Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Percy Weasley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 Chris Rankin as Percy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
|
| Percy Ignatius Weasley | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair colour | Red |
| Eye colour | Blue |
| House | Gryffindor |
| Parentage | Pure-blood |
| Allegiance | Ministry of Magic |
| Actor | Chris Rankin |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Percy Ignatius Weasley (born August 22, 1976) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series.
Contents |
Percy is the third-eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley's brood of seven (younger brother of Bill and Charlie, and elder of Fred, George, and Ron, and sister Ginny). He shares his middle name with a member of the Prewett family, Ignatius, who was married to Lucretia Black of the Black family. He entered Hogwarts in 1987, is described as wearing horn-rimmed glasses (although he has not done so in the film adaptions), and, like Arthur, Bill and Ron, is described as being tall and thin.
When readers first meet Percy in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is a Gryffindor prefect; in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he becomes Head Boy (of which he is very proud). The black sheep of the family, he is relatively humourless, and thus becomes the butt of many of Fred and George's jokes and pranks.
He owns a screech owl, Hermes (named after the Greek mythological messenger of the gods). Hermes was given to Percy by his father for being made a prefect.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Percy is shown to be behaving furtively (perhaps a red herring with which to lead the reader to suspect he is responsible for the opening of the Chamber). He secretly has a girlfriend -- Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater. Ginny comes across them kissing, which she reveals to Harry, Ron and Hermione at the end of the book.
Academically a high-performing student, Percy obtained 12 pass-grades in his OWL exams (a feat which in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is shown to require a time-turner). When he finished school in June of 1994 at the age of seventeen, this academic distinction allowed him to secure a job in the Ministry of Magic. His immediate employer at that time was Barty Crouch Sr, the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Percy looked up to Mr Crouch as something of an idol in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but Crouch never seemed to remember Percy's correct last name, and called him Weatherby instead. He takes Crouch's place as judge in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and is very composed and professional until Ron seems to be in danger (like Harry, he had taken the time-limit warning literally). He does however give Harry high marks for showing "strong moral fibre". He was also supposed to be a judge for the final task, but is unavailable to attend due to as he was facing an inquiry regarding Crouch's long absence.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Percy was promoted to the status of Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic by Cornelius Fudge; because Fudge and Dumbledore were at odds over Harry's claim of Voldemort's return, a personal and political dispute between Percy and Arthur erupted, which resulted in Percy’s subsequent alienation from his family. Christmas gifts sent to him were returned, and a family picture showed that Percy had walked out of it (being magical, the people in the photograph are able to move).
When Percy learned that Ron had been made a prefect, he sent Ron an owl letter congratulating him for following in his footsteps, ignoring the fact that Percy's two older brothers had also been prefects. Percy recommends that Ron sever ties with Harry, saying Harry is an extreme danger to Ron's prefect status, whom the Ministry believed was lying about the return of Lord Voldemort, that Ron instead pay loyalty to the Ministry and Dolores Umbridge, whom Percy called a "delightful woman," and even going so far as to criticise his parents and Dumbledore. In response, Ron ripped up Percy's letter and threw it into the fire.
By the events of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Percy has not reconciled with his family, even though by this point the entire Wizarding World acknowledged that Harry and Dumbledore were correct; as Hermione points out through something Dumbledore said, "it's easier to forgive someone for being wrong than being right," i.e. Percy would have to admit he was wrong to disown the Weasley family. Percy visits his family at Christmas time, in a presumed attempt to make up, but this visit is really just a ploy so the current Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, can talk to Harry alone. The visit ends badly, with Percy storming out of the house due to having been hit by a thrown piece of food (Fred, George and Ginny all claimed responsibility). Percy attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore with members of the Ministry, including Dolores Umbridge.
In the films, Percy is played by Chris Rankin. Not much of Percy's character is seen onscreen, though he acts pompously (Rankin said in an interview that he deliberately overacted for the part).[citation needed] Most of Percy's role in the film involves Prefect duties, such as leading the first years to their common room in the first film. He did not appear in the theatrical release of the fourth film, but is confirmed to return in the fifth.
- [1] "JKRowling.com Archives: Birthdays" from MuggleNet
- [2] Information about the Weasley children's relative ages from the J.K.Rowling Official Site
- [1] Info about all Harry potter characters from the ultimate harry potter fansite