Molly Weasley

Molly Weasley I (née Prewett) (b. 30 October, 1949) was a pure-blood witch and the matriarch of the Weasley family, married to Arthur Weasley. She was born into the Prewett family, sister to Fabian and Gideon Prewett, members of the original Order of the Phoenix. They were both killed by Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War. Molly and Arthur had seven children; Bill, Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George, Ron and Ginny.

Molly was a member of the revived Order of the Phoenix following the return of Lord Voldemort and participated in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War, known for the downfall of Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.

She survived the final battle to see her family expand even further, with twelve grandchildren by 2017, one of which is named after her.

Early life
Molly was born on 30 October, 1949 to Mr and Mrs Prewett. She had two brothers, Gideon and Fabian. She began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early 1960's, and was sorted into Gryffindor house. It was there that she met Arthur Weasley, and at an unspecified point they began dating. One night, they went out for a night-time stroll, and while Arthur got caught by Apollyon Pringle, Molly managed to get back to Gryffindor Tower at four in the morning, and was told off by the Fat Lady. Molly once said that in her youth, she brewed a Love Potion.

First Wizarding War
Molly graduated from Hogwarts in the late 1960s, and at some point she and Arthur got married. Their first child, Bill, was born in 1970. Six more children followed: Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny. She had longed to have a daughter after having her first five sons, but had another son, Ron, before finally having a daughter, Ginny.

During the First Wizarding War, Molly was not mentioned as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and indeed Lupin confirms this, but this is likely because she was having and taking care of many young children at the time. Her brothers, however, were members of the Order, and were killed during the war by five Death Eaters, including Antonin Dolohov, who was subsequently imprisoned in Azkaban for the crime; Molly was, given the way she speaks about Gideon and Fabian, distraught at their deaths and may have inherited their things, given that she kept Fabian's watch until 1997.

In 1987, Fred burnt a hole in Ron's tongue by feeding him an Acid Pop. Molly was outraged and walloped him with her broomstick.

1991
"Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"

- Molly in 1991

By 1991, everyone from Bill to Fred and George had been accepted to Hogwarts and Sorted into Gryffindor, and Ron's first year at Hogwarts was to begin. Molly accompanied Percy, Fred, George, and Ron to King's Cross Station; Ginny also came along, although she was too young to begin school herself. After Percy, Fred, and George got onto Platform 9&frac34;, another young boy approached her and politely asked how to get onto the Platform. She kindly gave him instructions, and told him to go ahead before Ron.

After getting onto the platform with Ginny, she learned that the boy she had just talked to was Harry Potter. When Fred and George wondered if he remembered what Lord Voldemort looked like, Molly became stern and forbade them from asking him. When last calls for the train came, she ushered her children onto the train and called for them to have a good term. She addressed Fred and George, telling them that she didn't want to receive anymore owls that they had blown up a toilet, and George quipped that they would send her a Hogwarts lavatory seat.

Having become friends with Harry, Ron contacted Molly shortly before the Christmas holidays to tell her that Harry was not expecting any presents. Molly came to the rescue and knit him an emerald green Weasley jumper and made him a box of home-made fudge. For the Christmas holidays, she, Ginny, and Arthur also went to Romania to visit their son Charlie.

When Harry and the others returned from Hogwarts for the summer, he thanked her for the jumper and fudge, to which she insisted it was no trouble. When Harry's Uncle Vernon barked at him to get moving, Molly tried to engage him in conversation, which ended up going nowhere.

Summer of 1992
"Beds empty! No note! Car gone--could have crashed--out of my mind with worry--did you care?--never, as long as I've lived--you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy--"

- Molly Weasley angry at her sons for taking the flying car to rescue Harry.

One night, Molly was scared to death when she found Fred, George, and Ron's beds empty, the family car gone, and no note left behind explaining what the boys were doing. When the trio returned with Harry the next morning, having flown to Surrey and back, her anger exploded and she yelled at them for what, to Harry, seemed like hours. She did not blame Harry, but threw her sons nasty looks the whole time she made breakfast. To punish them, Molly made them de-gnome the back garden. When Molly looked up the process in Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, Fred implied that Molly had a crush on Lockhart; while Molly said the thought was ridiculous, her body language told another story—she beamed at his picture and blushed slightly.

About a week after Harry arrived at the Burrow, Molly and Arthur took the family and Harry to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies. Before leaving, she and Arthur learned that Harry had never travelled through the Floo Network before. After Harry got lost in Knockturn Alley, Molly was relieved to find him safe with Hagrid, and was grateful to the half-giant for finding him. After getting their money from Gringotts, Molly departed with Ginny to a second-hand robe shop, to meet the others an hour later at Flourish and Blotts. After Arthur got into a fist fight with Lucius Malfoy, Molly was livid, claiming that his actions were not a good example to set for his children.

Second opening of the Chamber of Secrets
"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND ITS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME! Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud."

- Molly's howler expresses anger towards Ron and pride for Ginny.

