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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Draco Malfoy

Overview
Draco Malfoy, a boy with platinum blond hair and a pale, pointed sneering face, is the only child of the wealthy Lucius Malfoy and his wife, Narcissa Black Malfoy. Draco attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and is in the same year as Harry Potter. Draco is a member of Slytherin House, and he is usually accompanied by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, and occasionally Pansy Parkinson, also Slytherins. Draco constantly boasts about being a pureblood wizard and his family's wealth and societal status.

 * According to the author's web site, Draco was born on 5 June; this would make him almost two months older than Harry Potter. According to the Black family tree, he was born in 1981.

Draco's wand is hawthorn wood with a unicorn hair core.

Philosopher's Stone
Draco Malfoy is introduced to the story in Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions in Diagon Alley where he and Harry are being fitted for their school robes. Draco, who does not introduce himself, expresses hope that he will be sorted into Slytherin House. He asks Harry's name, but Hagrid's appearing at the window distracts them before Harry can answer. Harry is somewhat dismayed by Draco's assumption that pure-blood Wizarding families are superior, and asks Hagrid about this; Hagrid dismisses his concerns, saying Draco would feel less superior if he knew who Harry was.

Draco appears again, with his two cohorts, Crabbe and Goyle, in tow, aboard the Hogwarts Express. Draco expresses some surprise that this truly is Harry Potter, then makes an insulting remark about Ron Weasley, who is sharing Harry's compartment, and suggests that Harry would do well to ally himself with Draco rather than Ron. Harry responds that he has a pretty good idea about what people he wants to associate himself with, dismissing Draco. Draco wants the treats Harry bought, but when Goyle attempts to grab a cauldron cake, Ron's rat, Scabbers, attacks him.

Draco is Sorted into Slytherin House, as he expected, along with his two sidekicks. Harry and Ron find they have double Potions with Slytherin. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle snigger when Professor Snape, upon seeing Harry's name, remarks, "Our new... celebrity." Snape obviously favors Draco, while frequently criticizing everyone else in the class.

Except for Potions class, Harry has avoided Draco, but is dismayed that flying lessons are being shared with Slytherins. Harry is eager to learn how to fly, but he fears embarrassing himself while Draco is present. Ron speculates that Draco likely knows little more about flying than Harry, despite his bragging; Draco does have many flying stories to tell, though all seem to end with narrow escapes from Muggle helicopters.

At breakfast, before the first flying class, Neville receives a package containing a Remembrall. Draco, strutting by the table, grabs it, prompting Harry and Ron leap to their feet, hoping for an excuse to fight. Professor McGonagall's timely arrival interrupts them, and Draco returns the Remembrall to Neville.

At the flying lesson, Harry and Ron are delighted when Madam Hooch corrects how Draco grips his broomstick, saying he has been doing it wrong for years. When Draco jeers at Neville after his accident, Parvati Patil warns him to shut up, prompting Pansy Parkinson to snidely remark that Parvati is sweet on Neville. Disregarding Madam Hooch's order for all students to remain on the ground during her absence, Draco picks up Neville's Remembrall and takes off on his broom, intending to place the Remembrall high in a tree. Harry follows on his broom, discovering he is a natural flyer, and that Draco is far less brave without Crabbe and Goyle being nearby. Draco, cowed, throws the Remembrall high in the air. Harry dives and catches it before it smashes into the ground. He is caught by Professor McGonagall, and has to endure Draco's triumphant smirk as Harry is led away, believing he will be expelled.

Later, Draco challenges Harry to a Wizard's Duel at midnight. Ron immediately volunteers to be Harry's second, and Draco selects Crabbe as his. When Harry reaches the trophy room at the appointed time, however, it becomes apparent that Draco never intended to meet Harry. Instead, Filch arrives, hunting students. After evading Filch, Hermione surmises Draco tipped off Filch that Harry and the others would be there after hours.

Draco is dismayed that Harry escaped being expelled again. He is even more dismayed when, a week later, a long, thin package is delivered to Harry at breakfast. Draco determines that it must be a broom, and denounces him to Professor Flitwick. Flitwick agrees it is a broom, but says a first-year student – like Harry – can own one under special circumstances.

Draco, enraged by Gryffindor's win over Slytherin at Quidditch after Harry nearly swallows the Snitch, jokes that Gryffindor's next seeker will be a wide-mouth tree frog, while playing quidditch Draco says to Harry (with one of his most famous quotes) “Training for the ballet Potter?”. When this insult fails to have any effect on Harry, Draco reverts to ridiculing Harry's home life and his plans to stay at the school over Christmas. Harry hardly minds - he actually expects this to be his best Christmas ever, particularly as the Weasley children (Ron and his siblings) are also staying at Hogwarts. When Draco makes disparaging remarks about Ron's poverty, Ron, enraged, dives at Draco and is penalized five House points by Snape, who has just arrived on the scene.

Shortly after Christmas, Neville topples through the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, his legs charmed to stick together. Draco jinxed him just outside the library, claiming he was looking for someone to practice on. Hermione undoes the jinx, and Harry encourages Neville to stand up against bullies like Draco.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle sit directly behind Ron and Neville at the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Within the first few minutes, Draco has goaded Ron to where he jumps Draco. Neville hesitates, then joins in. Ron, though getting a bloody nose, has given Draco a black eye.

Draco may be within earshot when Harry reads Hagrid's note saying that the dragon egg is hatching. Harry, Hermione, and Ron head to Hagrid's hut to watch. Inside, Hagrid sees someone peering in the window, and Harry recognizes the vanishing figure as Draco. Norbert, the baby dragon, later bites Ron's hand, sending Ron to the Hospital Wing, where Draco soon arrives, claiming he needs to borrow a book. Instead, he torments Ron by threatening to tell Madam Pomfrey what actually bit him. Charlie Weasley's letter specifying when Norbert is to be picked up is in the book that Draco borrows.

Later, Harry and Hermione, under the Invisibility Cloak, head to the tallest tower to deliver Norbert for the appointed pick up. Along the way, they spot Professor McGonagall penalizing Draco house points and giving him detention for being out after hours and fabricating nonsense about a dragon. That evening's events also land Harry, Hermione, and Neville in detention with Draco; a week before exams, Filch escorts the four to Hagrid, who explains they are going into the Forbidden Forest. Refusing to participate, Draco protests that it is servant stuff, though he sulkily acquiesces after Hagrid issues an ultimatum: either go or be expelled. Something has been slaying Unicorns, and the students' job is to help Hagrid track a wounded one and find what hunted it. Despite his initial trepidation, Draco, paired with Neville, becomes bored and scares Neville, who releases a distress signal. Hagrid, responding, re-shuffles the groups so that Draco is now paired with Harry, (also he is paired with Fang who is said to be a scaredy-cat) who presumably is less easily scared. When Harry and Draco find the dead unicorn, a dark shape is hovering over it, apparently lapping its blood; Draco, terrified, runs away.

Draco is seen again at the end-of-year feast, where Harry is sickened by watching Draco banging his goblet in a joyous celebration over Slytherin winning the House trophy. But Harry is suddenly cheered by Draco's stunned and horrified expression when, after a last-minute awarding of house points by Albus Dumbledore, Gryffindor is declared the winner.

