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The younger of the Weasley twins, George Weasley (b. 1st April 1978), is a funny, mischievous, and determined character.
George makes up one of many Weasley children, spending a happy childhood playing pranks on his siblings in their family home, The Burrow. He and Fred join Hogwarts and quickly cause chaos, and their deep-rooted desire to open a joke shop begins to form. Fred and George leave school early to start their business, which is wildly successful.
George joins the anti-Voldemort group, The Order of the Phoenix, as soon as he is able to and plays an active role in protecting Harry and fighting against Voldemort. During the Battle of Hogwarts, George loses Fred, an event that he will never recover from.
He goes on to get married, have children, and run the business he began with his twin brother.
George Weasley Quick Facts
Full Name | George Fabian Weasley |
Birth Date | April 1st, 1978 |
Birth Place | Devon, England |
Nick Name | None |
Death Date | Unknown |
Age When Series Starts | 13 |
Zodiac Sign | Aries |
Siblings | Fred Weasley (Twin), Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley |
Children | Fred II Weasley, Roxanne Weasley |
Partner / Spouse | Angelina Weasley (nee Johnson) |
Most Memorable Moment | Lost his ear during the Second War |
Magical Heritage | Pure Blood |
Species | Wizard |
Special Abilities | None |
Hogwarts House | Gryffindor |
Wand | Unknown |
Patronus | Magpie |
Actors Who Played | Oliver Phelps |
Last Updated | April 2022 |
George Weasley Birthplace
George Weasley was presumably born somewhere near the Weasley’s home in Ottery St.Catchpole, Devon. Born on the 1st of April, this suits the twin’s prankster personalities.
George Weasley Parents
‘Fred, you next,’ the plump woman said.
‘I’m not Fred, I’m George,’ said the boy. ‘Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can’t you tell I’m George?’
‘Sorry, George, dear.’
‘Only joking, I am Fred,’ said the boy. (1)
George was born to parents Molly and Arthur Weasley. They lived in a small house, The Burrow. The Weasleys were poor but generally happy.
Even their mother, Molly, got Fred and George sometimes confused as they were growing up, which they encouraged by deliberately pretending to be each other.
George Weasley Physical Traits
George Weasley has the trademark Weasley red hair and, like the others, is covered in freckles. He is ‘identical down to the last freckle’ (2) to his twin brother, Fred. He is described as stocky and is physically strong thanks to his role as Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
George loses one of his ears in the last book, making him physically different from Fred for the first time.
George Weasley Early Years
George Weasley had a happy childhood at The Burrow with his siblings. He was inseparable from his twin, Fred, and they started to get into mischief pretty early. They particularly enjoyed playing pranks on their older brother Percy. Their mother, Molly, found it difficult to keep them under control.
They also enjoyed annoying their little brother, Ron. They are the reason behind Ron’s paralyzing fear of spiders because they turned his teddy bear into a giant spider after Ron broke Fred’s toy broomstick. (3)
They also spent a lot of time flying in their garden with old broomsticks, playing Quidditch with their siblings.
George Weasley Hogwarts Years
George had a happy time at Hogwarts. He and Fred quickly became known as troublemakers, with teachers’ reactions ranging from fondness to exasperation. They frequently got detention, and their parents frequently received letters about their behavior.
First Year
However, despite this, their warm and happy personalities allowed them to thrive at school and make friends. Early in their school career, they stole the Maruader’s Map from Filch’s office, an action that would greatly benefit Harry Potter later in the series. (4)
Second Year
In his second year, George (along with Fred) gained the position of Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Together, they were a formidable force on the team, and they stayed on the team until they left Hogwarts.
Third Year
In George’s third year, his little brother Ron joined them at Hogwarts (along with Harry). Harry got to know George by joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. During Harry’s spell in the hospital wing after confronting Quirrel at the end of the first book, George and Fred sent him a toilet seat to cheer him up. (5)
Fourth Year
George had a tumultuous fourth year. His little sister, the youngest of the Weasley clan, joined Hogwarts, only to be possessed by Tom Riddle and taken into the Chamber of Secrets.
Fred and George rescue Harry at the beginning of the second book by flying their father’s enchanted Ford Anglia to the Dursley’s house. George surprises Harry with his skills at using a regular hairpin to pick the lock on Harry’s bedroom door. (6)
George, along with Fred, show Harry a lot of support in their fourth year, as the rest of the school begin to turn on him, believing Harry to be the heir of Slytherin. He also attempted to attack Draco Malfoy for calling Hermione a Mudblood. (7)
He did have some joy at the end of his fourth year upon realizing Percy had a girlfriend, giving him another reason to tease him.
