Ginny Weasley

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In a 2005 interview, Rowling said Ginny is terrified of Harry when she first meets him, because she perceives him as a "rock god". Rowling hoped readers would gradually discover, over the course of the series, that Ginny is "pretty much the ideal girl for Harry". Rowling described Ginny as tough, gutsy, warm, compassionate and funny, and said these are qualities that Harry needs in his ideal woman. She said Harry requires a romantic partner who can "stand the demands of being with Harry Potter, because he's a scary boyfriend ... He's a marked man." Rowling said Ginny had to experience "a big emotional journey" before she could begin a romance with Harry. In the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rowling attempted to depict Ginny and Harry as "total equals" and "worthy of each other". Rowling also described Ginny as a "gifted witch".

In Their Own Story

Ginny begins her first year at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998). She joins Gryffindor House and develops a crush on Harry. On Valentine's day, she sends a singing Valentine to him "inconspicuously". As the plot advances, Harry and Ginny's brother Ron notice that she is acting strangely. They eventually discover that she opened the Chamber of Secrets and was commanding a Basilisk to assault students (not knowing she started the attacks), while under the influence of Tom Riddle's school diary. Harry finds Ginny, saves her from Riddle, and destroys the diary with the basilisk's poisoned tooth that was in his arm. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), Ginny's relationship with Dean ends, and she shares her first kiss with Harry after Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup. Ginny and Harry start a romantic relationship, but Harry ends it after several months, fearing that his closeness with her will put her in danger. Near the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), Ginny discovers that Harry, Ron and Hermione will be leaving on a quest to find Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. She kisses Harry in her bedroom, and they realize they still have feelings for each other. Ginny begins her sixth year at Hogwarts, where she works with Neville and Luna Lovegood to rebuild Dumbledore's Army. She participates in the Battle of Hogwarts and is nearly struck with a Killing Curse from Bellatrix Lestrange. After this close call, Molly Weasley was outraged at this, and kills Bellatrix. In the novel's epilogue, set nineteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows, Harry and Ginny are married and have three children: James, Albus and Lily. Rowling said that after leaving Hogwarts, Ginny joins the all-female Quidditch team Holyhead Harpies. After spending a few years as a celebrated player, she retires to become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

Reader's Guide

Ginny is introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) when Harry Potter encounters the Weasley family at King's Cross station. When Ginny realizes who Harry is, she wants to board the Hogwarts Express to see him, but her mother will not allow it. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), she is a second-year student at Hogwarts, and is present when Harry is attacked by Dementors on the Hogwarts Express. During the course of the novel, she develops a closer relationship with Hermione Granger. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), Ginny attends the Quidditch World Cup with her father, brothers, Harry, and Hermione. She accompanies Neville Longbottom to the Yule Ball at Hogwarts. Ginny has a boyfriend named Michael Corner in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003), but she eventually breaks up with him and begins dating Dean Thomas. When Dolores Umbridge bans Harry from the Quidditch team, Ginny replaces him as the Gryffindor Seeker. She joins the secret group Dumbledore's Army and accompanies Harry to the Department of Mysteries as he attempts to rescue Sirius Black. Ginny participates in a battle inside the Ministry of Magic, but retreats from the action after breaking her ankle. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005), Professor Slughorn invites Ginny to join his "Slug Club". Ginny becomes a permanent member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Chaser, and substitutes for Harry as Seeker when Professor Snape puts him in detention for using Sectumsempra on Draco Malfoy, forcing Harry to miss the final match of the season against Ravenclaw.

Did You Know?

• Ginny is portrayed by Bonnie Wright in all eight Harry Potter films.
• Rowling described Ginny as tough, gutsy, warm, compassionate and funny, and said these are qualities that Harry needs in his ideal woman.
• Ginny sends a singing Valentine to Harry "inconspicuously" in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• After leaving Hogwarts, Ginny joins the all-female Quidditch team Holyhead Harpies, then retires to become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.
• In the Battle of Hogwarts, Ginny is nearly struck with a Killing Curse from Bellatrix Lestrange, which outrages Molly Weasley and leads her to kill Bellatrix.