Chamber of Secrets
Draco is seen at the beginning of the book with his father, Lucius Malfoy at Flourish and Blotts. Malfoy has joined the Slytherin Quidditch team as Seeker, though this is mostly due to his father, Lucius Malfoy, having donated expensive racing brooms to the Slytherin team. When Hermione states that all the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team got in by pure talent, rather than having to buy their way in, Malfoy retaliates by calling Hermione a mudblood. Ron, then tries to curse him for having been so rude. However, most unfortunately, Ron's wand backfires, making him vomit slugs, much to Draco's and the other Slytherins' amusement.

Later Draco plays in a Quidditch Match against Gryffindor, he taunts Harry, but was so busy taunting Harry that he does not notice that the Golden Snitch was only inches away from his left ear. Harry takes advantage of this and gets the snitch before Draco notices, too late. His stupidity causes him to be reprimanded by the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Marcus Flint. Later in the year, Draco attends a meeting of the short-lived Duelling Club and is paired with Harry. He conjures a snake that starts to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley and Draco witnesses Harry speaking parseltongue, the snake language.

When students start being attacked, Harry suspects that Draco might be Salazar Slytherin's heir, and therefore able to open the Chamber of Secrets to unleash the monster within that will kill Muggle-born students. Using the Polyjuice potion that Hermione secretly brewed, Harry and Ron transform themselves into Crabbe and Goyle in an effort to learn the Heir's true identity, only to discover that it is not Draco, nor does he know who it might be.

Prisoner of Azkaban
In the beginning of the book, he is seen doing impressions of dementors to try to scare Harry because he overheard Neville asking Harry if he fainted after a Dementor came on the Hogwarts Express. He also takes Care of Magical Creatures as one of his electives and is dismayed to learn that Rubeus Hagrid|Hagrid has been appointed the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. During the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, when Hagrid shows the class a hippogriff named Buckbeak, Draco actually approaches Buckbeak cautiously and even strokes his beak. However, he makes the mistake of verbally insulting the bird and is attacked by Buckbeak.Later, Hermione slaps Draco in the face for laughing about Buckbeak's impending execution. Also, in one Quidditch Match, Draco and his goons dress up as dementors to try to sabotage Harry's performance, but are knocked down when Harry performs the Expecto Patronum|Patronus Charm. They are caught by a furious Minerva McGonagall|Professor McGonagall, who deducts 50 house points from Slytherin and gives them detention. Draco also taunts Harry about him wanting revenge against Sirius Black, who, unknown to Harry just yet, is his godfather and is somehow connected to James and Lily Potter's murders. Chances are high that Draco knows that Sirius is innocent because Sirius is the cousin of Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother.

Goblet of Fire
Draco first appears at the Quidditch World Cup with his parents, and later sees the Trio taking refuge in the woods during the Death Eater attack. Draco's taunting comments and nonchalant manner indicates he knows who is behind the attack.

During the school year, he is turned into a ferret by Professor Alastor Moody for attempting to attack Harry when his back is turned. Draco is rescued by Professor McGonagall. He also passes spiteful information about Harry and his friends to the disreputable journalist, Rita Skeeter, who is also an unregistered Animagus. When Harry is unexpectedly chosen to be a champion in The Triwizard Tournament, Draco responds by making Potter Stinks Badges to humiliate and annoy Harry. He also lets Harry know that he doesn't think Harry will last ten minutes into the first task and tells him his father, Lucius Malfoy doesn't think he'll last five minutes into the task.

Draco attends the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson as his date. Pansy has apparently had a crush on Draco for some time, though his feelings for her are unknown.

After the second task in The Triwizard Tournament, in Potion's Class, he and his cronies toss a Witch Weekly newspaper to Hermione and after Snape sees the magazine, he picks it up and reads it, making Draco laugh at Harry and Hermione.

After the last task in The Triwizard Tournament, he taunts Harry about Cedric Diggory's death and insults Hermione and Ron, but Fred and George Weasley hex Draco, Crabbe and Goyle with multiple spells knocking them out.

Order of the Phoenix
Draco is appointed a Prefect, along with Pansy Parkinson, for Slytherin House. Hermione reports that he is beastly towards the First Years, clearly abusing his Prefect's powers.

As they travel from the train station to Hogwarts castle, Draco and his sidekicks ride in a horse-less carriage with Pansy Parkinson.

Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle are laughing about something as they arrive at Care of Magical Creatures class. When Professor Grubbly-Plank, who is substituting for the absent Hagrid, asks if anyone can identify some creatures, Hermione raises her hand, prompting Draco to mimic her. Pansy shrieks with laughter, then screams as the little bundles of twigs on the table jump up, revealing themselves to be Bowtruckles. As he collects a Bowtruckle, Draco suggests to Harry that Hagrid could have run into something too big for him and gotten hurt. Although we are yet to realize it, and Harry never seems to draw the connection himself, this indicates that Draco knows something about Hagrid's secret mission for Dumbledore.

When Professor Umbridge is evaluating the Care of Magical Creatures class taught by Professor Grubbly-Plank during Hagrid's absence, Malfoy claims he was slashed by a Hippogriff. When Hagrid returns to Hogwarts, he tells his class they will be working in the Forbidden Forest. Draco seems scared, needing reassurance that the creatures they will be looking at are properly trained. He is hardly reassured by Hagrid's injured appearance.

Educational Decree Number Twenty Four banning all unauthorized school organizations is published, and Draco boasts that the Slytherin Quidditch team was reformed almost automatically, given his father's influence within the Ministry. He implies that Harry will be sent to St. Mungo's, where there is a special ward for the incurably insane. Hearing this, Neville tries to attack Draco, but Harry and Ron restrain him.

During Harry's secret Dumbledore's Army session, Dobby suddenly arrives to warn Harry that Umbridge has found out and is on her way. Harry orders D.A. members to run, then heads for a bathroom where Draco, concealed, catches him with a Trip Jinx. Umbridge, arriving, congratulates Draco and sends Draco to search for the other D.A. members. Harry is dragged to the Headmaster's Office, where Cornelius Fudge, and also Dumbledore, are waiting. Umbridge reports that Draco has caught "the Potter boy." Fudge responds he will inform Lucius Malfoy.

After Umbridge ousts Dumbledore as Headmaster and assumes command, Draco is appointed to her Inquisitorial Squad, along with Montague and Pansy Parkinson. The Inquisitorial Squad has been given unrestricted power to deduct points from all Houses; Draco is quick to abuse his authority.

Shortly afterwards, Professor Umbridge sends Draco to get Snape's assistance in extracting Montague, an Inquisitorial Squad member who has been missing for some time, from a toilet. Draco interrupts Harry and Snape during an Occlumency lesson. Draco is intrigued and amused when Snape, to cover what they are actually doing, explains that Harry is taking remedial Potions.

As OWL exams approach, Draco loudly proclaims that one's OWL marks are due more to who you know rather than what you know, and mentions that his father is close friends with Griselda Marchbanks, head of the Wizarding Examination Authority. Neville whispers to Harry and Ron that Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of his grandmother's, and she has never mentioned the Malfoy family.

In Harry's Charms OWL exam, his examiner, Professor Tofty, greets him as, "the famous Harry Potter?" Draco, overhearing, glares malevolently at Harry, as the wine glass he is levitating falls and smashes.

