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"Yeah, size is no guarantee of power. Look at Ginny."
"What d' you mean?"
"You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?
"
George Weasley and Harry Potter about Ginny.

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.

Quick Answers

Who are the parents of Ginevra 'Ginny' Weasley? toggle section
Ginny is the daughter of Molly and Arthur Weasley. She's known for her fiery personality and her significant relationship with Harry Potter, who she eventually married.
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What is the significance of Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series? toggle section
Ginevra 'Ginny' Weasley holds a significant role. She is the only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley and the younger sister of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron. Ginny is the first female to be born into the Weasley line for several generations. She is also a pure-blood witch and was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny is also known for her relationship with Harry Potter who she eventually married. She was a member of Dumbledore's Army and co-led the reformed Dumbledore's Army during Snape's time as headmaster. Her bravery, leadership, and loyalty make her a key character in the series.
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Who are the siblings of Ginny Weasley? toggle section
Ginny has several siblings. She is part of the large Weasley family, with six older brothers, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron Weasley. As the youngest and only daughter in the family, Ginny holds a special place in the Weasley clan. She later marries Harry Potter and they have three children, James, Albus, and Lily Potter.
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Where did Ginny Weasley grow up? toggle section
Ginny grew up in The Burrow, located on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon. This charming location was the family home of the Weasleys, a family known for their strong pro-Muggle beliefs and lack of wealth compared to other wizarding families. Despite their financial status, the Weasley family was rich in love and warmth, providing a nurturing environment for Ginny and her brothers.
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Biography

Early life (1981-1992)

"Nine and three-quarters! Mum, can't I go . . ."
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet.
"
— Ginny and Mrs. Weasley
File:Ginny and Molly.jpg

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley at King's Cross station.

Ginny is the only daughter in the Weasley family, and lives at The Burrow. Her room is on the third floor, overlooking the Weasley family's orchard[2]. 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 light when she tried out for the Gryffindor House team[3]. Ginny had been looking forward to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ever since her oldest brother, Bill started at the school[4].

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 can 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[5].

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
Ginny startled

Ginny is shocked to find Harry at The Burrow.

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.

Ginny stands up for Harry

Ginny stands up to Draco Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts.

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!"
"Potter, you've got yourself a
girlfriend!"
— Ginny and Draco Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts

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[4].

Tom Riddle's diary and the Chamber of Secrets

Ginny and diary

Ginny writing in Tom Riddle's diary.

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 strength 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.

Ginny opens the Chamber of Secrets

Ginny opens the Chamber of Secrets.

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 down

Ginny dying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets.

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. She had little life in her, and it was ebbing away from her.

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 explains

Ginny explains to Harry about Tom Riddle's diary.

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[4].

Second year

Weasley Family in Egypt

Ginny with her family in Egypt.

Ginny travelled to Egypt in the summer of 1993 with the rest of her family to visit her brother Bill after her father won seven hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. She visited various tombs, but her mother 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 embarassed in front of him than usual, muttering a hello but not looking at him. The next day, on Platform 9¾, she did meet his eyes as they shared a laugh over Percy's behaviour when trying to impress his girlfriend.

On the Hogwarts Express, Ginny was separated from her brothers until the train stopped because of the Dementors. In the dark, she found her way into the compartment containing Harry, Hermione, Ron and Professor Lupin. When the Dementors came to the compartment, Ginny was one of the worst affected by them 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[6].

Summer of 1994 and the Quidditch World Cup

World Cup

Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George at 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. Although she was still shy around Harry, who was also staying at The Burrow, she 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[7].

Hogwarts and the Yule Ball

Ginny and Neville

Ginny and Neville at the Yule Ball.

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 harboured feelings for Harry, and was displeased to hear that he had asked Cho Chang. 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[7].

Dumbledore's Army

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix develops Ginny's character in a way only hinted at through the first four books. No longer letting a crush affect her behaviour around Harry, she emerges as a forceful personality with a no-nonsense attitude, good magical and acting ability, pride (perhaps to a fault), talent at Quidditch, and several other characteristics very unlike the average damsel in distress.

