Of all of the families in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Weasley family is arguably the most popular among fans. Whether its because of Ron Weasley’s nobility, the quirky antics of Fred and George, or the sweet love and protection shown by the family’s matriarch, Molly Weasley, there is no denying that the Weasley’s are among the best characters in the entire Harry Potter franchise.
Thanks to the great connection between Ron and Harry, the Weasley’s had some involvement in every Harry Potter movie, especially after fans were introduced to (almost) the entire Weasley family in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After Harry was first introduced to the Weasley’s Burrow in the second book, he was seen by the Weasley’s as an honorary member of their family, making the Burrow essentially his second home (with Hogwarts being his first, of course).
As the series progressed, both Harry and the Harry Potter fans became more familiar with the members of Ron’s family, including his parents Arthur and Molly, his sister Ginny, and his many brothers, Fred, George, Percy, Charlie, and Bill. The Weasley family was even expanded after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with the next generation of Weasleys coming into the picture, including Harry and Ginny’s three children, Ron and Hermione’s two children, and even a few more. With all of these various different characters being part of the vast Weasley family, it becomes easy to miss some of the details about their genealogy.
Here are the 25 Things Only True Harry Potter Fans Know About The Weasley Family.
25 Ginny Was The First Female Weasley Of Several Generations
While it’s notable that Ginny was the only daughter that Arthur and Molly had of their seven children, Ginny herself was actually something of a streak-breaker. She was the first female Weasley to be born into the family for several generations. Arthur only had brothers growing up, and it was stated that a few of the generations before Arthur were all male as well.
After the birth of Ginny, the no-female-birth curse was seemingly broken, as the next generation of Weasleys saw seven female Weasleys being born, and only five males.
24 Their Financial State Turned Around After The Deathly Hallows
Throughout the duration of the Harry Potter franchise, the Weasley were commonly depicted as being poor. While their property was large, it was incredibly raggedy, and almost all of the kids wore hand-me-down clothes (as Malfoy regularly pointed out). Their bank account at Gringotts only contained a small amount of Sickles and a single Galleon.
All of that turned around, however, after the events of The Deathly Hallows. The family became a lot more notable thanks to Ron, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, which brought in a large income for the family, Harry (who was married into the family), and Hermione (who was also married into the family and became the Minister for Magic).
23 Arthur Was Originally Intended To Lose His Life In Order Of The Phoenix
J.K. Rowling was originally planning to have Arthur Weasley lose his life during the events of The Order of the Phoenix, but eventually decided against it, as she wanted Ron to stay light-hearted, which wouldn’t happen if he lost his father partway through the series.
She ended up delaying her plans to write off Arthur, as she later intended to have him lose his life in the Battle of Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows. For a second time, though, Rowling decided against getting rid of Arthur, and instead got rid of both Lupin and Tonks in exchange in order to write out the number of parental figures she originally intended to get rid of.
22 Fred & George Were Born On April Fool’s Day
Considering that they are the two biggest jokesters not only in the Weasley family, but also in the entire Harry Potter franchise, it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that Fred and George Weasley were born on April 1st, commonly referred to as April Fool’s Day.
This “holiday” is commonly celebrated with people pranking one another, which ended up being every day life for the Weasley twins. They even went on to create a store that was solely dedicated to pranking. Humorously, Fred and George aren’t the only fictional pranksters to be born on April 1st. Other fictional characters like Bart Simpson and the Superman villain Mr Mxyzptlk share the same birthday.
21 Molly Lost Both Of Her Brothers During The First Wizarding War
Growing up, Molly Prewett, later known as Molly Weasley after her marriage to Arthur, actually had two brothers, Fabian and Gideon. She was the only daughter in the family, and actually had a close relationship with both of her brothers through her early adulthood.
Unlike Molly, though, both Fabian and Gideon fought in the First Wizarding War as members of the first Order of the Phoenix. Unfortunately, they both lost their lives when they were ambushed by five Death Eaters, including Antonin Dolohov. Molly very rarely mentioned her brothers in the books, but when she did bring them up, she spoke very fondly, implying that she may have taken the loss pretty hard.