Umbridge catches Harry using her office fireplace as he frantically attempts to contact Sirius Black, who may be in peril at the Ministry. Two Inquisitorial Squad members, Draco and Millicent Bulstrode, accompany her. Draco and Umbridge restrain Harry, while Millicent captures Hermione. When Harry refuses to reveal who he was contacting, Umbridge orders Draco to fetch Snape; Hermione suddenly "confesses" that they were trying to contact Professor Dumbledore about the secret weapon he had them build. Umbridge demands Hermione lead her to it. Draco suggests he should go along, to which Hermione readily agrees is a good idea; suspicious, and over Draco's protests, Umbridge declares that only Hermione and Harry will go. The other DA members who were also caught, escape the Inquisitorial Squad, aided by Ginny's Bat Bogey jinx cast at Draco.

When Harry returns to Hogwarts after the battle at the Ministry, Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle, threatens retaliation for his father, Lucius, having been sentenced to Azkaban prison. Snape's arrival ends the duel before any spells are cast.

Aboard the homeward-bound Hogwarts Express, Draco tries to jinx Harry, but D.A. members arrive in time and, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle are jinxed until they look like gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms. Harry, Ernie, and Justin leave the three in the luggage rack.

Half-Blood Prince
Throughout this book, Draco is almost always in the Room of Requirement, with the exception of Professor Slughorn's party, which he accidentally crashes, where Harry later overhears Snape and Draco arguing.

Later, Harry finds Draco sobbing in the boys' bathroom. Apparently he has been trying to do something but it is not going well, and he deeply fears what will happen to him and his family should he fail. Catching Harry's reflection in the mirror, Draco spins and fires curses at him. Harry, defending himself, uses Sectumsempra, an unknown curse he found in the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, with only the notation, "For enemies". Draco nearly dies from blood loss, but is saved by Snape's timely arrival.

Draco has been tasked by Voldemort to murder Professor Dumbledore. When Draco traps the professor atop the Astronomy Tower, he is unable to carry out Voldemort's orders. As he is about to lower his wand and accept Dumbledore's help, other Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, who have invaded Hogwarts with Draco's help, find him and Dumbledore. Snape also arrives, and, as Harry helplessly watches from under his Invisibility Cloak, Snape casts a lethal curse at Dumbledore. Draco is last seen being towed by Snape as he, and the other Death Eaters, escape Hogwarts.

Deathly Hallows
Harry, Hermione, and Ron escape two Death Eaters at an all-night café on Tottenham Court Road, altering their memories so they are unable to remember who they nearly captured. The Trio then hide out at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Shortly after their arrival, Voldemort's rage once again drags Harry into his mind, and he watches the Death Eater, Thorfinn Rowle, being tortured for failing to catch Harry. Harry is dismayed that it is a sick-looking Draco who is forced to do the torturing.

Snatchers, led by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, apprehend the Trio, but Harry's magically altered face, makes it difficult to recognize him. At Malfoy Manor, Lucius calls on Draco to identify Harry. Possibly misled by Harry's swollen face, Draco balks at making a definitive identification, though he may be protecting him. Narcissa Malfoy, however, recognizes Hermione, and is about to summon Voldemort when Bellatrix halts her. After confining the others to the cellars, Bellatrix tortures Hermione for information about the Sword of Gryffindor. When Hermione says it is a fake, Lucius has Draco fetch the goblin, Griphook to verify its authenticity. As Draco leaves the cellar, Dobby Apparates in.

When Harry and Ron escape the cellar, Ron, armed with Peter Pettigrew's wand, Disarms Bellatrix, but is forced to surrender his wand when Bellatrix holds a knife to Hermione's throat. Draco collects the fallen wands, but after Dobby drops the chandelier on Bellatrix, Harry physically wrests all three wands (Bellatrix', Pettigrew's, and Draco's) from Draco's hand before he and Dobby escape, though Dobby is killed.

Surprisingly, when Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle corner Harry in the Room of Requirement, it is not Draco, but Crabbe and Goyle who talk the most. Draco demands Harry return his wand, though Harry refuses. When Crabbe starts knocking piles of junk over, Draco stops him, saying if they destroy the room, they may be unable to find the Diadem. When Crabbe sets the Fiendfyre, Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape on brooms; Harry circles back to save Draco and Goyle, but Crabbe is lost.

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione are making their way under the Invisibility Cloak to the Shrieking Shack, they pass Draco, who is pleading with a Death Eater not to jinx him, that he is on their side. Harry Stuns the Death Eater, and Ron punches Draco, saying that is twice they have saved his life, and calling him two-faced.

Facing Voldemort in the Great Hall, Harry tells him that, even though Voldemort holds the Elder Wand, he does not command it. The wand owes its allegiance to the one who forcefully removed it from its previous master; and as Snape had not taken it from Dumbledore, Snape was never its master. Instead, it was Draco who had Disarmed Dumbledore; and Draco, in turn, had been Disarmed by Harry weeks earlier. The wand Harry won from Draco was now in his hand. Now the issue is: does the Elder Wand sense that Draco was disarmed? If so, then Harry is now the Elder Wand's master.

In the Epilogue, we see Draco, who acknowledges Harry with a nod, with his wife and son, Scorpius. Draco's hairline is receding slightly, which makes his already-pointed chin appear somewhat sharper.

Strengths
Draco is intelligent, magically proficient, and grows into a strong wizard; his father introduced him early on to some Dark Arts magic that most young wizards his age rarely see or even know about. This has given him some advantages that other wizards lack. Like most in his family, Draco was sorted into Slytherin House where he is favored by Professor Snape, a powerful wizard at Hogwarts and head of Slytherin

Draco's family is particularly wealthy and influential, and while Draco himself never directly influences the Ministry or other wizard institutions, he does benefit from it through his father, and has some indirect affect as well. His family's wealth and influence has probably helped him garner his supporters/thug companions, Crabbe and Goyle.

Though he did not achieve the position in a fair manner, he seems to have turned out a rather strong Quidditch seeker, to the point that his missing a match is considered a really lucky coincidence by the opposing team in Half-Blood Prince.

Draco's greatest strength may be that he has developed rather differently from his family, lacking their Dark, evil nature. This does, at times, cause him great personal anguish and he believes himself a failure when he is unable to fully act as Lord Voldemort's agent. It is, however, Draco's innate morality that rules his behavior. While Draco never consciously betrays his family, his actions late in the series saves others' lives, as well as his own soul, and shows he is capable of remorse and redemption. And though he will always embody traditional Slytherin characteristics, Draco learns much from his family's misdeeds, likely retaining a moral nature and becoming a far better person than his wicked relatives.

Weaknesses
Rather than developing his own unique personality traits and abilities, Draco's character is almost entirely formed and sustained by his family's wealth and reputation, as well as by his followers. When accompanied by his enforcers, Crabbe and Goyle, he struts and acts the bully; but as early as flying lessons in the first book, we see that he is effectively lost without their presence. Confronted on his own by Harry, who is astride a broom for the first time, Draco retreats with dishonour. Having challenged Harry to a duel, rather than keeping the appointment, Draco instead tips off Filch that students will be out after hours. Even with Crabbe and Goyle in attendance, his courage is lacking. When Hermione slaps him, the three simply retreat. This weak resolve remains throughout the series, and in the battle at Hogwarts, late in the final book, we see Draco pleading for his life.

In fact, Draco, at least through the first five books, is entirely without honour. He is the epitome of Slytherin's belief, "using any means to achieve their ends," as the Sorting Hat says.

