Ginevra Weasley

Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Potter (née Weasley) was born on August 11, 1981. She is the youngest of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley's children. She has vivid red hair like the rest of her family, and bright brown eyes. According to her twin brothers, Fred and George, she is a deceptively talented witch in spite of her size, and is noted for her skill with the Bat-Bogey Hex. She is the first female to be born into the Weasley line for several generations. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1992, and was possessed by Tom Riddle's sixteen year old self during her first year, and forced to re-open the Chamber of Secrets. Growing into a confident young woman after her ordeal, she was one of the main members of Dumbledore's Army, and fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996. She was also an accomplished Quidditch player, and joined the Gryffindor House team, playing as both chaser and seeker. She fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997, and the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. She would later marry the love of her life, Harry Potter, and played Quidditch professionally for the Holyhead Harpies. Ginny and Harry had three children, James, Albus Severus, and Lily, and she became the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

Early life (1981-1992)
Ginny is the only daughter in the Weasley family, and lived at The Burrow during her childhood. Her room was on the third floor, overlooking the Weasley family's orchard, and was decorated with posters of The Weird Sisters and Gwenog Jones. Despite the majority of her brothers being keen Quidditch players, she wasn't allowed to play with them when she was a child. In defiance of this, from the age of six, she would break into the family broom shed and take each of their brooms out in turn. She was never caught, and it only came to light eight years later when she tried out for the Gryffindor House team. Ginny had been looking forward to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ever since her oldest brother, Bill started at the school.

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

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

The summer of 1992
"You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy, she never shuts up normally-"

- Ron Weasley

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

Ginny travelled to Diagon Alley with her family to buy her school supplies, and her excitement of finally going to Hogwarts was tempered by the fact that, due to the Weasley's financial situation, she would have to make do with a lot of second hand stuff, such as robes and books. In Flourish and Blotts, however, she became the owner of a brand new set of Gilderoy Lockhart's collected works. Harry, having been given them by Lockhart as a publicity stunt, gave them to her since he could afford a set of his own. With this act of kindness and recognition, Ginny finally spoke in front of Harry, standing up to Draco Malfoy when he started to insult him.

Draco was with his father, Lucius, and the elder Malfoy took the opportunity to insult the Weasley family for associating with Muggles and - in his eyes - being a disgrace to wizards. During his tirade, he managed to slip Tom Riddle's diary into Ginny's battered second-hand copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

Tom Riddle's diary and the Chamber of Secrets
Ginny started Hogwarts on September 1st, 1992, and was sorted into Gryffindor. She discovered Tom Riddle's diary in amongst her school things, and began writing in it. To her amazement, the diary wrote back, and she started to confide in Tom Riddle's memory, writing about how her brothers teased her, how she had to come to school in with second-hand robes and books, and how she thought that Harry would never like her. She poured her heart out to the diary, and told Tom's memory all about Harry's story. At least once, Ginny went down towards Hagrid's hut, hoping to see Harry. She continued to write in the diary, and confided in it her deepest fears and darkest secrets. Her despair, however, served to strengthen Tom Riddle's memory, and he began to pour a little of his own soul back into her, and slowly started to possess her.

By the start of October, the signs of the possession began to show on Ginny. She started to look peaky, but a spate of colds in the school covered up the true nature. Her brother, Percy, forced her to take Pepperup Potion to get her over it. By the 31st of October, the memory of Tom Riddle was able to take full control of Ginny, and used her to open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk and petrifying Argus Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rescue from the Chamber
"Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain!"

- Mr. Weasley

Ginny awoke in the Chamber to find that Harry had saved her and destroyed Riddle's diary. By piercing it with a basilisk fang, Ginny's vitality was restored to her. Tearful and scared, Ginny revealed what had happened to Harry, and was sure she was going to be expelled from school. After leaving the Chamber with the aid of the phoenix, Fawkes, Ginny was reunited with her parents in Dumbledore's office. Despite her fears, Dumbledore refused to punish her, saying that older and wiser wizards had been duped by Lord Voldemort, and sent her to the hospital wing to recover from her ordeal with a mug of hot chocolate.

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

Second year
Ginny traveled to Egypt in the summer of 1993 with the rest of her family to visit her brother Bill after her father won seven hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. She visited various tombs, but her mother wouldn't allow her to go in the last one because of all the mutant skeletons.

