A Homemaker's Guide to Living Like Molly Weasley

A love letter to the tenacious, yet tender magical matriarch and how we can carry her example of generous hospitality and defiant hope into our homes.

When I first read the Harry Potter books as a child, I was, of course, enraptured by the magical, dreamy world of Butterbeer, creaky castles, bubbling potions, and old libraries. I saw myself in Hermione, an “insufferable know-it-all,” and as I grew alongside Harry, I eventually fell in love with the vibrant, magical matriarch, Molly Weasley.

Equal parts doting and formidable, Molly was an adoring wife to her husband, Arthur, and mother to six sons and her beloved daughter, Ginny. She was the first character I came across who was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker, and also powerful in her own right.

Tender yet tenacious, Molly showed the younger version of me what it meant to love your home, your children, your husband, and to extend that love to whomever walked through your doors. She also taught me that there is no love quite as fierce and determined as a mother’s, that handmade sweaters make the best gifts, and there’s always room for one more chair at the table.

So, in honor of the fierce, flame-haired matriarch, here are five ways we can all bring a bit of Molly’s magic into our own homes.

1. Always Have an Open Seat at Your Table

“I see a light in the kitchen. Let us not deprive Molly any longer of the chance to deplore how thin you are.” — Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

From hosting weddings, holidays, birthday parties, secret resistance meetings, and numerous friends and relatives, Molly Weasley’s home, The Burrow, always seemed like a bit of a revolving door in the books. Perhaps because she was able to conjure extra chairs or another serving of supper out of thin air, she never seemed too stressed to add another seat at her dinner table. In fact, we see in the books that she’s usually delighted to have those who are in particular need of a warm meal and a lingering hug to take a seat.

The Burrow is home to not only seven children alongside Molly and Arthur, but also a ghoul in the attic, lawn gnomes in the garden, and a secret shed filled with Muggle artifacts. And yet, despite its cramped kitchen and the house being held together by magic, Harry declared it his favorite home. She didn’t wait until the house was spotless or decorated perfectly, but she did always offer up a seat at her table, something warm and delicious to eat, and an enthusiastic welcome.

Here are a few easy ways to cultivate the generous and warm hospitality we see Molly embody throughout the series:

• Think through your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to see if there’s anyone who you think would really appreciate a night of festing and fellowship around your dinner table.

• Keep your freezer stocked with ready-to-bake scones or cookies to have on hand for last-minute guests, so you always have something delicious and homemade to offer them.

2. Giving Thoughtful, Handmade Gifts

“A lumpy parcel arrived at breakfast, containing a thick, hand-knitted sweater and a large box of homemade fudge.” -Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

One of my favorite scenes in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is Harry waking on Christmas morning to his very own pile of gifts at the foot of his bed. For an orphan who wasn’t accustomed to nurturing, generous love, this was quite the shock for him.

But throughout the books, we see Molly give thoughtful, homemade gifts for all occasions, including hand-knit jumpers, hand-decorated chocolate eggs at Easter, and packages of homemade minced pies, Christmas cake, nut brittle, chocolate fudge, and plum cake at Christmastime.

However, my favorite Molly Weasley gift is the one that she gave to Harry on his 17th birthday, a coming-of-age milestone in the Wizarding World:

‘It’s traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,’ said Mrs Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker. ‘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 –’ The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan on to the floor.

The Weasley family loves well and generously, even without a bank account that matches. Molly shows us that no matter how little we have, we can still be gracious gift-givers who let others know we see them, love them, and cherish them by making the most of what we have and sharing it thoughtfully.

Giving generously is a hallmark of Molly Weasley’s hospitality, kindness, and thoughtfulness. Here are a few ideas on how you can add that into your holiday rhythms:

• Create a signature recipe to gift on the holidays, like chocolate fudge, candied pecans, homemade jam, peppermint bark, or chocolate turtles. Once you perfect the recipe, it will become a delightful way to celebrate the season and something your friends and family look forward to!

