MYRTLE WARREN & THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH RISKS

Today, The Weasleys have discovered the sad story of Myrtle Warren, the Muggle-born witch, who was killed by the Serpent of Slytherin and became a ghost who haunted the second-floor girls' bathroom at Hogwarts.

Also known as Moaning Myrtle, this young witch suffered bullying in Hogwarts. 

Myrtle Elizabeth Warren, more commonly known after her death as Moaning Myrtle, is a Muggle-born witch who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Ravenclaw house.

She was killed by the Serpent of Slytherin, under Tom Riddle's orders. After the incident, she became a ghost who haunted the second-floor girls' bathroom and occasionally other bathroom facilities at Hogwarts.

Myrtle was a witch born circa to a Muggle mother and father, making her a Muggle-born.

More information: Wizarding World

She started her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When she arrived at Hogwarts she was Sorted into the house of Ravenclaw. While at Hogwarts she was unable to make any friends and was constantly teased and bullied because of this and her physical appearance, which included glasses and acne.

In 1943, sometime into Myrtle's education, the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time. The Chamber of Secrets was a legendary chamber built by Salazar Slytherin and inside was a beast that only his heir could control.

It was believed that Gryffindor student, Rubeus Hagrid had opened the Chamber because he was caught raising Aragog, an acromantula, but it was actually Tom Marvolo Riddle, a Slytherin student.

Hogwarts was soon facing closure as Muggle-born students were being mysteriously attacked by the mythical beast thought to be down inside the Chamber.

On her final day of life, Myrtle was teased by student Olive Hornby. She had made fun of Myrtle's glasses and, as a result, left Myrtle sobbing. Myrtle then ran into one of the bathroom's stalls and started crying. Shortly after Myrtle had entered the bathroom, Tom Riddle entered and started speaking in Parseltongue in order to open the Chamber of Secrets, the entrance of which was hidden behind the sink in front of the very stall occupied by Myrtle at the time.

The Monster of Slytherin, a basilisk, then emerged from the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. The monster had been using the pipes as a means of transportation, as to not be seen and therefore never being caught.

Myrtle, still in one of the stalls, recognised the voice as being that of a boy. Opening the stall's door, she was about to yell at Tom Riddle to go away. On Tom Riddle's command, the Basilisk stared at Myrtle and her eyes met with the monster's.

Since looking into a Basilisk's eyes is a fatal act, Myrtle was killed instantly and her body fell to the bathroom floor, becoming Tom Riddle's first victim. Tom Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort, used her murder to make his first Horcrux: the Diary.

Myrtle's body was later found by Olive Hornby, something that Hornby would not soon forget.

Myrtle's body was removed from the school after its discovery and, following her death, Myrtle returned as a ghost so she could haunt student Olive Hornby in revenge for her bullying. Olive Hornby went to the Ministry of Magic to restrain Myrtle, who was thereafter obliged to remain at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Ever since, Myrtle haunted the bathroom where she had died, although she was sometimes seen in other bathrooms, and was even flushed into the lake occasionally. As a result of her haunting, her lavatory grave was rarely used, and was thus available for clandestine activities, such as forbidden potion-brewing, as long as one did not mind the company.

More information: Must Be Undead

The true importance of Myrtle's bathroom was that it contained the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, the home of the basilisk of Salazar Slytherin. The Chamber was opened again, fifty years after its previous opening, by a Gryffindor first year, Ginny Weasley, who was possessed by the diary of the earlier opener, Tom Riddle. The diary was a Horcrux, though it was described as a memory at the time. Myrtle later flooded her bathroom in a fit of pique when Ginny tried to dispose of the diary by flushing it down the toilet in Myrtle's stall.

Hermione Granger used Myrtle's bathroom to brew Polyjuice Potion, which Harry Potter and Ron Weasley used to impersonate Slytherin students Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Thus disguised, they entered the Slytherin common room to interrogate Draco Malfoy about the Chamber of Secrets. They learned only that, according to Draco's father Lucius Malfoy, the last time the chamber was open a Mudblood was killed and that, contrary to their suspicions, Draco was not the Heir of Slytherin.

Harry and Ron later learned from Aragog the Acromantula that the murdered student had been killed in a bathroom, and Harry realised that the student must have been Myrtle.

Myrtle was flattered by Harry's request that she tell the story of her death, the manner of which was one of the most important and interesting events of her short life. It is possible that Harry was the first person to treat it as something worth asking about.

Myrtle remembered only having seen a pair of enormous yellow eyes, but neither Harry nor Ron recognized this as a clue that the monster was a basilisk.

Hermione had already deduced the monster's nature by library research before she was petrified, so Myrtle's clue was of no practical importance.

During the 1994–1995 school year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hosted the Triwizard Tournament. Before the second task, the champions had to solve the mystery behind their golden eggs, which, when opened, emitted a harsh screeching sound. The secret was that the noise became speech when heard underwater.

One champion, Cedric Diggory, decided to meditate upon the clue in the prefects' bathroom. Myrtle spied on Cedric in the tub, admitting to Harry that it took Cedric a long time to figure it out; nearly all the bubbles in the bath were gone by the time he cracked it.

Cedric later suggested to Harry Potter that he take his egg the prefects' bathroom. With Myrtle's hints, Harry was able to decipher the riddle.

Myrtle also appeared to Harry whilst he was in the Black Lake, and pointed him in the right direction to find the village of the merpeople, thereby helping him to reach the Tournament hostages before the other champions.

Myrtle was a squat student with pimples and thick glasses. She died in 1943 and became a ghost, wearing her school uniform, as well as her glasses, for eternity.