By the sixth book, Draco's bullying persona starts eroding after Voldemort appoints him to perform an unspeakable task. A more vulnerable side to his personality is exposed as he agonizes over obeying Voldemort's orders, knowing it involves an act he is incapable of performing, but that he must accomplish to protect his family. In the seventh book, Draco shows there are even more limits to what he can or will do. While we see that he still lacks a forceful enough character to resist being manipulated, his youth, inexperience, subordination to his family's strong authority, and fear of Voldemort are contributing factors to his behavior. In particular, Harry sees Draco's revulsion at being forced to torture the Death Eater, Rowle, and we witness Draco's reluctance to identify Harry after his capture, knowing that if he does, Voldemort will promptly murder him. In both cases, even though Draco resists, he is unable to prevent himself from being exploited, mostly because he fears for his and his family's lives.

Relationships with Other Characters
Malfoy's greatest nemesis is Harry Potter, who was instrumental in Lord Voldemort's downfall. He was insulted when Harry spurned his offer of friendship after their first meeting, Harry preferring Ron Weasley's company over his. Draco also resents Harry's fame and may be jealous over his greater power as a wizard. Draco equally despises Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Hermione because she is Muggle-born and a superior student, and Ron, who, despite being a pure-blood wizard, is poor, and whose family dares to advocate Half-blood and Muggle-born wizards as equals to pure bloods, and that Muggles also have rights.

Draco lacks true friends, even among his fellow Slytherins, but his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, who Draco treats as minions, continually trail him about, following his orders. He does, however, appear to have emotional connections with the two, as he is upset when Crabbe is killed, and he tries his best to keep Goyle alive. Crabbe, Goyle, and others who gravitate to Draco, mainly seem attracted to his family's wealth and status. Draco generally considers most students outside Slytherin as inferior. This attitude also extends to many Hogwarts teachers and staff, though he apparently admires Professor Snape, while considering Professor Dumbledore foolish and ineffectual.

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry overhears Draco boasting about an important mission the Dark Lord has assigned him. When Harry mentions it to Ron, he erroneously believes Draco was merely trying to impress Pansy Parkinson.

Pansy is Draco's date at the Yule Ball, in book 4, and she is often seen in close proximity to him, but it appears that their relationship never develops into anything serious or that Draco has any romantic interest in her during the series. Pansy, however, always seems intent on pursuing Draco, possibly, like others, attracted to his family name and wealth.

Draco is always respectful and obedient to his parents, particularly his father, who Draco loves and admires, but also fears. Draco also deeply loves his mother, though he seems unable to openly express it. Being an only child and a son, both his parents apparently have high expectations that he will continue the Malfoy legacy, upholding its traditions, and remaining loyal to the Dark Lord and his pure-blood ethos.

Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy's sister, is Draco's aunt. Their relationship never seems particularly close, though Bellatrix is surprisingly impressed that Draco has shown an eagerness to take on Voldemort's secret mission; she has also tutored Draco in Occlumency, possibly to block Snape, who she never trusts, from reading Draco's mind and learning more details about the Dark Lord's plans. Bellatrix goads Snape into making an unbreakable vow with Narcissa to aid Draco should he fail to complete the Dark Lord's task, though she seems more motivated to ensure the mission's success rather than protect her nephew.

According to Narcissa Malfoy, Professor Snape is Draco's favourite teacher. It also seems that Draco is Snape's favourite student, though his connection to the wealthy and influential Malfoy family appears to have much to do with that. Later in the series, Snape actually secretly works with Dumbledore to protect Draco, knowing it is Voldemort's intent to kill the boy solely to punish Lucius Malfoy for his failure to retrieve a prophecy. Draco resists Snape's help, however, believing it will only further endanger his family, and perhaps having come to distrust him as much as his Aunt Bellatrix does. When Snape escapes following the battle at Hogwarts, he forces Draco to go with him, perhaps fearing Draco's life will be in danger if he remains behind.

Also, though they never speak throughout the entire series, Draco is Nymphadora Tonks' first cousin through their mothers, Narcissa and Andromeda, who are sisters. Due to Andromeda's marrying the Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks, she has been disowned by her family, the Blacks. Neither Andromeda nor the Black family cares to acknowledge the relationship. Only Sirius Black, Andromeda's cousin who also has been disowned by the Blacks, has any contact with the Tonks family.

Analysis
Rowling uses Draco in the series as Harry Potter's enemy and also as a contrast to his personality. Pure blood, 'evil', Slytherin, Death Eater: these characteristics show how Draco differs from Harry. It is interesting to note, however, how Draco gradually becomes a better person as the series progresses.

We note in the Loyalty part of the headnote that Draco was loyal to his family. While Draco quite obviously reveled in the feeling of superiority that his ancestry brought him, and so would seem to be aligned with Voldemort who was espousing that belief, we can also see that Draco has little stomach for Voldemort's methods. His adherence to the Death Eater organizational ideals was quite possibly driven by his family.

First Five Books
Through the first five books, Draco's behaviour is consistent. Apparently the archetypal Slytherin, Draco uses any means, fair or foul, to get ahead. He apparently bribes his way into being the new Slytherin Quidditch Seeker when his father donates expensive brooms to the team. He consistently belittles students in other Houses, particularly Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He seems supremely self-confident, quite clearly believing that his father's wealth and his Pure-blood status will get him anything he wants, rather than achieving it by his own talents and abilities. And we see also that he has surrounded himself with sycophants (notably Pansy Parkinson) and hired muscle, (Crabbe and Goyle, who are presumably paid in status). Taking a leaf from Slytherin's book, Draco especially belittles Muggle-borns (like Hermione), whose parents have no magical ability, and half-bloods (like Harry), born of wizards or witches who were Muggle offspring, or those who profess to like Muggles (such as the Weasley family). Like most bullies, Draco immediately backs down when faced with a superior force. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Draco's over-bearing father Lucius is equally belittling to his own son, causing Draco, who fears his father, to merely take it, having no other choice. Additionally, Hermione, goaded beyond her limits, slaps Draco, whereupon he and his thugs rapidly depart. We quickly see that Draco has largely been moulded into his father's image. Draco is, of course, chastened when his father is removed from the Board of Governors of Hogwarts, but he recovers. One supposes he has rationalized to himself that this is only a mistake that will be rectified shortly after the Board realizes their error. However, Lucius' arrest in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix severely affects Draco. Initially, he retains his arrogance, blaming Harry for his father being arrested, which is, in Draco's view, an inversion of how things should work: being a Pure-Blood, Lucius should be proof against any efforts by Muggle-borns or Muggle lovers, and here he clearly was not. However, that Lucius remains imprisoned must have some effect on Draco.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Draco faces difficult problems he may be unable to solve by himself. We suspect he has become a Death Eater, as he seems protective, almost obsessively, about where the Dark Mark would have been placed on him, but this is never fully confirmed, as he never reveals the Mark. While he exhibits the same arrogance, we start seeing cracks in his armour. In the Potions class he takes with Harry, he no longer needles Harry. Instead, he has been commiserating with Moaning Myrtle about something he is trying to unsuccessfully do. And in the end of the book, he quite clearly has been burdened with performing several secret tasks; one, murdering Dumbledore, is something that he is unable to carry out. His prevarication when faced with this seems alien to the person we previously believed Draco to be. His mother, Narcissa, of course, understands her son well, and early in the book, she is expressing her fear to Snape that Draco will fail and be punished for that failure.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Dark Lord better understood Draco than we did in the previous book. Voldemort deliberately set up Draco to fail in the tasks he assigned him, solely as a means to punish Draco's family for their earlier failures to carry out Voldemort's commands. Voldemort knows Draco's basic weakness is what we recognize as the remaining core of his humanity. Several views of Draco and his family show us that, despite what was seen in the earlier books, Draco, though despicable, is not inherently evil. He is forced to torture a Death Eater who has failed Voldemort, and Harry sees, through Voldemort's eyes, Draco's revulsion at having to perform this task. When Harry is captured and brought to Malfoy Manor, Draco knows that if he identifies Harry, Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, will be murdered, causing Draco to balk at confirming his identity.

