Ronald Weasley

"He says very funny things sometimes, doesn't he? But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year."

- Luna Lovegood on Ron Weasley

Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley, born March 1, 1980, is a pure-blood wizard and the sixth and youngest son of Molly and Arthur Weasley. He takes his middle name from his Uncle Bilius, who saw a Grim and died a day later.

Ron began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991, and was sorted into Gryffindor house. He soon became best friends with fellow student Harry Potter and later Hermione Granger. Together, they faced many challenges during their adolescence, including keeping the Philosopher's Stone from Quirinus Quirrell, saving Ron’s sister from the Chamber of Secrets, forming Dumbledore's Army, and fighting in numerous battles of the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and the Battle over Little Whinging. Ron also became a Gryffindor Prefect and a Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during his school years. He skipped his last year of school in order to accompany Harry and Hermione on a quest to destroy the Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort, and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. After the war, Ron worked at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with his brother George for a time, and later became an Auror. He and Hermione eventually married and had two children: Rose and Hugo Weasley.

Early Life
Ron Weasley was the sixth of seven children born to Arthur and Molly Weasley (née Prewett). He was born during the height of the First Wizarding War, during which his father was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, as were his maternal uncles Gideon and Fabian Prewett, who both died fighting Death Eaters. The wizarding world became peaceful again, for a time, after Lord Voldemort’s first defeat on October 31, 1981.

"Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental. Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."

- Ron on his brothers' attempt to get him to make an Unbreakable Vow

Ron and his five older brothers – Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George – as well as his younger sister, Ginny, grew up in the Burrow in Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon. The Weasley family was not financially well off, which they tried their best to make up for with love, though many other pure-blood families disdained them for their “blood traitor” beliefs and lack of wealth. The Weasley siblings were fond of teasing and pranking each other, and Ron was a particular target for Fred and George. They once transfigured his teddy bear into a giant spider, sparking his arachnophobia, and nearly got him to make an Unbreakable Vow on another occasion, which their father was furious with them for.

First Year at Hogwarts
Ron began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 at the customary age of eleven. He was sorted into Gryffindor House, like every other member of his family. On his first trip on the Hogwarts Express, Ron met and became fast friends with Harry Potter, the famous Boy Who Lived. Harry showed Ron great generosity by purchasing a quantity of snacks from the Hogwarts Express Food Trolley to share with Ron, and that simple act set in motion a lifelong friendship. Examples of this included: Harry standing up for Ron against bigot bully Draco Malfoy, reassuring Harry that it was not his fault that Severus Snape], the Potions Master gave him a hard time; agreeing to act as his second during what would be a midnight duel but was in actuality a dirty trick by Draco to get Harry and Ron in trouble.

Ron and Harry also first met Hermione Granger on the train, but didn’t particularly like her. Ron, especially, was annoyed by what he saw as Hermione showing off her knowledge of magic, such as when she corrected him on the pronunciation of the incantation for a Hovering Charm. He insulted her to Harry prior to the Halloween feast, which she overheard, and went running to the girl's bathroom in tears. In the evening, during the holiday feast, it was announced that a troll was loose in the school. Ron and Harry came to Hermione's rescue, and she, in turn, lied to protect them from the professors. The three have been best friends ever since.

During their first year, the three of them learned of the Philosopher's Stone and sought to protect it from being acquired by Quirinus Quirrell, who was acting on behalf of Lord Voldemort. Ron's talent in Wizard's Chess, owed to an old and battered chess set that was passed to him from a grandfather, became a life-saving asset when the trio came to Professor McGonagall's contribution to the protection of the Philosopher’s Stone. During the life-sized game of Wizard's Chess, Ron sacrificed himself as a game piece so Harry could place the enemy king in checkmate, allowing Harry and Hermione to move on. Ultimately, the three succeeded in defeating Quirrell and protecting the Philosopher's Stone, and Ron was awarded fifty House points by Albus Dumbledore for "the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years", contributing to Gryffindor winning the House Cup.

Second Year at Hogwarts
In the summer of 1992, Ron and his older twin brothers, in a harebrained scheme to rescue Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive, drove their father's Flying Ford Anglia to the Muggle town of Little Whinging and tore the bars off of Harry's bedroom window using the car's horsepower. At the start of that year's school term, Ron and Harry missed the Hogwarts Express because of the meddling of the house-elf, Dobby, and were forced to use the Ford Anglia to travel to Hogwarts. At the end of their journey, the car malfunctioned, causing the boys to crash-land into the Whomping Willow. They were nearly killed when it retaliated, and the car jettisoned them and took off into the Forbidden Forest, where it remains to this day.

Ron's wand was damaged in the crash, causing him problems for the entire school year. For instance, it backfired when Ron attempted to curse Draco Malfoy in retaliation for him calling Hermione by the extremely offensive term “Mudblood”. Malfoy’s derision for Muggle-borns led Ron, Harry, and Hermione to suspect that he was the Heir of Slytherin who opened the Chamber of Secrets that year, unleashing a “monster” that began to attack Muggle-born students.

To investigate this theory, Hermione brewed Polyjuice Potion; Ron was made to impersonate Vincent Crabbe and Harry impersonated Gregory Goyle, while Hermione’s transformation was unsuccessful because she mistook hair from Millicent Bulstrode’s cat for her own. Ron and Harry realised that Malfoy was not the Heir of Slytherin, and were both greatly upset when Hermione became another victim of the “monster”, ending up petrified in the hospital wing, though she left her friends a clue that led them to deduce that the monster was a basilisk.