20 Charlie Was The Only Surviving Weasley Child To Not Get Married
Of all seven Weasley children, there were only two that did not get married. The first was Fred Weasley, which would make sense, as he lost his life in the Battle of Hogwarts early into his adulthood. The second Weasley child to never get married was Charlie Weasley, who was the only surviving Weasley kid to not tie the knot.
The reason why Charlie never found love was that he never really went looking for it. What kept Charlie going in life was his deep connection with animals, specifically dragons. For some time, some Harry Potter fans theorized that Charlie was actually gay, but J.K. Rowling eventually shot this theory down.
19 Only One Weasley Was Not Sorted Into Gryffindor
It’s incredibly common for the Sorting Hat to sort every member of a family into the same Hogwarts House, like the Malfoys in the Slytherin house, with some exceptions. For several decades, the Weasley family was only sorted into Gryffindor, with both Molly and Arthur being in that house, along with all seven of their children.
The Weasley who broke this trend (even though he didn’t have the last name “Weasley”) was Albus Potter, the middle child of Harry and Ginny. While the shock of Albus being sorted into Slytherin was more so looked at from the perspective of him being Harry Potter’s son, it was still alarming for a Weasley descendant to not be sorted into Gryffindor.
18 Harry Saved At Least Four Members Of The Weasley Family
The Weasleys often considered Harry Potter to be an honorary member of their family and would regularly house him, and this was certainly not undeserved on Harry’s behalf. Throughout the series, Harry directly saved four different Weasleys.
The first Weasley he saved was Ginny, as he freed her from Tom Riddle’s curse in The Chamber of Secrets. Next was Arthur, who Harry envisioned being attacked by Nagini in The Order of the Phoenix. Third was Ron, who Harry saved after he was poisoned in The Half-Blood Prince. Finally, Harry saved Molly during the Battle of Hogwarts after Voldemort attacked her for ending the life of Bellatrix.
17 Ron’s Grandmother Was Part Of The Black Family
The Blacks were generally regarded as one of the darkest families in the Wizarding World, with almost all of their members (save Sirius) being sorted into Slytherin. In fact, the daughter of Voldemort actually descended from the Black family.
Arthur Weasley’s mother, Cedrella Weasley, was actually known as Cedrella Black before she married into the Weasley family. Unfortunately for Cedrella, the Weasleys were considered “blood traitors” by the dark wizard families, and Cedrella was soon disowned by the rest of the Blacks. Her face was burnt off of the Black Family Tapestry, which is located in 12 Grimmauld Place.
16 Charlie Is The Only Weasley Child To Not Appear In Person In The Movies
Of all seven Weasley children, Charlie is the only one to not appear in person throughout the movies. He briefly showed up in a family photograph in The Prisoner of Azkaban, but that was his only official appearance. It was theorized that he appeared in The Deathly Hallows Part 1, as we saw the back of an unidentified character with red hair briefly, but it was never confirmed if it was Charlie or not.
Despite his lack of in-person appearances in the movies, though, Charlie actually played significant roles in the books, including The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Goblet of Fire, and The Deathly Hallows.
15 Only Three Weasley Children Were Not Prefects
Before Harry’s time at Hogwarts, both Bill and Charlie Weasley served as Prefects at the school, since they were some of the student body heads. In Harry’s first two years, Percy was a Prefect for Gryffindor. Both Percy and Bill went on to serve as Head Boys, which was the highest leadership title a student could earn.
Later in Harry’s time at Hogwarts, Ron was named as a Prefect, in addition to Hermione. Fred and George ended up being the only Weasley boys to not become Prefects at Hogwarts. This is primarily credited to their constant pranking and rule-breaking. Ginny also did not serve as a Prefect.
14 Arthur & Molly Weren’t Part Of The First Order Of The Phoenix
The Weasleys have a rich history of standing up for Muggle rights and not caring about the strict pure-blood lineages that dark wizards seem to worship, despite being pure-blood themselves. However, although they were always on the opposite side of the political spectrum as the dark wizards like Voldemort and the Malfoys, Arthur and Molly Weasley played no part in the First Wizarding War.
