Novels Fred and George are introduced in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997) when they meet Harry Potter at
King's Cross station. They are two years ahead of Harry, Ron, and
Hermione Granger. They are the school clowns and troublemakers, more interested in inventing new pranks than studying. Despite their unimpressive academic record, they show a high degree of knowledge and skill in creating magical jokes and tricks. Both play as Beaters on the Gryffindor
Quidditch team and are very talented players. Fred and George care little for Prefects or rules, which contributes in their eventual falling out with their older brother Percy. Their appearances and personalities are so indistinguishable that they can fool even their mother. Fred appears slightly more aggressive/take-charge than George, which is most apparent in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where George is more cautious about blackmailing
Ludo Bagman and, unlike Fred, is not mentioned as having a date at the Yule Ball. In
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fred and George begin selling their own jokes by owl order, under the name "
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." One of their primary ambitions is to run their own joke shop. Harry makes this possible by giving them his winnings from the
Triwizard Tournament. In return, in
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, they allow Harry to take anything from their joke shop for free while asking Ron to pay for the items in his arms. The pair provide Harry with useful assistance throughout the series; in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they and Ron help him escape his house arrest at Privet Drive. In
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they give him the
Marauder's Map. In
Goblet of Fire, they try to encourage Harry and Ron to find dates to the Yule Ball by letting them see Fred ask Angelina Johnson. They also help Harry in
Order of the Phoenix when Harry wishes to talk with his godfather,
Sirius Black, by creating a distraction, leaving Hogwarts in a state of chaos. They were also members of
Dumbledore's Army, a group started by Harry, Ron, and
Hermione to teach practical instruction in
Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Umbridge had removed from that course's curriculum. Later that year, they are banned from Quidditch and decide to abandon formal education; before leaving, though, they pay tribute to Dumbledore by waging a prank war against the dictatorial Dolores Umbridge. It is stated by several characters, including Professor Flitwick and Hermione, that despite their poor grades, the Weasley twins are extremely proficient wizards, capable of sophisticated magic. This is evidenced by the large number of inventions they have created and by Fred's ability to transform Ron's teddy bear into a spider even before he was old enough to attend Hogwarts.
After Hogwarts 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. 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 it, but leaves a small bit as a tribute to the Weasley twins. In
The Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George continue to run their very successful joke shop,
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, out of Diagon Alley. Though Mrs. Weasley initially disapproves of their enterprises, she realises they have 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.
Deathly Hallows In
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fred and George are members of the
Order of the Phoenix and serve as two of Harry's six decoys when he escapes
Privet Drive. George loses one of his ears to
Snape's Sectumsempra curse (which was aimed at a Death Eater's wand hand, but missed). During this novel, every member of the Weasley family is being watched by the
Ministry of Magic (now led by
Death Eaters). It is impossible for Fred and George to return to their shop in
Diagon Alley to sell their products, so they begin to run another owl-order business out of their Auntie Muriel's house. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Fred is killed in an explosion. Before his death, Fred reconciles with his estranged brother Percy, who arrives at Hogwarts to participate in the fight and apologises to the family for not believing them. Percy, who was right next to him, was distraught, and refused to leave Fred's body. Fred died with a smile frozen on his face, as moments before death he was laughing at Percy for making a rare joke. There are only two mentions of George after this. The first comes when Harry sees that the dead have been laid out in a row in the Great Hall. He can't see Fred's body, because he is surrounded by his family. George is only briefly described as kneeling at his twin's head. The second mention is when George and Lee Jordan defeat the Death Eater Yaxley. According to Rowling, she always knew, intuitively, that Fred would die, but she does not know why. Although not mentioned in the novel, Rowling said in a web chat that George never does fully get over Fred's death. However, he goes on with his life, turning Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes into a "money spinner" with Ron. George later names his first child with
Angelina Johnson after his twin. == Personality ==