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

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

Later in the year, after Harry was injured by a rogue bludger during a Quidditch match, Ginny visited him in the hospital wing. She had made him a get well card that sang shrilly when opened, and presented it to him while blushing furiously.

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

Hogwarts and the Yule Ball
"I can't. I'm going with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought ... well ... I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year.  I think I'll go have dinner."

- Ginny after learning that she might have been able to go to the Yule Ball with Harry.

Ginny returned to Hogwarts, and maintained a good relationship with Hermione. Ginny was the only one that Hermione confided in when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. As a third year, Ginny wasn't allowed to attend the ball unless asked by an older student. Neville Longbottom asked her to go, and she accepted since she was friends with him and it was a good opportunity. She comforted her brother, Ron, when he asked Fleur Delacour to the ball while under the influence of her part-Veela heritage.

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

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

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

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

Quidditch and Saint Mungo's
Just before the Christmas of 1995, Harry, along with Fred and George, recieved a life-long Quidditch ban from Umbridge for attacking Draco Malfoy during their game against Slytherin. Ginny tried out for the team, and became the new seeker, although she admitted that Harry was better than her, and that she preferred playing chaser and scoring goals.

What should have been a happy time for Ginny was marred by the attack on her father by Nagini just prior to Christmas. Along with her brothers and Harry, she was instantly sent to Number 12, Grimmauld Place to await news. Relieved to find out he was ok, Ginny saw him the next day in St Mungo's and hugged him immediately. Following the visit, she noticed that Harry started to distance himself from everyone. Learning that Harry had convinced himself that he had been possessed by Lord Voldemort and attacked her father, she railed on him for not seeking advice from the one person who had definitely been possessed by the Dark Lord. She quietened his fears by relaying her experiences to him, and admitted that she had never truly gotten over it.

She spent Christmas at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and visited her father again on Christmas Day. During this time, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, she found out the truth about Neville Longbottom's parents, and how they had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange using the Cruciatus Curse.

Returning to Hogwarts after Christmas, Ginny played her first game for the Gryffindor House team against Hufflepuff. Despite losing the match, Ginny captured the Golden Snitch, although she downplayed the achievement by saying it wasn't a fast snitch and that the opposing seeker, Summerby, had a cold. Probably as a result of her being more confident and relaxed in front of Harry, her willingness to stand up to him, and their shared experiences of being a seeker, Harry and Ginny grew closer. Around Easter, he confided in her that he needed to speak to Sirius, and she encouraged him to.

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

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

Held in Umbridge's office with the threat of expulsion hanging over them, Harry and Hermione managed to lure Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest. While alone with the Inquisitorial Squad, Ginny, along with Ron, Luna and Neville, managed to break free using skills that they had acquired in their DA sessions. Ginny utilized the Bat Bogey Hex on Malfoy with great success, and they managed to regroup with Harry and Hermione.

Convinced that Sirius was in mortal danger, Harry resolved to travel to London and rescue him. After a lot of arguing, Ginny managed to persuade Harry that she, Neville and Luna should go as well. Flying Thestrals to London, they entered the Ministry of Magic using the visitor's entrance, and headed for the Department of Mysteries. In the Hall of Prophecies, they found no sign of Sirius, but Neville did find a prophecy pertaining to Harry. As Harry removed it from the shelf, the group was surrounded by Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy, and learned that Voldemort had used the connection between himself and Harry to lure him there to remove the prophecy. Ginny was threatened with torture by Bellatrix Lestrange, who wanted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her to force Harry to hand over the prophecy. Acting as one, the six of them fired off defensive spells to ward off the Death Eaters, and began running.

Ginny, along with Luna and Ron, were separated from the other three, and were chased through various rooms by Death Eaters. In one room containing a three-dimensional representation of the solar system, one of the Death Eaters grabbed Ginny by the ankle. Luna, using the Reductor Curse, blew up Pluto in the Death Eater's face, but the resulting explosion broke Ginny's ankle. She was helped to safety by Luna, but she was in shock and pale, and played no further part in the battle. Luckily, the Death Eaters were intent on grabbing the prophecy from Harry, and were soon distracted by the arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Following the battle, Ginny recovered in the hospital wing at Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey fixed her ankle in a thrice. On the train ride back to London, Ginny revealed that she had ditched Michael Corner. Ron told her to choose better next time, to which she replied that she already had. She was now dating his classmate Dean Thomas.