After dropping the children off at King's Cross Station on 1 September, Molly and Arthur were outraged when they found their car gone. That night, she received a letter from the head of Gryffindor Minerva McGonagall explaining what Harry and Ron had done. The next day, Molly sent a Howler to Hogwarts, severely scolding Ron for his reckless behaviour, and the fact that Arthur was now facing an inquiry at work. In the spring of 1993, Molly and Arthur arrived at Hogwarts, worried, after learning that the Monster of Slytherin had taken Ginny into the Chamber of Secrets. When Harry and Ron brought her back safely, Molly was grateful to Harry, and was curious as to how he managed it. After Harry explained everything, Molly accompanied Ginny to the hospital wing.

Sirius Black's escape
"We tried to shut him in a pyramid. But Mum spotted us."

- Fred and George in 1993

That summer, Arthur won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. He and Molly decided to spend the gold on a trip to Egypt to visit Bill. While Bill took them on tours of the pyramids, Molly refused to let Ginny come into the last one, which was full of "mutant skeletons" of Muggles who had broken in and "grown extra heads." After returning about a week before the new school year, Molly learned from Arthur that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban Prison.

After meeting Harry in Diagon Alley on 31 August, Molly discussed Black's connection to Harry with Arthur. Arthur wanted to tell Harry the truth about why Black was supposed to be after him, but Molly did not want to send him to school with that hanging over his head; she was convinced that since Dumbledore was stationed at Hogwarts, Harry would be perfectly safe from harm. Arthur then countered that if Black could break out of Azkaban, then he was capable of breaking in to Hogwarts. The next day, she and Arthur saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others off to school. The following June, she arrived at King's Cross to pick her family up.

Summer of 1994
"What have they [Fred and George] done this time? If it's got anything to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes"

- Molly in 1994

In August, Molly sent a letter to the Dursleys by the Muggle postman, "asking" permission to take Harry to the Quidditch World Cup (the Weasleys were planning to collect Harry whether the Dursleys said yes or not). Unsure of how much postage to include, Molly completely covered the envelope with stamps, leaving only a square inch on the front in which she managed to squeeze the Dursleys' address.

When Molly entered the family's kitchen, she caught Arthur in the middle of scolding Fred and George for something. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny disappeared upstairs while Arthur was forced to tell her about the Ton-Tongue Toffee Fred and George had pulled on Harry's cousin Dudley. After giving them a severe tongue-lashing, she began preparing dinner, during which she ranted and raved about Fred and George's trouble-making ways.

On the morning of the Quidditch World Cup, Molly caught Fred and George trying to smuggle Ton-Tongue Toffees out of the house, in unusual places like the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans. When Molly read of the Death Eaters' attack on the World Cup grounds, she became worried for her family. When the family arrived safely back home, she hugged Fred and George, crying over the thought of the fact that if they had died, the last time she spoke to them she berated at them for not having earned more O.W.L.s.

Triwizard Tournament
On 1 September, Molly, Bill, and Charlie accompanied the others to King's Cross Station for the return to Hogwarts. The three of them all implied that something special was happening at the school, but would not elaborate.

When Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire as a surprise fourth champion, as told by Charlie, Molly was against letting him compete, believing that Harry was too young. And again according to Charlie, Molly was "in floods" after reading an "interview" with Rita Skeeter in which Skeeter claimed Harry still cried about his parents. Considering Molly's already fragile state, Charlie did not have the heart to tell her what Harry had to do for the First Task.

In June, Molly arrived at Hogwarts with Bill to watch Harry in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. While whittling down the hours until the task started, Harry gave her and Bill a tour around the grounds, showing them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship; Molly was also intrigued by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after she left school. She also reminisced about Ogg, the gamekeeper before Hagrid.

When the trio returned to the castle for lunch, Ron was surprised to see Molly and Bill there. Fred, George and Ginny came over to join them, and Harry enjoyed their company. When Hermione appeared at the table, having come from the library, Molly greeted her more stiffly than usual, as Rita Skeeter had been writing articles about Hermione supposedly toying with Harry and Viktor Krum's affections. After Harry explained that the stories were false and that he and Hermione had never been romantically involved, Molly warmed up to her once again. She later defended Harry with a fierce passion against Amos Diggory's accusations of not correcting Rita Skeeter in her original article about Harry, which was supposed to be about the Triwizard Tournament. It should be noted at this point how ironic Mrs Weasley reacts to Rita Skeeter's articles e.g. she believes Harry cries about his parents and that Hermione is a "scarlet woman" one moment, and then defends Harry the next from Amos Diggory's accusations along with defending her husband's actions during the World Cup against her third son's claim that he was "a tad unwise" to give a public statement.

After Harry returned from Little Hangleton with Cedric Diggory's dead body, Molly, the other Weasleys, and Hermione stayed with him in the hospital wing. When Dumbledore acted to reactivate the Order of the Phoenix, Molly was shocked to learn Sirius Black was in the room; she, like most of the wizarding world, still believed Sirius to be a mass murderer. Ron was able to convince her otherwise. Molly also learned about Lord Voldemort's return, which she believed Harry about.

Second Wizarding War
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

- Molly Weasley to Bellatrix Lestrange after she tries to kill Molly's daughter, Ginny Weasley.

