Weasley Entire Family

> My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.
>
> Draco Malfoy's negative view of the Weasley family, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

**Weasley** was the surname of a pure-blood wizarding family in ***Great Britain***. They were considered one of the prominent wizarding families, although their lack of ***money*** and their sympathy for Muggle-born wizards and even ***Muggles*** made other wizards and witches view them scornfully. They lived in ***The Burrow***, a ramshackle house of four or five stories "a little way outside" the village of ***Ottery St Catchpole***.Template:Family
They were included in the ***Sacred Twenty-Eight*** list, published in the ***Pure-Blood Directory*** by the ***1930s***. However, they deplored their inclusion in the list, because they said they had ancestral ties to many interesting Muggles. Their protests earned these families the opprobrium of advocates of the pure-blood doctrine, and the epithet 'blood traitor'.
When Harry Potter befriended Arthur and Molly Weasley's youngest son, Ronald Weasley, the Weasleys became a second family to Harry. The Burrow became Harry's home away from home and Arthur and Molly served as de facto godparents in Sirius Black's absence. Harry would eventually marry into the family when he married Ginevra Weasley.

## History

### Early history

> The Death Eaters know Ron's with you now, they're bound to target the family — don't apologise. It was always a matter of time, Dad's been saying so for months. We're the biggest blood traitor family there is.
>
> The family's status amongst Voldemort's supporters, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Weasleys (unlike many other pure-blood families) willingly associated with ***Muggles***, Muggle-borns, and half-bloods and do not consider themselves superior to others because of their blood status. Thus, elitist pure-blood families such as the ***Malfoys*** and the ***Blacks*** consider them "blood traitors" and treat them with disdain; ***Cedrella Black*** was even disowned by her family for marrying ***Septimus Weasley***. Despite being "one of the biggest blood traitor" families, they seemed rather proud of it.
The Weasleys tended to have large numbers of children; an unusual trait for wizarding families, according to Draco Malfoy. Ron's generation of Weasleys were considered poor by wizarding standards; their vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank only contained a small pile of ***Sickles*** and a single ***Galleon*** as of 1992.
For several generations, only boys were born into the family, until the birth of Ginevra Molly Weasley. This trend ended with the grandchildren of Arthur and Molly, who include more girls than boys.

### Recent history

> There was a very small pile of silver Sickles inside, and just one gold Galleon. Mrs Weasley felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag.
>
> The Weasley family's lack of wealth, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Arthur Weasley was born on ***6 February*** ***1950*** to ***Septimus*** and ***Cedrella Weasley*** (née ***Black***). Arthur had at least two brothers. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from ***1961*** to ***1968*** and was sorted into Gryffindor House. While at school, he met and began dating fellow Gryffindor Molly Prewett.

### First Wizarding War

Template:Dialogue a-b-a

 File:The Burrow.png  Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, Arthur and Molly married. Their marriage was rather rushed, as Lord Voldemort was gaining power during that time and the First Wizarding War began. They presumably took up residence at the Burrow, since at least ***1970***. The Burrow quickly became home to the Weasleys. Despite being poor, none of the family seemed ashamed of their home and it had a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. It was a welcoming place, and friends of the family were regular visitors.
Arthur and Molly were not members of the first Order of the Phoenix; it is unknown if he was otherwise involved in the war. However, Molly's brothers, ***Fabian*** and ***Gideon Prewett***, joined the Order, and were eventually killed by five Death Eaters, one of whom was ***Antonin Dolohov***. During the course of the war, Arthur and Molly had seven children: ***Bill*** in late ***1970***, Charlie in ***1972***, Percy in ***1976***, twins Fred and George in ***1978***, Ron in 1980, and Ginny in 1981. Molly had longed to have a daughter after having her first five sons, but had another son before finally having a daughter.

