Bill Weasley On The Job

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 46320

I think myself that one explanation for the discrepancy between PS/SS and
the other books about Bill Weasley's location is that he may have been
originally investigating wizardly stuff in the Sudan (the site of quite a
few Egyptian, sub-Egyptian and quasi-Egyptian sites---Meroe, for example)
and then, in pursuit of something he found there, gone to Egypt either to
consult with real experts in ancient Egyptian and related cultures' magic,
or to track down something he had found clues to in the Sudan.

While the Sudan is _close to_ Egypt, it isn't part of Egypt these days, and
even in ancient times its cultures, while obviously heavily influenced by
and derivative of Egyptian culture, were distinct.  Meroitic heiroglyphics,
unlike Egyptian heiroglyphics, have not been completely deciphered yet to
the best of my knowledge.  So-o-o, you have this scenario:  When Harry
enters the Wizard World, Bill Weasley is busily working on something arcane
in the Sudan.  Later, he runs into something he can't understand, and says
"I know!  I'll go ask Professor Jaysh Al-Arabi in Egypt!  He teaches at (the
Egyptian equivalent of Hogwarts) and would know all about this!"  Or, he
finds clues to something interesting and overlooked in Egypt itself---say,
in the tomb of an Egyptian sorcerer in the areas that were under the control
of the Pharaohs in ancient times, but are not part of "Egypt" these days.
In hot pursuit, he hotfoots it up to Egypt itself.

In any case, _both_ countries are very definitely in Africa.