July’s Quibbler Contest Winner: A Juggling of Gingers
July’s Quibbler Editorial Contest asked: Who is the best Weasley? Here’s our winner!
By E Osborn
Maybe it’s their fiery red hair. Maybe it’s their mischievous spirits. Maybe it’s their altogether positive outlook on life. Whatever the reason, the Weasleys are adored by fans all over the world. In the books and films, they each play an important part in the series. But the question still remains: who is the superior Weasley? Let’s meet these precocious red-heads and find out.
Mr. Weasley, the eccentric muggle-lover is hard not to love. With his horn-rimmed glasses and a jubilant grin as his everyday accessories, Mr. Weasley faces the world with patience and optimism, ready to take whatever is dished out to him. A lover of both muggles and fun, what could make Arthur the wrong choice?
Next up we have the stout, stern, and loving lady of the family: Molly Weasley. The complete renaissance woman, Molly manages to juggle seven children and an unconventional husband throughout her busy days of cooking and cleaning. But watch out—Molly’s protective “mama bear” side is likely to pounce any time that her daughter and sons are threatened. And Molly has a temper, too, as well as an eye as sharp as her wit. Such a sweet, motherly figure, and a hot-headed warrior, too. Who could be better?
Ah, Bill Weasley. Handsome and popular, the oldest Weasley son is idolized by witches and his brothers alike—and even Harry Potter himself! Bill sports a long, red, ponytail and an earring made of a fang, and he has a brain on him, besides. Both Head Boy and Prefect, Bill really did set the bar high for his brothers. Bill has got to be the choice!
But wait…what about Charlie? The second-oldest of the Weasley gang, Charlie is strong and speedy; this laid-back, go-with-the-flow ginger was the Quidditch team Captain for Gryffindor in his day. The English national Quidditch team even tried to recruit him. Besides, he works with dragons in Romania. You would think there would be no better choice.
The third child, Percy Weasley, with glasses that match his father’s and a gleaming, well-polished Head Boy shining on his robes, Percy’s picture would show up next to “genius” in the dictionary. Rather snobby, but still helpful and—to everyone’s astonishment—kind, when the situation calls for it, Percy does have a softer side. Practical and ambitions, who could be a better choice than Percy?
But we forget who succeeds Percy: the twins. Fred and George Weasley are the most mischievous of the Weasleys—except, perhaps, Ginny. With an uncanny knack to finish each others sentences, these two pranksters are guaranteed to get more than a few laughs while at Hogwarts—and more than a few detentions. Fred and George zero in on the perfect balance between hilarious and smart…what could be better?
Finally is the loved and adored Ginny Weasley. The youngest of seven children, Ginny grows up as a rough-and-tumble tomboy. As adventurous as the twins, as bright as Percy, as brave as Ron, and as athletic as Bill and Charlie, Ginny seems to have it all.
Yet…there is one more choice.
Personally, I find myself drawn to the underdog: Mister Ronald Bilius Weasley! The youngest boy with big shoes to fill sure does a fine job of it. With a temper as fiery as his mother’s—and his hair!—Ron finds himself in many a brawl with Draco Malfoy. His fierce passion to protect his friends is a recurring trait in every book. Fans everywhere grin with Weasley pride as the ginger sidekick sacrifices himself over and over, playing the best game of Wizard Chess ever seen in book one; standing up for Hermione in book two; defending his best mate against Sirius Black in the third book, and gradually begins to grow into the young, mature man that we know and love by the end of book seven.
Ron had a lot to live up to in his first year. Between two class-clowns, a Quidditch Captain, a couple Head Boys, and a prefect, besides, our red-headed first-year heads in insecure and worried, struggling to follow the reputation his brothers have made—the positive and the negative.
And no one can say that it’s easy to be a Weasley. With little pocket money, and loads of siblings, second-hand is Ron’s middle name. After suffering through years of Malfoy torment and used and re-used school supplies, Ron finally gets his fifteen minuets of fame as the nervous Gryffindor Keeper and Prefect.
Ron Weasley isn’t perfect—which is what makes him such a lovable character. Tall, clumsy, and nervous, Ron doesn’t make the best impression on anyone—especially Syltherin bully Draco Malfoy. Yet still, Ron holds his crimson-haired head height for seven years – a Weasley and Gryffindor, through and through.