Myrtle was constantly bullied during her education at Hogwarts, for both her physical appearance and her personality. Myrtle hardly ever smiled and took great offence at the smallest slight, crying rivers of tears and wailing, hence her nickname Moaning Myrtle. She was often upset so badly that she tried to kill herself until she realised that she was already dead.

More information: 5 Interesting Facts About Moaning Myrtle

Myrtle did tend to be happy when something bad happened to other students, like when Hermione Granger accidentally gained cat fur, ears and a tail after taking a contaminated Polyjuice Potion. The only time she seemed to enjoy herself was when she recalled the moment of death, describing the event with relish.

She did, however, seem to warm to some male students, including Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Myrtle also appeared to be a desperate flirt; she constantly flirted with Harry Potter, and showed her desperation to find love by spying on students such as Cedric Diggory whilst he bathed in the prefects' bathroom. Myrtle liked to take bubble baths when she was alive, due to all those pretty bubbles.

Myrtle is a type of evergreen shrub that is often overlooked because of its plainness, native to southern Europe and north Africa.

Myrtle is a variety of the colour green. It is immoderately dark, slightly more so than the colour spinach.

It is possible she was named Myrtle to continue J.K. Rowling's tradition of naming characters after flowers.

It is also possible she was given the middle name Elizabeth and surname Warren as a reference to two characters from Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Elizabeth Proctor and her young servant Mary Warren, both of which are accused of being witches at some point.

More information: Looper

 

 

 No one wants to upset me! That's a good one!

My life was nothing but misery at this place

and now people come along ruining my death!

 Don't you think I know what people say behind my back

-fat Myrtle, ugly Myrtle, miserable…?

 Myrtle Warren

RITA SKEETER, THE DAILY PROPHET POISON-PEN STORIES

Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on events.

The word journalism applies to the occupation, as well as citizen journalists who gather and publish information. Journalistic media include print, television, radio, Internet, and, in the past, newsreels. Concepts of the appropriate role for journalism vary between countries. In some nations, the news media are controlled by government intervention and are not fully independent. In others, the news media are independent of the government but instead operate as private industry motivated by profit. In addition to the varying nature of how media organizations are run and funded, countries may have differing implementations of laws handling the freedom of speech and libel cases.

George Orwell, the English novelist and essayist, journalist and critic, once said that In a Time of Universal Deceit. Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act.

We are living under exceptional measures and, of course, the first victim has been the truth. False information, misreported and fake news are always a problem although is more dangerous and unacceptable when these fakes are created and distributed by people who are supposed to work to protect the population.

It is not a problem located only in the Muggles' world but also in Hogwarts and because of this, today, The Grandma wants to talk about failing journalism in Hogwarts with the example of Rita Skeeter, a British witch and journalist who specialised in writing poison-pen stories, and The Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper based in London creator of misleading journalism -information that, while accurate in fact, leads readers to the wrong conclusion.

More information: Wizarding World

The Daily Prophet is a wizarding newspaper based in London, England. It is the primary source of news for British and Irish wizards. The current editor is Barnabas Cuffe, who works in the main office in Diagon Alley.

Because of its ability to influence the minds of many in the British and probably Irish wizarding community, the paper has been known to have its content slanted intentionally by the Ministry of Magic, which it has strong ties with, into telling the Ministry's preferred version of events. Unfortunately, the Prophet does not seem to have a lot of journalistic integrity, it has been known to be more concerned about sales than about factual accuracy.

The paper features a morning and evening edition, the latter of which is called the Evening Prophet. The weekend edition is called the Sunday Prophet. Additional news bulletins can be delivered quickly when important, newsworthy events occur. As news changes, an edition may magically change, too, over the course of the day, probably by means of a Protean Charm.

There is only one wizarding newspaper in Britain, discounting such small circulation publications such as The Quibbler.

The Daily Prophet, whose headquarters are in Diagon Alley, is delivered by owl on a daily basis to nearly every wizarding household in Britain. Payment is effected by placing coins in the pouch tied to the paper-owl's leg. Occasionally, when something particularly interesting or exciting happens, such as the illegal flight of a Ford Anglia the length of Britain, an Evening Prophet edition will be rushed out.

Subscriptions cost 1 Knut. This paper is delivered to professors and a few students at Hogwarts in the mornings, when the owl post arrives.

The Prophet is not the only publication in the Wizarding World, but it is almost certainly the most widely read. Stories in the Prophet often colour public opinion to a great amount.

When the Prophet published stories deriding Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, most people in the Wizarding World believed what they read. The most widely read alternative newspaper in the wizarding world is The Quibbler.

More information: Wizarding World

While the Daily Prophet has been known to print facts, it has also had a somewhat negative reputation for being incredibly biassed, corrupt, and deceptive.

It is clear that, as there is strong government control of the newspaper, the facts can be misleading, if not outright fabrications, and that certain means of gathering information appear to be somewhat unethical. 

Government control of the Ministry is shown in the way that the Daily Prophet appears to pressure the government and go around official sources, and several people in Harry's circles feel that the Ministry of Magic leans heavily on Prophet.

In other instances, the Daily Prophet has misleading journalism -information that, while accurate in fact, leads readers to the wrong conclusion.

There are also occasions when the newspaper is seen to contain inaccurate or libellous content. It appears that there is little regard for accuracy in any form and there are no consequences or accountability for poor journalistic practises.

The Daily Prophet's unethical means of gathering information are most accurately seen with Rita Skeeter, a prominent but corrupt journalist who wrote with a complete disregard for accuracy, truthfulness and objectivity -often conducting interviews with a Quick Quotes Quill, a magical quill that writes automatically as the subject speaks. 

