Ronald Weasley's dress robes

Ronald Weasley's dress robes
Object information
Usage	Special occasions
Owners	Ronald Weasley

Ron: "What are those?! What are those?!"

Harry: "My dress robes!"

Ron: "Well they're all right! No lace, no dodgy little collar..."

Harry: "Well, I expect yours are more traditional..."

Ron: "Traditional? They're ancient!"

— Ron Weasley and Harry Potter before the Yule Ball

Ron Weasley wore a set of dress robes to the Yule Ball in 1994. They were very traditional in style, and thus old-fashioned and frilly, much to Ron's distaste.

History

Before Ronald Weasley

"I had to get yours second-hand, and there wasn't a lot of choice."

— Molly Weasley to Ron Weasley on the purchase of his dress robes

Like everything else Ron owned they were second-hand. Ron's mother bought them at a second-hand shop.

Receiving his Robes

On the summer of 1994, Ron discovered his robes. He insisted that his mum had accidently given him Ginny's robes, but Molly declared they were his.

1994 Triwizard Tournament and Yule Ball

"Don't you look...dashing."

— Padma Patil upon seeing Ron in his dress robes

During the school year of 1994, it became necessary for students attending Hogwarts to own a pair of dress robes for the Yule Ball, which was held on the night of Christmas Day. As the Weasley family was poor, Ron Weasley had to make do with second-hand robes. The old robes were given to Ron, who showed much reluctance to wear them, even going as far to make Molly Weasley suggest him to go naked and have Harry Potter get a photograph.

After getting dressed for the ball, in a desperate attempt to make his robes look more "manly", he used a severing charm on the ruff and cuffs which eliminated the lace but he did not do a very neat job and the edges ended up frayed looking.

Ron's date to the ball was Padma Patil, who was unhappy to be seen with him because his robes were so hideously embarrassing. Several others stared and laughed at the robes. Ron and Padma did not dance at all once at the ball, though this was also because Ron spent most of it jealously watching Hermione Granger dance with Viktor Krum. Padma ended up abandoning Ron in favour of a boy from Beauxbatons.

Later in the year, Harry gave Ron's brothers, Fred and George his Triwizard Tournament earnings of 1000 Galleons in order to help them start their joke shop, and semi-jokingly asked them to buy Ron a new pair of dress robes. So, out of gratitude, they honoured his request, and Ron soon had a newer, more attractive set of dress robes.

Behind the scenes

• Due to Molly Weasley being cut from the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ron got the parcel with his robes from his mother from Nigel Wolpert instead.
• According to Pottermore, wizarding clothing has "remained outside of fashion", with dress robes supposedly only having undergone small alterations since the 17th century. This does not correlate with Ron having dress robes so drastically different from "modern" robes, especially given Draco's comment that they may have been fashionable in 1890.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (GBA version only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4