A week into the summer holidays, Molly had her heart broken when Percy broke up with the family following a heated argument with his father. Percy insulted his parents, believing them to be "idiots" for following Dumbledore, and found himself a flat in London. She went to London in an attempt to talk things out with Percy, but he angrily banged the door in her face without even giving her a chance to explain. As such, whenever Percy's name was mentioned aloud, Arthur would break whatever he was holding and Molly would burst into tears.

Living at 12 Grimmauld Place
After this incident, Molly and Arthur moved their family to 12 Grimmauld Place in London, the headquarters of the Order. Under Dumbledore's orders, the Weasleys kept Harry in the dark about the Order's goings-on. When the Advance Guard delivered Harry to Grimmauld Place, Molly was pleased to see him, but quickly ushered him upstairs so he would not interrupt the Order's meeting. When the meeting ended, Molly brought the children downstairs for dinner. Against Molly's wishes, Sirius and Lupin gave Harry the general picture of what the Order was doing in the fight against Voldemort.

For the following weeks, Molly lead the charge in making the house suitable for living in. When Harry had to go to the Ministry for a hearing regarding his illegal use of under-age magic, Molly was among those who worried about the result. Like the rest of the family, she was relieved when Harry was cleared of all charges, although she did scold Fred, George, and Ginny for parading around chanting, "He got off."

When Ron was made a Gryffindor prefect, Molly was overjoyed and offered to get Ron a reward. Ron asked for a new broom, but upon seeing his mother's face fall, quickly added that it did not need to be a good broom; just a new one. Molly returned later that night with the children's school supplies, and prepared a party to celebrate Ron and Hermione's appointments. When Mad-Eye Moody arrived, Molly asked him to look at what was in the writing desk in the drawing room; using his "mad" eye, Moody confirmed it was a Boggart, and offered to get rid of it, but Molly declined, commenting she would do it after dinner. After Harry witnessed her inability to vanquish it, Molly tearfully expressed her concern over her family's safety. Lupin comforted her, explaining that the Order had a better understanding of Voldemort than they did the first time, and that while he could not promise no one would get hurt, the Order would do their best to protect her family.

On the morning of 1 September, Fred and George again got on Molly's nerves when they bewitched their trunks to zoom down the stairs, to save the trouble of carrying them. The trunks managed to knock Ginny down two flights of stairs, and Molly screamed at the pair that they could have seriously injured her. When Sirius came bounding downstairs in his dog form, to see Harry off, Molly reiterated that it was a bad idea, but felt that it was up to him if he wanted to risk his safety.

When Molly got wind of the secret group Harry, Ron, and Hermione were planning to form to teach practical defensive magic, she was firmly against the idea; she believed that they would all have time to learn to defend themselves after they left school. She asked Sirius to pass on a message to Ron, which was that he was in no way to continue the group. She also wanted the message passed on to Harry and Hermione; while accepting that she had no control over the pair's actions, she had their best interests at heart.

St. Mungo's Hospital
During the Christmas holiday, Molly was contacted by Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes to warn her that Arthur had been attacked by Nagini during guard duty for the Order. While the Weasley children, staying with Sirius in Grimmauld Place, wanted to set off for St. Mungo's at once, Sirius had to convince them they could not until Molly had been notified; it would look too suspicious otherwise. Before setting off for St. Mungo's, Molly sent a note to Grimmauld Place that Arthur was still alive, and warned them to stay put. At 5:10 a.m., Molly arrived at Grimmauld Place to tell them Arthur would be all right and that they could all visit him later; George and Ginny were so relieved, they got up and hugged her. When Sirius began making breakfast, Molly hugged Harry and expressed her gratitude that if not for him, Arthur might have died.

When the Weasleys and Harry visited Arthur in St. Mungo's, Molly became alarmed when Arthur mentioned one of his room-mates was a werewolf; Arthur calmed her by pointing out the full moon was not for another fortnight. When Fred and George tried to get information from Arthur about what he had been doing, Molly got angry and told them that the topic was not up for discussion. She also fretted over Harry's supposed illness when he was acting strangely after their visit. Harry was in fact, sulking, because he thought he might have been possessed by Lord Voldemort, but she did not know this.

On Christmas Day, Molly's concern about Percy finally reached a breaking point when she received a package from him sending his Christmas jumper back unopened. Fred and George "attempted" to console her, but soon afterwards Lupin took over.

When the family and Harry returned to visit Arthur again, Molly was livid after learning that for his wound, Arthur had tried using stitches, a Muggle remedy for similar Muggle wounds.

Summer of 1996
In June, Molly and Arthur arrived at King's Cross Station to pick their children up. Molly and Arthur also made plans with Dumbledore to take Harry to the Burrow two weeks into the summer holidays. When Harry arrived in July, Molly revealed that Arthur had been promoted to head a new department for Rufus Scrimgeour; from her tone, Harry deduced she had been "bursting" to tell someone. When Arthur arrived home from work, Arthur made her ask him their security questions before allowing himself in, revealing that Arthur's private nickname for her was "Mollywobbles."

The next morning, Molly expressed her disdain at Bill's engagement to Fleur Delacour, who was staying at the house; Bill had brought her so she could get to know his family. According to Ginny, Molly kept trying to break up the engagement by inviting Nymphadora Tonks to dinner, hoping that Bill would fall for her instead.

