- "What do I care how 'e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!"
- — Fleur Delacour about Bill[src]
William "Bill" Arthur Weasley, born November 29, 1970, is the eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley and the oldest brother of Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Ginny Weasley and the late Fred Weasley. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1982 to June 1989, and was both a Prefect and Head Boy. After graduating, he went to work for Gringotts Wizarding Bank as a Curse Breaker, working in Egypt. In 1995, he returned to England and joined the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix to face the reborn Lord Voldemort. During this time, he started dating Fleur Delacour, and eventually asked her to marry him after a short romance. During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Bill was severely injured by the Werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Although not turned into a Werewolf, he did develop some Werewolf tendencies such as a liking for very rare steaks. He married Fleur on August 1st, 1997, although their wedding was disrupted by the arrival of Death Eaters following the fall of the Ministry of Magic. Bill and Fleur then moved to Shell Cottage, where they assisted Harry, Ron, and Hermione after their escape from Malfoy Manor. Bill later fought in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside the rest of the Order, and survived the battle. Following the war, Bill and Fleur had 3 children, Victoire, Dominique and Louis Weasley.
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Biography
Early life and Hogwarts
Bill lived with the Weasleys at the family home, The Burrow, and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1982 to 1989. He was sorted into Gryffindor house[2]. In his 5th year, he became a Prefect[2], and obtained twelve O.W.Ls[3]. In his seventh year, he was made Head Boy[2]. He might have told a legend about The Chamber of Secrets to his brother Ron and possibly his other siblings. At some point, Bill had a pen-friend at a school in Brazil. When his pen-friend wanted him to go on exchange trip, Bill had to decline because his parents couldn't afford it. His pen-friend, though, got offended and sent him a cursed hat that made his ears shrivel up[4].
Working for Gringotts
The Weasley family in holiday in Egypt.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Bill went to work for Gringotts Wizarding Bank as a Curse Breaker in Egypt[2]. At Christmas in 1992, his parents visited him[3], and in the summer of 1993, the whole Weasley family went to Egypt on holiday after his father won seven-hundred galleons in the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. Bill took his family on a tour of the Egyptian tombs while they were there[5].
In the summer of 1994, Bill returned to The Burrow to attend the Quidditch World Cup with his family. During his stay, he met Harry Potter for the first time. When the Death Eaters decided to stir up trouble in the aftermath of the Irish victory, Bill assisted the Ministry of Magic. During the skirmish, Bill was injured with a deep cut on his arm. Bill later escorted his siblings, Harry and Hermione to King's Cross station to see them off to Hogwarts.
In 1995, Bill took more time off work to travel to Hogwarts with his mother to support Harry during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. It was during this time that he met Fleur Delacour, who was attracted to him from the start. Following the death of Cedric Diggory and the revelation that Lord Voldemort had returned, Bill immediately set out to inform his father of the news, and that Albus Dumbledore would be contacting him[4].
Second Wizarding War
Desk Job at Gringotts
Bill joined the Order of the Phoenix, and applied for a desk job in England so he could help the Order more effectively. Although he missed the tombs, he did have one compensation - Fleur Delacour had taken a part-time job at Gringotts to improve her English, and the two began dating. He was often involved in planning sessions and was used to sound out the Goblins on where their loyalties lay. During the Christmas of 1995, Bill visited his father at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries several times after he had been attacked by Nagini[6].
With the Wizarding world at large aware of Lord Voldemort's return after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Bill subsequently asked Fleur to marry him after they had been dating for a year. In the summer of 1996, she stayed at The Burrow for several weeks to get to know Bill's family. However, her blunt nature rubbed Mrs Weasley and Ginny up the wrong way, and they thought he could do better than her.
Guarding Hogwarts and Battling Death Eaters
In 1997, Bill was one of the Order members tasked by Dumbledore to patrol Hogwarts during his absence when he and Harry went to search for one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Death Eaters broke into the school with the help of Draco Malfoy, and during the Battle of the Lightning-Struck Tower, Bill was badly injured by the Werewolf Fenrir Greyback. His face was slashed and ripped, and because of the nature of his attacker, the wounds were cursed.