Later, Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle, remains at Hogwarts after the other Slytherins are evacuated before the Battle of Hogwarts, apparently to try and capture Harry for Voldemort. He may believe this could restore Voldemort's favour to him and his family. Draco's bullying nature does seem more pronounced whenever he is within Hogwarts' halls, far from his father's authority, and where he has Crabbe and Goyle's support. However, during the battle, Draco seems more concerned with preserving his own hide rather than attacking either side in the fight.

It appears that Draco never has a realization about which side he is actually on, nor does he experience an epiphany about the Dark side's true nature or that it will eventually lead everything to death and destruction. It seems unlikely he will arrive at that conclusion after the series end. Draco believes in the same sentiments as most Death Eaters, and obediently follows his father, but he balks at employing their methods, thus never fully embracing either side. Almost a prototypical Slytherin, Draco's allegiance seems ruled by whatever potential there is for personal gain. He will likely work alongside whatever side is poised to win. His selecting the main chance in this manner, however, does tend to prevent him from weighing the relative outcomes in any sense larger than his own personal future.

Questions

 * 1) How will Narcissa Malfoy's love for her son affect his actions?
 * 2) Will Malfoy have a point of redemption, a point of realization that Voldemort's path only leads to destruction and death?
 * 3) Do you think Draco Malfoy really wanted to go over to Voldemort's side?

Greater Picture
Although he loves his father, Draco fears him and what might happen if he should disobey or displease him in any way. His greatest vulnerability is his love for his parents, and theirs is their love for him. While he strives to emulate Voldemort, the main difference between them is that Draco does know love, that of his mother, and to a lesser extent, his father's. Draco has grown up in a sheltered family with a mother who showered him with care packages during his first year at Hogwarts, and a father who would wreak havoc on anyone who hurt him. But we note from the few interactions that we see between Draco and Lucius that there is a definite bullying aspect to their relationship. It would appear that Draco grew up in an abusive home, constantly surrounded by verbal (if not physical) violence and isolation. This aspect is often overlooked, as people will always stereotype Draco as the "bad guy," but people never begin to look into why he acts this way.

Draco is also unable to kill. In the sixth book, Voldemort has ordered him to murder Professor Dumbledore. However, when the opportunity finally arises, Draco, torn and distraught, hesitates and is talked down by the professor. Additionally, in the seventh book, he is told to identify Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and again he balks, giving an ambiguous answer, even when his father demands a definitive one. Both cases show that Draco has scruples and possesses an underlying humanity that prevents him performing immoral acts. Dumbledore recognized this humanity within Draco, and knowing that committing murder would destroy Draco's soul, he and Snape devised a plan to protect him.

It appears that Draco's hatred for Harry subsides later in life, and, in the epilogue, he acknowledges Harry with a polite nod at the train station, seeing their children off to Hogwarts.


text:
Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Ginny Weasley

Overview
Ginevra "Ginny" Molly Weasley is the only daughter and youngest child of Arthur and Molly Weasley. She is in Gryffindor and is the sister of Ron Weasley. She is one year younger than both Ron and Harry.

The author has said that Ginny's birthday is 11 August 1981, which actually makes her almost exactly one year younger than Harry (whose birthday is 31 July 1980) and 17 months younger than Ron (whose birthday is 1 March 1980).

Philosopher's Stone
Ginny has two brief cameos in the book, first when Harry boards the Hogwarts Express and secondly when he returns. Her interest in Harry is established.

Chamber of Secrets
Ginny's ongoing crush on Harry is evident. When Harry arrives at the Burrow, she promptly runs and hides. As Harry and Ron head upstairs, they briefly glimpse Ginny in her room before she shuts the door, causing Ron to remark that she is usually quite outgoing. Later, when Harry enters the kitchen for breakfast, Ginny promptly spills her porridge. When Harry speaks directly to her, she blushes furiously and puts her elbow in the butter dish, which only Harry notices.

At Flourish & Blotts' bookstore in Diagon Alley, Ginny hangs back as everyone else lines up to meet Gilderoy Lockhart; Harry, mortally embarrassed after Lockhart ruthlessly exploits him for publicity, puts the books Lockhart gave him into Ginny's cauldron. Draco Malfoy appears, harassing Harry and claiming he revels in the publicity. When Ginny defends him, Draco mockingly suggests Harry now has a girlfriend. Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, appears, and perusing Ginny's second-hand text books, disparages their quality, then returns them to her cauldron.

Ginny makes appearances throughout the book, always appearing ill at ease. This is particularly noticeable on February 14th. Professor Lockhart has employed dwarfs to deliver Valentines around the school; one tackles Harry to deliver a Valentine poem apparently sent by Ginny. In the process, the contents in his book bag spills to the floor, including a book titled, the Very Secret Diary; Draco picks it up, though Harry and Ron reclaim it. Ginny runs off, however, apparently quite upset; we are led to believe it is solely because she was embarrassed by the Valentine poem.

When Professor McGonagall announces at breakfast that the victims petrified by the Chamber of Secrets monster will soon be revived, Ginny approaches Harry and Ron to tell them something, but Percy suddenly appears and dismissively interrupts her, upsetting Ginny enough that she runs off. With information provided by Hermione, Harry and Ron learn that the monster is a Basilisk. From talking with Aragog, a giant spider, they surmise that the Chamber's entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As they are about to report their findings to Professor McGonagall, they overhear that Ginny has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry and Ron, with Lockhart's forced assistance, locate and enter the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny; Lockhart's attempt to magically erase their memories with Ron's damaged wand results in the cave's ceiling falling in, stranding Harry. He heads for the Chamber, finding an unconscious and rapidly failing Ginny, and a somewhat ghostly Tom Riddle. Riddle explains that he used his diary to ensnare Ginny, forcing her to open the Chamber of Secrets and release the monster. Now he is draining her life force to restore himself. Riddle also reveals he is Lord Voldemort. Harry kills the monster, then destroys the diary, causing Riddle's simulacrum to vanish and restoring Ginny to consciousness. Together with Ron and Lockhart, they return to the surface. Ginny is reunited with her father and mother, while Harry explains to everyone that she was controlled by Voldemort.

With Dobby's help, Harry realizes it was Lucius Malfoy who dropped Riddle's diary into Ginny's cauldron at Flourish & Blotts. Professor Dumbledore sternly warns Lucius that if any additional Riddle possessions should appear, Arthur Weasley can trace them.

