Ronald Weasley¹

Ronald "Ron" Billius Weasley, born on March 1, 1980, is a pure-blood wizard, the sixth and youngest child of Arthur and Molly Weasley. He was also the younger brother of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George, and the older brother of Ginny. Ron and his brothers and sister lived at the Burrow, on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole. The Weasleys live in a house called the Burrow. They are distinguished by all being redheads with freckles. They are looked down upon in the wizarding community because (it is said) they are traitors to blood purity. Arthur works at the Ministry of Magic. Molly is a housewife. Bill works at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Charlie raises dragons in Romania. Fred and George, after turning eighteen, open a joke shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. And Ginny ends up playing for the Holyhead Harpies, and later becomes a sports reporter for the Daily Prophet. The Weasleys are a poor but honest family. Ron and his siblings have had to buy secondhand things.

Ron was the sixth of seven children born to Arthur and Molly Weasley. He was born at the height of the First Wizarding War in Ottery St. Catchpole, England. In the fighting, his maternal uncles Fabian and Gideon Prewett, both members of the Order of the Phoenix, died fighting Antonin Dolohov and four other Death Eaters. While he was still a child, the wizarding world was once again at peace.

Ron and his five older brothers, as well as his younger sister, Ginny, grew up at the Burrow. Like all his siblings, he was homeschooled in reading, writing, and basic mathematics by his mother. The Weasley family was not wealthy at all, compared to other wizarding families.[5] Many other pure-blood wizards, particularly the Malfoys, looked down on them for being "blood traitors" and not having many financial resources. They did their best to compensate for this with their love.

The Weasley brothers, especially Fred and George, were fond of pranks and played tricks on others, and Ron was a particular target of Fred and George. Once, when Ron was three, he broke Fred's toy flying broomstick, and Fred, in revenge, transformed Ron's teddy bear into a giant spider, triggering his arachnophobia. On another occasion, the twins almost got him to make an Unbreakable Vow, which made their father furious (and Fred later claimed that his left buttock "has never been the same"). They also once fed him sour pop that burned a hole in his tongue. When Ron was younger, he had a rat named Scabbers (this rat was actually a wizard named Peter Pettigrew). Ron was very fond of Scabbers, but he wasn't sad to let him go when he discovered the truth about his old rat.

Ron had a far happier childhood than Harry (who had been raised by his spiteful relatives, the Dursleys) envied. To compensate for their poverty, Ron's mother spoiled him with three delicious meals a day. This became so commonplace that the lack of a meal later in life would irritate Ron.

Ron began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 at the normal age of eleven. He was sorted into Gryffindor House, like every other Weasley. On his first trip on the Hogwarts Express, Ron met and befriended the famous wizard Harry Potter. Harry let him share his compartment on the Hogwarts Express and bought a large quantity of magical snacks from the Hogwarts Express food trolley to share with him. Later, Harry would stand up for Ron against the Slytherin bully Draco Malfoy, and Ron would choose to be his second for a midnight duel.

Ron and Harry first met Hermione Granger on the train, but Ron didn't take a liking to her at all. Ron was particularly annoyed by how Hermione, showing off her magical knowledge, corrected his pronunciation of Wingardium Leviosa. Before the Halloween Feast, Ron said she was a know-it-all and that's why she had no friends. Hermione overheard and ran crying to the bathroom. That night, during the Halloween party, it was announced that a mountain troll was on the loose at school. Ron and Harry came to Hermione's rescue after hearing she was in trouble, and she, in turn, lied to protect them from Professor McGonagall. The three became friends. During their first year, the three learned that the Philosopher's Stone was being hidden at Hogwarts and tried to protect it from being stolen by Severus Snape, whom the young wizards believed was working for Lord Voldemort.

