| Series: | Harry Potter |
| Ginny Weasley | |
| First: | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) |
| Last: | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) |
| Creator: | J. K. Rowling |
| Portrayer: | Bonnie Wright |
| Nickname: | Ginny |
| Spouse: | Harry Potter |
| Lbl21: | House |
| Data21: | Gryffindor |
| Lbl22: | Born |
| Data22: | 11 August 1981[1] |
| Full Name: | Ginevra Molly Weasley  |
Ginevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J.K. Rowling. She is introduced in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as the youngest child and only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley. She becomes romantically involved with Harry Potter and eventually marries him. Ginny is portrayed by Bonnie Wright in all eight Harry Potter films.
J. K. Rowling says of Ginny:[2]
In a joint interview with The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet, Rowling revealed that she "always knew" that Ginny and Harry "were going to come together and then part."[3] Rowling explained that, as the series progresses, Harry, and by extension the reader, discovers that Ginny is in fact the ideal girl for Harry. Rowling said Harry "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." By the later part of the series, Ginny and Harry "are total equals" and "worthy of each other." The author also commented that she enjoyed writing the "big emotional journey" both characters go through, and that she really likes Ginny as a character.
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.
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. As the plot advances, Harry and Ginny's brother Ron notice that she is acting strangely. At first, they assume she is simply disturbed by the attacks on Muggle-born students at Hogwarts, but soon suspect that she may know something about the attacks. They question her, but she refuses to speak. They eventually discover that she opened the Chamber of Secrets and was commanding a basilisk to assault students while under the influence of Tom Riddle's school diary. Harry finds Ginny, saves her from Riddle, and destroys the diary.
Ginny returns 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. 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 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.[4] [5]
Ginny is portrayed by Bonnie Wright in all eight Harry Potter films. In an interview with The Telegraph, Wright said her brother encouraged her to audition because she reminded him of the character.[6] In a 2020 article, Nathan Sharp of ScreenRant wrote that Wright "simply did not fit" the role of Ginny, and that her performance was "flat and emotionless".[7]
In the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Ginny helps Harry reconcile with their son Albus Severus Potter. Her job at The Daily Prophet is briefly mentioned when Draco Malfoy accuses her of promoting suspicion against former Death Eaters.[8] Poppy Miller played Ginny in the original West End production of the play.[9]
Ginny is voiced by Bonnie Wright in the Order of Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 video games.[10] She is voiced by Victoire Robinson in the Chamber of Secrets game, and by Annabel Scholey in the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 game.
In the novels, Ginny is described as having the trademark Weasley red hair and freckled complexion. She is of petite stature and has bright brown eyes like her mother.[11] In Half-Blood Prince, the Slytherin student Pansy Parkinson declares that Ginny is popular with boys.[12] In the same novel, Ginny's skill with the Bat-Bogey Hex earns her the admiration of Horace Slughorn and an invitation to his "Slug Club".
In an interview, Rowling described Ginny as tough, gutsy, warm and compassionate.[13] In Deathly Hallows, Harry claims that Ginny's toughness resulted from growing up with six brothers.
Veronica Vivona of ScreenRant described Ginny as strong, independent, intelligent, fierce, brave, friendly and helpful. She also called Ginny a gifted Quidditch player.[14] In his book about the Harry Potter universe, Christopher Bell claimed that youth and rage are two of Ginny's defining characteristics. He wrote that she has "a very short fuse" and a notorious temper that often expresses itself in childish ways.[15]
In the 2013 Season 6, Episode 15 of The Big Bang Theory (The Spoiler Alert Segmentation), Leonard has just started reading Half-Blood Prince when Sheldon spoils Dumbledore's death by Snape as well as Dobby's death in Deathly Hallows, which ignites a feud between them. Later, during an effort to patch things up between them, Penny accidentally spoils that Harry and Ginny end up together, trying to draw a comparison between Ron accepting that Harry is interested in Ron's sister Ginny, and Leonard's potential forgiving of Sheldon spoiling key events of the series. Leonard is obviously disappointed that yet another event has been spoiled.[16] [17] [18]