|
The Weasley family are a fictional family of wizards who figure prominently in the plot of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of novels. This is primarily because the youngest son, Ron Weasley, is the best friend of the series' protagonist, Harry Potter.
The Weasleys were one of the few remaining pure-blood Wizarding families, though they were considered "blood traitors" for associating with non-pure-bloods. Moreover, they are far from rich, and are looked down upon by snobbish "old families" such as the Malfoys. The Weasleys have seven children, all of whom have red hair and freckles. All of the Weasleys have been sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. All of the Weasley children, except Bill and Percy who both were Head Boy, are known to have played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, with Charlie being the captain of the team for at least one of his school years. Charlie, Bill, Percy and Ron were also chosen as the prefect of their House. The Weasleys also all work for the Order of the Phoenix, and all are members except for Ron, Percy, and Ginny, who (as of the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) are not known to officially have been inducted into the Order.
There is a running theme of Arthurian legend in some of the Weasley family names. The father is named Arthur; the daughter is named Ginevra, which is the Italian form of Guinevere; a son is named Percy, which is a shortened form of Percival, and the youngest son is named Ron, the name of Arthur's spear in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and in the "Brut" poems of Wace and Layamon[1][2] (it was originally "Rhongomynyad" in Welsh legend). Their Auntie Muriel's cousin's name was Lancelot. On her official website, Rowling explained her choice of surname and hair color for the Weasleys: "In Britain and Ireland[3] the weasel has a bad reputation as an unfortunate, even malevolent, animal. However, since childhood I have had a great fondness for the family mustelidae; not so much malignant as maligned, in my opinion."[4]
Family Tree
The Family
Arthur Weasley
Arthur Weasley is the patriarch of the Weasley family and married to Molly Weasley with whom he has seven children, including Ron, protagonist Harry Potter's best friend. During his time at Hogwarts, Arthur Weasley belonged to the house of Gryffindor. He is one of the three sons of Septimus Weasley and Cedrella Black. Interestingly enough, this makes him a descendant of the wealthy and self-styled noble House of Black, but his mother was disinherited for marrying into a family of wizards who were "blood traitors". Arthur is described as being tall and thin, and as having a receding hairline and wire-rimmed glasses. An affable, light-hearted man, he tends not to be the authority figure in the family; his wife Molly tends to handle that area.
Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic, initially in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. He is obsessed with learning about Muggle customs and inventions and owns a large collection of mostly Muggle used items. His department, a minor and derided subsection of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, lacked funding and his salary was insufficient to provide for a family of nine - leaving his family finances precarious. However, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he has been promoted to Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. His promotion was accompanied by a pay increase. Mr Weasley first officially appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry stays with the Weasley family during the summer before Hogwarts opens. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it seems that Arthur does not fully believe the stories of Harry's abuse at the hands of the Dursleys until he witnesses what they think about Harry and the Wizarding world, before taking him to the Quidditch World Cup. After that, he takes a more active interest in Harry's welfare.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr Weasley is a member of the Order of the Phoenix and during one of his shifts in the Ministry of Magic the snake Nagini, which was acting under Voldemort’s control, attacks him. Harry, who is mentally connected with Voldemort, manages to see this in a vision and is able to warn the Hogwarts authorities. Arthur is subsequently saved just in time and sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He was originally intended to die in that scene, but Rowling could not bear to kill him.[5] He was also slated for death in the original draft for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[6] Rowling has said that part of the reason she could not kill Arthur as originally planned was that he is one of the only good fathers in the series. However, as she "wanted to kill parents," she spared Arthur's life in exchange for Remus Lupin's and Nymphadora Tonks's.[7]
Mr Weasley is portrayed by British actor Mark Williams in the film series.
