Template:HP character Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Weasley (born 11 August 1981)[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series. She is the youngest of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley's seven children. She is small, with vivid red hair and bright brown eyes, and is occasionally likened to a cat. She is a talented witch, especially noted for her skill with the Bat-Bogey Hex.
Ginny is a descendant of the Weasley family, one of the oldest pure-blood wizarding families in existence, and is also a descendent of the Prewett and Black lines through marriage (her mother was a Prewett before marriage). She is sister to Bill, Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George and Ron. She is also good friends with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter and is soon to become sister-in-law to Fleur Delacour. Ginny bears the trademark red hair of the Weasley clan. According to author J.K. Rowling, she is also the first female born into the Weasley line in "several generations." [2]
Ginny in the Books
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Ginny is introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She is one of the first girls of about Harry's age seen in the series. She makes only two appearances in Philosopher's Stone, both at King's Cross. The first is a scene where Harry and her brothers are leaving for Hogwarts; Harry sees her interacting with her family and then watches her run down the platform, chasing the train as it leaves the station. In this first scene, her connection to Harry is established with Harry overhearing a scene in which Ginny begs her mother to be able to go on the train and see the famous Harry Potter. 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.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Ginny becomes more involved in 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 and providing light humour with her obvious crush on Harry. It is to Harry's credit, however, that he never teases her, appearing to be unwilling to further embarrass her.
However, Ginny turns out to be the key to the year's biggest mystery, a series of unexplained attacks that leave several Muggle-born students petrified. Harry eventually discovers that a magical school diary made by Tom Riddle (the young Lord Voldemort) had been taking advantage of her insecurities, possessing her in order to access the Chamber of Secrets and unleash a Basilisk on the school.
It turns out that Lucius Malfoy was responsible for making sure that Ginny got the diary; he hoped to use her actions to discredit her father, who had proposed a Muggle Protection Act that he opposed, and to have Dumbledore thrown out of Hogwarts. After Ginny tells "Tom" about Harry's survival and the destruction of Voldemort, Riddle puts his own twist on the plan. Instead of using Ginny to attack Muggle-borns, he 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, already understanding Harry's hero-complex from what Ginny has told him, hopes her abduction will lure Harry into the Chamber as well. Riddle is very curious about how Harry "defeated" him, and wishes to kill him. Harry does in fact enter the Chamber, but with help from Fawkes and the Sorting Hat manages to destroy both Riddle and the Basilisk and thus saves Ginny's life. Following thus, he expressed a strong concern over Ginny's not being expelled - showing that in the matter he finds her entirely blameless, knowing Voldemort's power and control.
The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire
Ginny is not involved in the main storylines of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, and she only directly interacts with Harry three times. In book 3, she catches Harry's eye and laughs over Percy's behaviour at the train station. . In book 4 they exchange grins in one moment and speak freely in each others' presence (though not to each other). A few months later, she honours a promise to attend the Yule Ball with Neville Longbottom despite Ron asking her to attend with Harry - whom she still fancies. She appears in the background in these two books, however, minimally interacting with other characters or just being mentioned in passing. She is badly affected by the Dementors on the train in Prisoner of Azkaban (likely remembering her experiences of being possessed by Riddle the previous year), and on another occasion she stands up for Neville, demanding that Ron and Harry stop laughing at him, a demand the two have no qualms in ignoring.
In the first four books, Ginny's overall portrayal has a streak of a Damsel in Distress to it, an impression created chiefly from 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[5]; see princess and dragon). Her background appearances, however, especially in book 4, give the reader glimpses of her real personality when she isn't hamstrung by her crush on Harry. Her background appearances, however, especially in book 4, give the reader glimpses of her real personality when she isn't hamstrung by her crush on Harry. She is shown to enjoy laughter and stand up for her beliefs as well as being adverse to violence (her reactions during the World Cup) and generally not respected by her brothers. These glimpses contrast to the "Damsel in Distress" stereotype, and foreshadow the more active, less shy character she becomes in book five and beyond.
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, fiercely independent, demonstrating a talent for both magic and Quidditch, with a sense of humour similar to the Weasley twins.
Ginny is the only character among Harry's peers who can address him calmly during his worst moods. Others (notably Hermione Granger, and to a lesser extent Ronald Weasley) do confront Harry and address him during these moods, but do not take the 'cool' tone that Ginny and a few adults (like Phineas Nigellus and Albus Dumbledore) are able to employ. In one scene, Harry wallows in miserable thoughts of himself being a weapon Voldemort might use to attack people, "contaminated" and unworthy of the company of his friends. He forgot that Ginny was also once possessed by Voldemort, and that she could provide insight on his situation. When she forcefully reminds him of her experience, he sincerely apologises to her for not remembering.
