Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Bill Weasley

Overview
William "Bill" Arthur Weasley is the eldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley; he is two years older than Charlie, the second son. He is tall with long, red hair tied into a ponytail and a fang earring, both of which his mother disapproves of. At Hogwarts he was in Gryffindor House and Head Boy in his seventh year. After Hogwarts, Bill worked as a curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Egypt.

Bill Weasley's birthday is 29 November. His birth year is not given in the series, but internal evidence suggests 1971.

Philosopher's Stone
Bill is first mentioned to Harry Potter by Ron Weasley while they are journeying to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express. He is said to have been Head Boy while at school, and is now working for Gringotts in Egypt as a curse-breaker.

Chamber of Secrets
Bill continues to work at Gringotts Bank in Egypt.

Prisoner of Azkaban
The Weasley family visits Bill over the summer holidays in Egypt.

Goblet of Fire
Bill is waiting at the Weasleys' kitchen table when Harry arrives by Floo powder from the Dursleys'. This is our first time seeing him, dressed in his usual unconventional attire. Having only Percy as an example, Harry had expected Bill, a former Head Boy, to be somewhat stodgy; but Bill can only be described as cool.

Bill is home because Arthur Weasley has procured tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. He is attending with the family and Harry and Hermione, but rather than travel by Portkey with his father and the younger Weasley children, he instead Apparates to the campsite with Percy and Charlie. Bill apparently enjoyed the match, discussing it at some length with the others at their campsite later that evening. When a riot breaks out during the night, he, along with Charlie, Percy, and Arthur attempt to break it up before any Muggles are hurt, collecting himself an injury in the process.

In the following week, he is seen several times around the Weasley home, usually being nagged by his mother about his long hair and fang earring. When Amos Diggory calls Arthur about Mad-Eye Moody, Bill takes part in the conversation where we learn about Moody's history. Charlie and Bill accompany the family to the Hogwarts Express to see the children off, and Bill alludes to something mysterious happening soon at Hogwarts. Apparently Charlie and Mrs. Weasley also know about it, but say nothing, much to the annoyance of Harry, Ron, Fred, and George.

We next see Bill just before the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. As Harry's family has no interest in watching him compete in the Tournament, Bill and his mother have come in their place to cheer him on. Fleur Delacour, upon seeing Bill waiting for Harry, seems unbothered by the long hair or the fang earring. Harry spends the day touring Hogwarts with Mrs. Weasley and Bill, and listening to Mrs. Weasley's reminiscences about her Hogwarts days; Harry waves to Bill and Mrs. Weasley before entering the maze.

As Harry arrives in the hospital wing after Voldemort's return, Bill, along with Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione, is demanding that Madam Pomfrey tell them where Harry is. Everyone stays by Harry's bedside as he is given sleeping potion.

Bill is still present when Harry is awoken by Cornelius Fudge's arrival. After Fudge's departure, Professor Dumbledore tells Mrs. Weasley that he needs to send an urgent messenger to Arthur Weasley about what has happened, and to start gathering allies within the Ministry. Bill volunteers to carry the message to his father, and departs.

Order of the Phoenix
Bill is first seen when Harry arrives at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. When Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George head to the kitchen for dinner, Bill is there, cleaning up after the Order of the Phoenix's meeting.

During conversation before and over dinner, we learn that Bill no longer works as a curse-breaker and has taken a desk job at Gringotts so that he can be closer to home to work for the Order. He has also started giving Fleur Delacour lessons so that she can, "eemprove 'er Eeenglish".

At Christmas, when Arthur Weasley is attacked at the Ministry, he is taken to St. Mungo's Hospital. Molly Weasley stays until he is out of danger, then returns to Grimmauld Place to update everyone on his condition, and says that Bill is sitting with Arthur.

Half-Blood Prince
When Harry arrives at The Burrow after meeting Horace Slughorn, Fleur Delacour brings him his breakfast, during which she announces that she and Bill are engaged to be married the following summer. Ron, Hermione, and Harry agree with Ginny that Molly Weasley dragging Nymphadora Tonks under Bill's nose is unlikely to divert Bill's attention; Tonks also seems too depressed since the Battle at the Ministry to be interested in Bill. Bill is apparently living at The Burrow and is there for Harry's birthday. He mentions that Florean Fortescue has departed his ice cream store in Diagon Alley.

Bill, who works for Gringotts, retrieves some money for Harry from his vault, saying that due to tight security measures, it could take Harry several hours to get into Gringotts.

Bill and Fleur are at the Burrow at Christmas; Mrs. Weasley is mildly upset that Tonks, though invited, has chosen to stay away. She believes Bill's presence is keeping Tonks from spending Christmas with them.