When Hermione got a black eye from one of Fred and George's punching telescopes, she went to Molly to try and get rid of it, to no avail; even with The Healer's Helpmate, Molly was unable to remove the bruise. When Ron's O.W.L. results arrived, Molly was pleased to learn he had earned seven "pass" grades, commenting that it was more than Fred and George both earned. When the school book lists arrived, Molly refused to go to Diagon Alley without Arthur; when Ron made a joke about Voldemort possibly hiding in Flourish and Blotts, Molly threatened not only to leave him behind and get his things herself, but hold him back from returning to Hogwarts, as well; Ron quickly recanted, wanting to see Fred and George's shop.

When the family and Hagrid arrived in Diagon Alley, Molly expressed her concern to stay together, while at the same time battling the desire to finish the shopping quickly. Hagrid assured her that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be fine with him, so she, Arthur, and Ginny headed off towards Flourish and Blotts. When the group reunited, they headed off towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Approaching the store, Molly stared in horror at the advertisement for "U-No-Poo," an item they sell to cause constipation. Once inside the store, Ginny asked Molly if she could buy a Pygmy Puff.

On 1 September, Molly and Arthur ushered the children onto the train back to Hogwarts.

1996 Christmas holidays
During the Christmas holidays, Molly masked Percy's continued defection from the family by saying he was busy at the Ministry, but when Rufus Scrimgeour brought Percy over in an excuse to speak to Harry, Molly was so happy to see her son that she threw herself into his arms, kissed him on the cheek and began to tear up.

However, Percy had no intention of speaking with his family apart from his mother, and the reunion only lasted briefly. Molly was more devastated than ever when Percy furiously stormed out of The Burrow after an angry Fred, George, and Ginny splattered his glasses with mashed parsnips. She continued to be upset well past the Christmas break, teary-eyed and sobbing when she saw Harry and the rest of her children off to Hogwarts via the Floo network.

In March, Molly and Arthur were called to the school when Ron accidentally drank some poisoned mead. When the pair arrived in the hospital wing, she hugged Harry very tightly, pointing out how many of the family members he had saved. She was also very happy that Ron was no longer in danger and had been saved.

Battle of the Astronomy Tower and aftermath
Molly and Arthur returned to Hogwarts again in June after learning Bill had been injured in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. While Arthur was interested in how Dumbledore had died, Molly only had her eyes on Bill. Molly commented that Bill had always been handsome, and that he was "going" to be married. Fleur took offence to this, and shouted that she did not care what Bill looked like, and that her love for him ran deeper than physical appearance. Accepting that the pair truly did love each other, Molly offered Fleur her Aunt Muriel's goblin-made tiara to wear at the wedding. In June, Molly and Arthur attended Dumbledore's funeral along with Bill and Fleur. They were deeply sad because of the tragic death of the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

At some point, Molly learned that Ron and Hermione were planning to drop out of Hogwarts. When she approached them about why, they refused to divulge any information. While Arthur and Remus Lupin also approached the issue, and dropped it when they were told it was a secret, Molly was determined to learn the truth.

Battle of the Seven Potters
When Harry and Hagrid arrived at The Burrow after the Battle of the Seven Potters, Molly was relieved they managed to arrive safely. Hagrid then asked if she had any brandy, for "medicinal purposes." Instead of summoning it by magic, she went into the house to collect it herself; Harry knew that this was because she wanted to hide her worry.

A few moments later, Ginny alerted Molly to the arrival of Lupin and George. With something obviously wrong with her son, Molly soon learned that he was missing his left ear. Molly managed to staunch the bleeding, but was unable to repair the damage; she was simply relieved that he was alive. When Arthur and Fred returned safe, Molly cried harder than ever when George turned the injury into a punch line. George then commented that at least from then on, Molly would be able to differentiate the pair.

A few minutes later, Ron and Bill both returned safely. Hugging his mother, Bill told the group that Mad-Eye Moody had been killed.

Wedding of Bill and Fleur and aftermath
Within a few days, Molly approached Harry, under the pretence of determining the owner of a man's sock, about why he, Ron, and Hermione were planning to leave Hogwarts. Harry refused to say explicitly, but dropped snippets that it was because something Dumbledore wanted him to do. Molly argued that she and Arthur deserved to know, and was sure Mr and Mrs Granger would agree. She continued that if Dumbledore wanted something done, he had the whole Order at his command, and the three of them were hardly of age; Harry countered that there had been no misunderstanding: the mission Dumbledore left for him was for him alone, and Ron and Hermione were coming along by choice.

Seeing she was fighting a losing battle, she the changed the subject by asking if he would help prepare the house for Bill and Fleur's wedding. He agreed, but Molly made sure to give the trio jobs that kept them away from each other; as Ginny commented to Harry, she believed that if Molly could prevent them from getting together and planning, she could delay their departure.

