy, well after Tonks and Remus were killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Ginny first met Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper in 1992, during her first year at Hogwarts. Ginny seemed to be friendly with Hagrid, as they were both friends of Harry, Ron and Hermione. At one point, Hagrid told Harry that he saw Ginny near his hut; he supposed that Ginny hoped to see Harry, and teased Harry for it. After the Second Wizarding War, Hagrid appeared to be friendly with Albus Potter, the youngest son of Ginny and Harry.

Ginny, like many people, thought Albus Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of all time. Ginny met Dumbledore in 1992, during her first year at Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was Headmaster. Dumbledore comforted and reassured Ginny after she was possessed by a fragment of Voldemort's soul and manipulated into opening the Chamber of Secrets during the 1992–1993 school year. Ginny was one of the first people to learn about Dumbledore's death, and the only one able to console Harry afterwards. Ginny named her younger son after Dumbledore.

Like nearly everyone else at Hogwarts, Ginny despised professor Dolores Umbridge, the ministry-appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor for the 1995–1996 school year. Umbridge was a sadistic witch who enjoyed torturing students for punishment with the use of Blood Quills, and attempted to take firm control of the school by passing a series of Educational Decrees. Ginny became a member of Dumbledore's Army in order to oppose her, as well to learn the practical defensive magic Umbridge refused to teach in class.

During the 1997-1998 school year, Ginny, along with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, re-formed and co-led Dumbledore's Army in rebellion against then Headmaster Severus Snape and Alecto and Amycus Carrow, two Death Eaters who had been appointed professors at Hogwarts and enjoyed punishing students with the use of the Cruciatus Curse.

Ginny also happened to like Minerva McGonagall, her Transfiguration professor and Head of House. It is obvious that McGonagall could have been fond of Ginny since she was a talented witch and popular girl at Hogwarts.

Ginny showed particular dislike for the Potions master, Severus Snape as he was a cruel and very unpopular teacher and always favored Slytherins because they were in his house, something she shared with her brothers and friends. She also knew that he was part of the Order of the Phoenix and when she learnt that Snape killed Dumbledore, she thought he had betrayed the Order. She was also, obviously, not happy about his tenure as Headmaster when Hogwarts fell under Lord Voldemort's control. However, near the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, she learnt from Harry that he was on their side all along. It is unknown how she acted to the revelation of Snape's true loyalties.

Dumbledore's Army
Dumbledore's Army was an organisation founded by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in 1995, and led and taught by Harry Potter to oppose Dolores Umbridge, as well as offer students a place to learn and practise defensive magic. Ginny was one of the first to join, and the one who came up with calling the organisation "Dumbledore's Army," based on Cornelius Fudge's paranoid fears of Dumbledore mobilising Hogwarts students in a coup against the Ministry.

Ginny was on good terms with most of the D.A., making them laugh with her highly accurate impression of Umbridge's signature cough and generally proving to be a skilled duellist; the major exceptions to this would have been Marietta Edgecombe, who betrayed the DA to Umbridge, and Zacharias Smith, who Ginny once purposely crashed into after a Quidditch match, and who deserted the DA prior to the Battle of Hogwarts. Ginny also showed some weariness of Harry's ex-girlfriend, Cho Chang, when Cho wanted to take Harry to see Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, insisting Luna take him instead. Ginny convinced her then boyfriend, Michael Corner, and his friends to join, and the DA may have been where Ginny first became friendly with Dean Thomas, who she would date the next year.

Ginny, along with Neville and Luna, co-led the DA in opposition to Alecto and Amycus Carrow, during the 1997-1998 school year, writing slogans on walls and at one point attempting to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Headmaster Snape's office.

Dean Thomas
Ginny started dating Dean Thomas at the end of her fourth year. The two were happy at first, as they spent a great deal of time together and were caught snogging by Harry and Ron on one occasion, which sparked not only a terrible row between the siblings, but also Harry's realisation of his own growing feelings for Ginny.

Ginny's enthusiasm about the relationship seemed to ebb by Christmas of 1996, as she did not seem terribly eager to see Dean upon her return to Hogwarts. The couple also began to row over little things, like Dean's constant attempts to help Ginny through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room, and they fought after Dean and Seamus laughed when Harry suffered a fractured skull courtesy of Cormac McLaggen. Harry, under the influence of Felix Felicis, actually ignited the minor argument that led to their breakup when he accidentally brushed past Ginny climbing through the portrait hole; as Harry was wearing his invisibility cloak, Ginny thought Dean was once again attempting to help her, and snapped at him. Ginny got over the split fairly quickly, as she began dating Harry soon afterwards, but Dean took it much harder; he broke the glass he was holding upon witnessing Ginny and Harry's first kiss.

Michael Corner
Ginny and Michael Corner met at the Yule Ball in 1994, and began dating at the end of the school year, she used the relationship as an attempt to "move on" from Harry Potter. In 1995, she brought him and some of his friends along to the first meeting of what would become Dumbledore's Army. When the two duelled during meetings, Michael did not hit Ginny with anything, possibly because she was his girlfriend. When Michael drew unnecessary attention to the D.A. at one point, Ginny called him a "fool", though not to his face.