The war ended soon after Ginny's birth, but not before Molly's brothers ***Fabian*** and ***Gideon Prewett***, both Order members, were murdered by ***Death Eaters***. The Prewett brothers were ambushed by five Death Eaters and fought like "heroes". The family was upset when some Death Eaters, such as Lucius Malfoy, were able to get off scot-free by claiming that they had been under the Imperius Curse. Arthur believed they were lying, and he and Lucius were hostile towards one another whenever they crossed paths.

### Between the wars

> Another Weasley, eh? I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest.
>
> Rubeus Hagrid regarding Fred and George Weasley's tendency to get in trouble, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 File:Weasley family.png
The Weasleys have a long history of being Sorted into Gryffindor House. Molly and Arthur, along with their seven children, were all Sorted into the House. During their time at Hogwarts, all their first five children distinguished themselves. Bill was appointed Prefect in his ***fifth year*** and Head Boy in his ***seventh year*** and distinguished himself as a student, earning twelve ***O.W.L.s***. He later went on to be a ***Curse-Breaker*** for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Charlie also was a Prefect, and in addition he was Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was also an incredibly skilled ***Seeker*** (according to Oliver Wood, he could have played for the national team), and, according to Minerva McGonagall, the only person whose Quidditch skills were better than his was Harry Potter's. After Charlie graduated from Hogwarts, he moved to ***Romania*** and worked at the ***Romanian Dragon Sanctuary*** as a ***dragonologist***.

Percy was Prefect and Head Boy as well, and in addition a distinguished student (he earned top grades in his N.E.W.T.s). After Hogwarts, he went to work for the British Ministry of Magic. He worked briefly in the Department of International Magical Co-operation under Bartemius Crouch Senior. He would then became an junior assistant for Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.

Fred and George were on the Quidditch team as Beaters. According to Ron, they received good marks during their early years, but mostly they were well known for their creativity. During their Hogwarts years, they invented several items such as Canary Creams and Skiving Snackbox. The twin's Skiving Snackbox included Fainting Fancies, Fever Fudge, Nosebleed Nougat, and Puking Pastilles.

 File:B4C5M1 playing in the garden at the Burrow.png
Ron felt dismay at being the sixth Weasley child to pass through Hogwarts. A large part of Ron's worries were caused by the fact that so many of the earlier Weasley children had excelled in some way or other. Ron eventually became a Prefect and a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, as did Ginny.

The Weasleys also became close to Harry Potter and the Muggle-born witch Hermione Granger, both Ron's best friends. Harry became an unofficial member of the family, receiving traditional Weasley jumpers and was even gifted with ***Fabian Prewett***'s watch when he turned seventeen. Molly was frequently as protective of him, as she was of her own children. Molly's Boggart was the corpses of her children as well as Harry. Later in life, both Harry and Hermione officially became members of the family, when he married Ginny and she married Ron sometime after the Second Wizarding War.

### Second Wizarding War

> My whole family are blood traitors! That's as bad as Muggle-borns to Death Eaters!
>
> Ron Weasley regarding how Death Eaters viewed his family, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

 File:Dumbledore's Army.jpg
The Weasleys' views led to their support to the Order of the Phoenix and ***Dumbledore's Army*** during the Second Wizarding War. In ***1995***, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George joined Dumbledore's Army, a student organisation thought and led by Harry. This group's goal was to arm students with defencive magic, so they would have a means of protecting themselves. The Weasley siblings were some of the D.A.s most loyal members. Dumbledore's Army was a highly important organisation that played an instrumental part in the war.

 File:B6C6M1 inside Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.jpg
In ***1996***, Ron and Ginny both fought in the ***Battle of the Department of Mysteries***, receiving minor injuries for their efforts. This battle was a major conflict that had lasting repercussions. During the same year, Fred and George openedWeasleys' Wizard Wheezes at ***93 Diagon Alley***. The shop was highly profitable and the twins were "*ranking in the **galleons***". Some of the items they sold were ones they perfected during the time at Hogwarts.