Apart from Phineas Nigellus and Hermione, Ginny is the only character in the book to directly confront Harry's inconsiderate, egocentric attitude and his wallowing in self-pity, although she tends to do this in a much more diplomatic fashion than Phineas' elaborate speeches on how Harry's attitude is the precise reason he cannot stand teenagers. Ginny is also used as a parallel to emphasise Harry's self-centeredness when he believes himself to be possessed by Voldemort. In one particularly ironic scene, Harry spends a long train ride wallowing in miserable thoughts of himself being the weapon Voldemort was using to attack people, "contaminated" and unworthy of the company of his friends. It never occurs to him that Ginny went through the exact same thing in her first year, even though she is sitting next to him through the whole ride. When she forcefully reminds him of her experience so that he will stop alienating himself from his friends, it dawns on him that he forgot all about it and he sincerely apologises, something he was not inclined to do throughout his whole fifth year in general.

When Harry receives his "life-long" ban from playing Quidditch courtesy of Dolores Umbridge, Ginny replaces him as Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She is successful, though everyone (including herself) admits that she is not of the same calibre as Harry. She says that she would rather be a Chaser than a Seeker anyway, and will probably try out for a Chaser position the next year, when two of the current three Chasers will have graduated and therefore left the team.

Ginny is a member of (and came up with the name for) Dumbledore's Army, a group started by Harry, Hermione and Ron to provide students with practical instruction in Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Dolores Umbridge had removed from that course's curriculum. This, combined with her now being a close friend of Hermione, Ron, Harry, Luna, and Neville, with their expedition to the Department of Mysteries being the final trigger, makes her a member of a more tightly-knit group consisting of the six of them, which can be viewed as an extension of the original three (Harry, Ron and Hermione).

Hermione also tells Harry in Order of The Phoenix that during the previous year Ginny gave up on Harry ever reciprocating her feelings, turning her attention to other boys. Most notable among her romantic interests is Michael Corner, whom she dates for over a year and a half, but eventually breaks up with due to him getting sulky over Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch (in an ironic twist, Michael runs to Cho — Harry's fresh ex-girlfriend — for romantic comfort). It is made clear that in spite of Ginny's feelings for Harry being apparently gone, her brother, Ron, is hoping to see them together still, and is not-so-subtly upset when Ginny throws him an off-hand remark about an alleged developing interest in Dean Thomas.

For reasons unknown, during the hextet's detour to the Department of Mysteries, Ginny is fascinated by a particular egg which keeps hatching and unhatching and is a part of the section the department uses to study the concept of time.

Ginny and Harry

In Half-Blood Prince, Ginny buys a pet Pygmy Puff which she names "Arnold" from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She is also chosen for the Slug Club for her excellent use of the Bat Bogey Hex.

However, her main role is as a romantic interest. Firstly, it is revealed that Ginny is indeed dating Dean. While at The Burrow, she expresses her distaste for Fleur Delacour who is going to marry Ginny's brother Bill and refers to Fleur as "Phlegm". Once back at school, she becomes a Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, alongside Katie Bell and Demelza Robins. She also plays as the reserve Seeker while Harry is in detention.

As Harry witnesses Ginny repeatedly refusing his company in favour of Dean's, he starts feeling odd twinges of animosity which he fails to attribute to their source; he only finally does so during an incident where Harry and Ron run into Ginny and Dean snogging in a corridor. Ron is outraged because he feels over-protective of his sister and Harry is seized by a powerful feeling to curse Dean into oblivion. It is then that he admits to himself that he has developed a crush on her and feels "weird every time he's around her, haunted by dreams, daydreams and imaginary scenarios of them together.

At this point, Ginny gets into an argument with Ron, pointing out that he is the only one who finds snogging disgusting. Ron's attitude changes when he gets into a relationship with Lavender Brown. Harry first becomes aware of this by Ginny rather smugly calling Ron a "filthy hypocrite".

Eventually, Ginny and Dean break up (though this is partly due to Harry's Felix Felicis luck potion), and Ginny has massive arguments with both Ron and Hermione Granger. After she helps Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup, she and Harry spontaneously kiss, and Ron seems to mind nowhere near as much as when she kissed Dean. This marks the beginning of Harry's relationship with her. They have a very short relationship, but they have a great time together.

When the Death Eaters, aided by Draco Malfoy, attack Hogwarts, Ginny joins the fight, along with Ron, Hermione, Luna and Neville, each taking a small dose of the aforementioned luck potion, Felix Felicis.

After Albus Dumbledore is killed by Severus Snape, Harry decides to break off their relationship, as he knows Lord Voldemort will try to target her if he learns of such a bond between the two. Ginny is as displeased as Harry is about the necessity of this measure, but accepts it, noting that she knew that given Harry's agenda, this was an inevitability. Ginny accepts Harry's decision, but seems hopeful for their future after Voldemort is killed. She also confides that she never really gave up on him noticing her, and that Hermione had been giving her bits of advice in this area throughout the year.