Fifth Year
George enjoyed a trip to Egypt just before his fifth year, thanks to his father winning a ministry contest, but got into trouble with his mother for an incident involving Percy: ‘We tried to shut him in a pyramid,’ he told Harry, ‘But Mum spotted us.’ (8)
George (along with Fred) gave Harry the Marauder’s Map this school year. This act would go on to have many benefits for Harry. George and Fred took their O.W.Ls (Ordinary Wizarding Levels), the exams all fifth-year Hogwarts students must sit. However, they didn’t get the results their mother expected from them.
Sixth Year
In the summer before George’s sixth year, it is revealed that Fred and George have been creating joke shop items, including sweets with enchantments hidden within them. Notoriously, they test their first creation, the Ton-Tongue Toffee, on an unsuspecting Dudley Dursley, leading to disaster. (9)
It quickly becomes apparent to everyone that George and Fred are serious about their joke shop venture, leaving them at odds with their mother, who wants them to settle down and focus on school work.
George and Fred bet their life savings on the outcome of the Quidditch World Cup Final. They win, only to find that Ludo Bagman has given them fake gold, conning them out of their money. They spend the rest of the year trying to get their gold back, to no avail.
George attempts to enter the Triwizard Tournament in his sixth year, infuriated by the knowledge that he was only a few months too young to enter. He uses an aging potion to try to trick his way into entering, only to find himself with a long white beard.
He does get to enjoy watching the Tournament and along with Fred, throws elaborate parties in the Gryffindor common room after each stage. He uses this opportunity to test some of their prank sweets on other students. George attends the Yule Ball with Alicia Spinnet, a fellow member of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
Harry, upon winning the Triwizard Tournament, decides to give his tournament winnings to the Weasley twins, so they can further their dreams of running a joke shop.
Seventh Year
It’s a tumultuous year for George. He and Fred spend most of the summer between their sixth and seventh years at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters with his family. They continue to develop their ideas and learn to Apparate, a skill that they use to annoy their siblings.
It’s a pivotal year for George’s future in the Second War. He and Fred sign up for Dumbledore’s Army, a secret student society designed to teach students how to defend themselves against the known Dark Arts. George will use these skills later in the war against Lord Voldemort.
George’s time on the Quidditch team comes to an abrupt end when new professor Dolores Umbridge gives him a lifetime ban after he attacked Draco Malfoy for insulting his family. His broomstick (along with Fred’s) is chained up in Umbridge’s office.
George’s father, Arthur Weasley, is severely wounded by Voldemort’s snake Nagini, and George, along with the rest of the Weasley siblings, are summoned away from Hogwarts to wait for further news. They spend their Christmas holidays visiting him in hospital.
The tipping point for George (and Fred) happens when Dumbledore leaves Hogwarts. George and Fred, knowing that they are going to leave Hogwarts early, decide to cause as much chaos as possible for their new headmistress, Professor Umbridge. They shove Graham Montague into the Vanishing Cabinet (an act that will have repercussions later), create a Portable Swamp in a corridor, and most impressively, set off an array of magical fireworks inside the castle, causing havoc.
Fred and George make their escape when Umbridge threatens them with a whipping. With the whole school watching, they announce the location of their new joke shop, and George offers ‘special discounts for Hogwarts students who swear they’re going to use our products to get rid of this old bat.’ (10)
George Weasley After Hogwarts Years
George and Fred’s joke shop is wildly successful, with students flocking there in the summer holidays. Harry, Ron, and Hermione get to visit Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes in Half-Blood Prince and are deeply impressed by both the twins’ professionalism and the vast array of products available.
They become so successful that they move into the flat above the joke shop to run it full time. They offer Harry free merchandise to thank him for his investment in their business. They create some defensive items for the war, too.
Fred and George breed Pygmy Puffs, small versions of Puffskeins, to sell in their shop. Ginny adopts one and names it Arnold, a reference to a newspaper article about their father.
George, along with the rest of the Weasleys, find themselves heartbroken when Percy turns against them, choosing to side with the corrupt Ministry instead of the Order of the Phoenix. He, along with Fred and Ginny, throw mashed parsnips at Percy during their one reunion with him, and he storms out, much to their mothers’ heartbreak.
George also expresses concern about Ginny’s love life, annoying her.
The Second War
Before the events of the last book get going, George attends Bill and Fleur’s wedding at The Burrow, where he eagerly flirts with a pretty French girl.
George, along with Fred, joins the Order of the Phoenix in order to fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. One of their first missions goes horribly wrong. In the Battle of the Seven Potters, a plan is formed to create seven ‘decoy’ versions of Harry in order to safely evacuate him from the Dursleys’ house. George ‘becomes’ Harry and is chased by Death Eaters as they fly home. During this fight, he is hit with a curse and loses his ear.
This is one of the first ‘serious’ moments we see with the twins, although George immediately starts cracking jokes: ‘Saint-like,’ repeated George, opening his eyes and looking up at his brother. ‘You see … I’m holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?’ (11)
He also tries to reassure his mother by telling her that at least she’d be able to tell the difference between them now.
