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Despite the popularity of the Harry Potter films, there were many who felt Ginny Weasley was done dirty. They noted that, in comparison to her book counterpart, the version depicted in the films felt like a different character. Stooping to tie Harry’s shoe, and offering him a quiet kiss, she didn’t come across as the fiery, tough, and funny character readers knew and loved.
For those who felt Ginny was forgettable, the role she plays in the books is greater – she is skilled with hexes, she joins the Quidditch team, and she always has a ready comeback. Ginny is the student you don’t want to end up on the wrong side of, and she’s actually the first person to give Luna Lovegood a chance. In reading the books, it’s easier to see why she ended up with Harry – they have common interests, including Quidditch, and Ginny isn’t afraid to stand up for Harry – even where his closest friends might disagree.
Before we continue, I’m Riley and this is Otherworldly Fiction. On this channel I discuss fantasy books, characters, and offer the occasional writing advice. My main fandoms of discussion are Harry Potter and Twilight, so if you’re a Potterhead or a Twihard consider subscribing. Otherwise I’ll hit you with the bat bogey hex. Okay, I won’t, but if you want to be safe, posts are on Fridays.
As with other characters in the series, Ginny has not only her own history but a life beyond the Battle of Hogwarts. Born under the full name Ginevra Molly Weasley on August 11th, 1981, she was the seventh child, and only daughter, of Molly and Arthur Weasley. This made her only a year younger than Harry, but placed her in the same year as Luna. It had been a long time since there had been a female born to the Weasley line, but Ginny broke that trend and Molly ended up with the daughter she’d always hoped for. Growing up with six older brothers, Ginny consequently became scrappy and interested in sports like Quidditch. She had to be something of a tomboy to fit in.
While Ginny didn’t lose her parents during the First Wizarding War, the Death Eater Antonin Dolohov was responsible for the loss of her family members. Her uncles, on her mother’s side, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, were killed by the Death Eater while working for the Order of the Phoenix. Ginny’s mother remained safe, not being an official member of the order, but it was only the need to care for so many young children which kept Molly out of the fray.
Ginny’s brothers wouldn’t actually let her play Quidditch with them, and so the young girl made a point of breaking into the broom shed and teaching herself. Her brothers somehow remained unaware of this, expressing shock when Ginny later earned a spot on the Quidditch team as Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron had done before her. Ginny’s home, The Burrow, was located near the small community of Ottery St. Catchpole.
During her first year, Ginny had a massive crush on Harry. She was prone to knocking things over in his presence, and she even stuck her elbow in the butter dish. She was impatient, as the youngest, to go to Hogwarts, after watching all of her siblings go. She tried to let her mom go a year early, but to no avail.
When Ginny finally had the chance to go to Hogwarts, she showed some spirit. When Malfoy insulted Harry in Flourish and Blotts, Ginny seemed to forget her former shyness. Malfoy was a year older, but Ginny stood up for Harry. Her being sorted into Gryffindor, as all her brothers had been, would have come as no shock.
Ginny’s first year wasn’t easy. On going through her books, she found a diary which bore the name of Tom Riddle. Initially, she thought of Tom as a friend. She poured her heart out when he began to reply, sharing all of her daily concerns, and Tom played the part of the consoling friend. He was a comfort to her at first, but Tom, being none other than Voldemort, had his own agenda. Ginny began to blank out for stretches, and took a while before she realized she was the one behind the messages on the walls and the hanging of the Petrified Mrs. Norris from a torch bracket.
The diary also had a physical effect on her, as she was described as looking “peaky” when seen. She feared she was going mad. She was not only missing memories, but she would wake up covered in rooster feathers. This is because the rooster’s cries are fatal to a Basilisk, and so Tom was directing Ginny to strangle the birds on the grounds.
Ginny was possessed by Tom; with every worry she gave him, he poured his soul into her. She eventually threw the diary out, terrified by it’s effects, but when she saw Harry holding it she broke into the boy’s common room to steal it back.
Whilst free of the diary, Ginny was able to act more like herself – however, she was swept away by her crush on Harry. To the dismay of many students, Professor Lockhart hosted a Valentine’s event in which dwarfs would deliver anonymous Valentine’s to people. If that wasn’t bad enough, the dwarfs would sing these out to the recipients.