Ron showed incredible bravery during the course of their investigation by venturing into the Forbidden Forest to an Acromantula den led by Aragog, in spite of his extreme fear of spiders. When he and Harry realized that Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, was dying in the Chamber of Secrets, they raced to save her. Professor Gilderoy Lockhart attempted to wipe their memories in order to take credit for their efforts in a bid for fame, but he used Ron’s damaged wand. The spell backfired, causing permanent amnesia in Lockhart.

Ron was honoured with a Special Award for Services to the School, as well as earning two hundred House points for Gryffindor for his work concerning re-sealing the Chamber of Secrets.

Third Year at Hogwarts
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!"

- Ron when he believed that Sirius Black was trying to kill Harry

Ron’s third year would be marked by school-wide fear of Sirius Black, who had escaped from Azkaban and who was believed to be the wizard who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort when Harry was an infant. Sirius was believed to be deranged and seeking to murder Harry. Ron, Harry and Hermione’s fear over this wasn't helped when Ron had a close encounter with Sirius, claiming that he stood over his bed with a knife, and when Professor Trelawney repeatedly predicted Harry’s demise in one of their new classes, Divination.

Ron, Harry and Hermione also suffered social strain, mostly revolving around Hermione’s new magical familiar, part-Kneazle cat Crookshanks, and Ron’s pet rat, Scabbers. Crookshanks behaved aggressively towards Scabbers multiple times, and when Scabbers went missing – and Ron found a blood stain and three ginger cat hairs on his bed sheets – Ron blamed Crookshanks, and ceased speaking to Hermione. There was more strain when Hermione turned in the new Firebolt Harry received anonymously to Professor McGonagall, suspecting that it had been jinxed and sent by Sirius. However, the friends made up after Hagrid scolded the boys for their treatment of Hermione, and Ron offered to help her in her defense of the hippogriff Buckbeak, charged with attacking Draco Malfoy during a Care of Magical Creatures class. Their efforts proved to be futile, however, as Buckbeak was sentenced to death by beheading. While they comforted Hagrid on Buckbeak's impending death, Hermione found Scabbers hiding in a milk jug.

As the three left Hagrid's hut to return to the school, Scabbers panicked, bit Ron, and tried to run away. Scabbers was actually being hunted by Sirius Black who, in the Animagus form of a black dog, pounced on Ron and Scabbers and dragged them into a hidden passage under the Whomping Willow. Ron's leg was broken in the foray, leaving him unable to participate in the events that followed. Harry and Hermione, closely followed by Professors Remus Lupin and Severus Snape, followed the passage to the Shrieking Shack. It came out that Scabbers was in fact Peter Pettigrew – the true betrayer of Harry’s parents who framed Sirius for his crimes and faked his death by hiding in his Animagus form of a rat. Ron was shocked and horrified to learn that the animal companion who he had shared his bed with for years was really a murderous Death Eater.

While Ron recovered from his injury, Harry and Hermione saved Sirius from being given the Dementor's Kiss using Hermione’s Time-Turner – as well as Buckbeak, whom Sirius flew away on. Sirius sent Ron an owl to make up for his loss of Scabbers, and Ginny named him Pigwidgeon, or “Pig”.

Fourth Year at Hogwarts
"Look, it’s always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it’s not your fault. I know you don’t ask for it...but – well – you know, Ron’s got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you’re his best friend, and you’re really famous – he’s always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many...."

- Hermione Granger on Ron after Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire

In the summer of 1994, Ron invited Harry and Hermione to accompany his family to the Quidditch World Cup. The Weasley family obtained tickets from Ludo Bagman in thanks for help with a family problem. Ron was in awe of his favorite Quidditch player, Viktor Krum, who was the Seeker for the Bulgarian Team. During the match, Ron tried to repay Harry for all the generosity Harry had shown to the Weasley family over the years with the Leprechaun gold given out by the Irish Team's mascots, not realizing that it would later become useless.

Ron was thrilled to learn that Krum and other students from the Durmstrang Institute would be attending Hogwarts that year to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, as well as students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Ron was highly tempted to try to participate in the contest, despite the age restrictions; the prospect of fame and the prize money of 1000 Galleons were very attractive to him. When Harry was unexpectedly chosen as a fourth Champion, Ron was among the many students who suspected that Harry had cheated to get his name in the Goblet of Fire, and jealous of the fact that Harry, already famous and wealthy, was getting even more glory. This led to a temporary rift in their friendship, despite Hermione's attempts to reconcile them. After the First Task, however, Ron realized how truly dangerous the Tournament was and that Harry would never have willingly volunteered himself for it, and the friends made up.