Finally, on the Hogwarts Express homewards, Ginny reveals the reason Percy prevented her from speaking to Ron and Harry earlier was because Percy knew she had seen him kissing his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, and thought Ginny was about to tell Harry and Ron.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Ginny's role is largely relegated to the background. She is at the Leaky Cauldron when Harry meets up with the Weasleys and Hermione to prepare for school. Ron shoos her away in the Hogwarts Express so that he, Harry, and Hermione can have a private conversation. When the train is inspected by Dementors, Ginny makes her way back to the Trio's compartment, as does Neville Longbottom; she is present when Harry faints. She herself is adversely effected by the Dementors' presence, though not as severely as Harry; this is most likely because of the remembered trauma of her being possessed by Voldemort.

Goblet of Fire
Ginny is present at The Burrow when Harry arrives, shortly after Mr. Weasley berates Fred and George for dropping a Ton-Tongue Toffee in front of Dudley Dursley, giving him a four-foot-long tongue. Soon after, Ron tells Harry that it was Ginny who named his owl Pigwidgeon.

Ginny attends the Quidditch World Cup with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Percy, Charlie, Bill, and Mr. Weasley. Ginny and Hermione complain about having to get up so early, but Mr. Weasley notes that a hundred thousand wizards attending an event creates huge logistical problems; attendees with cheaper tickets have to arrive early and remain the entire time. When the Muggle campsite owner has to constantly have his memory charmed, Ginny remarks that Ludo Bagman, head of Magical Games and Sports, ought to know better than to wander around in his Beater's robes.

After the match, Death Eaters riot through the campsite. Mr. Weasley sends the younger Weasleys, plus Harry and Hermione, into the nearby woods for safety, though Ginny and the Twins become separated from the others. When the riots are quelled, the three return to their tents, unharmed

Just before the Yule Ball, we see Ginny comforting a distraught Ron, whose invitation to the ball was rejected by Fleur Delacour. After hearing that Cho Chang similarly declined Harry's invitation, Ron suggests that he can take Hermione and Harry can go with Ginny. But the girls are already attending with someone else. Ginny goes with Neville Longbottom, who repeatedly steps on her feet while they are dancing. Hermione is Viktor Krum's date. While at the Yule Ball, Ginny meets Michael Corner, and they start dating shortly after.

Order of the Phoenix
Ginny plays a much larger role in this book and re-enters our story at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Shortly after Harry arrives and has vented his frustrations on Ron and Hermione, they are joined by Fred, George, and Ginny. They inform Harry that Percy has fallen out with the family. After dinner, Sirius Black proposes that Harry be briefed on the Order of the Phoenix's current operations; Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George are allowed to listen in, but Ginny, loudly protesting, is unceremoniously bundled off to bed.

We see Ginny in passing a few times during the next few days. She is roped in to help make Grimmauld Place habitable again, removing and destroying Dark artifacts and materials, and ridding magical pest infestations. She joins the victory celebration after Harry returns, exonerated, from his hearing, and is present at Ron and Hermione's celebration for becoming Prefects.

When Fred and George charm their school trunks to fly downstairs, the luggage evidently injures Ginny, though she is healed by the time they leave for the train. Once aboard, Fred and George depart to talk with Lee Jordan, and Ron and Hermione report to the Prefects' carriage, leaving Harry and Ginny to share a compartment with Neville Longbottom and a Ravenclaw girl Ginny introduces as, Luna Lovegood. Apart from cleaning up the compartment after Neville showers everyone with Stinksap, Ginny plays little further part until the school year is underway.

Ginny is among the 28 students (Harry, Ron, Hermione, and 25 others) who attend the first meeting of what is to become Dumbledore's Army at the Hog's Head. Afterwards, Hermione remarks that Michael Corner likely came only because Ginny did. She says Ginny gave up on Harry; meeting Michael at the Yule Ball, they started dating soon after. Ron decides he dislikes Michael Corner.

After Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four is posted, Ginny fears that the DA may be unable to meet, but Harry reassures her it will continue as planned. She leaves to tell Michael Corner, and, through him, the Ravenclaw members, about the DA. At the first meeting in the Room of Requirement, Hermione suggests naming the group; Cho Chang suggests the Defence Association (the DA for short); Ginny counters with Dumbledore's Army, saying it has the same initials and represents the worst fears of the Ministry of Magic, who foisted Dolores Umbridge on them as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her suggestion passes unanimously.

After Umbridge bans Harry, Fred, and George from playing Quidditch, Ginny replaces Harry as Seeker.

When Harry has a vision that Mr. Weasley was attacked by a snake, Dumbledore sends Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny to Grimmauld Place by Portkey. There, the Weasley children demand to see their father immediately, but Sirius insists it is too dangerous and orders them to wait until their mother returns. They await anxiously until Molly Weasley sends word that Mr. Weasley will survive.

At the hospital, Harry and Ginny eavesdrop on Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Alastor Moody using the Twins' Extendable Ears. After Moody suggests Harry may be possessed by Voldemort, Harry isolates himself, believing he is endangering the others. Hermione drags Harry from seclusion, forcing him to talk with her and the others. Ginny, who actually was possessed by Voldemort, draws upon her own experience, saying if there are no big gaps in Harry's memory, then he has not been possessed, greatly relieving Harry.

While visiting Mr. Weasley on Christmas Day, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione head to the tea shop. Along the way they are spotted by Gilderoy Lockhart, who is still a patient. While visiting Gilderoy Lockhard, they also see Broderick Bode, who is still unable to speak. They also run into Neville and his grandmother, who are visiting his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom. Neville is horribly embarrassed that they have seen his parents, who were tortured into insanity by Death Eaters.

It is close to Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff, and Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, is extremely unhappy with how her team is shaping up, especially Kirke and Sloper, the two beaters who replaced Fred and George. Ginny apparently flies extremely well, and Hermione explains that Ginny had been breaking into the Weasley broom cupboard for years, flying all their brooms. Despite the beaters' poor quality, Gryffindor keeps their losses to only ten points when Ginny catches the Snitch.

Just before Spring Break, Harry views Professor Snape's memory that is stored in Dumbledore's Pensieve. This memory is so disturbing that it permanently dispels Harry's idealized vision of his father, James; to avoid discussing it with anyone, he attributes his brooding to his recent breakup with Cho Chang. Ginny suggests he talk to Cho, but Harry says he would rather speak to Sirius, which is impossible; the only way is via the one unmonitored fireplace in Umbridge's office. Ginny says the Twins have left her believing that nothing is impossible. Shortly, the Twins tell Harry they are planning a diversion, and suggest he use that time to get into Umbridge's office to chat with Sirius.

Harry experiences a vision that Sirius is being tortured by Voldemort and wants to contact Grimmauld Place to verify if Sirius is safe. Overhearing the Trio discussing this, Ginny, along with Luna Lovegood, volunteers their help, guarding Umbridge's door and creating a diversion while Harry contacts Sirius with the Floo Network. Umbridge is undeceived, however, and Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville are captured by Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. Hermione fools Umbridge into believing a weapon is hidden in the Forbidden Forest. Ginny and the others are left under guard in Umbridge's office while Umbridge takes Harry and Hermione to investigate.

After applying a well-executed Bat-Bogey hex to disable Draco Malfoy, Ginny, along with Ron, Luna, and Neville escape and find Harry and Hermione. Luna suggests flying to the Ministry on Thestrals to save Sirius. Ginny is unsure about riding something invisible to her, but gamely accompanies Harry and the others to London. Ambushed by Death Eaters, she, Luna, and Ron become separated from Harry, Hermione and Neville. The two groups re-unite in the antechamber; Ginny apparently suffers a broken ankle, and has to be carried into the Brain Room when the Death Eaters find them. There, she is hit by an apparent Stun spell and plays no further part in the battle.