When the Delacours arrived the following morning, Molly was somewhat flustered, but pleased to have them there. She and Arthur fervently insisted that Monsieur and Madame Delacour take their bedroom, while she and Arthur slept in the sitting room. The following day, Harry's birthday, Molly gave him a watch that had belonged to her brother Fabian. In the middle of explaining the watch-giving tradition, Molly's speech was interrupted by a hug from Harry with which he hoped to convey his deep feelings of gratitude and care. When Charlie arrived that evening, Molly forced him into a chair and gave him a haircut. Molly then made a scrumptious dinner and made Harry's birthday cake into the shape of a Golden Snitch. Just before the cutting of the cake, Molly learned that Rufus Scrimgeour was accompanying Arthur home. After the pair arrived, Scrimgeour revealed the reason for his visit: he required a private word with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The next day was Bill's wedding to Fleur. Molly was once again in tears as Percy was absent from the wedding. During the ceremony, Molly sat with Apolline Delacour, and the pair silently wept into their scraps of lace. At the reception that followed, Molly danced with Monsieur Delacour. Soon afterwards, Molly learned with everyone else that the Ministry of Magic had fallen to the Death Eaters' control, and that Scrimgeour was dead. After the Death Eaters left, Molly and Arthur sent word to Harry, Ron, and Hermione that the rest of the family was safe.

In March, the Death Eaters identified Ron as travelling with Harry Potter. Molly's eldest son Bill was able to get word to his family, and Molly and the rest of the Weasley family vacated the Burrow. They lived with Molly's Aunt Muriel during this time.

Battle of Hogwarts
"YOU-WILL-NEVER-TOUCH-OUR-CHILDREN-AGAIN!"

- Molly duels Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts.

On 2 May, Molly and Arthur arrived at the school to take part in the Battle of Hogwarts. As the combination of the Order and Dumbledore's Army left to gather in the Great Hall, Molly was adamant about Ginny going home; since she was under-age, Molly refused to let her stay. Ginny insisted she should be there; in addition to the rest of her family being there, she was a member of Dumbledore's Army.

During this argument, Percy entered the room, having learned of the pending battle from Aberforth Dumbledore and finally reconciled with his family. Molly burst into tears and pulled Percy into a strangling hug. When the family left to join the others, Molly caught Ginny trying to sneak out with them. Lupin then proposed that Ginny could stay in the Room of Requirement; that way she could remain close to her family while simultaneously being out of harm's way.

During a break in the battle, as ordered by Voldemort, Molly grieved Fred's death in the Great Hall. She laid across his chest and wept, while Arthur stroked her hair.

When the battle resumed, Molly eventually took on Bellatrix Lestrange, who had very nearly hit Ginny with a Killing Curse. Distraught at the prospect of losing yet another child, as well as her only daughter, an enraged Molly angrily turned on Bellatrix and they both began to engage in a fierce duel. Bellatrix laughed at Molly, not taking her seriously. But with her powerful love for her children and family, Molly Weasley cast a wide variety of non-verbal spells at the Dark witch who nearly murdered her only daughter. Moments later, Molly struck a deadly blow, killing Bellatrix once and for all.

The death of his "last, best lieutenant" made Voldemort turn on Molly, but Harry shielded her and revealed himself to be alive. Molly then watched, with everyone else, the interaction between Harry and Voldemort, which ended with Voldemort's final defeat. Molly joined the other Weasleys in congratulating Harry. She was last seen sitting with Ginny, who had her head rested on her mother's shoulders.

Later life
In the years following Voldemort's death, Molly's family grew with the marriages of her children and births of numerous grandchildren. Molly also served as the namesake of Percy's oldest daughter.

Physical description
Molly was frequently described as a short, plump, kindly-looking woman, whom Harry was shocked to see that she could so easily look "like a sabre-tooth tiger" when she was angry with her sons. She was also described as "porky," by Draco Malfoy, in the course of his typical taunts about the Weasley family, and "dumpy" by Vernon Dursley, despite the fact that he and his son were much larger than the slightly plump Molly. Between June and August of 1995 she lost a good deal of weight and appeared paler, though she seemed to get a healthier look back by the next year. Like the rest of her immediate family, Molly had flaming fiery red hair, and her eyes were the same shade of warm brown as her daughter, Ginny's.

Personality and traits
Molly is a kind, gentle, loving and very motherly woman. Being in the same room with her was very reassuring. It was comfortable to be around such a friendly warm person. She was fiercely proud of her children's accomplishments, but scandalised by misbehaviour and had the ability to speak her mind whenever her children misbehaved. This was made evident when she sent a Howler to Hogwarts, severely scolding Ron for the use of the unauthorised Flying Ford Anglia to reach Hogwarts at the start of the school year in 1992. Fred and George's antics, in particular, were a source of perpetual frustration for her. She sometimes found it difficult to cope with her children heading out in their own, separate directions. Not surprisingly, she initially considered Fleur Delacour completely wrong for Bill when they become engaged in 1996.

Ironically, however, it was high achiever, Percy, who caused her the greatest pain when he broke up with the family in 1995 over their unwavering allegiance to Albus Dumbledore. Through this, though Molly was capable of being a strict disciplinarian, she was also a sensitive and emotional person, particularly when it came to Percy's defection from the family. During this moment, Molly was known to burst into tears whenever Percy's name was mentioned aloud, even tearing up when Percy sent his Christmas jumper back unopened on Christmas Day. She also frequently referenced Percy's good behaviour when scolding her younger children for misbehaving, particularly Fred and George, and made up excuses for his absence over Christmas in 1996, claiming that Percy was busy at the Ministry.