Ginny sent Harry a Valentine, but was mortified when Malfoy, before several students, indicated it was her who had written it. Harry wasn’t eager to have a Valentine sung to him in front of so many, particularly with Malfoy in earshot, but the dwarf was insistent. The dwarf grabbed Harry’s bag, chanting the cringy poem Ginny had penned, and in the process Harry’s bag was torn. It was at this moment Ginny recognized the diary among Harry’s belongings, which were now scattered over the floor pooling in ink.
Under Tom’s control, Ginny wrote a farewell message and brought herself to the Chamber of Secrets to be killed. As the last of her life force was drained, she sank into unconsciousness. It was only when Harry destroyed Tom that her life was restored to her.
Ginny was afraid of being expelled, but Dumbledore was fair and she was given no punishment. She was instead sent to the hospital wing with hot chocolate.
Going into her second year, Ginny was still shy around Harry. She’d enjoyed a happy summer in Egypt with her family, after Mr. Weasley had managed to win a lottery, but on returning to Hogwarts the atmosphere was darkened by the news of Sirius’ Black’s escape. Ginny was still awkward around Harry, but she did manage to share a laugh with him at the expense of her older brother, Percy.
Ginny was with Harry during the Dementor attack. Although it was Harry who fainted, Ginny was the worst affected after him. Victims of trauma suffer the worst from Dementors and after her last year Ginny was no exception – though she didn’t pass out, she was reduced to tears and trembled violently.
In her third year, Ginny, on having Harry and Hermione over for the Quidditch World Cup, was able to develop a friendship with Hermione because, as the two girls, they shared a tent. This bond was helpful for Ginny, because Hermione encouraged her to come out of her shell around Harry, and to try dating other boys. When near Harry, Ginny was consequently calmer, and able to hold conversations with him. Ginny was also the only confidante Hermione had when she needed to discuss her own love life, as Hermione brought up the fact she’d been asked out by Victor Krum.
Going into her fourth year, Ginny became one of the members of the DA. Although Cho had come up with the name Defense Association, it was Ginny who suggested the name “DA” could stand for Dumbledore’s Army, and her version stuck. Her family also came to live at Grimmauld Place, Sirius’s home and the quarters for the Order of the Phoenix. By this time, Ginny had also lost her shyness around Harry; she was dating Michael Corner at the time, having met him at the Yule Ball, and she was able to hang out with Harry. Tonks was also a good friend, acting as a kind of older sister to Ginny and Hermione.
Despite only being a year younger than Harry and his friends, Ginny was often treated like a little girl. Again, her friendship with Hermione proved helpful because, when she was asked to sit out any meetings relating to the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione would relay all the information to her.
Ginny showed more of her personality to Harry. He got to know her sense of humour, as well as what she was capable of. Her skill with curses impressed not only Harry, but her brothers too. She was especially skilled at the Disarming Charm and the Reductor Curse. Moreover, she was the first to give Luna Lovegood a chance, defending Luna and introducing the unusual girl to Harry.
When Umbridge banned Harry from the Quidditch team, Ginny assumed the role of Seeker. Although Harry would return the following year, Ginny would keep a position on the team and act as a Chaser.
During his fifth year, Harry was concerned Voldemort was possessing him. He was having dreams of real events, including the attack on Mr. Weasley, and he was feeling Voldemort’s anger. Lashing out at others, and half believing he’d attacked Mr. Weasley himself, he hid himself away. He was afraid of hurting his friends, but when they confronted him Ginny expressed some frustration with Harry.
After all, Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort herself. When she shared her symptoms of the experience with Harry, he was comforted; his experience, while terrifying, was different, and it was another moment Ginny had been able to open up to Harry.
Ginny became closer to Harry around Easter, having a one on one conversation with him. She encouraged him to talk to Cho, and agreed to help him when he wanted to talk to Sirius. She also beat Cho’s team at Quidditch, earning a victory over Ravenclaw, and she broke up with Michael Corner because he was sulking over his team’s loss.
When Harry rushed to save Sirius from the Department of Mysteries, Ginny, along with Luna and Neville, joined the Golden Trio. There she survived a fight against skilled Death Eaters, though her ankle was broken in the skirmish.
Going into her fifth year, Ginny dated Dean Thomas (a choice which made Ron sulk, given Dean was his friend). On watching Ron’s reaction, Harry began to feel uncomfortable, because he was developing feelings for Ginny – though he tried to deny he wasn’t, his fantasies about going out with her left him feeling guilty.