Ron's talent for wizarding chess allowed them to overcome one of the obstacles protecting the Philosopher's Stone, which was a life-sized game. Ron sacrificed himself as a playing piece so Harry could checkmate the enemy king, allowing Harry and Hermione to proceed. Ultimately, it was discovered that Professor Quirrell was trying to steal the Stone for Voldemort. Harry managed to defeat him and protect the Philosopher's Stone, and Ron was awarded fifty points by Albus Dumbledore for "the finest game of chess Hogwarts has seen in recent years," allowing Gryffindor to win the House Cup for the first time in seven years.

Having heard nothing of Harry Potter all summer of 1992, Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, in a plan to rescue him from Number 4 Privet Drive, flew Arthur Weasley's flying Ford Anglia to the Muggle town of Little Whinging and smashed the bars of Harry's bedroom window using the car's power. Ron helped Harry get his things into the car, and they drove to Weasley Manor. Upon landing, Ron and his brothers were scolded by Molly Weasley for doing something so risky. At the start of the school year, Ron and Harry missed the Hogwarts Express due to the tricks of Dobby the house-elf and were forced to use the Ford Anglia to travel to Hogwarts. At the end of their journey, the car broke down, causing the boys to crash into the Whomping Willow. They were nearly killed when the tree shook, and the car dumped them into the rubble and drove off into the Forbidden Forest, where it remained until its crash. Ron's wand was damaged during its raucous arrival, causing him trouble throughout the school year. It was a setback when Ron tried to curse Draco Malfoy in retaliation for calling Hermione a "Mudblood." Malfoy's contempt for Muggle-borns led Ron, Harry, and Hermione to suspect that he was the Heir of Slytherin who opened the Chamber of Secrets that year, unleashing a monster that began attacking Muggle-born students.

To investigate this theory, Hermione brewed Polyjuice Potion, which greatly surprised Ron, as she was so blatantly breaking the rules. When it came time to use the potion, Ron had to impersonate Vincent Crabbe, and Harry impersonated Gregory Goyle, while Hermione's transformation failed because she mistook Millicent Bulstrode's cat hair for her own. Ron and Harry realized that Malfoy wasn't the Heir of Slytherin, and both were very upset when Hermione became another victim of the "monster," ending up petrified in the hospital wing. However, she left her friends a clue that led them to deduce that the monster was a basilisk. Ron displayed great bravery when facing the Acromantulas commanded by Aragog in the Forbidden Forest, despite his extreme fear of spiders. When he and Harry learned that Ginny (Ron's younger sister) was dying in the Chamber of Secrets, they rushed to save her, planning to tell Professor Gilderoy Lockhart what they knew. When the duo discovered the professor trying to flee, they pointed their wands at him and forced him to join them as they ventured into the Chamber of Secrets. Shortly after Ron, Harry, and Lockhart entered the Chamber, Lockhart attempted to erase his memories so he could leave and take credit for their efforts in a bid for fame. Unfortunately for him, he used Ron's damaged wand, and the spell backfired, causing Lockhart permanent amnesia. Ron had to stay behind with Lockhart, while Harry ventured deeper into the Chamber, saving Ginny and defeating Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk. Ron was honored with a Special Award for Services to the School, as well as earning two hundred House points for Gryffindor for his work on the re-sealing of the Chamber of Secrets.

In the summer following Ron's second year at Hogwarts, the Weasleys won the Daily Prophet's annual Galleon Draw Grand Prize. Ron and his family used the money to travel to Egypt to visit Ron's older brother, Bill. News of their lucky break appeared in the Daily Prophet, and Ron sent that newspaper clipping and a Sneakoscope to Harry for his thirteenth birthday. He was reunited with them on the last day of summer, when Ron and his family visited Diagon Alley with Harry and Hermione and took rooms at the Leaky Cauldron in preparation for catching the Hogwarts Express. During their stay at the Leaky Cauldron, Ron shared a room with his brother Percy. Unfortunately, this led to a fight. Percy believed Ron had taken his Head Boy badge, which had actually been stolen by the Weasley twins, Fred and George. Harry found the twins hiding, enchanting the badge so that it now read "Donkey Prize." Later, Ron was also accused of staining a picture of Percy's girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, with tea. (Percy hid Penelope's face outside the frame so no one could see her stained nose.) That same summer, Sirius Black, Azkaban's most famous prisoner, escaped. In light of this incident, security was tightened at Hogwarts, which Ron and his friends noticed when the Hogwarts Express was stopped and inspected by Dementors. Once at the school, Dumbledore announced that Dementors would be stationed around the school gates to prevent Black from entering Hogwarts. This was done under the assumption that Harry was being targeted by Black.