For Harry Potter, Molly became his closest mother figure. Molly was appalled at the mistreatment that Harry suffered at the Dursleys, and was delighted to have Harry stay with the Weasleys at the Burrow, where she could offer food, advice and general mothering. Starved for affection from his own Aunt Petunia, Harry found warmth from Molly. However, Harry occasionally found her over-protectiveness somewhat smothering. Molly along with eldest son Bill come to watch Harry in the Triwizard Tournament then after Harry's ordeal in the graveyard visit him with others in the hospital wing at Hogwarts where Molly hugs him 'how Harry imagined a mother would'. In 1995, when Harry asked about what the Order of the Phoenix was doing in their efforts against Voldemort, Molly continually insisted that Harry should not be told more than he needed to know, while his godfather, Sirius Black, believed that Harry had dealt with more than the Order could imagine and thus deserved to have the whole picture. While Harry was touched that Molly considered him like a son, he also felt Sirius was right in that he was not a small child, and should be treated as a maturing adult.

Magical abilities and skills
"It was delicious, Molly."

- Tonks regarding Molly's cooking


 * Household spells: Molly was noted to be good with household spells. It seemed that she was able to conjure food, while in reality she must have used a Summoning Charm, as Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration does not allow conjuration of foods, or she may have increased its quantity. But it is clear she is talented in using magic to make the food she cooks even tastier, as Harry considers her the best cook he knows.
 * Healing magic: Molly was a sufficient healer, as was shown when Lupin, and George returned after the Battle of the Seven Potters and Molly treated George's injuries despite his having lost a lot of blood. She was unable to regrow George's ear, however, due to the injury being caused by Dark Magic.
 * Charms: The true extent of Molly's ability in Charms is not known, however, prior to the Battle of Hogwarts Molly is one of the individuals placing the many powerful protective enchantments such as Protego Maxima over Hogwarts. Hence, she appears quite talented in this department.


 * Duelling: Molly has shown surprising skill at duelling, specifically when her family is threatened, as shown in 1998 when she single-handedly killed Bellatrix Lestrange, a highly dangerous and skilled dark witch, after Lestrange nearly killed her daughter.
 * Dark magic: Although Molly was normally a good-natured woman, and was not actively a practitioner of the Dark Arts, she was capable of casting spells with lethal effect. When Bellatrix Lestrange threatened her daughter Ginny, Molly confidently cast a wide variety of spells as they duelled, ultimately killing her opponent with a curse that struck Bellatrix over her heart. She also confidently threatened to jinx or hex Ron, Fred, and George on numerous occasions and none of the boys seem to cross her when she does this.
 * Non-verbal magic: Molly has also been shown to be a practitioner of nonverbal spells; during the Battle of Hogwarts, Molly duelled against Bellatrix Lestrange, casting several spells without incantation.
 * Potions: Molly brewed a Love Potion in her youth, implying that she is a fairly good potioneer.

Prewett Family
Molly was born into the Prewett family. Her relationship with her mother and father is unknown, but it's possible that, like the Weasleys, the Prewetts did not buy into values of pure-blood supremacy held by so many other wizarding pure blood families. Her brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, were both members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, and were brutally killed by five Death Eaters. It's likely that Molly was close to her brothers, as she kept Fabian's watch until she gave it to Harry Potter for his seventeenth birthday, and their deaths influenced her later protectiveness of her family during the Second Wizarding War. Molly also had an uncle, Ignatius Prewett, whose name became her son Percy's middle name, and aunt by marriage Lucretia Prewett (née Black). Her irritable aunt Muriel was still alive in the 1990's and associated with her family.

Weasley Family
"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! THERE WAS NO NEED — I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS — JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

- Molly on the Fred and George Weasley's incessant magic usage.

Molly pampered her children with all she could afford to, making up for the lack of funds for new books, brooms and robes by showering her loved ones with affection and providing them with abundant, delicious home-cooking. However, Molly had no issues with speaking her mind and enforcing discipline when her children put "a toe out of line;" indeed, the only thing Hermione Granger could do to stop Fred and George testing their Skiving Snackboxes on first years prior to their departure from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was threaten to write to Molly.

Molly also had a strong desire for her children to work at the Ministry of Magic like their father, causing her to scold Fred and George on numerous occasions for their dream of managing a joke shop. In the end, however, Molly clearly wanted her children to be happy in their work, and was impressed when Fred and George proved to be skilled businessmen.

Though she was regularly exasperated with her husband Arthur's quirky fascination with Muggle artefacts, and his seeming inability to act as a firm disciplinarian when it came to many of their sons' shenanigans, she clearly loved him dearly, and was fiercely proud of all he had accomplished in his career.

When Percy broke up his family in favour of pursuing his career at the Ministry, Molly was greatly affected. Even though she attempted to bring him back several times, all her efforts were in vain. As a result, Molly would burst into tears whenever Percy's name was mentioned aloud. Her concern about Percy reached a breaking point on Christmas Day in 1995 when she received a package from Percy sending his Christmas jumper back unopened without a written note. Percy also failed to attend Bill and Fleur's wedding, which again left her in tears. Fortunately, Percy made amends with his family after coming to his senses during the Battle of Hogwarts. Molly burst into tears and pulled Percy into a strangling hug.