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

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

As term started, Ginny tried out for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, of which Harry had been made the Captain. She excelled as a chaser, and was given a spot on the roster. Following one Quidditch practice, she and Dean were caught kissing by Harry and Ron. She and Ron had a blazing argument over her kissing Dean in public, but Ginny countered that Ron only saw it as wrong because he had never kissed anyone himself. The argument led to a frosty relationship between the two siblings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the ensuing battle Ginny duelled with Amycus Carrow, but suffered no injuries due to the Felix Felicis potion. In the aftermath, Ginny was shocked to find that her brother Bill had been badly injured and permanently scarred by Fenrir Greyback, and that Dumbledore had been killed by Severus Snape. She seemed to accept Bill and Fleur's relationship after watching her with him in the hospital wing.

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

Rebellion
"And then what does she think's going to happen? Someone else might kill off Voldemort while she's holding us here making vol-au-vents?" "So it's true? That's what you're trying to do?"

- Harry and Ginny

With the death of Dumbledore, and the knowledge that the protective charm over Harry was due to end soon, the Weasley family and the Order of the Phoenix arranged to move him to protection of The Burrow. While most of her family went off to assist in the operation, Ginny stayed behind with her mother. As the team started to miss their portkeys, Ginny started to worry for their safety, and was only partially relieved to see Harry turn up at the Burrow. When George turned up with his ear cursed off, Ginny was shocked and helped her mother tend to him. Finally, as each member of her family returned, she relaxed, but the death of Mad-Eye Moody sobered the occasion.

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

On August 1st, she attended the wedding of Bill and Fleur, serving in the capacity of bridesmaid. During the reception, the guests were warned by Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus that the Ministry of Magic has fallen, that Rufus Scrimgeour was dead, and that the Death Eaters were coming. Although Death Eaters appeared and questioned the Weasley family, Ginny was unharmed. As part of the new Ministry's regime, Ginny was allowed to attend Hogwarts. However, while there, she joined up with Neville and Luna, and began an underground resistance against Snape's new regime. They openly defied authority and snuck out at night painting graffiti on the walls of the corridors - Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting. On one occasion, she attempted to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office along with Neville and Luna, but was caught and punished. She served detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, and was banned from all trips to Hogsmeade. During the Easter holidays, Ginny was at The Burrow when the Weasley's were forced into hiding at Aunt Muriel's.

The Battle of Hogwarts
"I can't go home! My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and -"

- Ginny to her family in the Room of Requirement.

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

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

During the battle, Harry needed the Room of Requirement to change form in order to retrieve Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. He asked Ginny to leave the room, on the proviso that she would re-enter it once he had completed his task. Freed of her sanctuary, Ginny joined the battle. After the initial fighting, Lord Voldemort called a temporary truce to allow the combatants to retrieve their dead, and for Harry to give himself up to avoid further killing. Ginny was shocked and heartbroken by the death of her brother, Fred, and was comforted by Hermione. She later assisted in the recovery of the wounded outside the castle. When Harry passed her on his way to face Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest under the Invisibility Cloak, she sensed something was there.

When the seemingly lifeless body of Harry was presented to the defenders of Hogwarts by Voldemort, Ginny could not believe it. However, his apparent death spurred the defenders on, and Neville took up the Sword of Gryffindor and beheaded Nagini. With the battle rejoined, Ginny, along with Luna and Hermione, duelled with Bellatrix. Just as a Killing Curse missed her by inches, her mother took up the fight and killed the woman who had threatened her daughter. Ginny was overjoyed to find Harry still alive, and watched as he duelled and finally defeated Lord Voldemort in the Great Hall.

After the war
After the end of the Second War, Ginny and Harry rekindled their romance. Ginny became a celebrated Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies for several years, and married Harry at some point. She then retired and had a family with Harry which produced three children; James, Albus Severus, and Lily. She would also become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

Physical appearance
Ginny was often described as a small girl, taking after her mother and twin brothers Fred and George in stature. Like the rest of the Weasley family, she had vivid red hair that she wore long, and it was often described as a "mane" - which was appropriate for a Gryffindor, whose symbol was a lion. She had bright brown eyes like her mother, and when she set her jaw, she bore a striking resemblance to Fred and George. When she blushed, which was often around Harry in the early years of their friendship, she would go so red that it was said to match her hair. She was considered to be very attractive, and garnered a lot of attention from boys when she was at school.

