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The Weasley Familyby Simon
Father: Arthur Weasley Family Members: NamesDo the Weasley children have formal names? 2 We learn in the series that Ron is in fact Ronald. Is it the case that his siblings are similar using shortened versions of their names? If so, what are these full names? These questions came up in one of the groups chat sessions and the following response was given to the group a couple of days later. Bill would be William, Charlie would be Charles, Percy could be Percival, but this unfortunately changes the meaning of the name. Fred would be Frederick, George would be the odd one out in not using a shortened name. Ginny would be Virginia or Ginger. Ages Of The Weasley Family MembersHow old are Molly and Arthur? 3 While Molly and son Bill Weasley were reminiscing of their times at Hogwarts 4, Molly remarks that Hagrid was not the gamekeeper while she and Arthur were at the school. Molly also says that the Whomping Willow was planted after her time at the school. This indicates that Molly and Arthur are definitely more than 7 years older than the Marauders. A good estimate would be that they are in their late 40s or early 50s. How old are the children? 5 In PS/SS, we know the younger 5 children are:
Percy – 15 "If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years." 6 "And Potter – do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row..." 7 "Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley had been Seeker." 8 “I’ve looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came…” 9 “It’s great being back here. Haven’t seen this place in five years.” 10 These quotes have led group members to form two possibilities for the ages of Bill and Charlie. Neither answer seems totally satisfactory, but this is a subject, that until the author gives us an answer, will keep on surfacing. 11 Since we know that Charlie and Bill are not twins, it seems safe to assume there is at least a one-year age gap between the two of them. Case 1: Bill is 20 and Charlie 19 12. For: Bill says he was last at Hogwarts five years previous to GoF. Therefore, this can be assumed to be when he finished his schooling. In this case, Ginny would have been 2 when Bill started at Hogwarts and so could remember him starting at Hogwarts. Against: Gryffindor last won the Quidditch Cup when Charlie was seeker, which was seven years before the events of PoA. According to this timeline, Charlie would have been at least a second year student at Hogwarts since Harry was the youngest player for a century according to PS/SS (evidence that Charlie started Quidditch in his second year, or later). But why, if he was such a great player, did the team only win in this one year? We can rule out him only playing for the one year as Oliver Wood saw him play 13 and Wood did not start at Hogwarts until a couple of years after this. Case 2: Bill is 24 (or older) and Charlie 23 14. For: Gryffindor would have won the Quidditch Cup in Charlie’s last year and maybe several years before that. Against: Ginny would have been at most three when Bill finished Hogwarts. How can she remember him starting if she wasn’t even born? This could be countered by assuming she in fact meant that she had wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since she can remember Bill being at Hogwarts, not necessarily his first year. However, why was Bill last at Hogwarts five years ago if he finished schooling there 10, or more, years previously? One might assume that Bill came back for some alumni event after he had finished or that he came back to give career talks to the students. Why the large age gap between Charlie and Percy?15 The ages leave the Weasley children as having births about 2 years apart (taking the twins as one) but with the anomaly of either an age gap of four or eight+ years between the births of Charlie and Percy. This led the group to discuss reasons why the Weasley family have no children to fill this gap. It is worth noting that Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny were all born during the last few years, and the most potent years, of Voldemort's reign. Members have put forth several explanations for this gap in the family. One theory holds that Molly and Arthur decided at the beginning of Voldemort's reign to have no more children until after the struggles had finished. Then, unexpectedly, Percy was conceived at which point they decided to have more children. Another theory suggests that Molly decided, after many years of looking after Charlie and Bill, that she also wanted a daughter and so tried for a few more times to have a girl, first getting Percy, Fred, George and Ron, before finally stopping after Ginny was born. Another possibility is that Molly and Arthur split up, but then later reconciled and had more children. Or, Arthur, or maybe even Molly, was away from home for long periods of time due to his/her career. Yet another possibility put forth is that Molly and Arthur were just unlucky for several years. It is also possible that Molly is in fact older than we are lead to believe. After having Charlie she thinks there is no chance of getting pregnant again and Percy is a surprise. After Percy’s birth, Molly and Arthur decided to try for more children. One of the more intriguing possibilities is that there was one or more children born between Charlie and Percy but they all died before birth or during the first few years of their lives. Molly and Arthur might not discuss these children and so the younger children know nothing about them