Mrs Weasley's love for her family was also apparent in the form her boggart took: Molly's greatest fear was her family (including Harry), dead.

After the Second Wizarding War, Molly's family expanded even further, as she had many grandchildren through her sons and Ginny; Victoire, Dominique and Louis, Bill and Fleur's children; Molly (who was named after her) and Lucy, Percy and Audrey's daughters; Roxanne and Fred, George and Angelina Johnson's children; Rose and Hugo, Ron and Hermione's children; James, Albus and Lily, Ginny and Harry's children. It was likely that Molly was close to all of them.

Harry Potter
Molly first met Harry while taking her sons to the Hogwarts Express. She took sympathy on him for being alone, as he seemed to be a sweet and polite boy. Upon being told by Fred and George who he was, Molly was adamant that her children not pester Harry about his past. After getting to know more about Harry through Ron, Molly began treating him as another member of the family, whether it be by letting him stay at The Burrow for holidays, or fussing over the state of his health and making sure he had fourth helpings during meals, although she tended to avoid the subject of the Dursleys when Harry brought them up even briefly. Mrs Weasley also sent Harry a Weasley jumper and a large box of fudge or mince pies at Christmas, even after the two of them had only spoken briefly at King's Cross during Harry's first year, simply because Ron had mentioned that Harry was not expecting many presents.

Molly would occasionally forget she was not Harry's mother, and tended to be as protective of him as if he was one of her own children. She was deeply affected when Harry was forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, to the point that her attitude towards Hermione temporarily became almost hostile because she assumed that Rita Skeeter's claims that Hermione was toying with Harry's emotions was genuine until Harry assured her otherwise. Molly pushed particularly hard for Harry not to be "burdened" with the knowledge of certain aspects of the Order of the Phoenix's business involving Voldemort, which caused her to come into conflict with Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, and even her own husband. She showed her over-protective nature again upon discovering that Harry, Ron and Hermione were not intending to return to Hogwarts during their final year, demanding to be informed of their intentions, and even doing everything in her power to prevent them having any opportunity to discuss their plans in secret.

Eventually, Harry married Ginny Weasley, becoming Molly's son-in-law, and officially joining the Weasley family. The form of Molly's boggart, which reflected her greatest fear of seeing her family dead by appearing as their dead bodies, included Harry's own corpse. In return Harry saw her as the mother he never had because she gave him the love and protection he needed and wanted. After Molly killed Bellatrix, Voldemort was about to attack her, prompting Harry to make his continued existence public rather than his previous attempt to attack from under his Invisibility Cloak.

Hermione Granger
Because of her friendships with Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger became friendly with the entire Weasley family. She spent a portion of many of her summer holidays at their home of the Burrow, and attended some family outings with them, such as shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley and the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. Molly was generally fond of Hermione, though she treated her coldly for a brief time after Rita Skeeter printed lies about Hermione toying with the hearts of Harry Potter and Viktor Krum, much to Hermione's bewilderment and dejection. After Harry explained that the stories were false, Molly once again warmed up to Hermione. Hermione became one of Molly's four daughters-in-law after she married Ron.

Nymphadora Tonks
"Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."

- Nymphadora Tonks after confiding in Molly.

Molly had a rather close relationship with Auror and fellow Order member, Nymphadora Tonks. Molly often invited Tonks to dine with the Weasley family, and the young witch was always a welcome guest at the events held by the Weasley matriarch. Molly would at times get annoyed at Tonks due to her clumsiness, but never out of dislike for her. Rather it was mostly due to the fact that Tonks' attempts at helping resulting in her causing minor annoyances (such as setting off the Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place). During these times, Molly would attempt to dissuade Tonks from helping, so as to avoid such accidents.

Though there was a significant difference in age between the two, Mrs Weasley appeared to be Tonks's closest adult friend; Molly appeared to be the only person in whom Tonks confided her love of Remus Lupin. Several people suspected that Molly hoped her son Bill Weasley would fall in love with Tonks, rather than marry Fleur Delacour, and Harry Potter noted Molly was acting somewhat frosty toward Lupin during the 1996 Christmas holidays, though he misinterpreted the reason why. Molly reacted heatedly to disparaging remarks made by Fleur in regards to Tonks, which is indicative of the high opinion she held for the young Auror. At the conclusion of the Battle of Hogwarts, it was Molly who duelled and killed Tonks' murderer Bellatrix Lestrange, therefore avenging Tonks' death.

Fleur Delacour
The Weasleys' reaction to Fleur, with the exceptions of Ron and Arthur, was initially lukewarm. They became more annoyed with Fleur when she and Bill became engaged, but tolerated her presence for his sake. Molly in particular did not like Fleur, irked by Fleur's criticism of her household and even her favourite singer, Celestina Warbeck. However, when Fleur indignantly denied that Bill's disfigurement at the hands of Fenrir Greyback would affect their marital plans in any way, the Weasleys saw how deeply Fleur loved Bill, and became more accepting of her. Molly convinced her aunt Muriel to lend Fleur her tiara for the wedding. Fleur was noted as fussing over and being protective of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in a motherly fashion, similar to Molly. After the war, Molly had three grandchildren through Fleur.