In ***1997***, Bill, Ron, and Ginny also fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. They battled Death Eaters who gained entrance to Hogwarts through a Vanishing Cabinet. During the battle, Bill was savaged by Fenrir Greyback. He was not turned into a werewolf, but he did develop some wolfish tendencies such as a liking for very rare steaks. Ron and Ginny, however, escaped the battle unscathed. This lack of injuries was due (in part) to the Felix Felicis Harry had given them prior to the battle. The Weasleys also attended the ***funeral of Albus Dumbledore***.

 File:B7C4M1 Seven Potters depart.png
Also in 1997, Arthur, Bill, Fred, George, and Ron all fought in the Battle of the Seven Potters. During the battle, George's ear was cut off from Dark Magic, with Severus Snape mistakenly severing George's ear with *Sectumsempra*. Bill also witnessed the death of ***Alastor Moody*** at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Bill married ***Fleur Delacour*** on ***1 August*** 1997 in the back garden of ***The Burrow***. Ginny was a bridesmaid and Charlie the best man. The wedding was disrupted by the arrival of ***Death Eaters*** following the ***fall*** of the ***British Ministry of Magic***. The remaining Weasleys were harshly interrogated about the location of Harry Potter.

Arthur also participated in covert missions, such as guarding the prophecy regarding Harry on Dumbledore's orders. Bill also took a desk job at Gringotts in an attempt to persuade goblins to the Order of the Phoenix's side. In addition, Charlie worked as a recruiter. He spend much of his time trying to convince foreign wizards to join the fight against Voldemort, operating out of ***Romania***. The Weasleys also opened their home to the Order, The Burrow replaced ***12 Grimmauld Place*** as headquarters.

Ginny (along with ***Luna Lovegood*** and Neville Longbottom) became co-leader of the D.A., and rebelled against the Death Eaters that controlled Hogwarts. At one point during her ***sixth year***, she and several other students tried stealing the Sword of Gryffindor. During the height of the latter conflict, the Weasleys were placed under surveillance by the Voldemort-controlled Ministry because they had been in close contact with Harry. The family eventually had to go into hiding in order to protect themselves. Fred and George participated in ***Potterwatch***, a radio programme designed to raise moral in the fight against Voldemort and lend support to Harry.

 File:Orderbattle.jpg
In ***1998***, the Weasleys took part in the ***Battle of Hogwarts***. During the second half of the battle, Arthur and Percy duelled and defeated ***Pius Thicknesse***. Ginny, Hermione, and Luna dulled ***Bellatrix Lestrange***. Molly killed Bellatrix after she almost murdered Ginny. Charlie arrived toward the end of the battle alongside ***Horace Slughorn***. He and Horace led hundreds of reinforcements consisting of the residents of Hogsmeade and the friends and family of all the Hogwarts students who had chosen to stay and fight Voldemort and his Death Eater army. These reinforcements changed the tide of the battle in the favour of the defenders of Hogwarts. During the battle, Fred was killed in an explosion, deeply upsetting the rest of the family. George never got over his death and lamented the death of his twin for the rest of his life.

### After the war

> Wherever there is a red head one may make an educated guess that it belongs to a Weasley, but it is difficult to tell whether it is George (wealthy co-manager of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes), Charlie (dragon wrangler, still unmarried — why?) or Percy (Head of the Department of Magical Transportation — it's his fault if the Floo Network's too busy!). The only one who is easy to recognise is Bill who, poor man, is grievously scarred from an encounter with a werewolf and yet somehow (enchantment? Love Potion? Blackmail? Kidnap?) married the undeniably beautiful (though doubtless empty-headed) Fleur Delacour.
>
> *DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY REUNITES AT QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP FINAL*, Pottermore

 File:Epilogue scene family gathering.png
The family's financial status likely changed with the great commercial success of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and the successful careers of various family members. By the twenty-first century, many Weasleys and their relatives worked for the Ministry of Magic, including Arthur, Percy, Ron, and their in-laws, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. The Weasley family also saw an expansion, as Molly and Arthur's children started having kids of their own.