and hence the reader has never heard about them. This raises interesting possibilities of Ron being the 7th son of a 7th son (assuming, of course, that Arthur was a 7th son himself). Members have also suggested that Voldemort or his Deatheaters killed some of the Weasley family, perhaps even any children born between Charlie and Percy. This seems a strong likelihood when one considers that Arthur has a very clear, and graphic, understanding of the significance of the Dark Mark. It is also possible that Arthur and Molly decided that they did not have enough money to support any more children. This is unlikely though, as there is no good explanation as to why they suddenly had enough money to have children again. Perhaps Molly and Arthur decided to embark on a one-family repopulation drive due to the fact that Voldemort was killing or depleting many wizarding families. Weasley Family FinancesThey may be the family with the least wealth that we have seen in the series, but they hardly seem too badly off. Arthur is able to spend money on Muggle things for his hobby. They can afford to buy clothes and books. They may not be able to purchase the best quality in material items such as clothes and books, but they can still afford for their children to have all the school supplies that they need. But, it still seems likely that Malfoy is correct when he says that the Weasleys have more children than they can afford. 16 Ron is particularly bothered by his family’s economic status. ArthurGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 6860 and 6861 by Neil Ward "Mr Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's He was wearing long green robes which were dusty and travel-worn." 17 "He works in the most boring department. The misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office." 18 Arthur is a gentle, eccentric father of seven who works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic. He delights in investigating muggles and all things associated with the muggle world. He is also quick to protect muggles in the fight against Lord Voldemort. Arthur shows fatherly concern for Harry. In PoA, he advises Harry to avoid running after trouble and keep himself safe. In GoF, he takes the opportunity to show the inadequacies of the Dursley family by forcing them to say goodbye to Harry, when he has arrived to collect Harry to go to the Quidditch World Cup. Many readers want to see him get one over on Lucius Malfoy, whether it is by discovering his dark arts collection or by uncovering him to be a Death Eater. As well as looking after muggles, it appears that Arthur Weasley has a political conscience. He seems to support Hermione’s general stance on rights for House Elves. It is almost definitely this type of attitude that has kept him from rising through he ranks of the Ministry. Instead he has been bumped sideways into a role that seems to have been created especially for him. Arthur shows a thorough understanding of the Dark Mark and its meaning. He is also always fighting the war against the Dark Arts and magical items of a dubious nature, clearly seen by the values he has instilled in his children. This has led members of the group to suspect that he has lost family or close friends to Voldemort and his supporters. There are times when he seems like a child rather than the breadwinner and father. He is not adverse to breaking rules and even writes laws with loopholes, which work to his own advantage (allowing him to continue his investigation of muggle technology). Arthur's interest in muggles extends to owning several items that he will never have any use for, as he can do achieve the same results by magic. He comes across as a mad inventor, taking gadgets apart to ‘see how they work’, but always doing some magic on them while putting them back together. It is interesting to note that his fondness of Muggles always comes across in a patronizing manor. When talking about the Muggle repellent charms around the Quidditch World Cup, he says, “Bless them.” 19 When talking to Harry about electricity and telephones, he remarks on how amazing that the non-magical world has been able to get along without magic. 20 Historical Parallel? Members of the group have noted the similarity between the names Arthur Weasley and Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington. Arthur Wellesley led the British forces in the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon was defeated. Later he was the Prime Minister of the UK. Today there is widespread appreciation of his military genius and of his character as an honest and selfless politician, uncorrupted by vast prestige. The similarity in political careers is obvious, and it has been noted that this may be an indication that Arthur will have an important role in the upcoming fight against Lord Voldemort. 21 MollyGroup Discussion: Yahoo Group 5867 by Rosemary "Mrs Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind–faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a sabre–toothed tiger." 