During that same year, Ron found himself baffled at the differences in maturity levels of girls and boys his age. When the Yule Ball took place before the Christmas holidays, Ron and Harry realized they had put off asking any girls to accompany them and almost everyone had committed to dates. Charmed by the beauty of Fleur Delacour, the Triwizard Champion from Beauxbatons and a Part-Veela, Ron clumsily asked her to attend the ball with him, but fled in horrified embarrassment. He also offended Hermione first by not asking her, and then by suggesting that she didn't have a date and thus could accompany him. Harry was eventually able to get them both dates with Parvati and Padma Patil. Ron's "traditional" dress robes were so old-fashioned and ugly that it embarrassed Padma to be seen with him, and the twins were further annoyed when Harry and Ron did not ask them to dance. While Harry watched Cho Chang, Ron was overcome with jealousy over Hermione attending the ball with his Quidditch idol, Viktor Krum. This led to a blazing row between them during the end of the Yule Ball; though their friendship did not suffer, it was clear that both held unresolved feelings for one another.

During the Second Task of the Tournament, Ron was Harry's "hostage", while Hermione was Viktor's. Harry used Gillyweed to breathe water temporarily and successfully saved Ron. The Third Task, however, ended in tragedy - both Harry and Cedric Diggory touched the Triwizard Cup, unaware that it had covertly been turned into a Portkey by Barty Crouch Jr., who had posed a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor Moody all year. That evening, Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort was reborn.

Fifth Year at Hogwarts
"Weasley cannot save a thing, He can't block a single ring. That's why Slytherins all sing, Weasley is our king!..."

- Slytherins mock Ron about his Keeper abilities

With Voldemort’s second rise to power, the Order of the Phoenix was reconvened. Ron, along with Harry and Hermione, became a member of sorts, although they were too young to become full-fledged members. Most of Ron’s family members were Order members, though his brother Percy became estranged from the family when he made it clear that his allegiance was to the Ministry of Magic, which was denying that Voldemort had returned and encouraging the press to portray Harry and Albus Dumbledore as either liar or a nutters.

It came as a surprise to everyone, even Ron, when he was made a Gryffindor Prefect before the beginning of the school year, as was Hermione. Percy wrote Ron a letter congratulating him for this, as well as urging him to cut ties with Harry. Ron was furious with him. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor during Ron’s fifth year was Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry official sent there more to keep an eye on Dumbledore than to teach. Umbridge refused to allow students to learn the subject in any practical way, forcing them only to read their textbooks and not to practice spells. Ron and Hermione encouraged Harry to undertake a project to teach their fellow students practical defence – leading to the formation of Dumbledore's Army.

During that same year, Ron tried out for the position of Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, which was left open when Oliver Wood graduated from Hogwarts. Ron achieved the position, but suffered from poor nerves, which were needled by Slytherin students. Draco Malfoy invented a song called Weasley is Our King to mock Ron’s abilities, and the Slytherins took to singing it during Gryffindor matches. Much to their dismay, however, Ron managed to block almost every single shot in the final match. Later that year, Harry had a dream that Arthur Weasley was attacked by Nagini in the Department of Mysteries. That vision turned out to be a witnessing of an actual event. Ron was shaken by his father’s injury, but Arthur made a full recovery. When Harry had a similar dream of Sirius Black being tortured by Lord Voldemort at the end of the year, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom ventured to the Ministry of Magic by themselves to rescue him.

Harry's vision was in actuality a trick designed to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries so Voldemort could obtain an orb from the Hall of Prophecies. The six D.A. members were ambushed by twelve Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy. During the battle that ensued, Ron became separated from Harry and Hermione. He was hit with a jinx that made him highly disoriented and amused at everything. Because of this jinx, when the adolescents were reunited in the Thought Chamber, Ron was highly amused by a tank of brains under study and summoned them to himself. The brains, animated like jellyfish, attacked him. Though he received scars from the ordeal, he made a full mental recovery.

Sixth Year at Hogwarts
During the summer following the battle, Ron learned he had received seven O.W.L.s, only failing Divination and History of Magic. Ron explained he didn't mind, as he wasn't planning to take those in his sixth year, regardless.

Ron would suffer much personal turmoil in his sixth year. He was nervous about Quidditch try-outs, but beat out Cormac McLaggen in saves, partly because Hermione cast a Confundus Charm on McLaggen in retaliation for him insulting Ron and Ginny. He was also envious when Harry and Hermione were invited to the Slug Club, while the new Potions professor Horace Slughorn ignored him. Ron was mollified about this when Hermione asked if he would like to attend the club's Christmas party with her, and he agreed.