Bill continued his work as a ***Curse Breaker***. Charlie remained unmarried and proceeded to study dragons. Percy eventually became Head of the ***Department of Magical Transportation***. George remained at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and would never recover from the loss of his twin. Ron became an Auror after the war and retired after two years in order to join George at the shop. Ginny became a Chaser for the ***Holyhead Harpies***. She eventually retired in order to start a family with Harry and became a sports editor and Quidditch correspondent for the *Daily Prophet*.

## Family members

### Main family

Arthur Weasley, one of three sons of ***Septimus*** and ***Cedrella Weasley***,, met Molly Prewett while they attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the ***1960s***. They married soon after finishing school and went on to have seven children, whom they loved but did not spoil. All of those who were of age, except Percy, eventually became members of the reinstated Order of the Phoenix.

## Etymology

* There appears to be a pattern in the Weasley family of members having names that may possibly allude to figures in medieval history and Arthurian legend:
	+ Arthur Weasley, shares a given name with Template:Wplink, the central character of Arthurian legends.
	+ The eldest son, ***Bill***, has the same given name as William Marshal. Between the mid 12th and early 13th centuries, this knight rose from obscurity by serving four Plantagenet kings of England (Henry II, Richard I, John and Henry III), and eventually became Regent of England. At times, he is referred to as "the Flower of Chivalry." In Template:DH, Bill marries ***Fleur Delacour***, whose name translates as "flower of the court".
	+ Charles Weasley's name may be a reference to Template:Wplink.
	+ Fred Weasley's name is a diminutive of the name Frederick, which may be an allusion to Frederick Barbarossa. Frederick was an Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, served in both the Second and Third Crusades. His nickname, Barbarossa, means "red beard."
	+ George Weasley's name may be a reference to St George.
	+ Percy Weasley's name is a diminutive of the name *Template:Wplink*, which was the name of one of Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.
	+ Ron Weasley connects into this pattern of medieval and Arthurian naming in three ways:
		- Firstly, he shares his name with King Arthur's spear Rhongomyniad, which Template:Wplink called "Ron."
		- If one were to take the name Ronald and switch the "n" and "l," they would have Template:Wplink. Historically Roland was a military leader under Charlemagne and was responsible for defending the Frankish Kingdom's border with Brittany. Brittany is considered a potential place of origin for many of the Arthurian legends. Later, he became the subject of a chanson de geste, which is considered one of the earliest pieces of French literature, and was popular throughout the medieval era.
		- The name Ronald is derived from an Old Norse name that was a cognate of the name Reginald. This connection is supported when Ron uses Polyjuice Potion to masquerade as ***Reginald Cattermole*** while ***infiltrating the Ministry of Magic*** in Template:DH. During 12th century, there were two Reginalds that this cognitive naming may be an allusion to:
			* Template:Wplink was a monk who chronicled the life of Saint Godric of Finchale, who shares a given name with Godric Gryffindor, founder of Gryffindor House.
			* Template:Wplink (Raynald is also a cognate of Reginald), served in the Second Crusade and ruled as Template:Wplink until he was captured and executed by Saladin. While discussing the Deathly Hallows with Harry and Hermione, Ron states that he favours the Elder Wand, whose original wielder was ***Antioch Peverell***.
	+ Ginny Weasley's full name is *Template:Wplink*, the Italian form of the name Template:Wplink, who was Arthur's queen.
	+ Also, ***Muriel*** had a cousin named ***Lancelot***, who was one of Arthur's knights, though it should be noted that Muriel is only related to the Weasleys by the marriage of her niece Molly.