Personality and traits
Ginny was a forceful, independent girl who often knew her own mind. She had an energetic, lively personality, and usually saw the best in everyone, even if they couldn't see it themselves. Only around Harry Potter, in the first few years of their friendship, was she different. She had a huge crush on Harry, but could not relax around him at all, and became shy and withdrawn in his presence. On the advice of Hermione, however, she overcame it, and reasserted her usual self, resulting in her eventually winning the heart of her longtime love.

Growing up with six brothers toughened her up, and Ginny wasn't afraid to stand up to anybody, friends and enemies alike. Notably, she stood up to Draco Malfoy on their first meeting in Flourish and Blotts when he insulted Harry, and Zacharias Smith when he questioned her over what had happened in the Ministry of Magic. She was even know to stand up to Hermione, possibly her best friend, in defence of Harry's use of the Sectumsempra spell.

Although she hid it from her brothers, Ginny was also an accomplished flyer, and made the Gryffindor House team in her fourth and fifth years, playing as both chaser and reserve seeker. In later life, she would go on to play for the Holyhead Harpies like her hero, Gwenog Jones.

Ginny was also a popular girl during her time at Hogwarts, and was fancied by a lot of boys. Her brother, Ron, often thought that she was too popular for her own good. She was also known to be quick-witted and funny, and could often make others laugh even when they were feeling down.

A gifted witch, Ginny was able to conjure an excellent Bat Bogey Hex. Her Patronus was a horse.

Ginny was also something of an accomplished actress, and able to lie effectively. While staying at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, she was taught by Tonks how to check if a door had been Imperturbed by flicking dungbombs at it and watching them bounce away as if hitting an invisible wall. When asked by her mother who was responsible, she blamed it on Crookshanks, even though her hands were filthy at the time. During the first meeting of what would become the DA in the Hog's Head, she coughed exactly like Professor Umbridge, scaring those gathered into believing the real Umbridge had caught them. Her acting talents were put to good use later when Harry and Hermione broke into Umbridge's office to contact Sirius through the fireplace. She convinced passing students that the corridor to Umbridge's office had been flooded with Garroting Gas.

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

Family
Ginny's relationship with her family was a good one, having been raised in a loving - if poor - environment. The only daughter in the family, she had to deal with her over-protective mother that only had the safety of her daughter in mind. She argued with her mother on occasion, such as when she wouldn't allow Ginny to sit in on an Order of the Phoenix meeting, or fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. She never openly disobeyed her father.

Among her brothers, she appeared to worship Bill, defending his choice of earring and hairstyle to their mother, and feeling that he could do a lot better than Fleur Delacour. However, she came to accept their relationship in the aftermath of Bill's wounding at the hands of Fenrir Greyback. She got on well with Charlie, but found Percy to be a little overbearing. She caught him kissing his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, during her first year, and told her brothers about it following her recovery from possession by Tom Riddle's memory. Following his decision to turn his back on his family, Ginny disliked him, and even threw mashed turnips at him when he came to The Burrow at Christmas in 1996. In temperament, she resembled the twins, Fred and George, and would openly antagonise Ron, who was closest to her in age, often embarrassing him in public (such as tripping him in front of Fleur). She genuinely cared for all of her family, though, and would often comfort them in times of need, such as when Ron made a fool of himself by asking Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, or when Bill was scarred for life. The death of her brother Fred during the Battle of Hogwarts broke her heart.

Michael Corner
Ginny and Michael Corner met at the Yule Ball in 1994, and began dating at the end of the school year. In 1995, she brought him and some of his friends along to the first meeting of what would become the DA. However, she dumped him following the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match when he sulked about the result.

Dean Thomas
Ginny started dating Dean Thomas at the end of her fourth year. Although she was happy with him at first, her enthusiasm about the relationship seemed to have ebbed by the following Christmas. Their relationship led to a bad blood between her and Ron after they were caught kissing by him and Harry. Her and Dean rowed several times, usually about little things like Dean always attempting to help her through the portrait hole into the common room, and about him laughing when Harry suffered a fractured skull courtesy of Cormac McLaggen. Harry actually influenced the last argument they had by unintentionally brushing past Ginny when she was climbing through the portrait hole while under the influence of Felix Felicis and wearing his invisibility cloak. They broke up soon after.

