Summary
In a fan poll on what part of theHarry Pottermovies deserves the biggest do-over, one character would win by a large margin. They had little in common with their book counterpart, save their feelings for Harry. However, theHBOreboot TV series based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved books has a chance to correct this grievous wrong.
The TV series is lining up an interesting cast that includes John Lithgow, Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu, and others, and a whoppingbillion-dollar cash infusion. With one season planned for each of the sevenHarry Potterbooks, fans can be cautiously optimistic that some of their favorite characters will finally get the representation on screen they deserve.
Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the seven Weasley children, has quite the arc in the books. While she starts by having the biggest crush on her older brother’s best friend, Harry, as the years go by, Ginny comes into her own and grows into quite a formidable witch. She attracts Harry to her instead of chasing him. In theHarry Potterfilms, the character is more or less consistent with the books untilThe Chamber of Secrets. But after the second film, she is a passive presence in the background.
How HBO’sHarry PotterTV Series Can Give Ginny Weasley A Do-Over
Ginny is present in the movies for the important moments, often with no dialogue or stakes, merely because the books require her to be there. It makes Harry’s eventual feelings for Ginny feel jarring and baseless, clearly poor development for a character that ends up being the protagonist’s partner. Whatthe HBO TV seriesneeds to do, then, is take cues from the books and flesh out a proper coming-of-age character arc for Ginny that highlights her bravery, outspokenness, and skills as a witch and Quidditch player.
Ginny’s Maturity and Strength of Character
The books highlight that Ginny Weasley is independent and goes after what she wants. InThe Goblet of Fire, as a third-year student at Hogwarts, she can’t go to the Yule Ball unless asked by a senior. She hopes Harry would, but she doesn’t wait around for him. Instead, she accepts Neville Longbottom’s proposal to get what she wants. When Ron insists that she go with Harry since the boys haven’t found dates, she doesn’t ditch Neville to chase after Harry, who doesn’t have feelings for her.
Throughout the books, there are several instances of Ginny displaying emotional maturity and strength of character. At the end ofThe Half-Blood Prince, she anticipates Harry will break up with her and calls it “stupid nobility”, while also understanding him. She keeps being brave for him after he leaves her. InThe Deathly Hallows, she helps Neville continue Dumbledore’s Army and defy the Carrows, the cruel Death Eater siblings who begin teaching at Hogwarts, a side of her that hasn’t been properly represented in the movies.
Ginny’s Friendship with Hermione and Relationships Before Harry
The books portray Ginny as confident and beautiful, popular with the boys, and having a dating life before Harry. She shares a close friendship with Hermione that probably developed when the two would room together at The Burrow, during the Quidditch World Cup, and at Grimmauld Place. Ginny was the only one Hermione told about Viktor Krum. And, as revealed inThe Order of the Phoenix,Hermione advises Ginny to “stop being so shy around Harry” and just be herself.
The advice helps Ginny relax around Harry, spend time with the trio, start dating Michael Corner, and eventuallyHarry’s dorm mate, Dean Thomas. Watching them hold hands and kiss in the common room triggers Harry’s jealousy, finally making him realize his attraction towards her. This arc for Ginny makes her a well-rounded character and not just a one-dimensional love interest for Harry.
Ginny is Outspoken
Ginny grows into a firebrand, unafraid of speaking her mind and standing up to wrong. We catch a glimpse of this trait when she countersDraco and Lucius Malfoyat Flourish and Blotts after they insult the Weasleys and Harry inThe Chamber of Secrets. Multiple times in the books, she calls out Ron’s over-protectiveness and hypocrisy when he questions her about dating a lot of boys or when he tries to police her morally for kissing Dean Thomas inThe Half-Blood Prince.
But her most powerful moment is inOrder of the Phoenix, when she reminds Harry that she, too, understands what being possessed by Voldemort feels like, perhaps even better than Harry, sinceTom Riddle possessed her. She manages to show empathy while assertively convincing him that he shouldn’t isolate himself, as that would be playing right into Voldemort’s plan.
Ginny’s Quidditch Skills
In the Harry Potter books, Ginny is a Chaser but has also helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup twice by playing a temporary Seeker and catching the Golden Snitch. As per Ron’s revelation inThe Order of the Phoenix, she used to sneak her brothers’ brooms to learn to fly since she was six. It’s a major facet of her character and a strong reason for her and Harry’s blossoming attraction, as shown in several subtle scenes throughout the last three books, though highly underrepresented in the movies. The scene where Harry kisses Ginny in front of the entire Gryffindor common room after the Quidditch Cup win is not included in the movies, but deserves to be in the HBO reboot series to drive their relationship home.
Ginny as a Formidable Witch and Member of Dumbledore’s Army
Being the youngest of the lot, Ginny is often underestimated but emerges as a formidable witch. She suggests the name ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ and is one of its strongest, most loyal members. The books indicate that Ginny was great at charms and defensive spells; inThe Order of the Phoenix, Ginny incapacitates Draco Malfoy with an excellently cast Bat-Bogey Hex, allowing her, Neville, and Luna Lovegood to escape Umbridge’s Inquisitorial Squad. InThe Half-Blood Prince, when Professor Slughorn catches her hexing Zacharias Smith, he invites her to join his Slug Club of handpicked elite students,mirroring McGonagall making Harry a Gryffindor Seekerinstead of giving him detention for breaking the rules.
Ginny holds her own against Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and even duels withBellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts. When these traits of her character are highlighted, she appears to be Harry’s equal in every way, and their relationship arc becomes more profound than portrayed in theHarry Potterfilms.