However, the quill does not record verbatim what the subject says. Instead, it takes a subject's words and creates sensational and inaccurate tales that bear little resemblance to actual events. In addition, Skeeter illegally turned herself into a beetle to spy on people and get personal information from them without being seen.

The Daily Prophet reports on everything going on the wizarding world, albeit not always in an unbiased way. In addition to news, the Daily Prophet includes a Magizoology column is run every Wednesday and a Quidditch section which features a boxed table of all the teams in the league, ranked by total number points scored, with forthcoming matches listed side by side. This section also includes articles on recent matches and other items of interest.

More information: The Daily Prophet

Wizardkind tends not to require alternative political flavours in its news coverage, which is not to say, however, that the Prophet does not have a political agenda.

As a small, outsider and occasionally beleaguered community, wizards are, by and large, interested in the same kinds of stories: whether anyone is in trouble for infractions of the International Statute of Secrecy, what irritating legislation the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office has come up with now, and when the next Celestina Warbeck/Weird Sisters concert will take place.

There is also an editorial section of the newspaper, where only few get responses, and are usually brief. The best letter is under the headline STAR LETTER.

A classified advertisements section is in the newspaper, with subheadings of JOBS, FOR SALE, and LONELY HEARTS. Birth and death notices also appear on this page. The advice section of the Prophet has a variety of experts in differing fields answer readers' questions.

Some topics covered in the past have been Medical Queries, Emotional Dilemmas, Legal Problems, and everyday magical problems.

Sometimes, the Daily Prophet has a fiendishly difficult crossword puzzle, and usually has a Magic lottery and a Magical Symbols Game.

The Daily Prophet also allows advertisements in their newspaper by businesses. some of these ads include: Nimbus brooms, clothing, Floo Powder accelerator, and O.W.L. crammers.

The Ministry also uses ad space in the Prophet. The Ministry posts various warnings, classes on advanced Defensive spells, and spells that can be used to safeguard your home.

The Evening Prophet was the name of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. Presumably, this edition included different features, compared to the morning edition or Sunday Prophet.

Evening editions that are can apparently be delivered very quickly after an important story breaks. A witch or wizard anywhere in Britain can have a copy in hand within a short time of publication. For example, when Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were spotted by Muggles flying the Ford Anglia, Severus Snape had a copy of the hogwarts, story continued in his hand  after they arrived. One of the Muggles who spotted them was in Peebles, which is relatively close to Hogwarts, so the story couldn’t have been more than an hour old at that point.

The Sunday Prophet is the name of the weekend edition of the Daily Prophet. Presumably, this edition includes different features, compared to the daily edition.

More information: Screen Rant

The Daily Prophet has been producing papers since 1743, the year when it famously described Gideon Flatworthy, head of an extremist anti-Muggle group, as less a wizard, more a lazy walrus-like object who lies all day on a rather smelly cushion, and expects people to admire him for it.

The Daily Prophet covered the rise of Gellert Grindelwalds rise to power, questioning if then Minister for Magic Hector Flamboyant Fawley was doing enough and detailing the increased security measures taken at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

During the Ministry's campaign to discredit and slander Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the Prophet was an instrumental tool of the Ministry in their goal to convince the public that Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter were fear-mongering or simply mad.

The Ministry of Magic was responsible for the unfair journalism of that summer as Cornelius Fudge strove to discredit Dumbledore's account of the return of Voldemort.

Hermione subscribed to the paper to keep on top of the Ministry's agenda and see what the enemy was saying. Some people, such as Augusta Longbottom, cancelled their subscriptions due to believing in Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter over the Ministry.

Originally, Harry Potter kept getting his subscription only to skim through the front page for information about Voldemort's movements, as he was unaware of the Ministry's denial. Because of this he missed out on the slip-ins of him and Dumbledore being antagonised. Upon realising what was happening, Harry ceased his subscription.

After Fudge was forced to admit that Voldemort had returned, the Prophet changed its stance overnight, calling Harry a lone voice of truth. The newspaper even bought, from The Quibbler, Harry's interview on Voldemort's return and claimed it to be exclusive.

After the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Ministry was forced to accept the Rebirth of Lord Voldemort, the Daily Prophet reported on all the tragedy and terror affecting wizards and Muggles alike. This included reporting the murder of Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance, the incorrect arrest of Stan Shunpike, and the arrest of Mundungus Fletcher for impersonating an Inferius.

When the Death Eaters took over the Ministry, they also took over the Daily Prophet, and subsequently they stopped reporting deaths that Death Eaters were responsible for. They also printed biassed, bogus news such as articles on Muggle-borns stealing magic from true wizards. As such, many resistance members turned to other programmes for news, such as Potterwatch and The Quibbler.

When Kingsley Shacklebolt became Minister for Magic, the Daily Prophet was de-corrupted.

More information: New Statesman

 

 

 The Prophet?

You deserved to be lied to if you're still reading that muck, Dirk. 

You want the facts, try The Quibbler.

Ted Tonks

 

Rita Skeeter is a British witch and journalist who specialised in writing poison-pen stories.

These stories tended to be based on false information and misreported interviews while she worked for the Daily Prophet, as well authoring a few tell-all biographies.

Skeeter was born into a half-blood or pure-blood family. Skeeter preferred writing for the sake of publicity and wrote what she thought people would like to read rather than what they ought to read and which was the truth. Rita's writing tended to be sensationalist and sometimes outright dishonest.

Albus Dumbledore described her writing as enchantingly nasty after she wrote an unfavourable article about him. Her ability to acquire information was assisted by her status as an unregistered beetle Animagus.