Ginny ended the relationship on the basis of Michael being a "bad loser," following Michael's poor reaction to Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw in a Quidditch match. Michael went on to date Cho Chang, who, like Ginny, also had a romance with Harry Potter.

Lord Voldemort
"[...] I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me... "No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like a friend I can carry around in my pocket..." If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed."

- Tom Riddle to Harry Potter on his manipulation of Ginny

When Arthur Weasley got into a fistfight with Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts prior to the start of Ginny's first year, Malfoy used the opportunity to slip Tom Riddle's diary into the pile of books Ginny was carrying. Though Malfoy most likely believed the diary was simply enchanted to open the Chamber of Secrets, it was actually one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and in fact, contained a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul.

Tom Riddle's soul communicated with Ginny through his diary, sympathising with her problems and giving her advice, which made her emotionally vulnerable to Riddle's influence. Eventually, Riddle was able to possess Ginny, use her to open the Chamber of Secrets, and free Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk to petrify several Muggle-born students (including Hermione Granger). Ginny eventually figured out what she had been doing, despite having no memory of what happened during the times she was possessed, after finding herself covered in feathers and rooster blood. She attempted to flush the diary down a toilet, but being a Horcrux, it remained undamaged and later ended up in the hands of Harry Potter.

Ginny, worried the diary would reveal to Harry things she'd written about her feelings for him, stole the diary back. Riddle possessed Ginny one last time and had her enter the Chamber of Secrets, with every intention of killing her and using her life to restore his own. Harry, however, as a Parselmouth, was able to enter the Chamber, rescue Ginny, and slay the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. He then used one of the Basilisk's fangs to stab the diary, effectively making it the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes to be destroyed.

Upon speaking with Dumbledore about the diary's remains, Ginny and her family came to learn that Tom Riddle is the original name of Lord Voldemort, much to Ginny's horror.

Etymology
Ginevra is the Italian form of the name Guinevere, which means "fair one". Guinevere is also the name of King Arthur's wife in Arthurian legend, famous for her affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot. There seems to be a pattern in the Weasley family of naming members after characters in Arthurian legend. The name Ginevra is also an Italian variant of Juniper, derived from the tree or berry. Junipers were often used to represent chastity in Renaissance-period art, such as in Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci. Another famous muse bearing this name was Ginevra King, a socialite who inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's character Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.

Ginevra also has another meaning. With links to the Welsh and Celtic history, Ginevra also means virgin. Also Ginevra can also mean "white shadow, or white wave" in some cultures.

Ginny's married surname is Potter. Potter is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery. Beatrix Potter was a well-known English children's author. Potter's Field is the name for a burial ground for the unknown or unclaimed dead, particularly soldiers and orphans; the Potter family had many members that fit that description. The Potter Box is a model for making ethical decisions developed at Harvard University. J. K. Rowling has also commented that she has liked the name since childhood.