As term began, the third-years started taking new lessons. Ron and Harry had chosen Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, while Hermione decided to take every class offered and began exhibiting strange behavior that neither Ron nor Harry could understand. The three quickly decided that Divination wasn't a class they particularly enjoyed and that the professor, Sybill Trelawney, was a fraud. Ron's first Care of Magical Creatures class was a disaster. Hagrid, the new professor, had planned what he thought would be a spectacular lesson on hippogriffs, when a hippogriff named Buckbeak attacked Draco Malfoy after he insulted the rare creature, causing Malfoy to vow revenge. Also during that week, Ron had his first Defence Against the Dark Arts class with the new professor, Remus Lupin, and Ron soon thought Lupin was an excellent teacher.

On Halloween, Ron and Hermione went on their first trip to Hogsmeade. Harry, however, couldn't join them because his Uncle Vernon hadn't signed his Hogsmeade permission slip. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione visited all the buildings in Hogsmeade and brought back loads of Honeydukes sweets for Harry. That night, while the students were in the Great Hall, Sirius Black sneaked into Hogwarts, and the students were forced to spend the night there. Just before Christmas, Rubeus Hagrid received a complaint from the Commission for Dangerous Creatures about Buckbeak the hippogriff. When he shared this incident with Ron, Harry, and Hermione, the trio promised to do everything they could to help defend Buckbeak. Ron and Harry put Buckbeak's defense on the back burner when, on Christmas Day, Harry received a Firebolt from a mysterious sender. When Hermione, fearing for Harry's safety, had McGonagall confiscate the broomstick, Ron stopped speaking to Hermione. The Firebolt incident only increased the tension between the two, as Hermione's new pet rat, Crookshanks, had been constantly trying to attack Ron's rat, Scabbers. A few weeks later, just as the two were about to reconcile, Scabbers disappeared, and Ron blamed Crookshanks, threatening their friendship.

Meanwhile, Black still hadn't been found, and the night after the Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, he sneaked into Gryffindor Tower. Hearing the sound of the bed curtains being drawn, Ron woke up and caught a glimpse of Sirius Black standing over him, holding a knife. He screamed, and Black fled. This incident made Ron famous among the other students, but he was brought back down to earth when Hagrid reprimanded him and Harry for their treatment of Hermione, whom Hagrid told them was up to her neck in classes and the work Buckbeak was doing. Shocked, the pair patched things up with her a few days later, when they received a letter from Hagrid saying that Buckbeak had been sentenced to death. With exams approaching, the trio threw themselves into studying and trying to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's case. The appeal took place on the last day of exams. Upon hearing that Buckbeak had lost and was to be executed, Ron, Harry, and Hermione went to visit Hagrid the night before the execution. They offered to help clear things up, but Hagrid told them they would be in serious trouble if they were seen. Helping the sobbing Hagrid make tea, Hermione found Scabbers hiding inside a milk can. They soon hurried out the back of the hut, all the while continuing to press for a chance to get things straight. When they heard what sounded like murder, Ron, Harry, and Hermione set off for Hogwarts in a slightly shocked state.

Before they could return there, Scabbers began to squirm in Ron's hands and escaped. Not wanting to lose his rat again, Ron chased after Scabbers with Harry and Hermione in pursuit. He caught up with Scabbers, but not before they were in the shadow of the Whomping Willow. He looked up to see a large black dog descending upon him. The dog lunged at Ron and grabbed his arm in its mouth, dragging him toward the Whomping Willow. To stop the dog from pulling him any further, Ron tied his feet around a tree branch, but the dog's grip was so powerful that it snapped his leg. When the dog reached the Shrieking Shack, it released Ron, revealing itself to be Sirius Black.