Notable stories Rita covered include the trials of various Death Eaters after the First Wizarding War, the Triwizard Tournament, and albeit reluctantly Harry Potter's account of Lord Voldemort's return to power for The Quibbler. She also wrote biographies of: Armando Dippet, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter. Her biography of Harry Potter for instance, is only one-quarter factual with the remaining three-quarters being pure fabrication.

Skeeter spent time training to become an Animagus and she was finally able to transform into a beetle at will. Skeeter aspired to be a journalist and an author, and used this ability to spy and eavesdrop for her articles.

During her early days as an author, Skeeter wrote a biography on Armando Dippet, entitled Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?. It was presumably an exaggerated history of him to gain controversy and by extension, popularity and fame. This book turned out to be a best-seller, with numerous copies sold. Also sometime in her early career, Skeeter provided a quote for the critical acclaim for Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp, when she wrote I've read worse as a review.

More information: Wizarding World

Rita was a guest speaker at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Prior to the reveal, the identity of the speaker generated quite a buzz throughout the school, with Rowan Khanna's guess being an Auror, the Minister for Magic, or a random Arithmancer, while Jacob's sibling thought to perhaps be the person Albus Dumbledore had been searching for throughout the school year.

Professor Minerva McGonagall introduced her to the school in the Great Hall, with Rita adding a bit more detail, stating herself to be a widely popular writer for the Daily Prophet.

She then gave a speech about the wizarding world being curious about the happenings within Hogwarts; Cursed Vaults aside, there apparently were talks about Hogwarts having the most promising assemblage of students in years, and that, in order to find out who the brightest student was, Professor Dumbledore had given the Prophet permission to observe and conduct a friendly competition, with the winner featuring on a front page article in the Prophet to start.

Rita then observed Potions, Transfiguration, Flying, and Charms classes, much to most of the instructors' annoyance. Following the Reappearance of the Dark Mark, Skeeter penned a scathing report of the British Ministry of Magic's handling over the riots, accusing the Ministry of incompetence over their failure to catch any of the culprits.

These articles particularly angered Arthur Weasley for her obviously biassed reporting, and he along with his son and fellow Ministry employee Percy Weasley had to head to the Ministry to help sort out the controversy, as she had mentioned Arthur in her article.

That year, Rita was given the opportunity to interview the Triwizard Tournament contestants for an article in the Daily Prophet. Under the guise of interviewing all four champions, she confronted Harry Potter in a broom cupboard where she took his ums and ers and invented her own quotes. Eventually, her interview of the contestants turned out to be a highly falsified story of Harry himself.

Harry Potter's story that Lord Voldemort had returned was not believed by much of the wizarding world, as the Daily Prophet portrayed him as either a delusional boy or an attention-seeking liar.

More information: Wizarding World

Rita was an unregistered Animagus, wherein she took the form of a beetle and was able to slip around undetected and spy on unsuspecting company so she could obtain gossip for her articles which she later exaggerated and exploited to gain the attention of the masses.

Her ability to turn into a beetle also reflected how irritating and bothersome she was to other people, particularly Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, and it also displayed her dishonest and cunning characteristics.

Rita also wrote primarily for the Daily Prophet, though some of her articles have also appeared in other sources, such as Witch Weekly and The Quibbler.

Rita was extremely nosy and willing to do anything for a good story, from spying on people in her Animagus form of a beetle to sensationalising or outright inventing stories. She also took advantage in order to dig up dirt on the late Albus Dumbledore for her extremely critical biography. She did this despite the use of such a powerful truth serum being heavily controlled by the Ministry.

Rita tended to portray the people she wrote about poorly, presumably because it sold more stories.

Skeeter was described as having blonde hair set in elaborate curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jewelled spectacles studded with rhinestones, and had thick fingers ending in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

Her blonde curls were curiously rigid, suggesting it was styled with the magical equivalent of hairspray. In addition, she had penciled-on eyebrows and three gold teeth, as well as large, masculine hands. Her bright scarlet painted fingernails and toenails were usually likened to claws or talons.

She was known to carry with her a crocodile-skin handbag, inside of which she carried her acid green Quick-Quotes Quill. She usually wore magenta-coloured robes but also wore clothes of green leather with maroon furs at the collar and sleeves.

Apparently, unemployment did not serve Rita well, as when she showed up during the year she was blackmailed by Hermione Granger not to write, Rita's nails were chipped, she was missing fake stones in her glasses, and her hair was lank and unkempt.

As in her unregistered Animagus beetle form, her antennas were curled to resemble her curls in her hair and she had marking around her antennas resembling her jewelled glasses. 

Rita is a short form of the name Margarita, a Latinate form of the name Margaret. The name is derived from the Greek μαργαρίτης, margarites, meaning pearl.

Skeeter is a slang term for a mosquito. This could be a reference to her Animagus form, which is an insect, or to her career in tabloid journalism. The word paparazzi is derived from an Italian word for mosquito

Skeet is also an Anglo-Manx colloquialism for gossip or an act of nosiness. Skeeter could also be a pun off of how annoying Skeeter's lies tend to be, as people tend to find mosquitoes annoying and attempt to swat them away.

More information: Wizarding World

 

 

 Hello, I'm Rita Skeeter!

I write for the Daily Prophet.

But, of course, you know that, don't you?

It's you we don't know. You're the juicy news.

What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks?

What mysteries do the muscles mask?

Does courage lie beneath those curls?

In short, what makes a champion tick?

Me, myself and I want to know.

Not to mention my ravid readers.