Bill is present during the battle under the Astronomy Tower; he was evidently one of the Order members guarding Hogwarts while Albus Dumbledore was absent. Bill is viciously mauled by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Fortunately, as Fenrir was not transformed at the time, Bill did not become a werewolf, though Madam Pomfrey is unable to completely heal his face, and he remains permanently scarred. Molly Weasley believes Fleur will break the engagement, being he is no longer as handsome as he was. Fleur is indignant at this suggestion, proclaiming she is pretty enough for them both, and the wedding is still on. This declaration marks the beginning of Molly and Fleur's reconciliation.

Though there is fear that Fenrir's attack may have turned Bill into a werewolf, the only permanent damage he suffers is his scarred face and a new craving for very rare steaks.

Deathly Hallows
Bill begins the summer with a mission to help protect Harry. The protective charms at Number 4, Privet Drive end when Harry reaches his majority, so shortly before his birthday, the Order of the Phoenix gathers to transport Harry to a safe house. Seven groups will travel separately to one safe house, with six groups having a Harry Potter decoy and a protector, and one group with the real Harry and his protector, Hagrid. Polyjuice Potion is used to transform the decoys into Harry's likeness. Bill is a protector, while Fleur assumes Harry's identity. Though attacked by Death Eaters, they make it to their destination and from there to The Burrow.

Once there, Bill assists in tending to his brother George, whose ear was severed by Snape's Dark spell. After leading a moment of respect for the fallen Alastor Moody, Bill departs to help search for his body, though it is never found.

The day after Harry's birthday, Bill and Fleur Delacour are married. The celebration is interrupted by news arriving, via Patronus from Kingsley Shacklebolt, that the Ministry has fallen, and that Death Eaters are on their way to the Weasleys'.

When Ron becomes fed up with Harry's mission for Dumbledore, he leaves. He is unable to return to The Burrow, however, because his decoy (a ghoul disguised to look like him) is there, pretending to be Ron suffering from Spattergroit – or so the authorities would believe. Instead, he goes to Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur's seaside home, and spends Christmas there. On his return to Harry and Hermione, he tells them about Shell Cottage.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured by Snatchers and imprisoned in Malfoy Manor along with several others. Harry pleads for help from someone he sees in Sirius Black's magic mirror, and shortly is joined by Dobby. Needing a safe place to transport Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, and Ollivander, he remembers Ron telling him about Shell Cottage, and orders Dobby to take them there. Shortly afterwards, Ron, Hermione, Griphook, Harry, and Dobby follow; Dobby, mortally wounded by Bellatrix Lestrange, dies there, and Bill assists Harry in burying him near the cottage, and helps care for the recuperating Ollivander and Griphook.

Once Ollivander has recovered enough to travel, Bill takes him to Auntie Muriel's. Later, Bill is present when Remus Lupin arrives at Shell Cottage to announce the birth of his and Tonks' son, little Teddy Lupin. As that celebration is winding down, Bill cautions Harry about making any deals with Griphook. Goblins, he says, believe that ownership of Goblin-made items remains with them, regardless if a human paid for it. Goblins consider it a rental rather than purchase, and the goods should be return to the maker when the original "owner" dies.

Bill is present at the Battle of Hogwarts, he is among the last few arrivals through the tunnel from the Hog's Head, and is present when Percy arrives to reconcile with his family before joining the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

It is in this book that we learn that his name is actually William, rather than (as we might suppose) Bilius, apparently a favoured name among the Weasleys.

Strengths
Bill Weasley is a clever, powerful, and resourceful wizard. He is loyal to his family and to Harry Potter. He also belongs to the Order of the Phoenix and plays a significant role in the fight against Lord Voldemort.

Weaknesses
Though clever and laid back, Bill can be slightly foul mouthed, swearing in both Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Relationships with Other Characters
Bill met Fleur Delacour when he accompanied his mother to Hogwarts to support Harry Potter during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, in which she was also a Champion. Fleur was attracted to Bill immediately, eyeing him from a distance. Shortly after, Bill moved back to England to work for the Order of the Phoenix, taking a desk job at Gringotts. Fleur was working part-time at the bank, and the two began dating shortly after.

After a year together, Bill proposed, and Fleur accepted. His mother felt it was too soon for him to marry, and worried that he was only doing it in response to Lord Voldemort's return. In addition, Fleur's blunt personality, apparent self-centeredness, and tendency to speak her mind irritated both Molly and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley became convinced that their mutual feelings were based more on physical attraction, as well as the adventurous side each possessed &mdash; him as a Curse Breaker, and her as a Triwizard Champion. After Bill is attacked and disfigured by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, during the Battle Under the Astronomy Tower, Fleur showed her true feelings by declaring that she loved Bill no matter what he looked like, and by her insistence that she would tend his injuries. Her declaration convinced Mrs. Weasley that her son had made the right choice, and the two women finally put aside their differences.

Bill and Fleur married on August 1, 1997, and soon settled into Shell Cottage, near the sea. Following the war, Bill and Fleur had three children, Victoire, Dominique, and Louis Weasley.