George and Fred run a secret radio show, along with their friend Lee Jordan, to update people about the true events of the war and to show support to Harry. This gives Harry, Ron, and Hermione some comfort as they travel in secret throughout most of the seventh book.
George participates in the final battle at Hogwarts. He played a key role in protecting the secret passageways in and out of the castle. During the battle, he and the rest of the Weasleys were overjoyed to reunite with Percy again.
During a battle alongside George and Percy, Fred was killed in an explosion, leaving George bereft. George later defeats Yaxley alongside Lee Jordan. He was present in the moment that Harry defeated Voldemort. (12)
George Weasley After Hogwarts Years
George was left devastated after the loss of his twin. He continued Fred’s legacy by continuing to run Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and was eventually joined by Ron a few years later. Together, they were very successful, expanding the business.
George Weasley Family
George marries Angelina Johnson (incidentally, Fred attended the Yule Ball with her). They had a son, who they named Fred in honor of George’s lost twin. They also had a daughter, named Roxanne.
George Weasley Magical Ability and Special Skills
George Weasley doesn’t have any particularly special skills. However, he is obviously skilled at magic. So he (along with Fred) spent a lot of time experimenting with spells to great success (and some failures, too).
Hermione, who is pretty disapproving of Fred and George’s pranks, was impressed by their skills. She compliments them on their spectacular fireworks show in Order of the Phoenix, and in Half-Blood Prince, is impressed by the products on display in their shop, describing their Patented Daydream Charms as ‘extraordinary magic’. (13)
George Weasley Wand
Not much is known about George Weasley’s wand. It’s possible that George, like Ron, had a secondhand wand from one of his older brothers, given that the Weasleys were very poor. However, George is able to perform some pretty complex magic, which suggests he had a wand of his own.
George Weasley Trivia and Fun Facts
Here are some facts you may not know about George:
- George is the quieter, gentler twin. While he has a taste for mischief, his sense of humor is a bit less harsh, and he tends to make fun of himself too.
- George, along with Fred, is the only student the poltergeist, Peeves, has taken orders from. (14)
- George throws snowballs at the back of Professor Quirrel’s head, without realizing that Voldemort’s face was hidden there. (15)
- Oliver Phelps, who played George, kept his prosthetic ear from the movies after they finished shooting. (16)
- Phelps found filming Fred’s death scene particularly difficult, while his twin, James Phelps, joked it was the easiest scene of his career (17)
- J.K Rowling confirmed on Twitter in 2015 that George is the younger of the two brothers (18)
George Weasley Appearances in Books
- Book 1: Sorceror’s Stone
- Book 2: Chamber of Secrets
- Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban
- Book 4: Goblet of Fire
- Book 5: Order of the Phoenix
- Book 6: Half-Blood Prince
- Book 7: Deathly Hallows
George Weasley Appearances in Films
- Movie 1: Sorceror’s Stone
- Movie 2: Chamber of Secrets
- Movie 3: Prisoner of Azkaban
- Movie 4: Goblet of Fire
- Movie 5: Order of the Phoenix
- Movie 6: Half-Blood Prince
- Movie 7: Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Movie 8: Deathly Hallows: Part 2
George Weasley Quotes
‘You alright, Freddie?’ – George Weasley, Harry Potter, and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (19)
‘Wow, we’re identical!’ – Fred and George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(20)
‘What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?’ – George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21)
‘Give her hell from us, Peeves.’ – George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (22)
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about George:
Answer: Fred is mentioned more. According to the Wizarding World website, George is mentioned 731 times, while Fred is mentioned over 900 times. (23)
Answer: No, apparently, they never switched places while filming, although they did sometimes play pranks on set. (24)
Answer: George can still hear after the Battle of the Seven Potters, although his hearing was reduced following the incident.
Research Citations
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Ch.6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ch.4: Back to the Burrow
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ch.9: The Writing On The Wall
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ch.10: The Marauder’s Map
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Ch.17: The Man With Two Faces
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ch.3: The Burrow
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ch.7: Mudbloods and Murmurs
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ch.4: The Leaky Cauldron
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ch.4: Back to the Burrow
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ch.29: Careers Advice
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ch. 5: Fallen Warrior
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ch. 31: The Battle of Hogwarts
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ch.6: Draco’s Detour
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ch.29: Career’s Advice
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Ch.12: The Mirror of Erised
- The Actor Behind George Weasley Talks Pranks, Props, and Polyjuice: HBO
- The heartbreaking way the Weasley twins prepared for Fred’s death scene in Harry Potter: Cosmopolitan Magazine
- J.K Rowling on Twitter
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ch. 4: The Seven Potters
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ch.9: The Woes of Mrs. Weasley
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ch.29: Career’s Advice
- The differences between Fred and George Weasley: The Wizarding World
- “Harry Potter” Stars James and Oliver Phelps On Switching Roles as Fred and George Weasley: Teen Vogue