Rita Skeeter

THE WEASLEYS, THE ENDANGERED PURE-BLOOD WIZARDS

The Weasleys are a great family of thirteen members. It is not easy to manage a family as big as this and because of this, The Grandma has asked for advice to one of the most popular and funniest families of wizards, their ancestors, The Weasleys.

The Weasleys have already known two important members of this family, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley, but today thay have been invited to met the rest of the family in their wonderful home, The Burrow.

Before visiting The Weasleys, The Grandma has offered a new Cambridge Key English Test A2 Example. 

Download Cambridge KET Exam Model (11)

 
Download Cambridge KET Results Sheet (11)

The Weasley family family were a pure-blood wizarding family in Great Britain. They were considered one of the prominent wizarding families, although their lack of money and their sympathy for Muggle-born wizards and even Muggles made other wizards and witches view them scornfully.

They lived in The Burrow, a ramshackle house of four or five stories a little way outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole.

The Weasleys, unlike many other pure-blood families, willingly associated with Muggles, Muggle-borns, and half-bloods and do not consider themselves superior to others because of their blood status.

Thus, elitist pure-blood families such as the Malfoys and the Blacks consider them blood traitors and treat them with disdain; Cedrella Black was even disowned by her family for marrying Septimus Weasley.

Despite being one of the biggest blood traitor families, they seemed rather proud of it. They were included in the Sacred Twenty-Eight list, published in the Pure-Blood Directory. However, they deplored their inclusion in the list, because they said they had ancestral ties to many interesting Muggles. Their protests earned these families the opprobrium of advocates of the pure-blood doctrine, and the epithet blood traitor.

The Weasleys tended to have large numbers of children; an unusual trait for wizarding families, according to Draco Malfoy.

More information: Wizarding I & II

The most recent generations of Weasleys have been considered poor by wizarding standards; their vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank only contained a small pile of Sickles and a single Galleon.

For several generations, only boys were born into the family, until the birth of Ginevra Molly Weasley. This trend ended with the grandchildren of Arthur and Molly, who include more girls than boys.

When Harry Potter befriended Arthur and Molly Weasley's youngest son, Ronald Weasley, The Weasleys became a second family to Harry.

The Burrow became Harry's home away from home and Arthur and Molly served as de facto godparents in Sirius Black's absence.

More information: Screen Rant

 

Ah! Another Weasley.

I know just what to do with you.

GRYFFINDOR! 

Ron Weasley being Sorting

The Burrow was the family home of the Weasley family, located on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England.

It was a thoroughly magical dwelling that became a second home to Harry Potter. A barn and chicken coop stood nearby. It was so well hidden that Molly Weasley doubted that the postman even knew it existed.

The Burrow was held up with magic and was very cluttered inside, but very welcoming at the same time. It was also stated that it was quite near to the Lovegood House.

The Burrow became the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

The Weasleys were forced to abandon their home during the height of the Second Wizarding War when they became targets of the Death Eaters. In the place The Burrow came to stand, once stood a little Tudor building with a large stone pigpen on the side. It's unknown what happened to the building, but after Arthur and Molly Weasley's marriage, the family settled in the pigpen.

The Grandma arrives to The Burrow

As the family grew over the birth of their children, the couple started building upward with add-on bits of architectural salvage they picked up wherever they could find.

The house was several stories high, with four or five chimneys on the roof, with all the appearance of being held up by magical means.

The Weasleys had presumably been in residence at The Burrow for a long time.

The Burrow had been the home to the nine Weasleys, although their numbers had thinned over the years as the children grew up and moved out. Despite being poor, none of The Weasleys seemed ashamed of their home, and it had a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. It was a welcoming place, and friends of the family were regular visitors.

The Burrow had a small yard at the front of the house, with a garage that stored Arthur Weasley's flying Ford Anglia and Muggle artefacts, and a chicken coop that housed the family's chickens. A sign in the ground read The Burrow by the main entrance.

Behind the main house was a large, overgrown garden with a pond full of frogs. The garden was home to a large number of gnomes; The Weasleys had to regularly de-gnome the garden by throwing them over the hedge.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

The kitchen of The Burrow was the social centre of the Weasley family. Located at the back of the house, it was accessible from the garden.

The scullery was located just off the kitchen. It was described as a tiny room with a mangle in it. This room was generally used by Molly Weasley when washing clothes.

The living room of the Weasley home was a cosy room, with a sofa and armchairs. There was a large fireplace, a wooden wireless set, a huge wooden bookshelf, and a clock that, rather than telling the time, indicated the status of each member of the Weasley family.

The Burrow had at least six bedrooms. Arthur and Molly slept in the master bedroom, while their children generally had bedrooms that often ended up shared either with each other or with guests.

Located at the very top of the house was the attic. A small hatch in the ceiling outside Ron's room opened to reveal a ladder that allowed access to the attic. The attic was a dark, musty place where the Weasley family ghoul lived. The ghoul was considered more of a pet than a pest by the family, and it took to loudly banging the pipes when it felt that things were too quiet in The Burrow.

More information: Screen Rant

 

 

 I think it's brilliant.

Harry Potter's initial reaction to The Burrow

Arthur Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard in the employ of the Ministry of Magic, as well as a member of the second Order of the Phoenix.

He was a staunch believer in the equality of all magical and Muggle folk and was the head of the Weasley family.

Arthur was born to Septimus and Cedrella Weasley (née Black) and had two brothers. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor house. Soon after graduating, Arthur married Molly Prewett.

During the First Wizarding War, he and Molly had seven children: sons Bill, Charlie, Percy, twins Fred and George, and Ron, as well as their daughter Ginny.