Molly Weasley
Molly Weasley (née Prewett)[4] is married to Arthur Weasley and mother of seven children. Molly is born 30 October 1949, into the pure-blood Prewett family, being the sister of Gideon and Fabian Prewett. The character is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when she kindly tells Harry how to cross the barrier through to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, she is furious with Fred, George, and Ron after she discovers that they flew their parents' enchanted car to Surrey to rescue Harry from his aunt and uncle who have imprisoned him in his room. At the beginning of the school year, Molly sends Ron a Howler, screaming at him in anger that he and Harry flew the family car again, this time to Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Weasleys win the Daily Prophet draw and use the gold on a trip to Egypt to visit Bill. They return to Britain and stay at the Leaky Cauldron with Harry and Hermione. Harry overhears Mr and Mrs. Weasley arguing one night about telling the truth about the supposed relation between escapee Sirius Black and Harry; Arthur feels Harry should know the truth but Molly, feeling the truth would terrify him, assures him Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts with Albus Dumbledore's protection, and orders Percy to keep an eye on Harry at the school.
When Harry arrives at the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Molly finds out about Fred and George's experimenting with dangerous sweets they were manufacturing and tells them off before leaving for the Quidditch World Cup; however, after the Dark Mark appears over the sky at the World Cup campsite, Molly is upset for yelling at Fred and George, worried that something might happen to them after she treated them so horribly. Later in the book, Molly believes the article that tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter writes about Hermione betraying her supposed "boyfriend" Harry, but when Harry tells Molly that this was a fabrication, she immediately warms up to Hermione. Molly and Bill arrive at Hogwarts to see the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, acting as family guests to Harry. After the return of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore asks Molly and Bill to join the Order and fight in the impending Second War. Molly comforts Harry and, for the first time in his life, he has someone to be there for him, like a mother.
Molly and the Weasleys are staying at the Order headquarters, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, where she and Sirius fight over how much to tell Harry about the Order's operations. Days later, Molly is found in the drawing room, with a boggart that transforms into her dead family members and Harry, and confesses her nightmares of losing more family members to the Death Eaters and Voldemort. At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Molly clashes with Bill's fiancée at this time, Fleur Delacour; however, at the end of the novel, when Molly rushes to Hogwarts with her husband and Fleur to tend to her son Bill, who is ferociously attacked by Fenrir Greyback, Fleur is offended greatly when Molly jumps to the conclusion she will break up with Bill due to his scarring; thus Fleur and Molly begin to see each other in a much more positive light.
At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Molly and Arthur offer the Burrow as Order headquarters when Grimmauld Place is no longer safe. She feels immensely uncomfortable with the trio's decision to drop out of Hogwarts, and initially attempts to dissuade them from doing so. While Bill and Fleur's wedding is taking place, the Ministry collapses and Death Eaters attack the wedding guests as the protection disappeared, prompting the trio to leave. The author later reveals that the Weasleys are safe; but, as the novel progresses, the family is forced to head for safety at Auntie Muriel's home. At the end of the book, Molly and her entire family fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. Upon seeing the death of Fred, she becomes devastated, and is pushed to the edge when Bellatrix Lestrange almost strikes Ginny with the Killing Curse. In great fury, she engages Bellatrix in an intense duel, killing her with a curse that hits Lestrange in the chest.[8]
Julie Walters has appeared as Mrs Weasley in all films bar the fourth.
Bill Weasley
William Arthur "Bill" Weasley is the eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley. Information from Rowling has put the character's birth date as 29 November, 1970.[9][10] He is described to be "hard-working" and "down-to-earth", but possesses a fondness for "a bit of adventure, a bit of glamour".[11] During his time at Hogwarts, Bill becomes both a prefect and Head Boy, with 12 O.W.L.s to his credit. Later, he works for Gringotts Bank in Egypt as a Curse-Breaker.
He makes his first full appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he is described as being a good-looking young man, sporting long red hair tied back in a ponytail and a single fang earring. When Fleur Delacour spies Bill at Hogwarts as he and Mrs Weasley paid a visit to Harry during the Triwizard Tournament, she eyes him with "great interest." Bill returns to Britain to work with the Order in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He met Fleur at Gringotts head office in London where she was employed at the time, giving her lessons to improve her English. After a yearlong relationship, the couple was engaged, and Bill brought his fiancée to get to know his family.
