Ginny Weasley

Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Weasley (born August 11 1981)http://www.mugglenet.com/jkrcom/birthdayarchive.shtmlhttp://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/faq_view.cfm?id=63 is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. She is the youngest of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley's seven children. She has vivid red hair and bright brown eyes, is repeatedly described as small, and is occasionally likened to a cat. She is a deceptively talented magic user in spite of her size, noted especially for her skill with the Bat-Bogey Hex. According to author J.K. Rowling, she is also the first female born into the Weasley line in "several generations."http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=7

Ginny in the books

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Ginny is 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. She only makes two appearances in Philosopher's Stone, both at King's Cross Station. The first is an extended cameo when Harry and her brothers leave for Hogwarts; she is shown interacting with her family, and then running down the platform chasing the train as it leaves the station. The second is a brief appearance at the end of the book where she is excited to catch a glimpse of Harry when he returns from Hogwarts.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - King's Cross Station

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Ginny becomes a more important part of the storyline when she starts attending Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a year after Harry and her brother Ron. While she appears to play a mostly behind-the-scenes role in the book — looking mysteriously ill every once in a while and providing light comic relief with her blatantly obvious crush on Harry — she turns out to be the key to the year's biggest mystery, a series of unexplained attacks that leave several Muggle-born students petrified. It is eventually discovered that a magical school diary made by Tom Riddle (later revealed as one of Lord Voldemort's six Horcruxes) had been taking advantage of her insecurities and innocence, possessing her in order to access the Chamber of Secrets and unleash a Basilisk on the school.

Related Topics:
Hogwarts - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Comic relief - Crush - Muggle-born - Petrified - Magic - School diary made by Tom Riddle - Lord Voldemort's - Horcruxes - Possessing - Basilisk

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It turns out that Lucius Malfoy was the one responsible for making sure the diary found its way into Ginny's hands; he hoped to use her actions to discredit her father, Arthur, who had proposed a Muggle Protection Act that Lucius opposed. Riddle, however, puts his own twist on the plan. Once Ginny tells "Tom" about Harry's survival and the destruction of Voldemort, instead of using Ginny to attack Muggle-borns, Riddle decides to bring her down to the Chamber and kill her by absorbing her life energy, restoring himself to full life in the process. More importantly, he wants to use her abduction to lure Harry Potter himself into the Chamber. Riddle is very curious about how Harry "defeated" him, and wants to kill him in revenge. Harry does go down to the chamber, but with indirect help from Dumbledore in the form of Fawkes and the Sorting Hat manages to destroy Riddle and save Ginny's life.

Related Topics:
Lucius Malfoy - Muggle-born - Dumbledore - Fawkes - Sorting Hat

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The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire

Ginny is not involved in the principal storylines of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, and 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 and talk briefly when Harry first arrives at the Burrow. A few months later, in an impressive display of integrity, she turns down a chance to go to the Yule Ball with Harry, on whom she still has a crush, because she had already agreed to go with Neville. She frequently appears in the background in these two books, however, interacting with other characters or just being mentioned in passing. On one occasion she 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 (likely remembering her experiences of being possessed by Riddle the previous year).

Related Topics:
Prisoner of Azkaban - Goblet of Fire - Yule Ball - Neville - Dementor

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In the first four books, Ginny's overall portrayal has a 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 slaying the proverbial dragon 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; see princess and dragon). Her background appearances, however, especially in books 3 and 4, give the reader glimpses of her real personality when she isn't hamstrung by her crush on Harry. These glimpses are in stark contrast to the "Damsel in Distress" stereotype, and foreshadow the more fully-developed character she becomes in book five and beyond.

Related Topics:
Damsel in Distress - Dragon - Steve Kloves - The legend of St. George and the dragon - Princess and dragon

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix develops Ginny's character in ways only hinted at through the first four books. No longer letting a crush affect her behaviour around Harry, she emerges as a forceful personality, proud (almost to a fault) and fiercely independent, with good magical and acting ability and a talent for Quidditch.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Quidditch

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Apart from Phineas Nigellus, Ginny is the only character who can address Harry cooly during Harry's foul moods and rants. In one scene, Harry spends time wallowing in miserable thoughts of himself being the weapon Voldemort was using to attack people, "contaminated" and unworthy of the company of his friends. He had forgotten that Ginny was also at one point posessed by Voldemort, and that she would be able to provide insight on his circumstance. When she forcefully reminds him of her experience, it dawns on him that he forgot all about it and he sincerely apologises.