## Author's comments

* ***J. K. Rowling*** has said that unlike with many other characters, Ron Weasley's name always remained the same in various drafts of the series. She has remarked that the surname *Weasley* is derived from the Template:Wplink, which is also Arthur Weasley's Patronus. About the family's name and characteristic red hair, she commented:

*"In Britain and Ireland 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. There are also many superstitions associated with redheaded people and most state that they are in some way unlucky (Judas Escariot was supposedly red-haired), but this is nonsense; I happen to like red hair as well as weasels."*
## Behind the scenes

* In the *Harry Potter* film adaptations, the Weasleys are portrayed by:
	+ ***Mark Williams***, who portrays Arthur Weasley in all film adaptations except *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, in which Arthur does not appear.
	+ ***Julie Walters***, who portrays Molly Weasley in all film adaptations except ***Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire***, in which Molly does not appear.
	+ ***Richard Fish*** and ***Domhnall Gleeson***, who both portray ***Bill Weasley***. Fish portrayed him in Template:POA, in the family photo of their trip to Egypt. Gleeson portrays Bill in the film adaptation of Template:DH.
	+ ***Alex Crockford***, who portrayed Charles Weasley in the ***film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*** in the Weasley family photo on holiday in Egypt. A young man who appears to be Charlie is seen beside ***Nymphadora Tonks*** in the wedding scene in Template:DH.
	+ ***Chris Rankin*** who portrays Percy Weasley, did not appear in ***Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*** or ***Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince***.
	+ ***James and Oliver Phelps***, who portray Fred and George respectively in all film adaptations.
	+ ***Rupert Grint***, who portrays Ron Weasley in all film adaptations.
	+ ***Bonnie Wright***, who portrays Ginny Weasley in all film adaptations.
* Hermione Granger's Patronus is an otter, which is in the same family as the weasel, *Mustelidae*. This, as well as the fact that the Weasleys live in ***Ottery St Catchpole***, may have foreshadowed her marriage into the family.
	+ Her nephew ***Albus Potter*** owns a pet ferret, which is also in the same family as the weasel.
* Weasley sounds like weaver, convenient considering that Mrs Weasley loves to knit, or at least charm her needles to do it for her.
* The only sons of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley that do not have any known children are Fred Weasley and Charles Weasley, the former because of his death and the latter because he is much more interested in studying dragons.
* The Weasleys own a ***tractor***.
* Harry Potter has saved several lives of members of the Weasley family, something Arthur and Molly gratefully pointed out, and believed it was lucky that Ron chose to sit in the same cabin on their first day at the Hogwarts Express.
	+ He destroyed Tom Riddle's diary before Ginny had her life force drained away.
	+ He saw Arthur being attacked by Nagini and reported it in time to save him.
	+ He gave Ron a ***Bezoar*** when he was poisoned.
	+ He shielded Molly when Voldemort turned on her after she killed ***Bellatrix Lestrange*** in the ***Battle of Hogwarts***.
* Long before Harry and Ginny's marriage, the Weasleys and Potters were already related, through the marriages of ***Dorea*** and ***Cedrella Black***, both first cousins born into the ***House of Black***, to ***Charlus Potter*** and ***Septimus Weasley*** respectively, making the latter cousins-in-law. Only the union between Dorea and Charlus, however, was accepted by the Blacks, while Cedrella faced repudiation from the family, a contradiction in terms considering that both the Potters and the Weasleys were once considered blood traitors alike.
	+ Therefore, Cedrella's three sons with Septimus, most notably Arthur Weasley himself, and Dorea's son with Charlus, are second cousins.
* Along with the ***Muggle*** ***Granger family***, the Weasleys are also related to the ***Muggle*** ***Evans family*** and the ***Muggle*** ***Dursley family***. They are related to the Evans and Dursleys through Harry Potter, who married Ginny.
* The only children who may call the Weasleys their "maternal family" are the children of Ginny: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.
* It is possible that ***Victoire Weasley***, Bill and Fleur's daughter, might marry ***Teddy Lupin***, making the Weasleys related to the ***Lupin family*** in two ways: from the marriage of Victoire and from sharing distant ancestry through the ***Black family***.
* J.K. Rowling said in an interview that Molly Weasley educated her children in the basics (reading, maths, spelling, grammar, etc.) before they went to Hogwarts.
* If the young man seen beside Tonks in the ***wedding*** scene in Template:DH is in fact Charlie, that would mean that this is the second film (along with ***Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban***) in which all nine Weasleys appear.
* The blood status of Percy's wife, Audrey (maiden name also unknown) and George's wife (Angelina Johnson) are unconfirmed; however, unless at least one was a pure-blood (it seems more likely, that at least Percy would "continue the tradition"), the pure-blood status of the Weasley Family would have ended with Molly and Arthur's children, since Bill married Fleur (1/4 Veela), Ron married Hermione (Muggle-born), and Ginny married Harry (Half-blood).
* The oldest child, Bill has his father's first name, Arthur, as his middle name and the youngest child, Ginny, has her mother's first name, Molly, as her middle name.
* Orange hair was considered a sign of witchcraft in medieval times.
* According to houseofnames.com, the Weasley family originally hailed from Normandy in ***France***. This would make the Weasley family potentially *older* than even the ***House of Black***, as the Blacks are French in origin, dating back to High Medieval times while the invasion by William the Conqueror is *early* Medieval (1066 AD).