Their absence from the first Order of the Phoenix was largely credited to the fact that they had recently given birth to Bill and Charlie Weasley, which meant that they were more focused on their own children than the rest of the world. Fortunately, Arthur and Molly made up for this during the Second Wizarding War, which allowed the Burrow to be the headquarters for the second Order.
13 Percy Appeared In Almost Every Harry Potter Movie
Percy Weasley had a significant role in almost every Harry Potter book, as he had an incredibly heartbreaking arc that stretched throughout almost the entire franchise. After all, he did put his duties to the Ministry of Magic above his feelings for his family and only redeemed himself during the Battle of Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows.
While this story arc was cut from the movies, Percy still appeared in nearly every movie nonetheless, with the original actor agreeing to come back throughout the franchise in essentially a background role. While he had speaking lines in the first three movies, he had no lines in his later appearances in The Order of the Phoenix and both Deathly Hallows movies.
12 Molly Homeschooled Her Children Before They Attended Hogwarts
Considering the fact that most magical children don’t attend school until the age of 11, it’s not too big of a shock to know that most parents had to teach their children the basics before they attended Hogwarts. Molly Weasley, however, took this to a whole new level.
Molly essentially pushed the limits of what she was allowed to teach at home, making sure that all of her children were well educated already in the rules of magic and their history before they attended Hogwarts. This would explain why Ron was so interested in the historical figures on his Chocolate Frog Cards at the beginning of The Sorcerer’s Stone.
11 They Are Considered One Of The Last Pureblood Families
During the 1930s, an anonymously-written list called the “Pure-Blood Directory” was created, which listed the 28 pure-blood wizarding families that were still left in existence. This was more than likely inspired by the rise of Grindelwald, who considered pure-bloods to be the superior beings.
The Weasley family, including the Weasleys who were around in the ’30s, absolutely resented being on this list, as they did not think themselves superior in any way and hated being associated with the dark wizards who thought otherwise. While the Weasleys were later referred to as “blood traitors,” they were still notable for being one of the last noble wizarding families left.
10 They Are Related To The Crouchs, The Yaxleys, & The Longbottoms
Seeing as how small the wizarding community is in the area, it would make sense that some of the larger wizarding families were distantly connected. In addition to the Blacks, the Weasleys were also related to a few other noble families, such as the Crouchs, the Yaxleys, and even the Longbottoms.
Cedrella Black/Weasley’s mother, Lysandra, was actually a member of the Yaxley family before she married into the Blacks. In addition to Cedrella, Lysandra also had two other daughters, Charis and Callidora. Charis married into the Crouch family, while Callidora married into the Longbottom family.
9 Fred & George Were Two Of J.K. Rowling’s Favorite Characters
Fred and George were among author J.K. Rowling’s favorite characters to write, as they added a lot of fun to her books and the two characters also had a lot of heart. She later stated that having Fred lose his life was something she absolutely hated doing, but had planned on doing from the beginning.
Going more in depth with the two Weasley twins, Rowling explained what she thought made the pair so great, calling them “the risk-takers in the family… who just take a totally different life path and were prepared to risk everything.”
8 It Is Believed That Victoire Weasley And Teddy Lupin Will Get Married
Victoire Weasley, the oldest child of Bill and Fleur Weasley, appears in the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Not much is really known about Victoire except for the fact that she is in a relationship with Teddy Lupin, the orphaned son of Lupin and Tonks and the godson of Harry.
The two were seemingly in a relationship together for a long time, even after Teddy graduated Hogwarts. Because they were still together going into adulthood, it’s been theorized that the two of them will end up marrying, though there is no confirmation yet.
7 Almost All Of Their Names Have Medieval Roots
J.K. Rowling often put deeper meanings into the names of her characters, and the Weasleys were no exceptions. Almost every member of the Weasley family had some sort of medieval meaning when it came to their name.