Sirius ambushed Harry and Hermione, disarming them as they entered the room where Ron was being held hostage. Upon seeing him, Harry attacked Black, with Hermione and the injured Ron helping anyway, but Harry couldn't continue once he had Black in his grasp and was disarmed by Professor Lupin. Relieved to see Lupin, Ron became worried when Lupin and Black greeted each other like brothers and demanded Ron's rat, Scabbers, back. Sirius and Lupin then told them about their own years at Hogwarts and how a wizard named Peter Pettigrew betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, framed Sirius, and transformed into a rat to hide. Still not entirely convinced, Ron reluctantly handed over Scabbers when Lupin promised that if he really was a rat, no harm would come to him. Scabbers was revealed to be Pettigrew, whom Sirius had recognized because of a missing toe. (Pettigrew cut off one of his own fingers before transforming.) A tearful Pettigrew confessed his betrayal and begged for mercy from his former friends.

When it was decided that Pettigrew should be handed over to the Dementors, Lupin splinted Ron's leg, and the group set off for Hogwarts. Along the way, the full moon appeared, and Lupin began to transform into a werewolf. In the ensuing skirmish, Pettigrew stole Lupin's wand, stunned Ron, and escaped into the moonlight. Hours later, in the Hospital Wing, where he was recovering from his broken leg, Ron was told that Harry and Hermione had managed to save Sirius and Buckbeak from the Dementor's Kiss using the Time-Turner. He understood why Hermione hadn't immediately mentioned the Time-Turner. Ron was a little dismayed, but now that he knew the reason for their strange behavior and timing, he was relieved that Sirius and Buckbeak were safe and sound. For some reason, Madam Pomfrey, who claimed she could "repair bones in a heartbeat...", on this occasion had Ron stay in the hospital wing with his leg heavily bandaged, despite the nurse's earlier claims. Perhaps there were complications with his injury, considering he spent a considerable amount of time in the Shrieking Shack while Lupin transformed into a werewolf, and his leg was further damaged during the night. As a replacement for his lost pet, Sirius sent Ron a small owl, which Ginny immediately named Pigwidgeon because she thought the name was "sweet." Annoyed and disgusted by this, Ron tried to choose another name, but it was too late, so he settled for the nickname "Pig."

In the summer of 1994, Ron invited Harry and Hermione to join the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, which was being held in Great Britain for the first time in decades. While Hermione joined the Weasleys at the Burrow, Harry had to be picked up from the Dursleys' house. Arthur Weasley arrived to collect Harry via the Floo Network, unaware that the Dursleys' fireplace was blocked, so when Ron, Arthur, Fred, and George tried to reach Harry, they ended up trapped in the chimney. Part of the Dursleys' house was destroyed before Harry made it back to the Weasleys' house. The next day, Harry, Hermione, and all the Weasleys, except Molly, left for the Quidditch World Cup, where they set up camp and met many of their friends from Hogwarts and the Ministry. They had prime seats for the match, thanks to Mr. Weasley, who had helped Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, out of a messy situation. During the match, Ron watched his Quidditch hero, Viktor Krum, the Seeker from Bulgaria, play an excellent game, catching the Snitch to end the match. Although Krum caught the Snitch, the Irish National Quidditch Team won the match.