22 Molly is the quintessential amazing mother, strong-willed and kind. She knows when to read them the riot act but loves all of her children dearly. It is largely the result of her loving and welcoming nature that Harry has fit so easily into the Weasley household. Molly sometimes takes things too seriously, believing everything that Witch Weekly writes about Hermione, while at the same time chastising others for believing the Daily Prophet. She indulges Percy' pompousness and has a crush on wizarding celebrity, Gilderoy Lockhart. Molly has instilled in her children an appreciation for the worth of money. She has encouraged them to understand the necessity of self-sufficiency. She has taught them that life is not a silver platter to take things off. Sometimes you have to put something back. Molly has become a trusted adult for Harry, who doesn’t trust adults easily. She has in fact become almost a mother to him. She provides a loving environment for Harry and all of her own children, and so makes the Burrow one of the best places to live. At times Molly seems to spend a little too bent on comparing the children against one another and lavishing attention on Percy. It seems that her intent is to encourage her children to succeed and live up to their potential; however, this tendency could also lead to family strife if unchecked. Members of the group have commented that it would be good to see her support Fred and George’s joke shop plans, rather than just rubbishing them straight off. 23 Does Molly Have Red Hair? “… all the Weasleys have red hair …” 24 “Plump little Mrs Weasley, tall balding Mr Weasley, six sons and one daughter, all (though the black and white picture didn’t show it) with flaming red hair.” 25 This is a question that has been argued about in the group for a while. The quotes describing the Weasley family have small ambiguities in them, and it is unclear as to whether or not Molly does in fact have the trademark Weasley flaming red hair. It is not necessary for Molly to have red hair for all of the children to have this colour hair. It is fairly likely that Molly does have red hair but the genetics of hair colour does not provide an answer to the question. This, of course, assumes wizard and Muggle genetics to be exactly the same. As Molly was married into the family and not born a Weasley, it is unclear if the first of the above quotes provides us with an answer to the question. The second quote leaves us with the ambiguity as to whether it is referring to just the children or, the more likely case, all of the family. 26 BillGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 3896 by Neil Ward "Harry knew that he worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, that he had been Head Boy of Hogwarts ... Bill was – there was no other word for it – cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. His clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognised his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide." 27 Bill Weasley works for a bank – this must mean that he is boring and conservative. NOT at all. Bill’s description in GoF was a surprise to many readers. Many had expected him to be an older version of Percy, but he was instead a refreshing character to meet. He is cool. He also is not what we might imagine former Head Boys of Hogwarts to be. Has he always been like this? We do not know. It would be interesting to find out if his personality has changed drastically since he has left Hogwarts or if he has always been this easy going. Bill shows you can be a success in life without conforming to any kind of mould. 28 During the build up to the Third Task, in GoF, Fleur was looking Bill over. Would these two be an ideal combination? Look at Potential Romantic Pairings for more information. What is a curse breaker? Several possibilities have been given to what exactly a curse breaker does. We know that Bill works for Gringotts Bank in Egypt. One theory suggests that he is involved in obtaining treasure from the Egyptian Pyramids, breaking curses put on the tombs of the Pharaohs. Members have suggested that perhaps he breaks curses on treasure and money which have been used to repay loans. He might also remove curses on items that have been offered as collateral for loans with the bank. Yet another possibility is that he breaks curses on treasure so it can be retrieved for the bank. 29 CharlieGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 4561 by Simon "... holding out a large hand, which Harry shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscly, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it." 30 "Charlie was captain of Quidditch" 31 "... Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons." 32 "... great with animals." 33 Fun loving and easy going, Charlie has followed his passions rather than seeking possible celebrity status as an international Quidditch player. 34 PercyGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 5008 by Kristen "... neat hair ... horn–rimmed glasses..." 35 "A report for the Department of International Magical Co–operation." 36 Percy’s overriding characteristic is his ambition, his obvious desire for power. He wants to achieve what Arthur has not: high offices with the Ministry of Magic, possibly even becoming the Minister of Magic. He has a strong link with Molly and seems to share many of her characteristics. Arthur being away, involved in the fight against Voldemort, for large periods of Percy’s earliest years in childhood, could explain this close link to his mother. Percy gains many responsibilities, first as prefect and then as Head Boy in his final year at Hogwarts in GoF, and he seems to delight in showing off. He takes his prefect and Head Boy duties very seriously and lets everyone know when he has gained his apparation license. It seems likely that Percy will soon have to make a very important decision concerning his future. Will he support Dumbledore, and his family, in the fight against Voldemort or will he believe Fudge and keep his head in the sand (but securing his position within the Ministry)? He