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When Dolores Umbridge gives Harry a "life-long" ban from playing Quidditch, Ginny replaces him as Seeker for Gryffindor. She is successful, though everyone (including herself) admits that she is not of the same calibre as Harry. She also joins (and names) Dumbledore's Army, a group started by Harry, Hermione, and Ron to provide students with practical instruction in Defence Against the Dark Arts. She is one of the DA members who joins Harry's attempt to rescue Sirius Black from the Department of Mysteries at the end of the year. Unfortunately she breaks her ankle and is one of the first to be knocked out of the fight.

Related Topics:
Dolores Umbridge - Seeker - Dumbledore's Army - Defence Against the Dark Arts - Sirius Black

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Hermione tells Harry in Order of The Phoenix that during the previous year Ginny 'used' to like Harry, and that she 'gave up' on him quite awhile ago. She met Michael Corner at the Yule Ball and began dating him at the end of Goblet of Fire. They remain a couple for most of the fifth book, but eventually break up when he becomes sulky over Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch.

Related Topics:
Hermione - Michael Corner

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In Half-Blood Prince, Ginny is primarily involved in the romance subplots. Harry learns early in the book that she has started going out with Dean Thomas. Also, it is revealed that by her fifth year (Harry, Ron, and Hermione's sixth year), she has become one of the more popular girls at Hogwarts. She does not become a prefect (the only other person in her family besides the Twins who isn't named a prefect), but boys, death-eaters and strangers in the street alike find her extremely attractive and Horace Slughorn respects her magical abilites (after witnessing her hex a fellow student) enough to invite her to join his "Slug Club." She also becomes a superb Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, alongside Katie Bell and Demelza Robins, though she returns to playing Seeker for one match when Harry is stuck in detention.

Related Topics:
Harry - Dean Thomas - The Twins - Horace Slughorn - Chaser - Katie Bell - Demelza Robins

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As Harry witnesses Ginny repeatedly refusing his company in favor of Dean's, he starts feeling odd twinges of animosity which he fails to attribute to their source. It is important to recall that during Professor Slughorn's first potion lesson, Harry smells an odd flowery scent coming from the love potion, "somthing he might have smelled at the Burrow". later in the chapter, he smells the same flowery scent as Ginny joins them in conversation. He finally does notice his feelings for her during an incident in November where he and Ron find Ginny and Dean kissing in a corridor. Ron is outraged because he feels over-protective of his sister, but Harry is seized by a powerful impulse to curse Dean to a pile of jelly. In the aftermath, Harry finally admits to himself that he is attracted to Ginny and comically struggles with a crush on her from then on, alternating between fantasizing about her and worrying about what Ron would do if he knew Harry liked his sister.

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Ginny and Dean's relationship starts to turn sour after Christmas, and they finally break up in April (with a helpful nudge from Harry's Felix Felicis luck potion). Harry takes advantage of the chance to spend more time with her, and after Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup, she and Harry spontaneously kiss during the post-match celebration, to almost everyone's surprise. Hermione beams with approval. Ron is stunned, but gives them his blessing.

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When the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts, aided by Draco Malfoy, Ginny joins the fight, along with Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and several members of the Order of the Phoenix. She is much more effective in combat than she was the previous year, holding her own against the Death Eaters and escaping without injury, though this can be partly credited to small doses of Felix Felicis that she and the others took just before the battle.

Related Topics:
Death Eaters - Draco Malfoy - Order of the Phoenix

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After the death of Albus Dumbledore, Harry decides to break off their relationship, as he believes Lord Voldemort would target her if he learns they are a couple. Ginny accepts this decision, noting that given Harry's priorities she expected something like that to happen. She also seems hopeful for their future after Voldemort is killed. She confides that she never really gave up on him noticing her, and that Hermione had been giving her advice in this area. She also states that perhaps Harry's hero-complex is the reason that she likes him so much (by contrast, Hermione essentially revealed that she sees it as a weakness in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Related Topics:
Albus Dumbledore - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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