That night, while the Irish supporters were still awake celebrating their victory, trouble began. Some Death Eaters who had managed to avoid imprisonment in Azkaban attacked the camp where Ron and his friends and family were staying. Mr. Weasley ordered Ron, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny to get to safety, while he and Arthur Weasley's older sons left to assist the Ministry of Magic. Fred and George were responsible for Ginny's safety; the trio were themselves. Running through the woods, Ron, Hermione, and Harry quickly lost Fred, George, and Ginny, but they did find Draco Malfoy. Malfoy suggested that Hermione, being a Muggle-born, could easily be targeted by Death Eaters, prompting Ron to insist that she and Harry join him into the forest. They soon reached a patch of woods that glowed with silver, where the trio encountered some Veela witches surrounded by admirers. Ron was thrilled and immediately shouted that he had created a broomstick that could fly into space. They had reached an empty clearing when they heard an unknown person cast the Dark Mark.

On September 1, Ron and his friends left for Hogwarts aboard the Hogwarts Express. That evening at the Welcome Banquet, Dumbledore announced that Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Ron found himself lost in dreams of being a Champion of said tournament, but was brought back to reality by his fourth-year classes. In Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid had his students looking after Blast-Ended Skrewts, and in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ron was impressed by the new professor, Mad-Eye Moody, when he taught the class on the three Unforgivable Curses. It was announced that students from Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic would be arriving at Hogwarts on October 30. Ron was stunned to see Viktor Krum among the Durmstrang students, not realizing how young his hero was. He was disappointed when Krum sat among the Slytherin students.

Having discussed the possibility of somehow overcoming the Goblet of Fire and the Age Line that Dumbledore had thrown around, Ron was shocked to discover that Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. Jealous of the fact that Harry always seemed to get all the attention, Ron refused to accept that Harry didn't put his name in the cup, and accused Harry of cheating. After the argument, he and Harry stopped talking to each other, and Ron started hanging out with other Gryffindors such as Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. When Ron overheard Harry talking to someone one evening, he went downstairs to see who it was since Harry didn't mention any such thing to him. Ron was deeply offended when Harry accused him of trying to spy on him and when he told him that who he was talking to was none of his business, to the point where he tried to get Harry to tell him who he was talking to by accusing him of practicing for an interview. This only caused Harry to throw down one of Draco Malfoy's badges and tell him that maybe he could give him a scar, that was what he wanted. This made Ron realize that he had lost Harry's trust and respect to the point where Harry no longer saw him as a friend. Ron and Harry did not speak again until after the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Seeing how much danger was involved in the First Task, Ron realized that Harry would never have put his own name in the Goblet of Fire, and the two became best friends once again.

Shortly after the first task, Professor McGonagall told Ron and the other Gryffindor boys about the traditional Yule Ball, held during the Triwizard Tournament. While all the students above the fourth year were scrambling around trying to find dates, Ron and Harry were finding it difficult to ask girls about the ball. Attracted by the beauty and charm of Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Academy champion and a part-Veela witch, Ron asked her to the ball, but she ran away in shame without waiting for an answer. He also offended Hermione by not asking her sooner, and then by suggesting that she didn't have a date and could therefore accompany him. Harry eventually managed to get both dates with the twins Parvati and Padma Patil. Ron's night was a fiasco of the first kind. His secondhand "traditional" robes embarrassed him and his date, Padma Patil, and when Ron saw Hermione with Viktor Krum, he became intensely jealous. This led to a heated argument between them during the end of the ball, with Ron making comments about Krum being too old for her. Although their friendship didn't suffer, it was clear that they had both developed feelings for each other.

During the Yule Ball, Ron overheard Hagrid telling the headmistress of Beaubaxtons, Olympe Maxime, that he was a half-giant. This information was also overheard by Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, who wrote an article revealing Hagrid's half-giant heritage to the wizarding world. This led to Hagrid temporarily ceasing to teach until Ron, Harry, and Hermione assured him that they were still his friend, no matter what. On February 24, Ron was put into an enchanted sleep and tied up at the bottom of the Black Lake, to be "rescued" by Harry as part of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. When he learned that Harry had stayed behind to save Fleur's sister, Gabrielle Delacour, Ron initially took it as a joke, but was impressed when Harry was awarded extra points for "excellent moral character." Fleur thanked Ron and Harry for helping to save Gabrielle, kissing them both on the cheek. Ron attracted a lot of attention from the other students because he was taken hostage by the homework. He proceeded to exaggerate the events that had happened until Hermione called him out on it. In early spring, Ron joined Harry and Hermione to visit Sirius Black, who had gone into hiding in Hogsmeade. There, they discussed the disappearances of Ministry officials Barty Crouch and Bertha Jorkins. In the weeks leading up to the final task of the tournament, Ron and Hermione helped Harry prepare by researching and testing different hexes and other spells useful for the task. Ron and Hermione watched Harry from the sidelines.