Although Greyback was not transformed at the time, the wounds were contaminated. Bill did not become a werewolf, however, but did develop a liking for very rare steaks. Strangely, it was his injuries that finally convinced his mother that Fleur was the right choice for him. Mrs Weasley thought their union was based on physical attraction, but Fleur showed that she loved him no matter what he looked like, and the two women reconciled over his hospital bed. He later attended Dumbledore's funeral.[7].
In July 1997, Bill was one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix that assisted in transporting Harry to safety before the protective charm that kept him safe at the Dursleys was broken. He rode with Fleur disguised as Harry on a Thestral, and during the Battle over Little Whinging, saw "Mad-Eye" Moody killed by Lord Voldemort. They were chased by a dozen Death Eaters, but escaped unharmed. He later volunteered to assist Remus Lupin in searching for Moody's body to give him a proper burial, but they could find no trace of it.
Marriage
Bill and Fleur's wedding is disrupted by the arrival of Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus.
Bill and Fleur were married on August 1, 1997. Their reception, however, was disrupted by Death Eaters, who were able to break the protective spells around The Burrow when they finally took over the Ministry of Magic and killed Rufus Scrimgeour. Although they were questioned, they were free to go. Bill returned to work, and he and Fleur moved to their own place, Shell Cottage. Later in the year, Bill's brother Ron came to stay with them after abandoning Harry and Hermione during their Horcrux search. Although disappointed in his brother, he could see just how sorry he was, and didn't let on to the rest of the family that he was there.
After Harry, Ron and Hermione escaped from Malfoy Manor with several other prisoners (Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Griphook, and Mr Ollivander), they took refuge at Shell Cottage. Bill took them in, and allowed Harry to bury the remains of Dobby in his garden. Realising that the enemy was aware that the Weasleys were supporting Harry openly, Bill and his father took the family into hiding using the Fidelius Charm. Bill subsequently had to give up work, and he became the Secret Keeper to Shell Cottage. In the following weeks, Bill played host to the escapees, and realised that Harry was planning something with Griphook. Although not privy to the details, he counselled Harry on the way Goblins perceived things and warned him about them.
Battle of Hogwarts
Shortly after Harry, Ron, Hermione and Griphook left, he was alerted to Neville Longbottom's call to arms to fight at Hogwarts, either through the Order of the Phoenix, or the two members of Dumbledore's Army that were staying with him, Luna and Dean. Either way, he and Fleur Apparated to the Hog's Head and travelled to the Room of Requirement. Bill fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and survived, but the victory was tarnished by the death of his brother, Fred[8]. Following the war, Bill and Fleur had three children, Victoire Weasley[9], Dominique and Louis[10]
Physical appearance
Bill Weasley
- Mrs Weasley: "...with a horrible, great fang on it, really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?"
- Bill: "Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn about how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure."
- Mrs Weasley: "And your hair's getting silly, dear. I wish you'd let me give it a trim..."
- — Mrs Weasley and Bill, discussing Bill's appearance at dinner.[src]
Bill was tall, thin, handsome, and had red hair like the rest of the Weasley family. He wore it long and in a ponytail, and he had an earring with a fang dangling from it. He wore clothes that would not be out of place at a rock concert, and he favoured boots of dragon hide. He was once called a "long-haired pillock" by Rita Skeeter in an article about the Gringotts Curse Breakers. However, when Harry first saw Bill, he was described as 'cool'.
In 1997, he suffered severe facial wounds at the hands of the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Although untransformed at the time, Greyback's lycanthropy caused the wounds to be cursed, and they could not be treated totally, leaving him heavily scarred. At his wedding, however, he looked so happy one could "hardly tell he had ever met Fenrir Greyback".
Personality and traits
Bill and Charlie jousting with tables at The Burrow.
- Mrs. Weasley: "...Bill and Fleur...well...what have they really got in common? He's a hard-working down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's-"
- Ginny: "A cow. But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse-Breaker, isn't he, he likes a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour..."