Ron was also worried over his sister's increasing involvement with boys, and after stumbling upon her kissing Dean Thomas, he blew up at her. In retaliation, Ginny belittled him for his complete inexperience with the opposite gender, declaring that Harry and Hermione had also snogged people. The siblings treated each other coldly afterward, and Ron was so bothered by this — and by the revelation that Hermione had kissed Viktor Krum almost two years earlier — that he began to perform poorly in Quidditch. He even offered to resign from the team. To boost his confidence, Harry pretended to pour the potion Felix Felicis into Ron's pumpkin juice at breakfast. Harry even allowed Hermione to see the vial so she would object to the cheating. This convinced Ron that he had an edge in the game, which caused him to play excellently. However, when after the match Harry revealed it was a trick, Ron rounded on Hermione and accused her of having no faith in his abilities. Shortly thereafter, Ron began his exhibitionist relationship with Lavender Brown. Hermione, incredibly angry and hurt by Ron's vindictive actions, conjured a flock of canaries to attack him; the birds scratched Ron badly and he and Hermione ceased being on speaking terms. Hermione attended the Christmas party she had originally wanted to attend with Ron with his hated rival, Cormac McLaggen, while Ron snogged Lavender in public and made fun of Hermione's behavior in Transfiguration class, reducing her to tears. By Christmas break, however, Ron was becoming disenchanted with his relationship with Lavender, who had become increasingly possessive and annoyed him with the nickname "Won-Won" and a gift of a necklace. Hermione did not come to the the Burrow for the holidays, as she usually did, and Ron made an attempt to speak to her after returning to school, but she ignored him. In March, Ron ate chocolate that he believed to be from his birthday presents, but was in fact a gift from Romilda Vane to Harry and spiked with a love potion. Upon ingesting the chocolate, Ron became maddened with an obsessive need to see and be with Romilda. When he was taken to Slughorn's office to get an antidote, he was nearly killed by poisoned mead intended for Albus Dumbledore. Harry managed to save Ron with a bezoar. A panic-stricken Hermione arrived at the hospital wing, forgetting her anger with him. Ron said Hermione's name in his sleep and the two quietly reconciled after his near-death experience. Ron also took to faking being asleep whenever Lavender tried to visit him. His subsequent avoidance of Lavender and simultaneous spending more time with Hermione made Lavender suspicious; after she spotted him and Hermione leaving the boys' dormitories, seemingly alone (Harry was with them, but under his Invisibility Cloak), Lavender ended the relationship, much to Ron's relief.

On the night of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Ron took Felix Felicis on Harry's instructions, along with Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He was shaken by his oldest brother Bill's scarring at the hands of the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Shortly afterwards, Ron attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, where he comforted a sobbing Hermione. He and Hermione informed Harry of their intention to accompany him on a quest to locate and destroy the Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort, foregoing their seventh year of school.

Summer of 1997
During the summer of 1997, Ron began planning ahead for his mission with Harry and Hermione. With the help of his father and Fred and George, Ron transfigured the family ghoul to resemble himself sick with spattergroit, which would serve as his alibi while traveling with his friends. In late July, he participated in the Order's operation to remove Harry from his childhood home, taking Polyjuice Potion to be one of the "seven Potters". He flew with Nymphadora Tonks; they were pursued by at least three Death Eaters during the battle, including Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Ron stunned one Death Eater while flying. Once Ron, Harry and Hermione were all convened at the Burrow, they made plans to leave, much to the displeasure of Ron's worried mother.

The trio attended the wedding of Ron's older brother Bill to Fleur Delacour on August 1. Ron was irked that Viktor Krum was a guest, especially since he immediately complimented Hermione, who Ron quickly asked to dance. When Viktor asked a disguised Harry about the pair, he was disappointed to learn that they were "sort of" together. The celebrations were interrupted with the news that the Ministry of Magic had fallen to Voldemort, and Hermione Disapparated herself, Ron and Harry away from the danger to Tottenham Court Road. After they were ambushed by Death Eaters Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle there, they took refuge in Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

There, the trio learned from Kreacher that Regulus Black had stolen the Horcrux Voldemort had made of Salazar Slytherin's locket in 1979, and that it was now in the possession of Dolores Umbridge. They formulated a plan to infiltrate the Ministry, involving the use of Polyjuice Potion to assume the forms of Ministry employees. Ron, disguised as Reginald Cattermole, quickly found himself forced to separate from his friends, as Death Eater and new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Yaxley demanded that "Cattermole" fix the rain in his office. The trio reunited after Harry and Hermione stole the locket from Umbridge and freed some Muggle-born witches and wizards being held by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, and then escaped, but were forced to abandon Grimmauld Place as a hideout.

Leaving and Returning to his Friends
Afterward, weeks passed with no further progress. This, as well as the locket's negative influence, caused great tension and animosity amongst the group of friends. When he wore the locket, Ron was sullen and suspicious, lashing out at his friends and continuously complaining. Ron abruptly abandoned his friends one evening after getting into a fight with Harry over the additional task of locating the Sword of Gryffindor in order to destroy the locket. He accused Harry of having no plan and of not being very concerned about Ginny, whom they had learned was punished back at Hogwarts. When Ron asked if Hermione was going with him and she told him that she was staying, he accused her of choosing Harry over him, and left, despite Hermione screaming for him to come back.

As soon as he was outside the influence of the Horcrux, Ron came to his senses and tried to return. However, he had a run-in with Snatchers first, who interrogated him. Ron claimed to be Stan Shunpike, and then took an opportunity to escape. He Apparated numerous times to try to find Harry and Hermione, Splinching fingernails off at one point, but could not find them. He then went to stay with Bill and Fleur at Shell Cottage. Soon after Christmas, Ron used the Deluminator Dumbledore bequeathed him to locate his friends.

"I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible… Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter… Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend… Second best, always, eternally overshadowed…"

- The Locket Horcrux taunting Ron about his darkest fears

Ron made his way to the Forest of Dean, where he arrived just in time to rescue Harry from drowning in a semi-frozen pond. When Ron attempted to use Godric Gryffindor's sword to destroy the locket, horrible, spectral images came forth which cruelly mocked Ron to the point of tears. However, Ron successfully destroyed the Horcrux. This earned him Harry's forgiveness, but Hermione — who was unaware of what the Horcrux had done — was still furious with him for his abandonment for some time and attacked him mercilessly upon sight until Harry cast the Shield Charm to stop her.

