Hey everyone, welcome back to Harry Potter Theory. Don’t let their modest home fool you, because the Weasleys are one of the oldest and proudest wizarding families in Britain.
Through all the centuries of their existence, the honest bunch of do-gooders have racked up quite a number of interesting feats and facts.
1. Related to the Potters
The wizarding community in Great Britain is famously tiny. Although there are over two dozen pureblood families that populate the isle, and exponentially more half-blood ones, that still only amounts to a few thousand wizards and witches.
- Until recent times, even the most progressive wizarding families believed that purebloods should only marry purebloods.
- Many witches and wizards ended up marrying other magic users anyway.
- With so few families, it was only a matter of time before the Weasleys married into the Potter family, or vice versa.
Of course, eventually, Harry Potter and the Weasleys would become related by Harry’s marriage to Ginny. But according to the Black Family Tree, another Potter marriage, that predates Harry’s by several generations, meant that Harry was actually already related to the Weasleys.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, one of Harry’s distant ancestors, a wizard by the name of Charles Potter, married into the Black family and produced a child in the 1940s or 50s. Through the Black Family, Charles became distantly related to Sedrella Black, who was, of course, Arthur Weasley’s mother.
2. Related to Voldemort and Everyone Else
And, actually, Arthur Weasley’s mother, said Drella, meant that Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys were related to just about every other family in Britain.
- Through the years, the Blacks became famous for their lack of male descendants.
- Each generation seemed to be filled with more and more girls.
- Since the Blacks were infamously conservative, these young Black women seemed to only marry into other pure-blood families.
When Sedrella Black and Septimus Weasley wed, they produced three sons, one of which was Arthur Weasley. And through their father Arthur, Ron and his siblings were related to not just the Blacks and the Potters, but also the Longbottoms, the Malfoys, the Tonks, the Lupins, the Lestranges, and even the Riddles. Yes, that means Lord Voldemort.
3. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes
Even though Arthur and Molly were reportedly poor, their children went on to become quite successful. Each one became one of the top individuals in their fields, from Bill’s work as a curse-breaker to Charlie’s achievements as a dragonologist.
- The Weasleys succeeded wherever they went.
- One of the greatest Weasley successes was Fred and George’s shop, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.
- It was a magical joke shop that was so successful they eventually opened a storefront in Diagon Alley.
After the conclusion of the Second Wizarding War, this store produced enough income to not only lift George to the upper income brackets but the rest of his family as well. Of course, none of that would have been possible if Harry Potter hadn’t loaned them their initial seed money in the first place.
4. Sirius Black’s Disowned Cousin
Arthur Weasley’s mother, Cedrella, was actually disowned for marrying into the Weasley family. Even though they were one of the Sacred 28, their love for muggles was so severe that the head of the Black family couldn’t fathom allowing Weasley’s children to run through their halls.
- The Blacks outcast Cedrella.
- Although the alienation from her family no doubt hurt Arthur’s mother deeply, she seemed to live a happy, full life with her husband, Septimus Weasley.
5. Even More Weasleys
Now, we’re not one to trust gossip, but according to rumor, the Weasleys have always had a lot of kids. When compared to other wizarding families who averaged two to three children per marriage, Ron’s six siblings certainly seemed like a lot.
- This number wasn’t limited to Arthur and Molly’s union.
- The generations that preceded Arthur’s marriage were also rumored to produce a number of kids.
Although, by the time Harry and Hermione married into the family, the Weasleys seemed to conform to the rest of wizarding society, as they only had a few children each.
6. One Galleon
At one point, Arthur and Molly were rumored to be so poor that they only had a single Galleon within Gringotts Bank. Of course, this is probably just more gossip and bullying from the Malfoys, but there is an ounce of truth to it.
- Among the Sacred 28, the Weasleys were in a particularly tough economic situation.
- Arthur wasn’t given a chunk of the Black family’s wealth, and the Weasleys had only produced male descendants for generations.
- According to traditional, male-favored rules of inheritance, the Weasley sons likely had to divide and share the inheritance, reducing their family wealth each time.
Since Arthur Weasley took a job as a ministry worker, which didn’t really give him enough income to support seven children, it makes sense that the Weasleys struggled.
7. One of the Sacred 28
The Sacred 28 were the 28 remaining pure-blood families in Britain by the 1930s. As usual, the wizarding families of the time were overly concerned with the half-blood status of those around them.
- Most of the wizarding world in Britain was absolutely obsessed with pure-blood status.
- When sorting out suitors and upcoming marriages, parents would often refer to the list of the Sacred 28 in order to select an upstanding family for their child.
Interestingly, even though James Potter was supposedly pure-blood, the Potters weren’t included on this list because of their outspoken sympathy for muggles.
8. Blood Traitors
In fact, the Potters weren’t the only ones who bucked the trend of pure-blood obsession. Whenever the Weasleys were mentioned along with the other Sacred 28, they often publicly criticized the distinction.
- They would point out the many muggles who were rumored to be in their ancestry.
- Arthur Weasley was particularly proud of this.
- Due to their muggle sympathy, the Weasleys were considered blood traitors, a slur reserved for those who married non-magical humans or betrayed the belief of wizard supremacy.
9. The Great Wizarding War
Even though Arthur and Molly never joined the Order of the Phoenix, their lives were deeply impacted by the first wizarding war. During that time, they kept their heads down and focused on providing a safe home for their brand new family.
- Most immediately after getting married, the pair started to produce children.
- First was Bill, then Charlie, Percy, the twins, Ron, and of course Ginny. Bill was born in 1970 and Ginny was born in 1981.
- For 11 years, there was always at least one infant in the Weasley household, which must have been terrifying with Voldemort and his Death Eaters roaming around Britain.
Arthur Weasley was proudly sympathetic towards muggles, and it wouldn’t have been unusual for Voldemort to attack the Weasley family home for such a bold opinion.
10. Molly Weasley’s Brothers
Even though Arthur and Molly hid away during the First Wizarding War, the rest of their family wasn’t so lucky. During that time, two of Molly Weasley’s brothers, Fabian and Gideon, joined the Order of the Phoenix.
- They had some initial success fighting against Voldemort’s army of Death Eaters.
- Eventually, they were outmatched by a group of five dark wizards and were slain as a result.
- Their deaths occurred in the final year of the war, and the same year that Ginny Weasley was born.
Had they avoided conflict for just a while longer, and waited for Voldemort’s first death at the hands of Lily and Harry Potter, then Fabian and Gideon would have likely survived. But that wasn’t what fate had in store for them.
And there you have it: 10 shocking facts about the Weasley family. What do you think? Which was the most surprising for you? Was there anything you wish I added to the list? Let me know in the comments below.