has a difficult decision to make. This seems likely to be an important subplot in the next HP book(s). His decision will likely affect his life in a major way. In fact, members have speculated that a wrong decision could easily lead to his death or the death of another family member or other character. Percy’s dilemna is compounded by his ambitions. He wants to succeed. To do this he must work his way up the career ladder in the Ministry of Magic. Upsetting the Minister of Magic will earn him no favours, will impede his progress at the Ministry and may ultimately cost him his job. We have seen how the devotion to duty can lead a man to make mistakes, which ultimately cost a man his life. In GoF, Barty Crouch Sr.’s devotion to riding the world of Dark Wizards leads him to imprison his only son after a farce of a trial. But then the pleading of his dying wife allows the son to be freed from Azkaban and leads to the rebirth of Voldemort. The sorting hat can tell much about a person. Was Percy chosen for Gryffindor because his family has always been there? Or did the hat recognize that Percy has some of the characteristics of a true Gryffindor and place him in that house on his own merits? Based on the age predictions of Charlie and Bill above, it seems that Percy would either have had no older brother at the school while he was there or Charlie and Bill would have been close to finishing when he started. He would have been following Hogwarts legends, brothers who had achieved it all for Gryffindor House, without being able to see the mistakes that Bill and Charlie made early on in their time at Hogwarts. He might harbor a false, idealistic impression of them. At times, Percy seems separated from his younger brothers. He can become fussy, self-important and bossy, and they respond by taunting him, thereby creating a vicious circle. Percy does care for his family. His instinctive reaction is to protect and comfort Ron after the second task in GoF. In CoS, he badgers Ginny to take the Pepperup potion when she seems run down. In PS, he is boastfully proud of Ron’s achievements in getting past the giant chess set of McGonagall. He just does not always show the same family bond that we are accustomed to seeing in the Weasley family. This could be because he is the older of the second set of Weasley children (if you accept that there is a large age gap between Charlie and Percy) and so feels he has too take responsibility for the others – a typical trait in older siblings. Does Percy feel very insecure in the Weasley family? He has two older brothers who have, between them, achieved it all. He also has two popular fun-loving practical jokers to contend with. Finally, his youngest brother is best friends with the legendary Harry Potter. His only sister doubtless gets the attention of all of the family. Does he feel that he has to achieve something unique, and maybe even greater than what his siblings have done, to be considered a success? Has this made him lose sight of other priorities? Only time will tell. It is his inflexibility and devotion to work that already seems to have accounted for the apparent loss of one girlfriend. In GoF, Penelope is still a Hogwarts student but we do not meet her and no mention is made of Percy taking the effort to see her – even though he attended the Yule Ball. 37 Fred and GeorgeGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 6304 and 6305 by Joywitch "... who were identical to the last freckle." 38 The twins are a pair of life’s jokers. They consider no subject to be off limits. In CoS, the twins lighten Harry's mood by making a joke about his being the Heir of Slytherin, but add to his troubles with their teasing about the singing Valentine's card he received, which probably was from Ginny – their own sister. Their school grades have suffered as they have put jokes in front of studying hard, but maybe this could lead to an interesting career for the pair. As with all twins, it is interesting to compare their similarities and differences. We have seen little, if anything, to set the two of them apart. They both enjoy the same type of jokes and play in the same Quidditch position. How do people tell them apart? Molly, as their mother, seems able to do this – but even she struggles from time to time. Harry has obviously picked up on some differences, as he seems to be able to distinguish them, so this suggests there are differences to be found. We are left to speculate on which twin is the older of the two. Fred, at times, seems to be the more dominant and is often found to lead the conversations. He comes across as being quicker off the mark and more intent on following through with the ideas of the pair. He also had a very gutsy way of asking Angelina to the Yule Ball: asking in front of the rest of the Gryffindor Common Room. It is hard to tell whether he was asking Angelina on a serious date (were they already a pair in fact?), deciding to pick someone he can have a fun time with at the Ball or simply poking fun at the attempts of Harry and Ron trying to get dates for the ball. 39 George seems less cruel and more considerate of the feelings of others. At times he seems to be there as much to stop Fred getting carried away as to enjoy the joke himself. Are we making too much of an author who must decide which twin gets which lines, or is there a definite difference? This will always be hard to know. If they are so similar, and this does definitely seem to be the case, then some painful questions emerge. Could we cope with one dying? Could the characters cope with one of them dying? It has been predicted that one will not make it to the end of the series. How would the remaining twin react and cope? On a lighter note, there is the joke shop to look forward to as it seems likely that they will go ahead with this idea. This has the potential to be absolutely brilliant. Do the twins have the business acumen to go with their excellent ideas, which have proved to be so popular with the Hogwarts students? It will be interesting to see how various people react if they do decide to make a go of the joke shop. Molly is especially keen for them to take a proper career. How will the family react? RonSee the separate page on Ron Weasley GinnyGroup Discussion: Yahoo Club 5505 and 5506 by Melanie "... small, red–headed figure..." 