One Truly Heartbreaking Harry Potter Moment You Never Understood
Mrs. Weasley quickly became a mother figure for young Harry and always tried to take good care of him, but one moment really showed just how much she loved him — and it broke our hearts.
At the beginning of The Deathly Hallows, Harry was turning seventeen years old and becoming an adult wizard.
Apart from the obvious pros and cons (like casting spells without being monitored by the Ministry but also having to pay magical taxes now), this meant one more thing which hardly anyone paid attention to.
In the Wizarding World, there's an old tradition: when a young wizard turns seventeen, their parents present them with a very special watch.
This custom is centuries-old and is bound to highlight the importance of entering adulthood.
For Harry Potter, of course, the only people who could've presented him with the special watch were the Weasleys: both Sirius and Dumbledore were already dead, and the Dursleys wouldn't have bought him a toothpick if the tradition demanded.
Molly Weasley took this responsibility very seriously: of course, she made this gift to Harry, but there's a slight catch.
While her other children received a brand-new watch each, Harry got an old one — and it wasn't because he was less loved, but vice versa.
Take a look at what she tells Harry after giving him the present.
"I'm afraid that one isn't new like Ron's, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions, it's a bit dented on the back, but — "
Harry then interrupted her with a hug — but even he likely didn't realize just how important this gift was. To understand that, we need to pay closer attention.
The watch belonged to Fabian Pruett. Gideon and Fabian, the twins, were Molly's beloved brothers who fought Voldemort in the First Wizarding War.
Like Molly, they were part of the first Order of Phoenix, and they both died like heroes. Fabian's watch was one of the few reminders Molly had of them.
When Harry turned seventeen, she gifted him that very watch — not to one of her sons, but him. This goes to show just how much he meant for her.
Molly gave him her brother's watch as a sign of love and belief that Harry will be able to end what Fabian and Gideon started, and would rid the world of Voldemort.