• Instead of purchasing a gift to mark a milestone, try making something handmade and meaningful for your friends and family, like embroidering a sweet and simple design on a onesie to welcome a new baby, knitting or crocheting a hat in a beloved color, or painting a terracotta planter and sticking a lush plant in to welcome someone to a new home.

3. Encourage the Weary and Lonely

The first time we meet our favorite matriarch, she is corraling her children through a busy London train station, navigating crowds with loaded carts and running late. Harry, who is lonely and confused, kindly asks Molly for help getting onto Platform 9 3/4, where she happily obliges.

It’s not long before her son, Ron, becomes fast friends with Harry, and she begins to play a more pivotal role in his life, from including him in holiday celebrations to having him spend summers at their home. We get a glimpse of what that relationship looks like after the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament lead Harry to come face-to-face with Voldemort and witness the tragic and senseless murder of his classmate, Cedric.

“The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him. He could feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling.

‘It wasn’t your fault, Harry,’ Mrs. Weasley whispered.

‘I told him to take the cup with me,’ said Harry.

Now the burning feeling was in his throat again. He wished Ron would look away.

Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother. The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. Weasley held him to her.”

Throughout the series, we see Mrs. Weasley’s compassion pull people into her life. She pulls close the ones who are often lonely, feel world-weary, and seem to be forgotten like societal outcast and werewolf, Remus Lupin; orphaned and mistreated, Harry Potter; misunderstood and lonely Nymphadora Tonks; and even strong-willed and sequestered Sirius Black.

She loves others deeply and spends considerable time offering heartfelt encouragement, celebrating people well, extending compassion and kindness, and ensuring they are seen, known, and (most importantly) fed.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is let others know we see them, we love them, and we value them as people and image bearers. Here are a few ways we can do that:

• As you go about your day, try to find one person while you’re running errands or going for a walk who looks like they could use a kind word. Smile at them and offer a sincere compliment.

• Think about someone in your life (like a mail carrier, barista, receptionist at your doctor’s office, neighbor, etc.) that you interact with frequently, but haven’t had a chance to make a proper introduction. Ask them their name, introduce yourself, and spend a few minutes getting to know them.

4. Believe in Defiant Beauty and Cultivating Order

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry finds himself unexpectedly spending his summer break in the almost uninhabitable ancestral home of his godfather. Dilapidated and dreary, the house is currently serving as the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, where they are leading the fight against the newly risen Lord Voldemort.

The opening chapters at Number 12, Grimmauld Place give us a glimpse of the heart Molly has for homemaking and hospitality. It’s in these chapters that we see her, alongside her children, Harry, and Hermione, spend long, laborious days beating back darkness and decay and breathing fresh life into the home.

“Snape might refer to their work as “cleaning,” but in Harry’s opinion they were really waging war on the house, which was putting up a very good fight…” -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Mrs. Weasley was fighting infestations of magical creatures, mold, grime, rats, and dark magical objects, and saw it not as a lesser work than what the Order of the Phoenix was doing, but as necessary work.

“Still not finished?” she said, poking her head into the cupboard. “I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!” said Ron bitterly. “D’you know how much mold we’ve got rid of since we arrived here?” “You were so keen to help the Order,” said Mrs. Weasley, “you can do your bit by making headquarters fit to live in.” -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Our convictions of homemaking and hospitality are easy to live out when our homes are beautiful and neatly ordered, but Mrs. Weasley shows us that not only is it possible in less-than-ideal circumstances, it’s necessary. As homemakers, we can wage our own war on darkness and despair by cultivating beauty, celebrating merrily, and creating order where chaos once reigned.

We see this play out a few chapters later when Molly insists on celebrating her son, Ron, and friend, Hermione, for becoming the new Gryffindor Prefects for the school year.

“Down in the basement Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE — NEW PREFECTS. She looked in a better mood than Harry had seen her all holiday. “I thought we’d have a little party, not a sit-down dinner,” she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny as they entered the room.” -Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Despite the ever-present threat of evil and being misplaced in an ancient, decrepit home, Molly took the time to intentionally celebrate the people she loves and the milestones they were achieving.