Bill fought in the Death Eaters' attack at Hogwarts near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but did not escape unscathed, as he was attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback. However, since Greyback was in his human form at the time of the attack, Bill suffered only partial lycanthropy contamination. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Fleur and Bill take part in getting Harry escorted safely from the Dursleys' house, and they witness Mad-Eye Moody being killed by Voldemort himself, which they announce upon their return to the Burrow. The couple have their wedding there, and later provide safe haven for the trio and several others in Shell Cottage after they narrowly escape Malfoy Manor. Both Bill and Fleur were combatants for the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts and both survived the battle. Bill and Fleur have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[12]
Richard Fish appeared as Bill in a brief cameo in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Charlie Weasley
Charlie Weasley is the second son of Arthur and Molly Weasley and is described as having a build like that of his twin brothers, Fred and George: shorter and stockier. Information from Rowling has put Charlie's birth date as December 12, 1972.[13][14] The books establish that Charlie attends Hogwarts from 1984 to 1991, finishing school the year before Harry starts attending. At Hogwarts, he is a prefect,[15] a Quidditch Captain, and a legendary Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After school, despite being recruited by several Quidditch clubs, Charlie chooses to go to Romania to work with dragons as a Dragon Keeper. At Harry, Ron and Hermione's request, he takes Hagrid's baby dragon, Norbert, an illegally hatched Norwegian Ridgeback, into his care in Harry's first year, and his team bring four rare species of dragon to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. During the second rise of Voldemort, Charlie's task in the Order is to try to rally support abroad. Charlie returns to the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to participate in his brother Bill's wedding as best man. He enters the later part of the Battle of Hogwarts at the head of reinforcements for the Order, and survives the battle without serious injury. He does not marry or have children, due to the fact that he "preferred dragons to women", according to JK Rowling.[12]
Alex Crockford appeared as Charlie in a brief cameo in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban.
Percy Weasley
Percy Ignatius Weasley is the third son of Arthur and Molly Weasley. When readers first meet Percy in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is a Gryffindor prefect, and in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he becomes Head Boy. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Percy secretly has a girlfriend — Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater. Academically a high-performing student, Percy received twelve OWLs. When he finished school, this academic distinction secured him a job in the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His immediate employer is Barty Crouch Sr, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation; Percy somewhat idolises Mr Crouch, but Crouch never seems to remember Percy's name, calling him "Weatherby." When Crouch is ill, Percy replaces him as a judge in the second Triwizard Tournament task. He is also scheduled to be a judge for the final task, but is forced to attend an inquiry regarding Crouch's mysterious long absence.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Percy is promoted to Junior Assistant to the Minister Cornelius Fudge; because Fudge and Dumbledore are at odds over Harry's claim that Voldemort returned, a dispute between Percy and Arthur erupts, resulting in Percy's subsequent alienation from his family. When Percy learned Ron is made a prefect, he sends him a letter congratulating him for following in his footsteps, and unsuccessfully urges Ron to sever ties with Harry (claiming Harry is an extreme danger to Ron's prefect status), and to pay loyalty to the Ministry and Dolores Umbridge. Percy later makes an appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he has apparently seen the error of his ways and pays a visit to his family with new Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour during the Christmas Holidays, although it is later revealed that this is a mere opportunity for Scrimgeour to speak to Harry alone.
In the climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Percy returns to his family and manages to make up with all of them, and eventually duels new Minister for Magic and Voldemort's puppet Pius Thicknesse in the Battle of Hogwarts. Halfway through dueling alongside Percy, Fred is killed in an explosion, and Percy clings to the corpse and shields it from further damage. Then, Percy sprints off to pursue Augustus Rookwood, a Death Eater whom he believes killed Fred and who is then attacking an unnamed group of students. In the last part of the battle, he and his dad work together to floor Thicknesse. His final appearance is in the book's epilogue, at King's Cross Station, talking loudly about broom regulations. It has been released that he marries a woman named Audrey and they have two children, Molly and Lucy.[12]
Percy is portrayed by Chris Rankin in the films.
Fred and George Weasley
Fred and George Weasley are the identical[16] twin sons, born 1 April (April Fool's Day), of Arthur and Molly Weasley. They attend Hogwarts from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to around springtime of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They are the school clowns and troublemakers, more interested in inventing new pranks than studying. Despite this, it is stated by several characters, including Hermione and Professor Flitwick, that despite their poor grades and meagre number of O.W.L.s, the Weasley twins are extremely proficient wizards, capable of sophisticated magic (such as spells for high-quality daydreams). Both are the Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and are very talented players.