Battle of Hogwarts

Ginny returns to Hogwarts to begin her sixth year and is seen very little until the battle. However, during the year, she was helping to lead a resistance movement among the students towards the Death Eaters, along with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. During the battle Bellatrix Lestrange attempts to duel her, Hermione and Luna. Ginny's mother then takes over their battle, finally killing Bellatrix.

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[8].

Behind the name

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

Appearances

J.K. Rowling on Ginny

File:422px-Ginny Weasley GOF.jpg

"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."[9]

Role in the books

Ginny is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (she is, in fact, the first girl of about Harry's age properly introduced in the series). Her presence in Philosopher's Stone consists of two cameos, at the beginning and ending of the book, both at King's Cross: a minor one at the end of the book where she points at Harry and essentially squeaks, "Look, it's Harry Potter," and a more substantial one at the beginning of the book, where Harry manages to see her running, half-laughing, half-crying, after the train he is on – which contains her brothers, who are leaving for Hogwarts – then falling back to wave.

Ginny's entrance as a more solid character into the storyline coincides with her entry to Hogwarts in 1992, a year after her brother Ron. While she appears to play a mostly behind-the-scenes role during the events of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (placed in the school year 1992 - 1993) — mainly looking mysteriously ill every once in a while, providing light comic relief resulting from her obvious crush on Harry and showing insight as to Harry's opinion of his fame ("He didn't want all that!") — she turns out to be the key to the whole mystery outlining the year, as it is revealed that an old magical school diary made by Tom Riddle (later revealed as one of seven of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes) took advantage of her insecurities and innocence, causing her to spill her soul into it, and eventually started to spill some of its own spirit into her — possessing her to access the Chamber of Secrets and unleash the Basilisk within on the school.

It turns out that Lucius Malfoy was the one responsible for making sure the diary would find its way into Ginny's hands, and that his target had not been Ginny at all, but rather to discredit her father, Arthur, who had been trying to pass a Muggle protection act. Riddle, however, put his own twist on the course of action he was predicted to take. Once Ginny tells "Tom" about Harry's survival and the destruction of Voldemort, rather than using Ginny to attack Muggle-borns and half-bloods, Riddle decides to force Ginny to walk into the Chamber itself, so he may completely absorb her spirit and become alive (leaving Ginny lying unconscious on the Chamber floor in a kind of coma) and more importantly, to lure Harry Potter himself into the Chamber. Riddle is, after all, terribly curious about how Harry has "defeated" him, and obviously wants to kill him as revenge. Harry indeed goes down to the chamber, but with indirect help from Dumbledore in the form of Fawkes and the Sorting Hat manages to destroy Riddle and thus save Ginny's life.

Ginny is not involved in the storyline as actively throughout Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. She only directly interacts with Harry three times: in book 3 she catches his eye and they share a laugh at the train station, in book 4 they exchange grins when Harry first arrives at the Burrow, and Ron later suggests that she go with Harry to the Yule Ball, but in an impressive display of integrity, she turns Harry down because she has already accepted an invitation from Neville. She frequently appears in the background in these two books, however, either interacting with other characters or just being noted in passing. She also stands up for Neville, demanding that Ron and Harry stop laughing at him, and when the Dementors board the train in Prisoner of Azkaban, she is affected by them almost as badly as Harry is (having acquired some unpleasant "worst memories" to be forced to re-experience from her first year).

In the first four books as a whole Ginny's portrayal has a definite streak of a 'Damsel in Distress' to it, an impression created chiefly due to her role in Chamber of Secrets where the adhesion to this formula goes as far as her heroic rescuer having to slay the proverbial dragon in order to save her (Steve Kloves compares this to the legend of St. George and the dragon in the script of the Chamber of Secrets movie.) However, several other glimpses of her personality are in stark contrast to this stereotype, and function as foreshadowing of the more fully-developed character she becomes in the fifth book.

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 insecuritiy. 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'.

Others point out signs which indicate a softer side. She is shown to be caring about her family and friends in various instances: when her father was attacked be a serpent she and three of her brothers rushed from school to the Order's headquarters and stayed up all night waiting for news about their father. When Ron was poisoned she and Harry had a heated discussion over who was behind it, and Ginny did show anxiety for her brother. 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.

Ginny is aptempted to have a big role in the seventh tome for she is a strong heroine who overcame possesion in her second year and went on to become a good Quidditch player; 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.

References

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