They were shocked when Harry returned with Cedric Diggory's body. Ron was relieved to see Harry when Professor Dumbledore took him to the hospital wing; he, too, wanted to question Harry about Diggory, but Molly Weasley told him that she and her brother Bill had gone to see Harry. Ron was furious with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, when he refused to believe Harry and Dumbledore, and he calmed Molly when she was startled by Black's appearance in the room. Ron didn't contradict Harry's story when he finally heard it, siding with his best friend.

Ron inherited the typical Weasley family traits: fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. When embarrassed, his ears noticeably turned red. He had blue eyes, a long nose, and was described as very tall and lanky, with large hands and feet.

Ron is a very funny person, but he's often quite immature and insensitive. He has a sarcastic and playful sense of humor that often makes his friends laugh. However, his sense of humor can sometimes be hurtful, even unintentionally. Hermione is frequently frustrated with Ron's immaturity; she once remarked that he had the "emotional range of a teaspoon." He was especially prone to provocation if his loved ones were insulted, and he didn't hesitate to go beyond magical means during confrontations (for example, on more than one occasion he had resorted to using his fists instead of his wand when provoked). Ron frequently demonstrated great courage in trying to protect his loved ones, from confronting his arachnophobia to supporting Harry in his second year. As a child, Ron was very sensitive about his family's poverty and was sometimes ashamed of it. Many, if not all, of Ron's possessions were used, including his robes, schoolbooks, wand, and even a pet rat he named Scabbers. His family's lack of money often made Ron the target of ridicule from Draco Malfoy, a wealthy, arrogant, and spoiled Slytherin. Ron was also prone to insecurity about his abilities, especially compared to his older brothers and his famous best friend. When he felt insecure or embarrassed, his ears would turn red. This became his telltale sign of anger and shame. Although he was passionate about Quidditch, especially the Chudley Cannons, and a good Keeper, Ron had a problem with nerves, and sometimes his playing ability suffered as a result. He also suffered from arachnophobia, a fear that stemmed from his brother Fred transforming his teddy bear into a spider when Ron was a child.

Ron's point of view on many subjects was often that of the stereotypical wizard, which often clashed with those of Harry and Hermione because they were both raised by Muggles; but in return, he was typically more aware of the standard factors abided by magical humanity. Ron was particularly fond of food. He had a tendency to talk with his mouth full, often to Hermione's annoyance, and a great fondness for sausage sandwiches, though he disliked corned beef sandwiches, as mentioned in his first year; his love of food eventually led him to settle down at a rather advanced age. And like Harry, Ron was intelligent, but lacked the motivation to put effort into his studies due to his incredible laziness; during his school years, Ron frequently relied on Hermione's help, and when she refused or was unavailable, he was often baffled as to how to proceed. If not for Hermione's help, he might have failed his exams. Ron also demonstrated a habit of swearing. Ron was brave, on par with his best friend Harry; he never hesitated to put himself in extremely dangerous situations with his best friends Harry and Hermione, and as has been shown many times, he would rather die than see harm done to someone he cared about. He risked his life on many occasions, and his bravery did not go unnoticed by his friends. Ron was also a person who liked to do things the easy way, as he didn't like to work hard. She also had a tendency to make up predictions for her Divination homework, and frequently copied most of her homework from Hermione Granger. Ron was very protective of those he cared about, and this was perhaps best demonstrated when Ginny was involved with Dean. He was, of course, looking out for her.