The pair provide Harry with useful assistance throughout the series; in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they and Ron help him escape his house arrest at Privet Drive. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they give him the Marauder's Map. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they try to encourage Harry and Ron to find dates to the Yule Ball by letting them see Fred ask Angelina Johnson. Also in this book, the twins begin selling their own jokes by owl order, under the name "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." Their ambition in life has always been to run their own joke shop. Harry makes this possible by giving them his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. They also help Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Harry wishes to talk with his godfather, Sirius Black, by creating a distraction, leaving Hogwarts in a state of chaos.
They are also members of Dumbledore's Army, a group started by Harry, Ron, and Hermione to teach practical instruction in Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Dolores Umbridge has removed from that course's curriculum. Later that year, they are banned from Quidditch and decide to abandon formal education; they do not, however, leave before conjuring a swamp in a corridor. After Umbridge is driven from the school, Flitwick removes it, but leaves a small bit as a tribute to the Weasley twins. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George continue to run their very successful joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Though Mrs Weasley initially disapproves of their enterprises, she realises they have a natural gift and passion for their business and has since raised no objections.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fred and George are members of the Order and serve as two of Harry's six decoys when he escapes Privet Drive. George loses one of his ears to Severus Snape's Sectumsempra curse (which is aimed at a Death Eater's wand hand, but misses). As the injury is caused by dark magic, it cannot be repaired. During this novel, the Ministry of Magic (now led by Death Eaters) is watching every member of the Weasley family. It is impossible for Fred and George to return to their shop in Diagon Alley to sell their products, so they begin to run another owl-order business out of their Auntie Muriel's house. During the Battle of Hogwarts, an explosion kills Fred. Towards the end of the novel, George and Lee Jordan defeat the Death Eater Yaxley. According to Rowling, she always knew, intuitively, that Fred would be the one of the twins that would die, but she does not exactly know the reason.[17] Although not mentioned in the novel, Rowling revealed in a web chat that George never fully does get over the death of Fred. However, he goes on with his life, turning Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes into a "money spinner" with Ron (who eventually leaves WWW to become an Auror).[18] George marries Angelina Johnson, with whom he has two children, Fred (named after his twin brother) and Roxanne. [12]
Fred and George are portrayed by twins James and Oliver Phelps in the films.
Ron and Ginny Weasley
-
Extended family
Fleur Delacour
Fleur Isabelle Delacour is a student of Beauxbatons Academy in France, and is selected as a champion in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Her father is a Frenchman who is unnamed but described in the books as being round and having a short black beard; her mother, Apolline Delacour, is the daughter of a Veela, from whom Fleur and her younger sister, Gabrielle, inherited their silvery-blonde hair, pale eyes, good looks, and ability to entrance men. According to Rowling, Fleur's name comes from the French phrase fleur de la coeur, meaning, "flower of the heart".
During the Triwizard Tournament, Fleur is initially aloof and unfriendly. During the second task of the Tournament, she attempts to rescue her sister from the lake, but fails. When Harry rescues Gabrielle instead, Fleur becomes much warmer towards both Harry and Hogwarts in general. Fleur takes last place in the Triwizard Tournament, due to disguised Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr stunning her when she passes by the area of the maze that he is watching. She later takes a job at Gringotts, and it is here that she meets Bill, to whom she later becomes engaged, to the initial dismay of Mrs Weasley and Ginny. Bill is attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, since Greyback is in his human form at the time of the attack, Bill suffers only partial lycanthropy contamination. The wedding plans, however, remained unchanged; this attitude earns her a lot of respect from Bill's otherwise disapproving family.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fleur and Bill take part in the operation to escort Harry safely to The Burrow, and they witness Mad-Eye Moody being killed by Voldemort himself. The couple have their wedding at the Burrow, but the event is interrupted when Death Eaters attack at the wedding reception after the fall of the Ministry of Magic. The newlyweds later provide a safe haven for the trio and some others in Shell Cottage, their home, after the refugees narrowly escape Malfoy Manor. Both Bill and Fleur are combatants for the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts, and survive the battle. The couple have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[12]
Clémence Poésy appeared as Fleur in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Gabrielle Delacour
Gabrielle Delacour is the only younger sister of Fleur. Her age in Goblet of |