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

- Ginny to Harry

Simply put, Harry Potter was the love of Ginny's life. At the age of ten, she barely met him when he boarded the Hogwarts Express with her brother Ron, but she developed a crush on him nonetheless. Shy and clumsy around him, she confided her feelings in Tom Riddle's diary, and her outpouring of feelings enabled Riddle's memory to take control of her. Harry eventually saved her life in the Chamber of Secrets, but she was still withdrawn when in his presence, and could barely speak in front of him. Ginny sought advice from Hermione, who suggested that she relax in front of Harry, and possibly even date other boys. Taking this advice, she dated both Michael Corner and Dean Thomas, but she never really gave up on Harry, always hoping that he would return her affections.

In her fifth year, Harry realised just how much he liked Ginny. She had reasserted herself as a vibrant, forceful and independent young woman, and he saw in her many traits that he liked. They had a lot in common - both played Quidditch, both had suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort, they had fought alongside each other, and she was not afraid to speak her mind in front of him anymore. By the end of her fifth year, they were together after spontaneously kissing in the aftermath of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup. They broke up shortly after as Harry realised that he could not endanger her life while he sought a way to destroy Lord Voldemort. She accepted his decision, but always held onto the hope that he would return to her. On his seventeenth birthday, they kissed like never before. While hunting for Horcruxes, Harry would stare at her dot on the Marauder's Map for hours, hoping that she knew that he was watching over her. At school, Ginny began an underground rebellion, trying to help Harry as much as she could, and even attempted to steal Godric Gryffindor's sword for him.

They rekindled their romance in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, and were eventually married. The union produced three children; James, Albus Severus, and Lily.

Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger was probably Ginny's best female friend. Being only a year younger than her, they had a lot in common. Hermione stayed in Ginny's room during her frequent visits to The Burrow during the summers between school years. Ginny was the only one that Hermione confided in when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. In return, Hermione gave Ginny advice on how to deal with her crush on Harry - advice that would eventually lead to their getting together. However, Ginny was not afraid to stand up to Hermione when she felt she was wrong.

Neville Longbottom
Ginny was asked to the Yule Ball by Neville Longbottom, and she accepted since she wasn't allowed to go unless she was accompanying an older student. When she found out that Harry didn't have a date for the Yule Ball, and Ron suggested that she go with him, she showed remarkable integrity by remaining true to her agreement with Neville and attended the ball with him. She saw potential in Neville, and would often defend him when others laughed at him, and even told him not to put himself down when he described himself as "nobody". Ginny's acceptance of Neville for who he was probably contributed to his sense of self-worth in later years, and gave him strength to fight alongside his friends. In later years, Neville would still be in touch with Ginny and Harry.

Luna Lovegood
Ginny befriended Luna Lovegood even when others often taunted her and called her "Loony" for her outrageous beliefs. She stood up to those that called her names, and, like her friendship with Neville, her acceptance of Luna for who she was probably played a large role in Luna's development and her willingness to fight alongside her new friends.

Behind the name
Ginevra is the Italian form of Guinevere which means "fair one". Guinevere is also the name of King Arthur's wife in Arthurian legend.

J.K. Rowling on Ginny
''"The plan was, which I really hope I fulfilled, is that the reader, like Harry, would gradually discover Ginny as pretty much the ideal girl for Harry. She's tough, not in an unpleasant way, but she's gutsy. He needs to be with someone who can stand the demands of being with Harry Potter, because he's a scary boyfriend in a lot of ways. He's a marked man. I think she's funny, and I think that she's very warm and compassionate. These are all things that Harry requires in his ideal woman. But, I felt — and I'm talking years ago when all this was planned — initially, she's terrified by his image. I mean, he's a bit of a rock god to her when she sees him first, at 10 or 11, and he's this famous boy. So Ginny had to go through a journey as well… I feel that Ginny and Harry, in this book, they are total equals. They are worthy of each other. They've both gone through a big emotional journey, and they've really got over a lot of delusions, to use your word, together. So, I enjoyed writing that. I really like Ginny as a character."''

Character analysis
Fan reaction to Ginny has always been mixed. Many fans liked her prior to The Order of the Phoenix, while others either dismissed her as unimportant or a fangirl (akin to Colin Creevey). Her portrayal in Order of the Phoenix and especially Half-Blood Prince has further inflamed opinions on both sides, owing at least in part to her involvement in the resolution of the fandom's so-called "ship debates".

