Molly Prewett


 * "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
 * — Molly's incredible protectiveness of her children

Molly Misapinoa Weasley (née Prewett) (b. 30 October, 1949) was an English pureblood witch and matriarch of the Weasley family. She is the daughter of William and Misapinoa Prewett and the older sister of Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who were members of the original Order of the Phoenix.

Molly attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1961 to 1968 and was sorted into Gryffindor. Sometime after she graduated, both her brothers were murdered by Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War.

She is the wife of Arthur Weasley and they had seven children together; Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and their only daughter Ginny Weasley. She also played a large part in the life of Harry Potter, acting as a motherly figure towards him.

Molly was a member of the revived Order of the Phoenix following the return of Lord Voldemort and participated in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War. Her actions during this battle caused her to be known as the witch that defeated and killed the notorious Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.

Molly survived the final battle to see her family expand even further, with seventeen grandchildren by 2017. Percy and his wife named their eldest daughter in honour of her.

Nymphadora Tonks

 * "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."
 * — Tonks after confiding in Molly

Molly had a rather close relationship with Auror and fellow Order member, Nymphadora Tonks. Molly often invited Tonks to dine with the Weasley family and the young witch was always a welcome guest at the events held by the Weasley matriarch. Molly would at times get annoyed at Tonks due to her clumsiness, but never out of dislike for her. Rather it was mostly due to the fact that Tonks' attempts at helping resulting in her causing minor annoyances, such as setting off the Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place. During these times, Molly would attempt to dissuade Tonks from helping, so as to avoid such accidents.

Though there was a significant difference in age between the two, Molly appeared to be Tonks's closest adult friend: She appeared to be the only person in whom Tonks confided her love of Remus Lupin. Several people suspected that Molly hoped her son Bill Weasley would fall in love with Tonks, rather than marry Fleur Delacour and Harry Potter noted Molly was acting somewhat frosty toward Lupin during the 1996 Christmas holidays, though he misinterpreted the reason why. Molly reacted heatedly to disparaging remarks made by Fleur in regards to Tonks, which is indicative of the high opinion she held for the young Auror. At the conclusion of the Battle of Hogwarts, it was Molly who duelled and killed Tonks' murderer and aunt Bellatrix, therefore avenging Tonks' death.

Etymology

 * Molly is a diminutive form of Mary, the English form of the Hebrew name Miryam, the meaning of which is unknown, though theories include "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", "wished for child", and "beloved". In the case of Molly Weasley, however, the name is most likely derived from the term "mollycoddle," meaning to "to pamper or overprotect."
 * Misapinoa may be from the word "Messapian", an extinct language that was once spoken in south eastern Italy, or it could be from the word "mishap".
 * Prewett is a surname of Welsh origin. It is derived from the Middle English word prou, meaning "brave" or "valiant", and the suffix "-et", which implies smallness. Thus, it is believed to be derived from a nickname for someone small, but brave.
 * Weasley is derived from the weasel, an animal J. K. Rowling is fond of. The term is especially appropriate for Molly, as a mother weasel is particularly protective of her young to the point that she will willingly take on animals several times bigger than her in defence of her offspring.