Arthur Weasley was named after King Arthur, Bill was named after the knight and Regent of England William Marshall, Charlie was named after Charles the Great, Fred was named after the Emperor Frederick Barbossa, George was named after St. George, Percy was named after the Knight of the Round Table Percival, Ron was named after Charles the Great’s military leader Roland, and Ginny was named after Guinevere, who was King Arthur’s queen.
6 Arthur’s Greatest Wish Is To Learn How Airplanes Work
It’s no secret that Arthur Weasley has a great interest in Muggle culture and often enthuses himself by experimenting with their technology, such as his flying car, which was featured in The Chamber of Secrets. However, this interest went further than being just a small hobby, as his greatest desire was to learn exactly how airplanes worked, as revealed in The Half-Blood Prince.
Arthur’s curiosity in this science was probably rooted from his creation of his flying car, as he was also able to make a vehicle fly, but had to use magic. The fact that Muggles learned how to make a vehicle fly without the use of magic must have been mind-boggling to him.
5 Bill & Percy Were The Only Weasley Children To Not Play Quidditch
The Weasley kids were well known for being quite athletic, since almost all of them were active Quidditch players. The only two children of the Weasley family to not play Quidditch at some point during their careers at Hogwarts were Bill and Percy, both of whom appeared to be more interested in their academics.
Charlie Weasley was a Seeker and Captain, Fred and George were both Beaters, Ron eventually became a Keeper, and Ginny was a Chaser, and occasionally a Seeker, mostly whenever Harry was not around to fill the position. Ginny was the only Weasley kid to turn her Quidditch skills into a career, though, as she went on to play professionally for the Holyhead Harpies, an all-female Quidditch team.
4 They’re One Of The Few Wizarding Families To Have Lots Of Kids
While it may be easy to assume that many wizarding families will have as many children as the Weasleys, the Weasley family is actually something of an outlier in this regard. The Weasleys had many more children than most other wizarding families at the time, which only made the family stand out more in the eyes of the rest of the pure-bloods.
Take, for example, the Malfoy family. The Malfoys believed themselves to be among the most noble of the wizarding families, yet each generation only ever gave birth to one child. Lucius Malfoy was an only child growing up, as was Draco, and so was Draco’s son, Scorpius. The Blacks appeared to be the only other wizarding family to have as many children as the Weasleys, even though much of the family lineage was wiped out by the events of the books.
3 Fred & George Are Named Partially After Molly’s Late Brothers
While Molly rarely spoke of the two brothers she lost during the First Wizarding War, there is one clear sign of how much she cared for them: she seemingly named two of her sons after them. While their names aren’t exactly the same, the names Fred and George are quite similar to the names Fabian and Gideon, since they have the same first letters.
Ironically, the namesake of Fred and George ended up being something of a self-fulfilling prophecy for them. Both Fabian and Gideon lost their lives in the the First Wizarding War, whereas Fred lost his life in the Second Wizarding War, and George lost his ear.
2 Molly’s Greatest Fear Is Losing Her Entire Family, Along With Harry
Molly Weasley, first and foremost, is a caring mother whose entire life surrounds around her children. This was apparent when she encountered her Boggart, which featured the lifeless bodies of every member of her family, along with Harry, who she evidently saw as a son.
As mentioned earlier, this fear isn’t just connected to her love of her family, but also to her past, seeing as she lost her two closest family members growing up. Her life completely changed after losing her brother, with her children and husband becoming her only family members. This means that they are the last things that she could possibly lose.
1 Arthur’s Patronus Is A Weasel, The Animal The Family Was Named After
J.K. Rowling named the Weasley family’s surname after weasels, which also happened to be Arthur Weasley’s patronus. The idea to name the family after weasels actually had to do with Rowling’s viewpoints of the animals.
“In Britain and Ireland, the weasel has a bad reputation as an unfortunate, even malevolent, animal,” Rowling explained. “However, since childhood I have had a great fondness for the family mustelidae; [which are] not so much malignant as maligned, in my opinion. There are also many superstitions associated with redheaded people and most state that they are in some way unlucky… but this is nonsense; I happen to like red hair as well as weasels.”
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Are there any other interesting facts about the Weasleys in Harry Potter? Let us know in the comments!
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