Behind the scenes

 * Ginny is portrayed by British actress Bonnie Wright in all of the film adaptations, making her one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptations.
 * Wright has also provided the voice for Ginny in the video game versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * Bonnie Wright has blue eyes, instead of brown, as Ginny is described as having. She is also not as short as Ginny is described to be in the books.
 * Ginny wears the number 5 in her Gryffindor Quidditch team tunic in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Many photographs and posters have her wearing number 6, but that is the number of the generic tunic she wore only for the try-outs.
 * Ginny's Patronus is a horse. It is never described in the books, but is shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This was later confirmed by J. K. Rowling.
 * In the film adaptations, Ginny's relationship with Michael Corner was cut. However, it is included in the video game of the film.
 * Harry and Ginny share a lot in common when it comes to Lord Voldemort-they were both temporary Parselmouths, they were both briefly possessed by Lord Voldemort and they have also lost family members to Voldemort.
 * J.K. Rowling has stated that she had planned certain moments, such as Ginny beating Cho Chang to the Golden Snitch during a Quidditch match, from the start as a subtle comparison between Ginny and Cho, showing that Ginny was a better match for Harry.
 * Many fans believed that "Ginny" was short for "Virginia." It was later established that Ginny's given name is "Ginevra", as her Great Aunt Muriel referred to her as such during Bill and Fleur's wedding in Deathly Hallows.
 * Several times throughout the series, some of Ginny's actions are described as being catlike. However, her personality does not reflect the style of her actions, as her Patronus is a horse instead of a cat.
 * It is stated that Ginny looked forward to attending Hogwarts, ever since Bill began attending, however since Bill began attending in 1982, when Ginny was only a year old, this seems unlikely as she would have been too young to realise what was going on. It is more likely that one of her earliest memories, likely from the age of three or four, would be of both Bill and Charlie heading off to school.
 * Ginny has two soundtracks which are titled as Ginny and When Ginny Kissed Harry on the soundtrack for the film of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * Bonnie Wright's favourite Ginny Weasley quote was "Good luck."
 * Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter's romantic relationship is told in a slightly different way in the films from the novels of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * In the novel of Half-Blood Prince, Harry shares his first kiss with Ginny in front of the Gryffindor students in the Common Room after the Gryffindor Quidditch team won the Quidditch Cup. Also in the book, Harry ends his romantic relationship with Ginny at Dumbledore's funeral.
 * In the film of Half-Blood Prince, Ginny and Harry go to the Room of Requirement together to hide the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making, after he curses Draco Malfoy. While there, Ginny asks Harry to close his eyes while she goes and hides the book so that he and other students cannot find it. When she returns to Harry, she kisses him. Harry was very much delighted and surprised that he received a kiss from Ginny. Also at the end of the movie, it is implied that Ginny and Harry are still dating.
 * In the novel of Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ginny kiss in Ginny's room in the Burrow and Ron interrupts them when he opens the door.
 * In the film of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Ginny comes down to the sitting room and asks Harry to help zip up her dress. Harry and Ginny then share a kiss that gets interrupted by George Weasley.
 * In the film of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Ginny and Neville Longbottom are both climbing up on one of the staircases, and run into Harry during the battle. Neville ask Harry if he has seen Luna Lovegood, then he confesses to Ginny and Harry that he as feelings for Luna, he went away to find and tell Luna. Harry and Ginny share a quick kiss, Harry was going to tell Ginny that he loved her, but Ginny quickly told him that she knows, and they both went back to what they were doing before they met up. This did not happen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book.
 * Interestingly, Ginny and Harry were possessed by Lord Voldemort and they ended up falling in love and eventually marrying.
 * In the book of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ginny is wearing a golden dress at the Wedding of William Weasley and Fleur Delacour. In the film of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, she is spotted wearing a sliver and black dress at the wedding.
 * According to Harry Potter, her most attractive feature is her red hair.
 * In the LEGO Harry Potter series, Ginny's actions towards Harry are set out differently, in Year 2 when she sees Harry arrive, she sighs and giggles at the sight of him, at Flourish and Blotts, she shows no interest in Lockhart and instead attempts to attract Harry, at the Chamber of Secrets, she shows no sign of worry or fear about her own and many other's near deaths, but simply attempts to attract his attention. In Year 4 she seems more concerned over Harry's faint in the Quidditch world cup than anyone. In Year 5 she appears to be greatly disappointed over the obvious feelings between Harry and Cho and desperately tries to beat Cho to it, narrowly failing. In the department of mysteries she seems reluctant to go with Luna and Neville rather than Harry, while Harry is being possessed she rushes up to see the events first and affectionately strokes his arm at the end of the year. In Year 6 her relationship with Dean is cut and she seems more devoted to Harry as ever, flirting with him at the Burrow and even in front of every one else in the Slug Club, she also appears to have taken Harry to the room of Requirement simply for the opportunity to Kiss Harry. In Year 7 Part 2 she arrives at the room of Requirement to see Harry they run towards each other to kiss, but stop and just shake hands. The fact that her relationship with Dean was cut in Year 6 makes it unknown why Harry and Ginny did not attend the Slug Club Christmas Party together.
 * Her role is shortened early on in the films, she has very few lines and only a few minutes worth of screen time in Chamber of Secrets, she only has one line and has not even one minute of screen time in the Prisoner of Azkaban, again in Goblet of Fire she has a very small role and in Order of Phoenix her relationship with Micheal Corner is cut.

Author's comments

 * I think you can see that she is a fairly forceful personality (and she always has been, remember Ron saying that she 'never shuts up' in Chamber of Secrets)?
 * The plan was, which I really hope I fulfilled, is that the reader, like Harry, would gradually discover Ginny as pretty much the ideal girl for Harry. She's tough, not in an unpleasant way, but she's gutsy. He needs to be with someone who can stand the demands of being with Harry Potter, because he's a scary boyfriend in a lot of ways. He's a marked man. I think she's funny, and I think that she's very warm and compassionate. These are all things that Harry requires in his ideal woman. But, I felt — and I'm talking years ago when all this was planned — initially, she's terrified by his image. I mean, he's a bit of a rock god to her when she sees him first, at 10 or 11, and he's this famous boy. So Ginny had to go through a journey as well… I feel that Ginny and Harry, in this book, they are total equals. They are worthy of each other. They've both gone through a big emotional journey, and they've really got over a lot of delusions, to use your word, together. So, I enjoyed writing that. I really like Ginny as a character.
 * The backstory with Ginny was, she was the first girl to arrive in the Weasley family in generations, but there's that old tradition of the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and a seventh son of a seventh son, so that's why she's the seventh, because she is a gifted witch. I think you get hints of that, because she does some pretty impressive stuff here and there, and you'll see that again.
 * Harry and Ginny are real soul mates. They’re both very strong and very passionate. That’s their connection, and they’re remarkable together.
 * Ginny and Harry really are soulmates. I think she’s like Harry. She’s got an intellectual curiosity and she’s got something of belief.
 * Harry and Ginny were always meant to be together. I thought it was obvious, but apparently there were internet wars about this.
 * Harry's love for Ginny is true.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
 * J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * Harry Potter for Kinect