The Lovegood House, Malfoy Manor and Gringotts
The trio learned of the existence of the Deathly Hallows from Xenophilius Lovegood after they visited him near the end of the year. Xenophilius, worried for his daughter Luna, who was being held hostage by Death Eaters, tried to capture the trio. They narrowly escaped, Hermione engineering it in a way that preserved Ron's alibi of being sick at home. While Harry obsessed over the Hallows, Ron and Hermione thought they should focus on finding the Horcruxes, as Dumbledore had instructed them.

During the Easter holidays of 1998, the trio was captured by a gang of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback after Harry broke the Taboo curse on Voldemort's name. They were brought to Malfoy Manor, where Ron tried to persuade Bellatrix Lestrange to take him for questioning instead of Hermione, but was forced into the dungeon with Harry, Dean Thomas, and others while Hermione was tortured above. Her screams reduced Ron to sobs. The group was saved by Dobby, who was sent by Aberforth Dumbledore and who freed Harry and Ron to run upstairs to save Hermione, who managed to lie under torture about where they had obtained Godric Gryffindor's Sword. Ron disarmed Bellatrix and pulled Hermione from the wreckage of the fallen chandelier, Disapparating them to Shell Cottage.

There, Hermione recovered and she, Ron, and Harry planned to break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank in order to take the Horcrux within the Lestrange Vault. Griphook the goblin agreed to help them in exchange for Gryffindor's Sword, and they snuck in with Hermione disguised as Bellatrix, Ron as a fictional foreign wizard named "Dragomir Despard", and Harry under his Invisibility Cloak with Griphook. Although they were betrayed by Griphook, the trio obtained Helga Hufflepuff's Cup and escaped the bank on the back of a dragon. They then headed back to Hogwarts, where another Horcrux was located.

Battle of Hogwarts
While Harry searched for Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, Ron and Hermione entered the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve Basilisk fangs. Ron mimicked the Parseltongue he had heard Harry use to open Salazar Slytherin's Locket and succeeded in gaining entrance to the Chamber. Hermione used the fangs to destroy the Horcrux of Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, and they then reunited with Harry. When Ron expressed desire to evacuate the house-elves from the Hogwarts Kitchens, Hermione, who had always been concerned for creatures so often mistreated by society, was so touched that she kissed him, much to Ron's delight. However, their kiss was interrupted by Harry, who pointed out that there was a war going on.

Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Room of Requirement to find Ravenclaw's diadem, but were ambushed by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. When Crabbe unleashed a cursed fire, the trio escaped by means of broomsticks; Harry saved Draco, and Ron and Hermione saved Goyle. They then witnessed the death of Ron's brother Fred in combat, which devastated Ron, who wanted revenge. Hermione managed to calm him by reminding him that they would have to fight on their way to finding Nagini, Voldemort's final Horcrux. The trio made their way to the Shrieking Shack, and witnessed the snake kill Severus Snape on Voldemort's orders.

During the pause in the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron went to the Great Hall, where Bill comforted him over Fred's death and Hermione comforted Ginny. Harry made use of their distraction to slip out and confront Voldemort. Following his alleged death, the battle resumed, and Ron and Neville Longbottom brought down Fenrir Greyback together. Ron witnessed Harry defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all, and survived the battle without serious injury.

Later Life
Ron Weasley never received a seventh year of education at Hogwarts. Instead, he obtained brief employment with his brother George at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on Diagon Alley. Following this, Ron obtained employment through the Ministry of Magic as an Auror, along with Harry. Their work in the Ministry revolutionized the Auror department, and, along with Hermione, they helped "make a new world" for the wizarding community.

Sometime between 1998 and 2006, Ron married Hermione, and the couple had two children: Rose and Hugo. Ron is also the godfather and uncle of Harry and Ginny's older son, James. At some point, Ron, Harry and Hermione were all featured on Chocolate Frog Cards for their accomplishments, which Ron considered his "finest hour".

In August of 2017, Ron obtained a Muggle driver's license, perhaps indicating that, like his father Arthur, he had an interest in Muggle Studies. He also admitted to putting a Confundus Charm on the Muggle driving inspector because he had forgotten to use his outside mirror properly, excusing this mistake because casting a Supersensory Charm would be more effective. That year, he and Hermione saw their daughter off for her first year at Hogwarts, and Ron encouraged Rose to be sorted into Gryffindor house and to beat Scorpius Malfoy in marks.

Physical Appearance
Ron inherited the typical Weasley family traits: fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. When he becomes embarresed, his ears notably turn red. He has blue eyes, a long nose, and is described as being very tall and lanky, with big hands and big feet. In this way, his stature is similar to those of his older brothers' Bill and Percy, rather than the stockier Charlie, George, and Fred. His sister Ginny once joked to Romilda that Ron had a Pygmy Puff tattoo, though it is doubtful that the remark had any truth in it.

Personality and Traits
"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to ... Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first."

- Ron on his family's expectations

Ron is a very funny person, but often emotionally immature and insensitive. He has a sardonic, wisecracking sense of humour that often brought his friends laughter and relaxation. However, as Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood have pointed out, his humour can occasionally be hurtful, even unintentionally. Hermione was frequently frustrated with Ron's immaturity, once commenting that he had the "emotional range of a teaspoon". During his time searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes with Harry and Hermione, Ron matured greatly, and even took to leading the trio when Harry temporarily fell into a depressive mood.