Some fans argue that Ginny’s "irregular" and changing personality is a sign of weak writing and character development. Others respond that the supposedly "unrealistic" nature of her character is the result of Harry being an unreliable narrator: as Rowling uses the third-person limited point of view, Ginny's development is given in subtle hints and clues throughout first six books, and the full story is only revealed at the very end of book six, where Ginny explains how she overcame her shyness and insecurity. In this way, Ginny's development, and her romance with Harry, is told in the style of a mystery, like much of the rest of the series.

A number of those who dislike Ginny argue that she is a Mary Sue, portrayed as being beautiful, popular with boys, funny, and athletically gifted with great magical talent, while her more unsympathetic character traits are supposedly "glossed over" by the author. These unsympathetic actions are seen by some as showing Ginny to be unnecessarily callous. Others, however, find them to be justified, and argue that Ginny's character development is more an inspiring story of a young girl overcoming debilitating insecurities and shyness, and growing into a strong and more attractive young woman because of her decisions in life. Her actions certainly speak of a hot-headed temper and a forceful personality: nicknaming her prospective sister-in-law 'Phlegm' (admittedly to Harry and Hermione's amusement), tripping her brother to embarrass him, smashing into Zacharias Smith for giving a commentary biased against her team, taunting her brother about his lack of experience with girls during an argument, and cursing Smith for persistently asking about Harry's role in the fight against Voldemort. Some claim that Ginny's actions are similar to the actions of the antagonists in the books, yet they are admired by Harry. Others argue that she is vindicated in these actions, which are unlike those of the villains, making her a playful troublemaker in the mould of her older brothers Fred and George - Ginny is indeed compared to the twins several times in the series.

While Ginny can seem hard and detached, there are also moments of compassion which indicate a gentle side to her nature. When Ron humiliates himself by asking Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, Ginny hides her amusement at the situation and comforts him. When her father is attacked by Voldemort's serpent Nagini she rushes to Grimmauld Place with her brothers and Harry, and stays up with them through the night. And when Ron is poisoned by Madam Rosmerta's wine in the Half-Blood Prince, she and Harry obsessively discuss the issue and she expresses a strong concern over Ron's well-being. It is also notable that, despite her popularity, Ginny is one of the few students to truly befriend and stand up for Luna Lovegood, at a stage when even Harry, Ron and Hermione look down on her as 'loony'. When her oldest brother Bill, whom Ginny worships, was savaged by a werewolf she was shaken, and given her steely disposition, it shows the depth of her emotions. When Dumbledore died, she cried at his funeral (the first time since she was eleven years old) and couldn't fall asleep at night. Ginny also cries in Chamber of Secrets when expecting to be expelled. Ginny has also been kind to "social outcasts" such as Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, befriending Luna when the main trio of Harry, Ron and especially Hermione disregarded her; defending Neville and Luna when they are teased. Ginny does not flaunt her popularity, but befriends people on merit, whatever their position within the school.

On the whole, Ginny shows concern for her friends and family when they are in true danger, but almost always maintains her composure. The exceptions are found at the end of the Half-Blood Prince, when the eldest Weasley brother Bill (who Ginny hero worships) is savaged by a werewolf and Dumbledore dies. Ginny's voice trembles as she tells Harry of her brother's condition. At Dumbledore's funeral Ginny cries, but along with Harry, regains her composure quicker than many other attendees.

One common complaint from fans on both sides of the debate is that too much of her character development, especially the growth of her relationship with Harry, is told rather than shown. She is also celebrated for being more than a match for her often overbearing older brothers.

Ginny's portrayal in fan fiction prior to The Order of the Phoenix varied greatly, but she was most often depicted as either a naïve, fresh-faced ingénue or a rugged tomboy. Since the fifth book came out she has been almost exclusively depicted as the latter, often to an extent exceeding the actual books. She is usually paired with either Harry or Draco Malfoy, or, in the context of femslash fanfiction, with Hermione.

Trivia

 * Ginny has been portrayed by Bonnie Wright in all five Harry Potter movies to date.
 * Ginny's Patronus is a horse. It is never described in the books, but is shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
 * In the movie adaptations, Ginny's relationship with Michael Corner was cut.

Books

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Films

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)