When Dolores Umbridge gives Harry a "lifetime" ban from playing Quidditch, Ginny replaces him as Gryffindor's Seeker. She is successful, though everyone (including Harry) admits that she is not nearly as good as Harry. She also joins (and suggests 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. She is one of the DA members who joins Harry's attempt to rescue Sirius Black from the Department of Mysteries despite Ron's objections. She manages however to be knocked out of the fight early with a broken ankle. Her brother, Ron, is also injured while attempting to help her.
Hermione tells Harry in Order of The Phoenix that Ginny 'used to' like him, but '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 Ginny breaks up with him when he becomes sulky over Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch. She tells Ron in the ending scene that she has 'chosen' Dean Thomas as her next boyfriend, in a way which makes it ambigious as to whether she is truly dating Dean, or merely saying it to ruffle the feathers of her overprotective brother, Ron.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In Half-Blood Prince, Ginny is primarily involved in the Quidditch and romance subplots. Harry learns at the end of Book 5 that she has started going out with his classmate and dormmate Dean Thomas. Also, it is revealed that by her fifth year (Harry's sixth), she has become one of the more popular girls at Hogwarts, and is being recognized as a very attractive girl (that she had a steady boyfriend in her fourth year would seem to attest to that). She does not become a prefect (the only other person in her family besides the Twins who isn't named a prefect), but she is widely considered very attractive and the Potions professor Horace Slughorn respects her magical abilities enough (after seeing her bat-bogey hex Zacharias Smith) to invite her to join his "Slug Club", an exclusive group of students hand picked by Professor Slughorn as promising young achievers or students from influential families (Harry and Hermione Granger are also reluctant members, but Ron Weasley isn't) She also becomes a Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, alongside Katie Bell and Demelza Robins, and is very good at it, though she returns to playing Seeker for the last match of the year when Harry is stuck in detention with Snape.
As Harry witnesses Ginny repeatedly refuse his company in favor of Dean's (although sometimes reluctantly), he starts feeling odd, unexplained twinges of annoyance. During Professor Slughorn's first potions lesson, Harry notices the scent of "something flowery he might have smelled at the Burrow" coming from a love potion (one which smells different for each person, according to what attracts them). Later in the chapter, he notices the same flowery scent when Ginny joins them in conversation - though he again fails to make the connection. He finally realizes 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, while Harry is seized by the urge to "jinx Dean into a jelly." Afterwards, Harry initially tries to convince himself that his feelings are just brotherly, but eventually accepts that he is attracted to Ginny as a romantic interest and struggles with a major crush on her from then on, alternating between fantasizing about her kissing him in the same abandoned corridor (and the book hints that he fantasizes about other things, as well --"...she kept popping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency...") and worrying about Ron bursting into the said corridor shouting about betrayal.
Ginny and Dean's relationship turns sour after Christmas, and they finally break up in April (with a helpful "nudge" from Harry's Felix Felicis lucky potion). Though still worried about Ron's reaction, Harry can't help but take advantage of the chance to spend more time with her. After Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup, Harry spontaneously kisses her during the euphoric post-match celebration, to almost everyone's surprise (to the jealousy of some girls and Dean Thomas). Hermione beams with approval. Ron is stunned, but he gives them his reluctant blessing. Ginny's (who was previously aware of Harry's feelings for her) reaction to this is notably not noted.
When the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts, aided by Draco Malfoy, Ginny joins the fight, along with Ron, Neville, and several members of the Order of the Phoenix. She is more effective in combat than she was the previous year, able to distract the Death Eaters for a time without inury, though this can be partly credited to small doses of Felix Felicis that she and the others took just before the battle.
After the death of Hogwarts headmaster and Harry's beloved mentor 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, and that his hero-complex is the reason why she likes him so much. She also confides that she never really gave up on or got over him - contradicting a statement made previously by Hermione. In the end, Ginny also hints at resuming their relationship after Harry will have (hopefully) defeated Voldemort. She also finally says Voldemort's name, becoming the second of Harry's friends at school (after Hermione) who willingly says the name aloud, without the slightest reluctance. Given that when Ginny first uses Voldemort's name to Harry during her conversation with Harry at Dumbledore's funeral, there is no trace of reluctance (as there was with Hermione the first few times she said it), Ginny may possibly have already used Voldemort's name to Hermione, and at the very least may already have been convinced by Hermione to call Voldemort by his name .