Ron's character is also marked by moodiness and insecurity. He can be argumentative, a trait particularly displayed in his bickering with Hermione. He also has a fierce temper, which is especially prone to provocation if his loved ones are insulted. Ron frequently demonstrated great bravery in attempting to protect those he loves, from facing his arachnophobia to stand by Harry in his second year to trying to take Hermione's place when Bellatrix Lestrange isolated her for interrogation with the Cruciatus Curse.

As a boy, Ron was very sensitive about his family's poverty, and sometimes embarrassed by them. Many, if not all, of Ron's possessions were hand-me-downs, including his robes, school books, wand, and even a pet rat whom he called Scabbers. His family's lack of finances often made Ron a target for taunting by Draco Malfoy, a spoiled, arrogant Slytherin. Ron was also prone to insecurity about his abilities, when compared to his older siblings and to his famous best friend. Although passionate about Quidditch, especially the Chudley Cannons, and a fine flyer, Ron had a problem with nerves, and sometimes his playing ability suffered for it. Salazar Slytherin's Locket revealed that Ron's deepest fears were that his mother loved him least and that Hermione preferred Harry to him. He also suffers from arachnophobia, a fear originating from his brother Fred transfiguring his teddy bear into a spider when Ron was a child.

Ron is particularly fond of food. He has a tendency to talk with his mouth full, often to Hermione's annoyance, and a great fondness for bacon sandwiches, though he dislikes Corned beef sandwiches, as mentioned in his first year.

Magical Ability and Skills
Ron initially used his brother Charlie's old, chipped wand, made of ash with a unicorn hair sticking out of the end. He held the wand together with Spellotape after nearly breaking it in half at the start of his second year, but it malfunctioned dreadfully after this, backfiring spells, making strange noises, and emitting objects out from the wrong end. It eventually exploded. Before his third year, he received a new wand, fourteen inches, willow and unicorn hair. This wand seemed to suit him better.

Ron has a great talent for Wizard's Chess, indicating his tactical ability and talent for thinking outside of the box. For example, it was Ron who suggested that Harry use Felix Felicis to try to get Horace Slughorn's memory of telling Tom Riddle about the Horcruxes, and Ron's idea to go to the Chamber of Secrets in order to get Basilisk fangs to destroy the Horcruxes. Ron was also able to keep a level head in highly stressful situations, and was generally more pragmatic than either of his best friends.

Ron's talent in battle was not shown until 1997, though it is notable that he survived both the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower before this. He fought well in the Battle over Little Whinging, stunning a Death Eater while flying. He also disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange and saved Hermione during the Battle of Malfoy Manor, and took down Fenrir Greyback with Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron also could produce a full Patronus by his fifth year, which takes the shape of a Jack Russell Terrier. Later in life, Ron became an Auror, thus demonstrating skill in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Family
Ron has a close relationship with his family members. Although he was sometimes embarrassed by their lack of wealth, Ron was also fiercely defensive of his parents if others insulted them, and was outraged when his brother Percy called their father a failure and greatly upset their mother with his estrangement.

Ron looked up to his older brothers Bill and Charlie, though their accomplishments also made him feel insecure about what he had to live up to. Percy tried to be a role model for Ron, but he considered his brother rather stuffy, and took after George and Fred more in terms of personality. Notably, Ron was the only family member Percy contacted after his estrangement from his family, and the one who comforted Ron over Fred's death during the Battle of Hogwarts. The twins delighted in teasing Ron, as did his younger sister Ginny, though they were all quite close. Ron was very protective of Ginny, particularly in disapproving of her love life, which sometimes led to them fighting.



Harry Potter
Harry Potter was Ron's best friend and became like another brother to him. Like all brothers, they sometimes fought. When Harry was chosen by the Goblet of Fire as Champion for the Triwizard Tournament, Ron believed Harry had indeed cheated to get into the contest. The two briefly fell out, but the friendship was repaired after the Tournament's First Task, when Ron realized that Harry could possibly lose his life to an event he had genuinely not wanted to enter. The two had another falling out in 1997, when the negative energy in Salazar Slytherin's locket affected Ron to the point of making him resentful of Harry and unreasonably jealous of Harry's relationship with their other best friend and Ron's love interest, Hermione Granger. Ron temporarily abandoned his friends, though he instantly regretted it, and returned to save Harry's life. By and large, Ron has been fiercely loyal to Harry and risked life and limb on countless occasions for him. The two eventually became brothers-in-law, and Ron would be godfather to Harry's oldest child.

Hermione Granger
"Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

- Hermione to Ron when he fails to ask her to the Yule Ball

Ron's relationship with Hermione was rocky, but by and large, the two were good friends for most of their adolescence, with building romantic tension that culminated in a kiss during the Battle of Hogwarts. When Ron first met Hermione on the Hogwarts Express for their first year, he found her annoying for "showing off" in class and trying to stop him from getting into trouble. He and Harry became friends with her after they saved her from a mountain troll and she lied to the professors to prevent them from getting into trouble. Ever since, the trio were best friends, in spite of Ron and Hermione's tendency to bicker, though neither seemed at all bothered by this.