Harry visits Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in the Hospital wing. Ginny apparently is nearly recovered, but Ron and Hermione need more time to heal. Luna and Neville are also visiting; Umbridge is also present, recovering from her sojourn among the Centaurs. The group can barely stiffle giggles when Ron makes clip-clop sounds similar to horse hooves, causing the traumatized woman to bolt upright up in bed, looking around wildly.

On the Hogwarts Express home, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny share a compartment. When Cho Chang walks past, Hermione tentatively mentions that Cho is now dating Michael Corner. Ron is surprised, but Ginny explains that when she caught the Snitch in the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, Michael comforted Cho rather than celebrating with Ginny, so she dumped him. When Ron suggests, glancing furtively at Harry, that she can now choose someone better, Ginny announces she is dating Dean Thomas. Ron seems somewhat distressed by this revelation.

Half-Blood Prince
Ginny enters our story shortly after Harry arrives at The Burrow late at night. The next morning, after Ron and Hermione awaken Harry, Ginny slouches in, complaining about her. This mysterious female is quickly identified when Fleur Delacour appears with Harry's breakfast, followed by a vexed Mrs. Weasley. Ginny, feeling Fleur is far too full of herself, has nicknamed her "Phlegm".

Ginny and the others purchase school supplies at Diagon Alley. When they visit Fred and George's joke shop, the Twins grill Ginny about her boyfriends, but she characteristically refuses to discuss it. Captivated by a Pygmy Puff (possibly a variant of a Puffskein), she purchases one, naming it Arnold.

On the Hogwarts Express, we find that Professor Slughorn has revived his "Slug Club", and invites Harry to lunch. Arriving in Slughorn's compartment, Harry is somewhat surprised to find Ginny there, particularly as the other students Slughorn introduces are all related to or connected with famous witches and wizards. But after seeing Ginny casting a particularly impressive Bat-Bogey Hex, Slughorn invited her. Harry has been invited for obvious reasons, and Neville because of the prominence of his parents in the wizarding community. Slughorn asks Harry about the battle at the Ministry, seemingly unaware that Neville and Ginny were also involved. Harry, Neville, and Ginny are unwilling to talk about that battle, much to Slughorn's disappointment.

In Potions class, Harry is given an old textbook he discovers contains many revisions to standard formulas. Following these instructions, he excels in his first lesson. Harry whiffs a flowery aroma in the love potion, which he later recognizes as Ginny's scent. Later, Ginny, passing by, is alarmed and angry and asks if he is being given instructions by a book. Harry recalls Tom Riddle's Diary from four years before. Hermione also apparently remembers, and immediately tests the book for any Dark magic, but finds nothing. When putting the book away in his bag however, Harry notices a small notation written inside the cover saying that the book belongs to The Half-Blood Prince.

Harry, as team captain, holds Quidditch tryouts. Ginny is selected as a Chaser, along with Katie Bell and Demelza Robins.

Just before the first Hogsmeade weekend, Ginny delivers a note to Harry from Dumbledore, setting a time for their next lesson. She mentions that she may see him in Hogsmeade; she is going with Dean Thomas.

After Katie Bell falls afoul of a jinxed necklace, Harry recruits Dean to replace her on the Quidditch team. At the first practice, Ron, bothered by Ginny and Dean's relationship and suffering from nerves in general, plays horribly; Dean, Ginny, and Demelza play very well, though, and Harry compliments them. As they return to the common room, Harry and Ron discover Ginny and Dean kissing in an alcove; Ron is furious, while Harry feels extremely jealous and briefly thinks about cursing Dean, though he contains it. Ginny scorns Ron, saying he is only upset because he has never snogged anyone, then storms off. It is at this point that Harry begins to fully realize his feelings for Ginny, and agonizes over them.

At the following Quidditch match, the announcer, Zacharias Smith, criticizes Harry for choosing Ginny and Ron as team members, but subsides after Ron blocks every play coming his way, and Ginny scores four of the six goals against Slytherin. At the match's end, which Harry wins by distracting the Slytherin Seeker and catching the Snitch, Ginny "forgets to brake" while swooping in for the victory celebration, and smashes into the announcer's podium, sending Smith crashing to the ground.

While talking to Luna Lovegood, she tells Harry that Ginny has been defending her, stopping people from calling her "Loony".

When Harry and Ron are at The Burrow for Christmas, Fred and George tease Ron after learning from Ginny about his relationship with Lavender Brown. Percy unexpectedly stops by with Rufus Scrimgeour on the pretense of visiting the family. However, it is only a ruse so Scrimgeour can try to recruit Harry as a Ministry pawn; Ginny, Fred, and George all claim credit for throwing parsnips that hastened Percy's departure.

On their return to Hogwarts, Ginny seems unenthusiastic as she mentions that she promised to meet Dean, somewhat encouraging Harry in his feelings. However, he remembers Ron's reaction to his discovering Ginny's relationship with Dean, and fears if he does act, Ron will become his enemy, possibly forever.

Ginny is, of course, at Ron's bedside as he is recovering from being poisoned on his birthday.

Harry is injured in the next Quidditch match when Cormac McLaggen, demonstrating how to correctly use a Beater's bat, slams the Bludger straight at Harry, hitting him. When Harry leaves the Hospital Wing, Hermione tells him that Dean and Ginny had a fight because Dean thought Harry being hit was funny. Harry tries to hide his elation that Ginny and Dean's relationship may have hit a rough spot, but Hermione, he thinks, may have noticed his interest.

Hermione suggests Harry use his Felix Felicis potion to help him obtain a memory from Slughorn that Dumbledore wants. Harry is initially reluctant; he had been saving the potion for some vaguely defined purpose, something to do with Ginny and Dean breaking up. Eventually, he does take some, and, hidden under his Invisibility Cloak, heads out through the portrait hole, slightly brushing against Ginny as she enters with Dean. Ginny rounds on Dean for helping her when she does not need it.

By the following morning, Ginny and Dean have broken up. While this opens an opportunity for Harry, it also creates a problem: can Dean and Ginny play on the same team if they are at daggers drawn? Luckily, Katie Bell returns from St. Mungo's that same day. With McLaggen gone and Katie back, Quidditch is much more fun. Ginny, in particular, is the “life and soul of the team” pulling stunts and cracking jokes. Harry is glad to have the opportunity to interact with her, but still fears Ron's reaction if he starts dating his sister.

When Harry receives detention for injuring Draco, serving Saturdays with Snape, Ginny fills in as Seeker, while Dean takes over as Chaser; Harry apparently feels that their animosity will not be a major factor. Despite the horrible showing in the game where Harry was injured, they still have a chance at the Quidditch Cup: they have to win by more than 300 points, however. Returning from detention on the day of the Quidditch final, Harry walks into a celebration: they have won the Cup. Ginny, seeing him enter, runs into Harry's arms, and he kisses her; afterwards, Harry sees Hermione's approval, and, more importantly, that Ron is accepting.

Ginny and Harry are happy together, and Harry is delighted that people are now discussing something about him that actually makes him happy, rather than about Dark magic. His Potions work is suffering since he hid his old textbook, but Slughorn attributes that to his blooming romance with Ginny.