He was not a member of the Order of the Phoenix during this period, and it is unknown if he participated in any way in the First Wizarding War. At some point after graduating from Hogwarts, Arthur began working for the Ministry, in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He was promoted to head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects by the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. When the Second Wizarding War began, Arthur joined the Order.

While guarding the Department of Mysteries, he was attacked by Lord Voldemort's pet snake Nagini, but he made a full recovery. Arthur participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters and the Battle of Hogwarts, in which he suffered the devastating loss of his son; however, he survived the war.

After the war, he saw his family expand even further with the addition of twelve grandchildren, through the marriage of many of his surviving children and returned as the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

Arthur Weasley was born to Septimus and Cedrella Weasley (née Black). His mother was disowned for marrying a blood traitor, as her family believed strongly in the notion of pure-blood supremacy. Arthur had two brothers.

While at school, he met and began dating fellow Gryffindor Molly Prewett. Arthur got caught out of bed by the school caretaker Apollyon Pringle after he and Molly went for a night-time stroll one evening and was severely punished.

Arthur learned about the return of Lord Voldemort and joined the second Order of the Phoenix. He did this in preparation for the upcoming war. A week into the summer holiday Arthur got into an intense argument with his son Percy Weasley. Percy had recently been promoted to Junior Assistant to the Minister, working directly for Cornelius Fudge. Percy had hoped his family would be pleased, but Arthur suspected it was a move by the Ministry to put a spy in the Weasley family.

Like many other members of the Weasley family, Arthur had bright red hair, though he was balding. He wore glasses and had blue eyes, and also possessed the tall, thin build inherited by his sons Ron and Bill. He also had visible marks somewhere on his body from a decent caning whilst at Hogwarts, for being late.

Weasley is derived from the weasel, an animal J. K. Rowling is fond of. The term is especially appropriate for Molly, as a mother weasel is particularly protective of her young to the point that she will willingly take on animals several times bigger than her in defence of her offspring.

More information: Screen Rant I, II & III

 

Fascinating, Ingenious, 

really how many ways

Muggles have found ways of getting 

along without magic.

Arthur Weasley

Molly Weasley (née Prewett) is an English pure-blood witch and matriarch of the Weasley family after marrying Arthur Weasley.

She was born into the Prewett family and was sister to Fabian and Gideon Prewett, members of the original Order of the Phoenix.

Molly was born into the Prewett family. Her relationship with her mother and father is unknown, but it is possible that, like the Weasleys, the Prewetts didn't buy into values of pure-blood supremacy held by so many other wizarding pure blood families.

Her brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, were both members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, but were brutally killed by five Death Eaters.

It is likely that Molly was close to her brothers, as she kept Fabian's watch until she gave it to Harry Potter for his seventeenth birthda. Their deaths influenced her later protectiveness of her family during the Second Wizarding War.

Molly attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. Sometime after she graduated, both her brothers were murdered by Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War.

Molly and Arthur ended up having seven children, consisting of six sons named Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron and only one daughter named Ginny Weasley.

She also played a large part in the life of Harry Potter, acting as a motherly figure towards him.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

Molly was a member of the revived Order of the Phoenix following the return of Lord Voldemort and participated in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War. Her actions during this battle caused her to be known as the witch that defeated and killed the notorious Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.

Molly was born to Mr and Mrs Prewett. She had two brothers: Gideon and Fabian. Molly began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early and was sorted into Gryffindor House. She once said that in her youth she brewed a love potion.

It was Hogwarts where Molly met Arthur Weasley, whom she began dating. One night, they went out for a night-time stroll and whilst Arthur got caught by Apollyon Pringle, she managed to get back to Gryffindor Tower at four in the morning and was told off by the Fat Lady.

Molly graduated from Hogwarts. She and Arthur wed soon after. The family lived at The Burrow on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon.

Molly and Arthur's first child, William, was born. More children followed: Charlie, Percy, and twins Fred and George. After having her first five sons, she longed to have a daughter but had another son, Ronald, before finally having a daughter, Ginevra.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

Molly was frequently described as a short, slightly plump, and kindly-looking woman. Like the rest of her immediate family, she had flaming fiery red hair and her eyes were the same shade of warm brown as her daughter's. Harry was shocked to see that she could so easily look like a sabre-tooth tiger when she was angry with her sons.

Molly is a diminutive form of Mary, the English form of the Hebrew name Miryam, the meaning of which is unknown, though theories include sea of bitterness, rebelliousness, wished for child, and beloved. In the case of Molly Weasley, however, the name is most likely derived from the term mollycoddle, meaning to to pamper or overprotect.

The surname Prewett is Welsh in origin. It is derived from the Middle English word prou, meaning brave or valiant, and the suffix -et, which implies smallness. Thus, it is believed to be derived from a nickname for someone small, but brave.

More information: Wizarding World

Promise me you'll look after yourself...

Stay out of trouble...

Molly Weasley

William Arthur Bill Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard, the first child of Arthur and Molly Weasley and the eldest brother of Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was both a prefect and Head Boy.

After graduating from Hogwarts he went to work for Gringotts Wizarding Bank as a Curse-Breaker, working in Egypt. 

He returned to England and joined the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix to face the reborn Lord Voldemort. During this time, he started courting Fleur Delacour and eventually asked her to marry him after a year of dating.

During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Bill was severely injured by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Although he wasn't turned into a werewolf, he did develop some wolfish tendencies such as a liking for very rare steaks.

He married Fleur, although their wedding was disrupted by the arrival of Death Eaters following the fall of the Ministry of Magic.