Order of the Phoenix members
Molly considered Albus Dumbledore to be the greatest wizard of all time. During the Second Wizarding War, Molly was technically the first new recruit of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation both founded and led by Dumbledore, having been asked to help battle against Voldemort almost immediately after his return was discovered. Molly was devastated, along with most of the wizarding world, by Dumbledore's death, and attended his funeral in 1997.

Molly initially believed Sirius Black (her "cousin by marriage", as his aunt Lucretia married her uncle Ignatius) was a murderer, who had betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort in 1981, and did not learn of his innocence until 1995. While both Sirius and Molly lived at 12 Grimmauld Place, they argued over the latter's tendency to be overprotective of Sirius's godson, Harry Potter, with Sirius reminding her she was not Harry's mother. For her part, Molly considered Sirius to be too reckless and reminded him that Harry was not his father James. Nonetheless, they got along well for the most part, and Sirius was thrilled at having the Weasley family and Harry Potter stay at Grimmauld place over the 1995 winter holidays. Molly was greatly saddened by Sirius's death in 1996, and was ultimately the one to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's cousin and murderer.

Remus Lupin was close with the Weasley family, and in joining the re-instated Order, saw Molly on a fairly regular basis. Lupin helped Molly get rid of a boggart that took the form of her family and Harry Potter, dead; she confessed to Lupin that she was afraid of what would happen to her children. Lupin comforted her, saying that he and the other members of the Order would take care of her family. After Dumbledore's death, Molly expressed her opinion that Lupin and Tonks should be together, as they loved each other, despite Lupin's protests that he was too old, too poor, and too dangerous for Tonks. During the Battle of the Seven Potters, Lupin saved George's life from Death Eaters, for which Molly was incredibly grateful. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lupin was killed, and Molly was seen grieving near his and Tonks's bodies.

Molly was also friendly with Minerva McGonagall, the former Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor House (the house into which all the members of the Weasley family had been sorted) of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. McGonagall and Molly discussed Dumbledore's death in 1997, and McGonagall would have been Headmistress while several of Molly's grandchildren attended the school, before retiring some time prior to 2017.

The Weasley family were all fond of Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper and later Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He fought alongside Molly at the Battle of Hogwarts and they both survived the war. He appeared to be friendly with Molly's grandchildren, inviting Albus to his house for tea.

Molly also seemed to be on good terms with Severus Snape, despite the fact that he disliked her children. However, when she learned that Snape killed Dumbledore, she and her family obviously turned against him but that was most likely retracted when she learned of Snape's true loyalties from Harry.

Molly also worked fairly closely with the late Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Molly was on good terms with both, and was shocked by Moody's death in 1997. Kingsley was responsible for saving countless lives when he sent his Patronus to warn the attendees of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding that the Ministry had fallen in 1997, and later became Minister for Magic, employing a number of the members of Molly's family.

Etymology

 * The name 'Molly' means 'Sea of bitterness', which is only like her when angry. It is an English name, and a diminutive form of Mary. This name is used by James Joyce in his novel "Ulysses", where it belongs to Molly Bloom, the wife of the main character.
 * In the case of Molly Weasley, specifically, Molly is very likely derived from the term "Mollycoddle," meaning "to pamper or overprotect."

Behind the scenes

 * Molly is portrayed by British actress Julie Walters in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2.
 * In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Remus Lupin mentions that Molly was not in the Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's first rise to power. This is possibly because Molly had just given birth to her first child, Bill in 1970, and that Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron were all born during that time, as well.
 * Contrary to rumours among fans that Neville Longbottom would be the one to do it, J. K. Rowling stated in an interview that she had always intended that Molly would be the one to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, for two main reasons: firstly, so that Molly could "have her moment" and show that simply because she had dedicated herself to her family did not mean that she was not a powerful witch, and secondly, to show the clash of Molly's "maternal love" against Bellatrix's "obsessive love".
 * Molly is a playable character in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game).
 * In the credits of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban she is mentioned as Mrs Molly Weasley, while in the credits of the other movies, she is just mentioned as Molly Weasley.
 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Bellatrix Lestrange and Molly Weasley duel on the top of a table after Bellatrix attacks Ginny. Molly kills her using a Petrifying curse followed by a Disintegration curse.
 * Julie Walters' favourite line in the films is "Not my daughter, you bitch!" from Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
 * Molly's fear of seeing her family dead was partially realized when her son Fred Weasley was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, especially since one of the forms that the boggart took was the dead bodies of the twins.
 * In 1999, when Warner Brothers was casting for the first film, Rosie O'Donnell had admitted to loving the books so much, she called the studio and asked to play Mrs. Weasley without receiving payment. Chris Columbus called her afterwards, declining her offer as they wanted a strictly British cast. The aftermath resulted in Molly Weasley's signature in the books being hand-written by Rosie O'Donnell to fulfill her wish in some small way.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * 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 Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * 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 1 (video game)
 * 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
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * Pottermore