As a result of her skill with hexes, Ginny was invited into Professor Slughorn’s “Slug Club.” Harry and Hermione also made the club, while Ron didn’t. Ron had an argument with Ginny for kissing Dean where other people might see, and she retorted that his discomfort came from a lack of being kissed himself. They continued to fight throughout the year, while Harry tried to bury his own emotions.
Ginny and Dean ended up fighting constantly about little things, but Ginny was able to grow closer to Harry as a friend because of Quidditch. They could bond over the game, and during practices; Ginny was an asset to the Gryffindors, doing well as a Seeker, and excelling as a Chaser, and regular practices allowed her to see Harry, who was the Quidditch Captain, frequently. She also won the Quidditch cup as Seeker when Harry was given detention.
Though Ginny finally got to date Harry towards the end of the year, Harry broke it off shortly afterwards for fear Voldemort would hurt her. Heading into the summer, Ginny couldn’t help giving Harry a last and passionate kiss, despite their break up; she suspected he’d soon be leaving, and wanted him to have something he could remember her by.
Ginny could have a mean side. She didn’t like her sister-in-law, Fleur, at first, saddling her with the nickname “Phlegm” behind her back. Ginny was also not afraid to jinx those who annoyed her, and the irritating Zacharias Smith was one student to suffer from her curses.
With the Golden Trio out of Hogwarts, Ginny, along with Luna and Neville, became the leader of the DA. The Silver Trio rebelled against Snape and his Death Eater led Hogwarts, and the three broke into his office in an attempt to steal Gryffindor’s Sword. Though they were caught, their detention was nothing unusual – they were sent to serve it in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid overseeing them. The Silver Trio also graffitied the castle walls, leaving the message, “Dumbledore’s Army, Still Recruiting.” When Luna was captured, Ginny continued to run the DA with Neville.
Ginny’s family was forced to go into hiding when it was learned that Ron was helping Harry, but Ginny returned for the Battle of Hogwarts – along with graduates Lee Jordan and Cho Chang. When it became clear that Cho still had feelings for Harry, offering to lead him to the Ravenclaw Tower, Ginny insisted Luna accompany him instead.
Her family didn’t want Ginny involved in the fight, but she disobeyed and proved useful when she shot jinxes at the Death Eaters. With Hermione and Luna by her side, she fought Bellatrix. Bellatrix fired the Killing Curse at Ginny; it nearly struck her, and both Harry and Molly charged towards Bellatrix. However, it was Molly, in one of her finest moments, who defeated Bellatrix.
As with other characters in the series, Ginny had a successful career post-Hogwarts. Her skills as a Quidditch player were such that she could play professionally, assuming a position on the Holyhead Harpies. The Holyhead Harpies were an all-female team, and when the birth of her children led to Ginny leaving the team, she still remained in the Quidditch sphere as the Daily Prophet’s Quidditch correspondent.
Ginny married Harry, and the three children they had together were James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. Ginny offered coverage of the Quidditch World Cup in 2014, but she wasn’t the only one – Rita Skeeter was also there, trying to assert her own version of events. She kept trying to correct Ginny’s work, but this wasn’t Rita’s worst blunder: she crossed the line when she described Harry as “publicity hungry” in Ginny’s earshot. Consequently, Rita came to suffer from a mysterious jinx.
When Albus, alongside Scorpius Malfoy, got into trouble with a Time Turner, Ginny joined Malfoy and the Golden Trio in their trip through time to rescue their kids. By 2020, Ginny was also working for the Daily Prophet as the sports editor.
Like Neville, Ginny also did some work with the Statute of Secrecy Task Force; she taught them how to take less damage if they fell off their brooms, as well as how to cast the Bat-Bogey Hex.
Fan response to Ginny’s portrayal in the films may have had as much to do with the popularity of the character as anything. Ginny remains one of the best loved characters in the series; in scanning fan art, Ginny continues to pop up alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione. With her tough attitude, clever sense of humour, and loyalty, it’s easy to love Ginny.
Of course, Ginny isn’t without her flaws, being prone to hexing people who annoy her and judging Fleur before getting to know her better, but she’s an independent person who goes after what she wants – no matter what others say. Even if she has to go against her family’s wishes, or break a few rules, Ginny finds a way to achieve her goals.
Which Harry Potter character is your favourite? Do you wish the films had shown more of Ginny’s personality as presented in the books? Sound off in the comments. And if you enjoyed this video, like and subscribe. Thank you for listening, and happy reading.
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