During the battle under the Astronomy tower, Harry sees Ginny fighting Amycus Carrow and rushes to her aid. After the battle has ended, it is Ginny who leads Harry away from Dumbledore's body and to the Hospital Wing, where he reports to Minerva McGonagall. Ginny, with Ron and Neville, had been watching the Room of Requirement; when Draco emerged, he threw something, causing everything to go dark. Because Ginny and Ron had taken some of Harry's Felix Felicis potion, they were unhurt. Luckily, they ran into Remus Lupin, who discovered the Death Eaters under the Astronomy Tower and alerted the other Order members.

Harry and Ginny spend all their free time together. They sit together at Dumbledore's funeral, but once it ends, Harry tells Ginny they must separate. Voldemort attacks people through those they love, and Harry refuses to risk putting Ginny in danger. Ginny is heartbroken, but understanding.

Deathly Hallows
Only Ginny and Mrs. Weasley are at The Burrow when Harry arrives following his escape from Privet Drive; the other Weasley family members arrive over the next short while. In the following days, Mrs. Weasley sets Ginny and the Trio to work preparing for Bill and Fleur's wedding, an apparent attempt to delay the Trio's mission. Harry mentions to Ginny that Mrs. Weasley may be hoping that someone else will kill Voldemort while Harry is there making vol-au-vents; Ginny, frightened, understands Harry unintentional implication about his quest, though Harry tries unsuccessfully to dispel her fears. She shows some jealousy when Fleur's little sister bats her eyes at Harry.

On Harry's birthday, Ginny gives him something that he did not seem to expect. She calls him into her room and kisses him passionately, giving Harry "something to remember her by"; Ron interrupts, and, taking Harry aside, angrily warns him to avoid giving Ginny any false hopes; Harry promises it will not happen again, but over the next few days, he catches himself starting to glance at Ginny, before remembering he should not. He also has difficulty controlling his jealousy and irritation over Viktor Krum showing interest in her at the wedding reception.

When the Ministry falls and Harry, Ron, and Hermione make a hasty escape, Harry worries about Ginny until Mr. Weasley's Patronus informs them that the family is safe. Harry continues thinking about her, however.

When Ted Tonks and his group camp within earshot of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, we hear that Ginny was involved in an attempt to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from the Headmaster's office. Harry is relieved to hear she only had to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.

Ron then appears to be acting odd, which is later revealed because he thought Harry and Hermione were secretly having feelings for each other. He also stated that he thought Harry didn’t care what happened to Ginny because he didn’t have a family himself and that it was something he just wouldn’t understand. Harry, irritated by this annoying opinion, said that Ron could leave if he wanted to, which he actually did.

Between Christmas and his capture by Snatchers in March, Harry often looks for Ginny's dot on the Marauder's Map, imagining what she is doing at Hogwarts.

In the final battle, Ginny comes to the DA's aid to stop Voldemort. When Cho Chang, Harry's former girlfriend, offers to show him the Ravenclaw common room to see Ravenclaw's statue, Ginny jealously vetoes this and suggests Luna go instead.

Ginny rebels when she is forbidden to participate in the Final Battle. She finally accepts having to stay in the Room of Requirement until Harry evicts her to search for Ravenclaw's Diadem. He gives her strict instructions to remain nearby so she can return after he is done, but when he leaves, she is nowhere to be seen.

As Harry heads to the Forbidden Forest to meet Voldemort, he passes Ginny on the grounds, ministering to a fallen girl. Though he desperately wants her to know he is there and how much he cares about her, he fears he will be unable to continue if he stops, and instead passes on to his fate. He thinks she senses his presence as he passes. She is the last person he thinks about before he "dies." She also was the one who shouted and screamed the loudest alongside Ron and Hermione when seeing Harry’s dead body in Hagrid’s arms.

In the final assault on the school, Ginny is one of three students dueling Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix sweeps all three aside when Mrs. Weasley joins in, but Ginny apparently suffers little harm.

In the combined celebration and mourning after the battle, Harry leaves Ginny to grieve Fred's death with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, knowing that he and Ginny have a long time to be together later.

In the epilogue, set 19 years later, it is indicated that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are married and have three children: Lily Luna, James Sirius, and Albus Severus.

Strengths

 * Ginny's brothers and family provide her with an inner strength and pride.

 * Ginny is very funny and not afraid to speak up.

 * She is very good-looking, and this largely contributes to her confidence.

 * Her best class is Charms as is shown, in a rather comical light, by her advanced and frequent 'Bat-Bogey Hexes,' which are also noticed by Professor Slughorn in book 6.

 * Ginny is able to tell Harry to shut up when needed, cheer him up when needed, and to a large extent control his temper and self-guilt.

Ginny is a great witch, she's very smart.

Weaknesses
We are yet to see what Ginny is afraid of. However it was noted in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that she had a fear of being controlled by Lord Voldemort. It seems that she has, however, learned to deal with that fear by Harry's fifth year. At Christmas time of that year, she speaks to Harry quite dispassionately about her experiences while under the control of Voldemort.

Relationships with Other Characters
Romantic relationships are covered in more depth in a separate section.

 * Michael Corner: Ginny meets him at the Yule Ball and goes out with him almost all through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She breaks up with him after his House team loses against hers in Quidditch. He "got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho."
 * At the end of Harry's 5th year and throughout most of the 6th, Ginny is dating Dean Thomas.
 * As Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince closes, she forms a romantic relationship with Harry. At the end of the book, Harry breaks up with her, thinking that if he dates her, she will be targeted by Voldemort. The break-up does not actually end the relationship; it re-surfaces in the early chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and in the Epilogue of that book it is revealed that they have married.

Ginny's role in the series is largely that of the romantic foil, and as such it seems that few of her relationships are unconnected with the trappings of romance. She is, of course, Ron's sister, with the associated sibling-relationship baggage there; their time at Hogwarts seems to be punctuated with the usual brother-sister squabbles, most notably in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where Ginny's romance with Dean Thomas annoys the then-dateless Ron.

During the series, she establishes a strong friendship with Hermione. While we can see this relationship building quietly starting with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it becomes much more apparent in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and later.

Questions
1. Why does Ginny like Harry so much?

Greater Picture
It can be seen why one may think that Ginny could be a Horcrux, seeing that in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince we find out that the diary was in fact a Horcrux, and in the Chamber of Secrets Tom Riddle tells us that 'Ginny poured out her soul to me.' Later he continues 'I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her...'

It seems likely that Ginny was not made a Horcrux, but only possessed by Voldemort, as Dumbledore explains to Harry: 'Well, it is inadvisable to do so, ... because to confide a part of your soul to something that can think and move for itself is obviously a risky business.' It is unlikely Voldemort would have deliberately entrusted even a fragment of his soul to a human; besides, he was not present to do so, only his Horcrux was, and the idea of a Horcrux making a Horcrux for itself is nowhere suggested.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ginny explains to Harry what it felt like when she was possessed by Voldemort. Other than in the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny has never mentioned any instances of feelings of possession. We note that Professor Dumbledore speculates that the snake, Nagini, may be a Horcrux owing to her behaviour. From this, it seems likely that Ginny, if a Horcrux, would still display some strange behavior. Furthermore, as Voldemort intended to kill Ginny in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, making her a Horcrux would have been pointless.

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