Ron first began showing signs of romantic interest in Hermione in their second year; he was irritated by her crush on Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart, became so angry that Draco Malfoy called her a "Mudblood" that he tried to hex him, and was very upset when she became one of the victims of the basilisk. In their third year, Ron and Hermione had their first real fight, when Ron accused Hermione's cat familiar Crookshanks of eating his pet rat Scabbers, which had gone missing. The two stopped speaking to each other for a time, but made up after Hagrid scolded Ron and Harry for their treatment of Hermione; Ron offered to help her with Buckbeak's trial, and Hermione hugged him. In their fourth year, Ron and Hermione's romantic feelings for one another began to grow and become more obvious. Hermione was jealous of Ron's crush on Fleur Delacour, the part-Veela champion from Beauxbatons, and Ron became jealous of Viktor Krum when Hermione attended the Yule Ball with him after Ron failed to ask her quickly, and then offended her with his later clumsy attempt. They had a row about it, but their friendship only suffered slight strain. Hermione's frustration over Ron's failure to realize and act on his feelings continued into their fifth year, as she commented that he had "the emotional range of a teaspoon". Ron was visibly affected when Hermione kissed him on the cheek before his first Quidditch game and irked that Hermione maintained a correspondence with Viktor Krum.

Their sixth year would be a trying time for Ron and Hermione. When she and Harry were invited to the Slug Club, while Professor Slughorn ignored Ron, Ron became resentful and jealous. He brightened up considerably after Hermione asked him to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her. However, Ron had a row with his sister over catching her snogging Dean Thomas, in which she revealed that Hermione had snogged Viktor Krum when they were seeing each other. Ron started acting coldly towards Hermione, much to her bewilderment. In an attempt to make Ron more confident in Quidditch, Harry pretended to slip him Felix Felicis, and although Ron initially believed Harry had given it to him as well, he accused Hermione of not having faith in his abilities for believing it. All this caused Ron to begin a shallow relationship with Lavender Brown. Hermione was hurt and furious, conjuring a flock of canaries to attack Ron, after which the two did not speak for months. Hermione even retaliated by attending the aforementioned Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen, an older Gryffindor that Ron despised, purely to annoy Ron. By this time, he was growing disillusioned by his relationship with Lavender as well. When Ron was accidentally poisoned with mead, Hermione forgot her anger in her worry for him, staying by his side until he recovered, while Ron pretended to be asleep whenever Lavender visited him and said Hermione's name in his sleep. Afterwards, Ron and Hermione were closer than ever, and the former's romance with Lavender ended quickly when Lavender saw Ron and Hermione coming down from the boys dormitories together while Harry was with them under his Invisibility Cloak. At the end of the year, their growing closeness was shown when Ron gently comforted Hermione as she cried into his shoulder at Dumbledore's funeral.

Afterwards, the two grew much closer, though were only "sort of" together, according to Harry. They danced together at Bill and Fleur's wedding, where Ron also showed his continuing jealous dislike of Viktor Krum, who was a guest. During the hunt for the Horcruxes with Harry, Ron comforted Hermione several times by putting his arm around her, they held hands while sleeping, and were generally kinder to one another. When Ron temporarily left his friends, Hermione cried over him for weeks; Ron was able to return by hearing Hermione's voice saying his name come out of his Deluminator. When Ron destroyed the locket Horcrux, it taunted him with visions of his greatest fears, including that Hermione preferred Harry to him. Hermione was initially furious with Ron for his abandonment to the point of physically attacking him, though she eventually forgave him. Later on, when the trio was brought to Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix Lestrange isolated Hermione for torture, Ron begged to take her place. Bellatrix ignored him and tortured Hermione for information with repeated use of the Cruciatus Curse; hearing her screams made Ron repeatedly shout her name, and reduced him to sobs. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione was touched when Ron expressed concern for the castle's house-elves, for whom she had always been concerned, and initiated a kiss.

Sometime after the end of the Second Wizarding War, Ron and Hermione married and had two children, Rose and Hugo Weasley.

Draco Malfoy
"Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

- Draco Malfoy upon first meeting Ron

Ron and his family were looked down upon by the Malfoy family for their lack of wealthy and “blood traitor” status. Upon meeting Ron on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of their first year, Draco Malfoy immediately expressed his disdain for the Weasleys. He was further irritated when Harry turned down his offer of friendship in favor of Ron’s. Like their fathers, Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, Ron and Draco despised each other and frequently exchanged insults.

In their second year, Ron tried to hex Draco to vomit slugs after he called Hermione a “filthy little Mudblood”, but the charm backfired. He also attempted to physically attack him after Draco expressed a wish that Hermione was killed rather than petrified during the Chamber of Secrets affair. In their fourth year, Ron was immensely amused when Alastor Moody (actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise) transfigured Draco into a ferret. The following year, Draco invented the song Weasley is Our King to demean Ron’s abilities as a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After he, Harry, and Hermione saved Draco and Gregory Goyle from the Room of Requirement, Ron punched Draco in the face and called him a “two-faced bastard” upon seeing him with a Death Eater.

By 2017, Ron and his friends’ enmity with Draco had faded, though none of them were friends. Ron discouraged his daughter Rose from becoming “too friendly” with Draco’s son Scorpius.



