Arthur Weasley

Arthur Weasley is the patriarch of the Weasley family, a family of wizards who are considered "blood traitors" by Death Eaters for their interest in the Muggle world. He is married to Molly Weasley with whom he has seven children, including Ron, Harry's best friend. During his time at Hogwarts, Arthur belonged to the house of Gryffindor. Arthur is described as being tall and thin, and as having a receding hairline and wire-rimmed glasses. An affable, light-hearted man, he tends not to be the authority figure in the family; his wife Molly tends to handle that area. Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic, (although he helps Harry get off charges with them in both the book and movie of The Order Of The Phoenix), initially in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He is obsessed with learning about Muggle customs and inventions and owns a large collection of mostly Muggle used items. His department lacked funding and his salary is insufficient to provide for a family of nine – leaving his family finances precarious.

Mr Weasley first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry stays with the Weasley family during the summer before Hogwarts opens. In this book, Lucius Malfoy tries to discredit Arthur when Harry and Ron are seen flying his enchanted car and by placing Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny's cauldron so that she can open the Chamber of Secrets and take the blame for the attacks on Muggle-borns. However, Lucius fails to fulfil his objective and the diary is destroyed.

At the start of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Arthur wins a large cash prize in a sweepstakes and uses it to take the whole family on a holiday to Egypt. After they return, Arthur thinks that Harry should know (what he then believes to be) the truth about Sirius Black. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it seems that Arthur does not fully believe the stories of Harry's abuse at the hands of the Dursleys until he witnesses what they think about Harry and the Wizarding world and is stunned to see them so reluctant to say goodbye to him, before taking him to the Quidditch World Cup. At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr Weasley is a member of the Order, and accompanies Harry to his visit in the Ministry. During one of his shifts in the Ministry guarding Sybill Trelawney's prophecy, Voldemort's pet snake Nagini attacks him. Harry, who is mentally connected with Voldemort, manages to see this in a vision and is able to warn the Hogwarts authorities. Arthur is subsequently saved just in time and sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where he fully recovers. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Arthur has been promoted to Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. His promotion is accompanied by a pay increase.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Arthur is part of the group that moves Harry from Privet Drive for the last time, accompanied by his son Fred who acted as one of the seven Potters. Arthur continues to work in the Ministry but all his movements are tracked. When it is discovered that Ron is traveling with Harry and not sick at home, the Weasleys are forced to hide. Arthur reappears in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which he loses his son Fred, and is joined by Percy Weasley in defeating Pius Thicknesse. Rowling has revealed that in the original draft for Order of the Phoenix she planned to kill Arthur. She changed her mind, however, saying that she could not kill Arthur as he is one of the few good fathers in the series. However, as she "wanted to kill parents," she spared Arthur's life in exchange for Lupin's and Tonks's.

Mr Weasley is portrayed by British actor Mark Williams in the film series.