## Appearances

* Template:PS Template:1st
* Template:COS
* Template:POA
* Template:GOF
* Template:OOTP
* Template:HBP
* Template:DH
* Template:DH
* Template:DH
* Template:FB Template:Mention
* Template:QTA Template:Mention
* Template:PM
* Template:WW
* Template:TCG
* Template:QWC
* Template:HPK
* Template:HPV
* Template:HPV
* Template:HM
* Template:WU
* Template:PAS
* Template:MA
* Template:HL

## Notes and references

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ Template:PM
2. ↑ ***Black family tree***
3. ↑ Template:COS
4. ↑ Template:PS
5. ↑ Template:COS
6. ↑ Some Random Facts About the Weasley Family J.K. Rowling's Website
7. ↑ Mugglenet - JKR Birthday Archive
8. ↑ Template:PM - Explore the story: Arthur Weasley
9. ↑ Although it has never been confirmed that Septimus and Cedrella are Arthur's parents, this can be inferred based on Sirius Black's statement in Template:OOTP that Arthur was "something like [his] second cousin once removed." The ***Black family tree*** establishes Cedrella as a first cousin once removed of both ***Orion*** and ***Walburga Black***, Sirius's parents. Thus, any children she had would be their second cousins, and second cousins once removed of their sons Sirius and Regulus. Also, almost all of Sirius's relatives can be seen on the Black family tree because both his parents were born into the House of Black, making it unlikely that he could be related to Arthur in a way not shown. See also this talk page and an HPL essay for more information.
10. ↑ Template:HBP
11. ↑ Template:OOTP
12. ↑ Template:OOTP
13. ↑ Template:DH
14. ↑ Template:DH
15. ↑ J.K. Rowling's U.S. Book Tour
16. ↑ Although it has never been confirmed that Septimus and Cedrella are Arthur's parents, this can be inferred based on Sirius Black's statement in Template:OOTP that Arthur waste "something like [his] second cousin once removed". The ***Black family tree*** establishes Cedrella as a first cousin once removed of both ***Orion*** and ***Walburga Black***, Sirius's parents. Thus, any children she had would be their second cousins, and second cousins once removed of their sons Sirius and Regulus. Also, almost all of Sirius's relatives can be seen on the Black family tree because both his parents were born into the House of Black, making it unlikely that he could be related to Arthur in a way not shown. See also this talk page and an HPL essay for more information.
17. ↑ The name "Hector Weasley" only appeared in a preview of Template:HL and his character was later replaced by ***Hector Jenkins***. The canonicity of this character is therefore questionable if not entirely dismissable.
18. ↑ Pottermore - New Cursed Child character portraits of Ron, Hermione and Rose Granger-Weasley
19. ↑ *Pottermore* states that she was "technically Mrs Weasley's great aunt".
20. ↑ "Extra Stuff: The Weasley Family" at Template:JKRS
21. ↑ See this image
22. ↑ Beyond Hogwarts - J.K. Rowling gives revealing answers in World Book Day chat

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