- — Molly and Ginny Weasley on Bill[src]
Bill is laid back and easy going, and described as "cool". However, he has a serious side, being a high academic achiever while a student and knowledgeable about wizard-goblin relations for his work. Despite being the eldest of seven children, he has a lively sense of humour and knows how to have fun. He is very brave, working as a Curse Breaker and joining the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Lord Voldemort. After his mauling at the hands of Fenrir Greyback, it was feared that his personality would change, and that he would take on some wolfish characteristics. However, Bill's personality remained intact, although he did develop a liking for very rare steaks.
When Bill met Harry Potter for the first time in 1994, Harry was taken by surprise at Bill's cool, laid-back demeanour; from everything Harry had heard from Ron, he had always pictured Bill as an older version of Percy, who is more serious and stuffy than all his siblings.
Relationships
Family
The Weasley family.
Bill has a good relationship with all his family members, but seems to be particularly close to Charlie, the sibling closest to him in age and the one he chose as best man at his wedding.
His younger siblings tend to look up to Bill, especially his only sister, Ginny. She supported Bill whenever their mother criticized his choice of hair and clothing, and a large part of her initial disdain for Fleur Delacour was her belief that the witch was not good enough for her brother. It is unclear whether Ginny ever made her dislike for Fleur known to Bill, but she eventually accepted their relationship. Ron also admired Bill, partly because he was one of his only siblings who didn't tease him. Towards the end of 1997, when Ron temporarily abandoned Harry and Hermione during their search for Voldemort's Horcruxes, he stayed with Bill and Fleur at Shell Cottage. Although Bill wasn't impressed by his brother's actions, he realised how sorry Ron was about it and never mentioned it.
Bill also got along well with his parents, though his mother constantly tried to pressure him into cutting his hair and not dressing as flashily as he liked to. She also disapproved of his choice of wife initially, though she came to accept Fleur once she realised how in love the couple was.
Fleur Delacour
- George: "Remember old Fleur Delacour? She's got a job at Gringotts to eemprove 'er Eeenglish-"
- Fred: "And Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons."
- — George Weasley and Fred Weasley.[src]
Fleur Delacour in the Triwizard Tournament, 1994.
Bill met Fleur Delacour in June 1995 when he accompanied his mother to Hogwarts to support Harry Potter during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, in which she was also a Champion. Fleur was attracted to him immediately, eyeing him from a distance. Shortly after, Bill moved back to England to work for the Order of the Phoenix, taking a desk job at Gringotts. Fleur had taken a part-time job at the bank, and the two began dating shortly after. After a year together, Bill proposed, and Fleur accepted. His mother felt it was too soon for him to get married, and worried that he was only doing it in response to the return of Lord Voldemort. In addition, Fleur's blunt attitude and tendency to speak her mind irritated both Molly and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley became convinced that their feelings for each other were based on physical attraction, and the adventurous side of each other - him as a Curse Breaker, and her as a Triwizard Champion. Mrs. Weasley even tried to get Bill to fall in love with Nymphadora Tonks by inviting the young Auror over for dinner. Following Bill's scarring during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Fleur showed her feelings for Bill by declaring that she still loved him no matter what he looked like, and her insistence that she would take care of his injuries. Her declaration convinced Mrs. Weasley that her son had made the right choice, and the two women finally put aside their differences. Bill and Fleur married on August 1, 1997, and set up a home of their own, Shell Cottage. Their union produced three children: Victoire, Dominique, and Louis.[10]
Behind the scenes
- Bill was portrayed by Richard Fish in the film adaptation of 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. However, he only appeared in a photo of the Weasley family in Egypt.
- Fish won't return for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; he will be replaced by Brendan Gleeson's son Domhnall.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Picture only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
Notes and references
- ↑ Mugglenet - Birthday archive: Bill Weasley
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ J.K. Rowling MSNBC interview
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Times Online - The Unwritten Story of Harry's Friends and Their Children