- Dolores Umbridge: "I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired. He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me —"
- Minerva McGonagall: "Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets! What an interesting insight into our justice system!"
- Fortescue: "Blatant corruption! The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"
- — Dolores Umbridge, Minerva McGonagall, and the portrait of Dexter Fortescue discussing the Ministry's actions about Willy Widdershins[src]
Willy Widdershins was a wizard who repeatedly engaged in Muggle-baiting pranks. He was arrested by the Ministry of Magic for enchanting a series of regurgitating toilets in Muggle areas such as Bethnal Green, one of which backfired against him during its creation. He was badly injured in his capture and was wrapped heavily in bandages. He made a deal with the Ministry, that if he spied on Harry Potter and his friends, they would let him go. He did so, and reported to Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge that they were planning on making a secret Defence Against the Dark Arts group while they were in a meeting at the Hog's Head. By doing so he was able to avoid prosecution. He was later caught selling Biting doorknobs, which bit off the fingers of two Muggles, and was subsequently given a prison sentence that he could not avoid.
Etymology
Widdershins (sometimes withershins, widershins or widderschynnes) means to take a course opposite the apparent motion of the sun (in the Northern hemisphere), going anti-clockwise, lefthandwise, or to circle an object, by always keeping it on the left.[1]
Behind the scenes
- It is possible that Willy may be the same Will mentioned by Mundungus Fletcher earlier in the same book.
Appearances
Notes and references
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