Molly has encouraged me that beauty and order aren’t lofty ideals for far-off days and perfect circumstances, but a tangible tool that we can use as homemakers and mothers to show what it means to align ourselves with the Creator God, actively resist the chaos that the enemy thrives in, and build a sanctuary that reflects truth and goodness.

Here are a few ways we can do that in our own homes:

• What in your life feels overwhelming to you? Is it a too-full closet, an over-packed schedule, or a garage filled with boxes? Identify something that feels chaotic to you and you’ve been meaning to tackle. Make a plan over the next few days to roll up your sleeves and get to work!

• In seasons that feel full, hard, or busy, it’s easy to forget to slow down and celebrate the good things that God is doing in you and your family’s lives. What’s something you can celebrate? Is it a prayer answered, a milestone met, or a new friend gained? It doesn’t have to be expensive, but plan a small celebration to mark this moment in your lives and to give thanks to the God who made it possible.

• The act of making something beautiful can feel fussy and expensive. After all, we look at the perfectly curated homes on Instagram or Pinterest and think, “Well, if I had their budget, I could have a house that looks like that, too!” Beauty doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be personal to you. Take a trip to a local thrift store or charity shop and look for something small, yet delightful to add to your home. Or if you’re crafty, try sewing, knitting, painting, or refinishing something!

5. Know What You Believe, and Fight to Protect It

When we first meet Molly, she’s a stay-at-home mom to seven children and managing a household of nine on a shoestring budget and a house that is held together (both literally and figuratively) by magic. Later, as the story unfolds, we learn that she was a skilled witch who was top of her class, lost her brothers in the first war against Voldemort, and worked with the underground resistance to defeat Voldemort for over three years before the final Battle of Hogwarts.

While Mrs. Weasley offered mostly behind-the-scenes support during the Second Wizarding War, she eventually joined the battlefield alongside her husband and children for the final face-off at Hogwarts. Battling Voldemort and his Death Eaters, she helped to end his reign of tyranny and terror and rid their world from his cruel, merciless followers. After losing her son, Bellatrix Lestrange taunts her while attempting to send a Killing Curse towards her youngest child, Ginny.

Bellatrix Lestrange: “What will happen to your children when I’ve killed you? When Mummy’s gone the same way as Freddie?“

Molly: “You — will — never — touch — our — children — again!“

The mistake Bellatrix Lestrange made when dueling Mrs. Weasley, and what ultimately led to her death, was that she grossly underestimated her. On the surface, it’s easy to see a doting mother, a loving wife, and a bubbly busybody who corrals kids, sweeps floors, and serves hot meals. But something Molly has shown us through the books is that she believes deeply in love, justice, family, goodness, and being an active participant in the ongoing fight against the forces that threaten them.

So when people see Mrs. Weasley as a fierce and formidable foe, they often think it is in spite of her role as a wife, mother, and homemaker. But if you also feel like Molly Weasley is a deep, kindred spirit, then you will know it’s because of her deep love, courage, and kindness that she makes such a powerful adversary.

Because Molly Weasley, in the depths of her soul, is driven by the steadfast and sacrificial love of a mother. She knows the cost of engaging in the battle against evil, but is willing to press on anyway, in defiant hope of a better world for her children. And that type of love, the type Jesus displayed when he washed feet and hung on the cross, is the kind that changes the world.

We don’t have to join battles or duel our enemies to bring alive sacrificial love in our homes, but here are a few ideas:

• Think of a cause or organization that deeply reflects your family’s values. It could be a local organization that combats homelessness, a missionary family, or an organization that provides meals to homebound seniors. Either way, brainstorm with your family how you can help or serve them, like a monthly donation or serving together.

• Think about the future world you want your children to live in. What does it look like? How does that differ from what it looks like today? For example, if you want your children to live in a world where they can freely explore the beauty of God’s creation, think about ways that you can help preserve that today through conservation efforts or donating your time or money to the National Parks Service.

Molly Weasley Extra Credit

In case you want to really lean into the idea of embodying Molly Weasley, here are a few other ideas:

• Offer unsolicited advice to family members

• Fight your archnemesis

• Force haircuts on scraggly, scruffy sons

• Give your children a good telling-off