Roommates
In addition to Harry, Ron’s roommates at Hogwarts were Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan. Although he was not as close to them as he was to Harry, Ron was nevertheless friendly with all three. Ron was one of the people to encourage Neville to be more confident and to stand up for himself when Slytherin students tried to bully him. When he and Harry had a falling out over the Goblet of Fire drawing Harry’s name, Ron spent a lot of time with Seamus and Dean. Ron stood up for Harry against Seamus when he and Harry argued about Lord Voldemort's return. Also, when Dean began dating his younger sister in 1996, Ron became irritated with him, especially after catching the two snogging.

Luna Lovegood


Ron met Luna Lovegood in 1995 on the Hogwarts Express, and found her very odd. She found him very funny, but Ron suspected she was making fun of him when she laughed uproariously at a joke he made. After getting to know her better through Dumbledore's Army, Ron gradually became fonder of Luna, especially after she was one of the only D.A. members to come to the trio’s assistance when they ventured to the Ministry of Magic and a battle ensued, during which Luna protected a cursed Ron and his injured sister. Ron was very amused when Luna commentated on a Quidditch match the following year, and when she danced by herself at the wedding of his older brother Bill and Fleur Delacour. He thought highly of her bravery, but still teased her on occasion.

Lavender Brown


Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor in Ron's year, developed a crush on Ron when they entered their sixth year. At first, Ron seemed vaguely flattered, but not particularly interested in Lavender's flirtatious behaviour. However, after becoming angry with Hermione and being taunted by Ginny over his lack of romantic experience, Ron began an exhibitionist relationship with Lavender. The couple was frequently seen snogging in public, much to the disgust of a jealous and hurt Hermione as well as Ginny, who considered him a "filthy hypocrite" because he insulted her for being caught kissing her boyfriend earlier in the year. Lavender threw herself into the relationship almost obsessively, alarming even her best friend, Parvati Patil. Lavender called Ron by the annoying nickname of "Won-Won", pressed Harry for details of Ron's feelings for her, and gave him a necklace with the words 'my sweetheart' for Christmas. Ron found these traits irritating, and admitted to Harry that the relationship consisted of little talking and mostly snogging.

By his birthday, Ron was unhappy in the relationship; he feigned sleep whenever Lavender visited him in the infirmary after his poisoning and said Hermione's name in his sleep. He was spared the task of breaking up with Lavender when she became suspicious that something was going on between him and Hermione, and ended the romance. Ron was happy to see things finished, though he felt guilty for it, but Lavender was upset for some time afterwards.

Cormac McLaggen
"Well, good luck. Hope you hammer McLag – I mean, Smith."

- Ron to Harry Potter before a Quidditch match

In 1996, Ron’s competition for the Keeper position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team was Cormac McLaggen, a Gryffindor a year above him. Before the tryouts, Hermione overheard McLaggen insulting Ron and Ginny, and placed a Confundus Charm on him that made him miss his last save. Ron thus beat him, though McLaggen claimed that this was due to favouritism. Ron greatly disliked him, which prompted Hermione to attend Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party with him to retaliate against Ron for his romance with Lavender Brown. Ron disliked McLaggen even more, and was happy when his date with Hermione did not go well and when McLaggen did not perform well as his replacement while he was in the hospital wing.

Etymology
Ronald is the Scottish form of the Scandinavian name Ragnvald, which was derived from the Old Norse Ragnvaldr, composed of the elements ragn, "advice", and valdr, "ruler". It is a cognate of the name Reginald, which is derived from the Germanic form of the name, Raginwald, meaning "the prince's counsellor". All these names carry the meaning of a person who acts as a trusted advisor to a person in power, much as Ron acted as a friend and confidant to Harry Potter.

Bilius comes from the word "bile", as one of the four humours discussed by Ancient Greek philosophers. Yellow bile was connected to the element of fire, which is the element of Gryffindor house, and someone with an excess of it was believed to be bad-tempered, as Ron is. The English adjective "bilious" also applies to those who have an irritable temper.

Behind the scenes

 * Ron Weasley is played by Rupert Grint in the Harry Potter films. Rupert Grint is like Ron in that he comes from a large family and is also arachnophobic.
 * In the movies Ron is shown as the one to loose his head in a crisis (early on) rather than Hermione.
 * Rupert Grint does not have a long nose, as Ron is described as having in the novels, but he does have freckles - make-up covers them and they aren't on his face, causing some fans to claim he has no freckles at all.
 * In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Professor Horace Slughorn refers to Ron by several names, one of which is Rupert.
 * Ron was one of the few characters who was created before J.K. Rowling began writing the series, and whose name never changed from the original drafts.
 * Rowling described Ron's Patronus as a "really sentimental choice" on her part, since she has a Jack Russell.
 * Rowling has also said that if she had a Boggart, hers would likely be the same as Ron's, as she also dislikes spiders.
 * Throughout most of the series, Ron does not like to hear Voldemort's name spoken out loud, and as such never says it even when Harry and Hermione do. However, he says the name twice in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, even after asking Harry and Hermione not to. The first is at the Burrow when Hermione is packing books to take with them, and Ron says, "I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library". The second is at 12 Grimmauld Place when Remus Lupin tells them that Pius Thicknesse is Minister for Magic, and Ron says, "Why didn't Voldemort declare himself Minister of Magic?"

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 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 Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter's Copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Notes and references
Ronald Bilius Weasley Ron Weasley Ron Weasley Рон Уизли