- "You'd think people had better things to gossip about. Three Dementor attacks in a week, and all Romilda Vane does is ask me if it's true you've got a hippogriff tattooed across your chest."
- — Ginny Weasley to Harry Potter[src]
Romilda Vane (born c. 1981-1982) was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who started attending the school in 1993 and was sorted into Gryffindor House.
Biography
During Romilda's fourth year, she was among the majority of the wizarding population who believed Harry Potter to be the "Chosen One" destined to destroy Lord Voldemort, and became attracted to him. Romilda was part of a group of fourth-year girls who went to Harry's compartment, and Romilda was the only one brave enough to invite him to their compartment, remarking he didn't have to sit with the eccentric-looking Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. Harry, having fought alongside the pair during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and considering Neville and Luna his friends, coldly denied her request, leaving Romilda very surprised when she departed with her friends.
She also tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. When she and her group of friends were asked to fly once around the pitch, they simply fell over one another and giggled. Harry quickly asked them to leave; they left the pitch, but remained in the stadium to heckle the other applicants.
During Christmas of that year, when Harry was invited to Professor Horace Slughorn's lavish Christmas party, Romilda plotted with her friends in the girls bathroom to somehow give Harry a love potion from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, which would make him ask one of them to be his guest to the party. Hermione Granger overheard this, and warned Harry, who became prepared. When he returned to the common room, Romilda initially tried to give Harry Gillywater, but he refused. Instead, he was forced to take a package of Chocolate Cauldrons, both of which were spiked with love potion.
Harry proceeded to stow them away in his trunk until March, when, while he was looking for the Marauder's Map, he tossed them on the floor. Ron Weasley, believing they were one of his birthday presents that had fallen off his bed, picked them up and ate them. Ron suddenly became obsessively infatuated with Romila, to the point that he declared his love for her in front of Harry, punched him when the former said it was a joke, and attempted to wrestle his way into Slughorn's office, believing she was in there. This led to Ron attempting to wash out the effects of the love potion by drinking mead, which was intended for Albus Dumbledore and had been poisoned by Draco Malfoy.
When Harry publicly kissed Ginny Weasley after a Quidditch victory, Romilda looked as if she wanted to throw something. However, when the two subsequently began dating, Romilda gave up her efforts to win Harry's heart. She was nonetheless incessently curious about their relationship, and bombarded Ginny with questions, such as if Harry had a tattoo of a hippogriff on his chest.[1]
Physical appearance
Romilda has large, dark eyes, a prominent chin, and long, black hair. She is described as having an air of boldness about her and often spoke in a loud, dramatic voice.[1]
Personality and traits
- "Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't have to sit with them."
- — Romilda invites Harry Potter to ditch Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood[src]
Like Cormac McLaggen, Romilda seems to be representative of the negative aspects of Gryffindor House, as she was pushy, conceited, and overly self-confident. She could also be as sneaky and manipulative as any Slytherin, as was evidenced by the lengths to which she was willing to go in her obsessive, single-minded pursuit of Harry Potter. Her character was also marked by a tendency toward gossip and cliquish snobbery.[1]
Etymology
- The name Romilda is derived from the Germanic hrom, "fame", and hild, "battle".[2] This may alude to Romilda's aggressive personality.
- The surname Vane is likely a play on the adjective vain, meaning "excessively proud of or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements"[3], given Romilda's character traits.
Behind the scenes
- It has been confirmed the Romilda Vane character will be played by actress Anna Shaffer in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film. Also in the film adaptation, Romilda appears to be a sixth year instead of a fourth year.