40 "... a pair of bright brown eyes..." 41 Ginny has brown eyes and the trademark Weasley flaming red hair. For an as yet unexplained reason, these brown eyes have become green in the audio version of CoS. Ginny is a character who was vitally important to the plot of CoS, but has since then stagnated. She has drifted slowly, but definitely, into the background – popping up occasionally but having no real bearing on the plot. Ginny seems to look up to Bill, her oldest brother, the most. Though we do not see Ginny much, we know that she will stand up to people – Gryffindor bravery to the fore. When Draco taunts Harry, at the book signing for Gilderoy Lockhart, it is Ginny who jumps to his defence. When Harry is around, she usually becomes shy and reserved, but we know that at other times Ron says she is talkative. In GoF, when Harry and Ron are trying to find dates and are discussing their problems in the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny stands up to their pressure to reveal the identity of Hermione's Yule Ball date. Though Ginny will never be part of the triad (Harry, Ron and Hermione), it is obvious to some members that she has developed close relationships with each of them. There are signs that Ginny and Hermione have developed a close bond, maybe as close as a sister–sister bond. Are the various acts of support trying to get Ginny anywhere? It is known, from Ron and observations of her actions, that Ginny has a crush on Harry. What will happen if these feelings remain unrequited? These feelings have definitely shifted but they are still there. It started as a crush on a celebrity and has now moved on to fancying the friend of an older brother. In GoF, there seem to be some signs that Ginny never expects to get Harry. She accepts Neville's invitation to the Yule Ball. Has she finally grown out of the crush? We will just have to wait and see. Ginny has lived through the encounter with Tom Riddle and it might be possible that during this time with him, in ghost like form, that she was able to learn something about him. For Tom to have gained her trust, through her diary, he must have told her things to gain her trust. Some of these things may be of use against him in the future. If so, then there is the possibility that she may be of use to Harry and co. when the fight against Voldemort heats up.42 Footnotes1 In order of age – Oldest to youngest 2 For more information look at the following message: Yahoo Group 12060 3 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 4797 and Yahoo Group 1712, 7879, 7895, 8324 4 GoF Ch 31 5 Ages at the start of PS 6 PS Ch 13 7 McGonagall – PoA Ch 12 8 PoA Ch 15 9 Ginny – CoS Ch 17 10 Bill – GoF Ch 31 11 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 544, 566, 577, 588, 5343, 5347, 5348, 5349 and Yahoo Group 1666, 1668, 1670, 1673, 1675, 1682, 1714, 1719, 1726, 4518, 4652, 4653, 7879, 7890, 7899, 7926, 7938, 8086, 8988, 8991, 8995 12 Ages at the start of PS 13 Wood – PS Ch 10 14 Ages at the start of PS 15 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 1666, 1670, 1688, 1694, 1696, 1712, 1717, 1718, 1720, 1728, 1730, 1732 16 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 9766, 9786, 10415 17 CoS Ch 3 18 CoS Ch 3 19 Arthur Weasley – GoF Ch 8 20 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 2504, 5422, 5425, 5601, 5603, 6860, 6861, 6870, 7067 and Yahoo Group 1529, 1718, 7645, 10415 21 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 6208, 6215 22 CoS Ch 3 23 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 1349, 1354, 1364, 4863, 4874, 4909, 4910, 4920, 4923, 4960, 8779 24 Draco – PS Ch 6 25 PoA Ch 1 26 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 4319, 4401, 4429, 4577 27 GoF Ch 5 28 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 3901, 3902, 3904, 4139, 4516, 4644 29 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Group 802, 805, 826 30 GoF Ch 5 31 Ron – PS Ch 6 32 Wood – PS Ch 10 33 Hagrid – PS Ch 8 34 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 4561, 4644 35 PoA Ch 1 36 GoF Ch 5 37 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 4071, 4074, 4693, 4820, 5008, 5010, 5014, 5025, 5037, 5054, 5205, 5305, 5306, 5322, 5616, 6960 and Yahoo Group 1220, 1233, 5586, 8562, 8570, 8587, 8592, 8595, 8600, 8624, 8631, 8724, 8728, 8733, 8743, 8745, 8755, 8789, 8791, 8794, 9206, 9156, 9159, 9177, 9636, 11150, 11152, 14943, 14949, 14958, 14963, 14999, 15004, 15007 38 GoF Ch 4 39 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 808, 815, 851, 6081, 6130, 6304, 6305, 6509, 12900 40 CoS Ch 3 41 CoS Ch 3 42 For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Club 4533, 5505, 5506, 5552, 5561, 5565, 5566, 5592, 5665, 9022 and Yahoo Group 7992, 10821, 11066, 11180 |
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