Bill and Fleur then moved to Shell Cottage, where they assisted Harry, Ron, and Hermione after their escape from Malfoy Manor. Bill later fought in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside the rest of the Order and survived.

Bill and his five brothers -Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron- as well as his younger sister, Ginny, grew up in The Burrow on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England. Like all his siblings, he was home educated in reading, writing, and simple maths by his mother.

More information: Wizarding World

The Weasley family was not wealthy compared to other wizarding families. Many other pure-blood families, particularly the Malfoys, disdained them for their blood traitor, pro-muggle beliefs and their lack of wealth. They tried their best to make up for this with their love. It can be assumed that Bill had a fairly happy childhood, as all the Weasley siblings did.

Bill took more time off work to travel to Hogwarts with his mother to support Harry during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. It was during this time that he met Fleur Delacour, who was attracted to him from the start.

Following the death of Cedric Diggory and the revelation that Lord Voldemort had returned, Bill immediately set out to inform his father of the news, and that Albus Dumbledore would be contacting him.

Shortly after, Bill moved back to England to work for the Order of the Phoenix, taking a desk job at Gringotts. Fleur had taken a part-time job at the bank to improve her English, and the two began dating shortly after.

After a year together Bill proposed and Fleur accepted. His mother felt it was too soon for him to get married and worried that he was only doing it in response to the return of Lord Voldemort.

Bill and Fleur married and set up a home of their own, Shell Cottage.

Bill was tall, thin, handsome, and had red hair like the rest of the Weasley family. He wore it long and in a ponytail, and he had an earring with a fang dangling from it.

The name William comes from the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil will, desire and helm helmet, protection.

More information: Screen Rant I, II, III & IV

What do I care how 'e looks?

I am good-looking enough for both of us,

I theenk! All these scars show is that my husband is brave.

Fleur Delacour

Charles Charlie Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard, the second eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley, younger brother of Bill Weasley and the elder brother of Percy, George, Ron, Ginny, and the late Fred Weasley.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House.

He was both a Prefect and Quidditch Captain during his time at school, after which he went to study dragons in Romania.

During the Second Wizarding War, Charlie was a member of the second Order of the Phoenix and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, arriving with reinforcements during the final portion of the battle. He was also present when Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort once and for all.

Charlie started his first term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House like the rest of his family, and was in the same year as Hufflepuff Nymphadora Tonks.

Charlie became the Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He greatly excelled in the position. He eventually became Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

After leaving school, Charlie went to Romania to study dragons. At some point, he acquired a new wand, and his old wand was passed down to his youngest brother, Ron.

Charlie joined the rest of his family for a holiday in Egypt after his father won seven hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw.

When Albus Dumbledore reconstituted the Order of the Phoenix to oppose Lord Voldemort, Charlie joined alongside his family. While his brother Bill returned to England to better serve the Order, Charlie remained in Romania and was assigned to recruit foreign wizards to the cause.

Charlie once more returned to The Burrow, to serve as best man at Bill's wedding to Fleur Delacour.

Charlie was described by his brother Percy as being always more of an outdoor type. Charlie was also brave, as he was sorted into Gryffindor house and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort.

The name Charles comes from the Germanic name Karl, which was derived from a Germanic word which meant man. However, an alternative theory states that it is derived from the common Germanic element hari meaning army, warrior.

More information: Wizarding World

 

 

 My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type,

so he went for Care of Magical Creatures...

Percy Weasley

Percy Ignatius Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard, the third child of Arthur and Molly Weasley.

He is the younger brother of Bill and Charlie and the older brother of Ron, Ginny, George, and the late Fred Weasley.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was both a prefect and Head Boy.

He started at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House, where he shared a dormitory with Oliver Wood. He took a pet rat named Scabbers with him. An academically inclined, ambitious, and hard working student. Percy was made prefect in his fifth year.

That year, when Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was under a constant threat of attack by Sirius Black, he prided himself in helping with security, being trusted wholly by Albus Dumbledore to keep the students safe.

A high achiever, he went to work at the Ministry of Magic after leaving school, working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation under Barty Crouch Senior and later as Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic himself.

However, Percy's rise through the Ministry caused a rift between him and his family following the return of Lord Voldemort. His father thought that his promotion to Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge's office was a plot by the Minister to keep tabs on the Weasleys, and through them, Albus Dumbledore. 

Percy denied this and remained steadfastly loyal to the Ministry's line that Voldemort was not back, estranging himself from his family and furthermore condemning them for their support of and affiliation with Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.

Even though the Ministry did accept that the Dark Lord had indeed returned following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Percy's shame over his behaviour stopped him from reconciling with his family.

After the fall of the Ministry to the Death Eaters, Percy finally realised just how corrupt the Ministry was and fully accepted that he had been wrong the whole time and abandoned the Ministry.

More information: Wizarding World

Percy Ignatius Weasley was the third of seven children born to Arthur and Molly Weasley. He was a small child during the height of the First Wizarding War.

In the fighting, his maternal uncles, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, both members of the Order of the Phoenix, were murdered fighting Antonin Dolohov and four other Death Eaters.

While he was still a child, the wizarding world became peaceful again, for a time, after Lord Voldemort's first defeat.

Percy was tall and thin, like his father and brothers Bill and Ron, and with the vivid red hair and freckles characteristic of the Weasley family. He wore horn-rimmed glasses, and also tried to carry himself in a dignified manner, although he usually came off looking pretentious and silly.

Percy is a short form of the name Percival, which is derived from Old French, meaning pierce the veil. It was the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. This may be a pattern in names in the Weasley family, as Percy's father is named Arthur and his sister is named Ginevra, a version of Guinevere. 

