Mafalda

Mafalda
Biographical information
Born	c. 1984
Blood status	Half-blood (child of Squib/wizard father and Muggle mother)
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Family information
Family members	Father Mother Lancelot (possibly grandfather) Weasley childrens (thirds cousins) Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley (second cousin once removed/guardian in 1994 summer)
Affiliation
House	Slytherin

Mafalda (born c. 1984) was witch who attended Hogwarts School in the 1990s. She was the daughter of Molly Weasley's second cousin (most likely a Squib) and a Muggle mother.

Biography

Mafalda was born in around 1984 to an accountant father and a Muggle mother. Although her father, who was most likely a Squib, was an estranged second cousin of Molly Weasley (née Prewett), he apparently did not expect to become the parent of a witch.

Mafalda started at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1994, and was Sorted into Slytherin house.

Behind the scenes

• Mafalda was a planned character for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but was not included in the final version of the book. J. K. Rowling stated on her website that she was very fond of Mafalda's character, who she called a "match for Hermione", and that she did not want to have cut her from the story. However, Rowling found that Mafalda "wasn't doing the job she was supposed to do", as there were severe limitations to how much information an eleven-year-old girl stuck at Hogwarts could gather, and consequently developed Rita Skeeter to fill her role.
• Mafalda would have been a bright, gifted witch with an inclination toward showing off and trying to impress. However, she apparently would not have been very kind or well-behaved, as Molly Weasley would have found her to be the "most unpleasant child...she [had] ever met". Mafalda was also to be a nosy, loose-tongued girl, and, as such, would have listened in on the conversations held between the children of Death Eaters in her House. She then would have repeated this information to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, hoping to impress them. Hermione would have discovered that, much to her own horror, Mafalda was her equal in many ways, and would have been caught between hating Mafalda's disregard for rules and longing to try to outdo her.

Etymology

Mafalda is an Italian form of Matilda, a Germanic name meaning, "strength in battle." Her name coincides with that of Mafalda Hopkirk, a Ministry of Magic employee, first introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Cut from final edit)