Ginny in the films
Ginny is played by Bonnie Wright in the film adaptations. Only her first cameo in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone appears in the film, as it ended with the Hogwarts Express leaving Hogwarts and not with its arrival at King's Cross station.
Ginny's role in the second film is considerably larger, although many elements found in the book, such as her crush on Harry and most of the hints about her involvement with the Chamber are given considerably less attention in the film version. Since Ginny doesn't play a major role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, she only appears in the third film as an extra, though she has one line.
After those sporadic appearances in the first three films, Ginny becomes much more visible in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She still only has a handful of lines, but she is a frequent presence in the background (and sometimes the foreground) through most of the movie. While she seldom deals directly with Harry, she spends quite a bit of time in the company of Hermione, Ron, Fred and George, and Neville Longbottom (her date to the Yule Ball), and both her friendship with Hermione from the books and her relationship with her brothers are clearly shown for the first time in the films. Subtly, she also displays some of the qualities that Ginny shows in the fifth and sixth books, and it has been suggested that Steve Kloves was steadily building up both Ginny and Neville for their larger roles in the fifth film.
Ginny in the Harry Potter fandom
Ginny's portrayal in fan fiction prior to The Order of the Phoenix varied greatly, but she was most often depicted as either a naive, 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.
Fan reaction to Ginny has always been mixed. Many fans liked her prior to The Order of the Phoenix, while many others either dismissed her as unimportant or were quick to label her as nothing but a fangirl. Her portrayal in The Order of the Phoenix and especially The Half-Blood Prince has further inflamed opinions on both sides, to the point where she has arguably become (like Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy) one of those characters that fans tend to either love or hate. Those who dislike Ginny argue that she is poorly written to the point of being a Mary Sue, played up as the beautiful, popular, and athletically gifted female with great magical talent while her unsympathetic flaws are supposedly deliberately glossed over by the author. Ginny fans, in contrast, laud her as an example of a strong female character, one who has overcome both possession by Voldemort and a debilitating crush on Harry. They view her as a balanced and realistic characters, while others do not. 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. Debate is centered on the topics on was she developed well and whether her actions are justified.
Many fans find Ginny's actions to be unnecessarily cruel, while others find them to be justified given the context. Her actions: calling her sister-in-law 'Phlegm', smashing into a quidditch commentator for giving a commentary biased against her team, taunting her brother about his lack of sexual experience and cursing a fellow student for asking a question about Harry's role in the fight against Voldemort, speak of a hot-headed temper and and a forceful personality, if nothing else. Others point out signs which seem to indicate that Ginny is not as detached and hard as her attitude may suggest. She is shown to be caring about her family in various instances: when her father is attacked by a serpent, when Ron is poisoned and when her eldest brother Bill is savaged by a werewolf. Ginny sobs again at the end of the Half Blood Prince, when she is at Dumbledore's funeral, and reveals that since Dumbledore's death she hasn't been sleeping very well. Ginny also had cried in The Chamber of Secrets when she discovered that Harry was aware that she has been unconsciously attacking students and expects expulsion as a result.
It was fanon for many years that Ginny's full name was Virginia, as the name Ginny is usually short for Virginia, but J. K. Rowling eventually revealed on her website that Ginny's given name is actually Ginevra. Since then, use of Virginia as Ginny's first name has been abandoned by fans.
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."[3]
Trivia
- Ginevra is the Italian form of Guinevere. There seems to be somewhat of a running theme of Arthurian legend in some Weasley family names.
- Ginny mentions Voldemort by name at the end of book 6, making her one of only a select few people (and only the third student, after Harry and Hermione) willing to say his name. Prior to that, she did not refer to him by name.
External links
References
- [1] "JKRowling.com Archives: Birthdays" from MuggleNet
- [2] Information about the Weasley children's relative ages from the J.K. Rowling Official Site
- [3] Some Random Facts About the Weasley Family from the J.K. Rowling Official Site
- [4] MuggleNet/Leaky Cauldron interview with J.K. Rowling from Quick Quotes Quill
- [5] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Screenplay by Steve Kloves (Based on the Novel by J.K. Rowling) "Harry WHEELS, sword in hand, and fends off the slashing serpent like St. George and the dragon."
- Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747532699.
- Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747538492.
- Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747542155.
- Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bloomsbury. ISBN 074754624X.
- Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
- Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747581088.