Percival is also one of Albus Dumbledore's middle names, and Albus formerly had reddish (auburn) hair, suggesting a possible link between the two families. It can also be short for Perseus, which is derived from Ancient Greek, meaning destroyer. It could possibly be clues for him destroying his relationship with his family.

The namesake for Percy's middle name, Ignatius, was likely his mother's uncle Ignatius Prewett. Ignatius is a Roman name altered from its original Etruscan to resemble the Latin ignis, meaning fire. It was the name of several saints, including the founder of the Jesuits.

More information: Wizarding World

Hello, Minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?

Percy Weasley

Fred Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard, was the fourth son and the middle child the most daring and dominant among the twins of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, younger brother to Bill, Charlie and Percy, and older brother of Ron and Ginny Weasley, and older twin brother and best friend to George Weasley.

Fred's first few years were marked by the height of the First Wizarding War and when Lord Voldemort fell for the first time.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House. Both he and his twin brother were popular students, known for their sense of humour, pranks, and were also Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They joined Albus Dumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter.

A born prankster and inventor, Fred left Hogwarts shortly prior to graduation to become a successful entrepreneur, alongside his twin brother, George, and opened the joke shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley.

Fred was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix; he fought in the Battle of the Seven Potters and was a commentator for Potterwatch during the height of the Second Wizarding War.

Fred participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, defending the castle's passageways with his twin. While fighting alongside his brother, Percy, he was killed in an explosion.

Fred was very popular among the Gryffindors in school, and he and George were well known for their senses of humour and pranks.

More information: Wizarding World I, II & III

In their second year, Fred and George became Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They both used Cleansweep Five broomsticks and were so skilled at Quidditch that they were both described as being like Human Bludgers.

Fred also became friends with Harry Potter in his third year, when Harry palled around with his younger brother Ron and was made the Quidditch team's Seeker.

Fred and George began inventing magical prank items, starting with the Ton-Tongue Toffee, which Fred dropped near Harry's cousin Dudley Dursley in order to test it out. This was very successful.

As supporters of Albus Dumbledore, George and Fred both joined the Order of the Phoenix once they were of age. They participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters, along with their father and their younger brother Ron.

The name Fred is generally considered a short form of the name Frederick. Alfred, and Wilfred, along with now being a name in its own right. Frederick is the English form of a Germanic name meaning peaceful ruler, derived from frid, peace, and ric, ruler, power. It has been a very common name for rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia, such as Frederick the Great of Prussia.

Fred is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Alfred, derived from the Old English Ælfræd, meaning elf counsel, or Alfrid, meaning old peace. Alfred the Great was a ninth-century king of Wessex who battled the Danes and translated many Latin books into Old English. In Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, Fred means peace.

There has been some suggestion that Fred and George are named after their maternal uncles, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who were killed in the First Wizarding War, who may have been twins, and who share Fred and George's first initials.

Another possible significance of the twins' names is that George III became king because of the early death of Frederick, Prince of Wales. George III was also deaf in one ear. J. K. Rowling has stated that she chose the name for liking and and finding it fitting with the old-fashioned theme of the other Weasley brothers.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

 

 

 Time to test our talents in the real world,

d'you reckon?

Fred Weasley

 

George Weasley is an English pure-blood wizard, the fifth son and the less dominant among the twins of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, younger brother of Bill, Charlie and Percy and older brother to Ron, and Ginny, and younger twin brother and best friend of the late Fred Weasley.

George's first few years were marked by the height of the First Wizarding War and Lord Voldemort's first fall.

He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Fred, and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He and Fred were popular students, becoming Beaters for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in their second year, and members of Albus Dumbledore's Army in their unfinished seventh year.

A born prankster and inventor, George left Hogwarts prior to graduation to become a successful entrepreneur, alongside his twin brother, and opened the joke shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at 93 Diagon Alley.

He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and fought in the Battle of the Seven Potters and the Battle of Hogwarts.

George and Fred were troublemakers from a young age, delighting in playing clever pranks and in teasing their siblings, especially Percy, and it was a challenge for their mother to try to keep them under control.

George was educated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He and his twin brother made very good friends with fellow Gryffindors Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Oliver Wood, and became well known for their senses of humour.

More information: Wizarding World I, II & III

During their first year at Hogwarts, George and Fred swiped the Marauder's Map from Argus Filch's office, which further aided in their mischief.

George gained a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Beater, as did Fred. They were both extremely skilled players, described by Oliver Wood as being like human Bludgers.

George & Fred Weasley

George and Fred began selling, as well as experimenting with, their inventions. Hogwarts also hosted the Triwizard Tournament, which Fred and George both wanted to enter, despite being underage. They attempted to fool the Age Line spell that Albus Dumbledore put around the Goblet of Fire using an Ageing Potion, but the attempt was unsuccessful, though they both thought their beards were uproariously funny.

George stayed in 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the newly reconstituted Order of the Phoenix, along with most of his family.

George and Fred also joined Albus Dumbledore's Army. They greatly disliked the new Ministry appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge and wanted to oppose Ministry control at Hogwarts, as well as prepare to fight Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

George, like the other members of the Weasley family, sported flaming-red hair and freckles, and was shorter than his brothers Bill, Percy, and Ron, and somewhat stocky, like his brothers Fred and Charlie. George is a very clever, talented, and creative wizard.

George is a popular male given name derived from the Greek word γεωργος, georgos, meaning farmer or earthworker. Saint George was a third-century martyr who became a patron saint of England after the Crusades.

More information: Wizarding World I & II

 

This, Harry, is the secret of our success.

George Weasley