(both born s in the ''
Harry Potter '' series of novels, created by
J. K. Rowling . They are the twin sons of
Arthur and
Molly Weasley and the younger brothers of
Bill ,
Charlie and
Percy . They are older brothers of
Ron and
Ginny , who are both members of
Harry Potter 's close group of friends. While their best friend is
Lee Jordan , their classmate, dormmate and fellow prankster, the twins are also good friends with Harry, having played Quidditch with him for Gryffindor. In fact, they generally treat Harry better than they treat Ron (no doubt due to Harry's own inner rebel spirit); they love to torment Ron and Percy, but they appear to be close with Ginny (who closely resembles them both in appearance and spirit) and vice versa. As the rest of the Weasleys, they have flaming red hair and are described as being on the shorter, stockier side like their 2nd older brother Charlie.
They are generally considered to be very funny, and seem to be quite popular among the Gryffindors, as well as with many, many people in other Houses and with some of the teachers.
Fred and George, who attended Hogwarts from
1989 to around the start of the
1995-96 Summer Term, were the school clowns and troublemakers, more interested in making new jokes than studying, although they show a high degree of knowledge and skill in creating magical jokes and tricks. It is, therefore, not surprising that their birthday is April 1st,
April Fool's Day . They are supremely popular characters among fans and many of their jokes and pranks are legendary both in the stories and in the real world. Fred at times appears to be the more dominant twin, but they generally work as a team. They were the Beaters on the
Gryffindor Quidditch team - and were very talented players - before they were banned by
Dolores Umbridge and consequently quit Hogwarts. They now own a joke shop on
Diagon Alley . Much to their mother's disappointment, they are her only sons who weren't made
Prefect s (though it is important to note that neither was their younger sister, Ginny). Their appearances and personalities are so indistinguishable that they can fool even their
Mother , who once sent them jumpers monogrammed "G" and "F." The twins once swapped jumpers and called themselves "Gred" and "Forge."
In ''
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire '', Fred and George begin selling their own jokes by mail order, under the name "
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes ". They play a prank on Harry's first cousin, the fat and idiotic
Dudley Dursley by "accidentally" dropping several Ton Tongue Toffees—Dudley, a glutton on a forced diet, soon has a foot-long tongue protruding from his mouth; at the Quidditch World Cup they impress
Ludo Bagman , Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the
Ministry Of Magic with their fake wands.
Despite their mother's wish that they should follow their father in working at the Ministry of Magic, their ambition in life has always been to run their own joke shop. Harry (who had inherited more than enough money for his needs) makes this possible by giving them his winnings from the
Triwizard Tournament .
The pair provide Harry with useful assistance throughout the series; in ''
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets '' they and Ron help him escape from his arrest at Privet Drive, in ''
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban '' they give him the
Marauder's Map , and in ''
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix '' they provide distractions so that Harry can use the Floo system unmonitored in
Dolores Umbridge 's office. They were also members of
Dumbledore's Army , a group started by
Harry ,
Ron , and
Hermione to provide the practical instruction in
Defence Against The Dark Arts , which Umbridge had removed from that course's curriculum.
Later in that year, they are banned from Quidditch and decide to give up formal education; they do not, however, leave before paying tribute to Dumbledore by waging a virtual war against Umbridge. Eventually threatened with flogging for conjuring a "portable
Swamp " in a corridor, they depart on broomsticks, yelling to
Peeves in the process, ''"Give her hell from us, Peeves."'' This is perhaps the only time in school history that Peeves does what a student tells him to do - saluting the twins, he proceeds to cause weeks of havoc, throwing the school into chaos (with the aid of students and some teachers) and generally making life miserable for Umbridge.
As they leave, the twins inform their fellow students of their new shop in
Diagon Alley and offer discounts to students who will likewise harass Umbridge. Their departure is widely regarded as one of the emotional high points of Book 5. The swamp, meanwhile, remains for some time, since Umbridge is unable to remove it and no other teacher particularly wishes to. After Professor Umbridge is driven from the school,
Professor Flitwick removes almost all of it, leaving a bit as a tribute to the Weasley twins.
In ''
The Half-Blood Prince '', Fred and George continue to run their very successful joke shop out of Diagon Alley, with at least one employee ("Verity"). At the beginning of the school year, they have a large advertisement for a potion called "U-No-Poo," poking fun at the common euphemism for
Lord Voldemort in the wizarding community. Their import item, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, plays a (negative) role in the
Battle Of Hogwarts in that book, being used by Draco Malfoy to escape the detection of the former
DA members. It is unclear if Fred and George have joined the Order of the Phoenix like they wished to during the previous book, although their absence from the battle at Hogwarts suggests they have not. However, many speculate that, although they may not be ''official'' members of the Order, they probably still lend it occasional support and information in or around Diagon Alley.
Though Mrs. Weasley initially disapproved of their enterprises, she realized they had a natural gift and passion for their business and has since raised no objections. In fact, she is now rather impressed with how successful the twins have become since leaving school. According to their proud younger brother Ron, "they're raking in the Galleons!"
Though they always seem to be berating and insulting their younger brother Ron, it seems that they are really very considerate to him. This is evident in the Order of the Phoenix where they didn't mock Ron at his poor performance at Quidditch (granted, they did nothing to support and encourage him either), and in the Half Blood Prince, where they were visibly distressed when Ron was poisoned. Ron was poisoned on his birthday, and the twins arrived at school to surprise him, carrying enormous presents from their shop.
- The twins each share a first initial with their deceased uncles, Fabian And Gideon Prewett .
- The naming of the twins as Fred and George has an interesting parallel. In the film Gone With The Wind , there are two red-headed twins named Stuart and Brent Tarleton, who are played by George Reeves and Fred Crane . When this was brought to J.K. Rowling 's attention, she remarked that she hadn't noticed until it was brought up, so it is most likely a coincidence.
