20 Facts about Arthur Weasley

  1. Arthur is the patriarch of the pure blood wizarding family, the Weasleys. Every member has red hair and freckles. Arthur is married to Molly Weasley and they have 7 children: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny. Arthur is considered to be the less strict of the two parents and hence the children are surprised when he and Percy get into a shouting match over Percy’s promotion. Over the course of the series he and Molly begin to regard Harry as their own child.
  2. Arthur works at the Ministry of Magic in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.  He is fascinated by every aspect of the muggle world and often peppers Harry with questions about muggle technology.
  3. Arthur attended Hogwarts when he was younger. He was a member of Gryffindor and that is also where he met his wife.
  4. Arthur accidentally let’s slip that Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. He was discussing the jailbreak with his wife when Harry overheard.
  5. Arthur is present when the Death Eaters attack the patrons at the Quidditch World Cup. He chases after the perpetrators along with other ministry officials.
  6. Along with his wife, Arthur is a member of the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix.
  7. Arthur has a personal rivalry with Lucius Malfoy and has personally conducted a raid on Malfoy Manor to look for any forbidden objects.
  8. Arthur’s son, Percy, is promoted to Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic after Voldemort’s return. Arthur is convinced that the minister is just using Percy to keep an eye on the Weasleys.  He argues very loudly with his son and this leads to Percy cutting off all contact with his family and leaving home.
  9. Arthur fervently believes in Muggle Equality. This puts him at odd with the Ministry of Magic once it comes under Voldemort’s control. He and his family are watched and must evacuate The Burrow.
  10. Arthur takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts with his wife and children. He reconciles with his son Percy who had come to stand by his family. Arthur and Percy work together to take out the Death Eater, Pius Thicknesse.
  11. Arthur’s secret pet name for Molly is Mollywobbles.
  12. Arthur is devastated when he learns that his son, Fred, has been killed.
  13. Arthur was caned when he was at Hogwarts for being late.
  14. Arthur accompanies Harry when he has to go to the ministry to face a disciplinary hearing for using magic outside of school.
  15. Arthur is both fascinated and confused by Muggle money, telephones and electricity.
  16. Because of his sympathy for muggles, Arthur drafted a law called the Muggle Protection Act. This law enraged several pure blood wizards especially Lucius Malfoy.
  17. Arthur is a powerful wizard and was chosen as one of the leaders during the battle of Hogwarts.
  18. Arthur’s mother, Credella, was a member of the Pure blood wizarding family, The Blacks. She was disowned for marrying Arthur’s father, whom they considered to be blood traitors. It is implied that Arthur inherited his empathy for muggles from his father. This also means that Arthur is related to Sirius Black.
  19. Arthur had at least two brothers.
  20. At the end of the series, Arthur and Molly have 12 grandchildren.

The Secret World of Harry Potter: Things That Didn’t Make it To The Movies

The world of Harry Potter is full of magic, from shape-shifters to werewolves to dragons. On every page there is a new slice of magic, a new spell or hex or creature waiting to be found. It makes sense that when the books were adapted into films, some of that magic was left by the wayside. Here are some bits of secret magic that didn’t make it into the films, but that made the journey through Harry Potter’s world so magical.

Though the films made no reference to him, Peeves—the resident poltergeist of Hogwarts, known mostly for the devious pranks he played—was an integral part of the books. Throughout the novels, Peeves pranked or otherwise antagonized Hogwarts—from throwing things at students and staff, to emptying an inkbottle over a student’s head, Peeves made a name for himself through his antics. However, there were a few memorable moments that not only made readers laugh, but also showed a deeper side to the Wizarding World. During Harry’s fifth year, the Weasley twins left Hogwarts in protest of Delores Umbridge and her draconian rule—in the middle of exams, with a flourish that included fireworks, flying brooms, and a general disdain for authority. Their final words were to Peeves, and were followed to the letter: “Give her hell from us.” Peeves bowed to them, and tipped his hat, before starting an unparalleled reign of chaos. (It’s worth remembering that up to this point, the only people who could reliably control Peeves were the Bloody Baron—the Slytherin house ghost—and Professor Dumbledore.)  Another memorable moment for Peeves is the one time Professor McGonagall sided with him: during his rampage of chaos after the Weasley twins left, McGonagall happened to see Peeves trying to unscrew a chandelier. Her response was not to tell him to stop; instead, she told him the chandelier unscrewed the other way.

Harry himself is different in the books than in the movies. In the books, he is more independent, has a more explicit mistrust of adults and authority, and is generally a lot more sarcastic, with a darker sense of humor than in the movies.

This is most notable when Professor Snape corrected Harry for not calling him sir. Snape, at one point, merely repeated something that Harry had just said, but with the addition of the word ‘sir’ at the end. Harry responded with a simple, “There’s no need to call me sir, Professor.” This scene did not make it into the film adaptation, but it shows an integral part of Harry’s characterization.

The fifth book included a moment that is reflected in the film adaptation, but that wasn’t directly paralleled. At Christmas, Harry had a vision of Arthur Weasley, his friend’s father, being attacked by a large snake—from the perspective of the snake. This, along with the anxiety of being kept in the dark about the actions his friends are taking to fight against Voldemort, led to Harry isolating himself from his friends and those he knew best. In the book, this led to a moment where Harry, alone in his room, was afraid that Voldemort may have been possessing him at the time of the attack, or may be capable of possessing him in general. Understandably, Harry was deeply uncomfortable with this, but Ginny Weasley, another friend who has actually experienced the kind of possession Harry is afraid of, helped him to not only understand that he was not actually being possessed, but to also ease his mind about the whole ordeal.

These moments might not have made it into the movie, but they are the magic waiting in between the words of the stories that so many people love; they are the reason people keep coming back.