Rionach O'Neal
Biographical information
Born	1980
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair colour	Brown
Eye colour	Brown
Skin colour	White
Affiliation
House	Gryffindor
Loyalty	Gryffindor Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Dumbledore's Army

[Source]

Rionach O'Neal^[1] (b. 1980) was a Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; she was sorted on 1 September, 1991.

Biography

1991-1992 school year

Sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1991, Rionach was quick to befriend Parvati Patil and Cho Chang.

1995-1996 school year

By this school year, she had entered into a romantic relationship and had kissed the boy in question in the halls of Hogwarts on at least one occasion; however, Professor Dolores Umbridge had forced them apart when she saw them.

Sometime that year, she joined Dumbledore's Army and practiced defensive magic when Professor Dolores Umbridge refused to teach practical Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Heading to one meeting in the Room of Requirement with her friends, she was followed by Mr. Argus Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris.

She attended a couple of meetings, including when the group learned the Stunning Spell; she witnessed Nigel Wolpert practicing on Harry Potter, as well as when Hermione Granger used it on Ron Weasley. She laughed at Ron when he was thrown across the room, and fussed over Hermione afterward.

Rionach also attended the Disarming Charm meeting, and when Neville Longbottom finally performed the charm correctly, she immediately stopped practicing and rushed to congratulate him.

When Harry Potter, the group's leader, decided that there wouldn't be any more meetings until after Christmas, she sighed loudly, but nonetheless joined in the clapping after Harry's speech on how well everyone had done.

1997-1998 school year

On 2 May, 1998, Rionach fought in the Battle of Hogwarts; it is unknown whether she survived the battle, although given her experience in martial magic it is likely she lived.

Etymology

Rionach is a variant of the Irish Ríoghnach, which means "queen". O'Neal is a form of the Irish Gaelic Ua Néill, meaning "grandson/descendant of Niall".

Behind the scenes

• Rionach O'Neal was portrayed in the Harry Potter films by Marianne Chase. Though she is only credited by name for Prisoner of Azkaban, it can be presumed that she plays the same character in her subsequent appearances.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when Filch rushes into the Great Hall, by Fleur Delacour stands a girl who looks like this student.

  

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Notes and references