Ever since the ninety-second page of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, we’ve been accustomed to love our favorite wizard family, the Weasleys. We're all familiar with the humorous Fred and George, the valiant Ron, the ambitious Percy, and the lovable Ginny. But what about the others? As we know, the remaining two siblings are Charlie and Bill, Hogwarts graduates who have already moved on to jobs in life. But what exactly do we know about them, and what can they bring to the upcoming battle? A lot, and these two ‘wild cards’ could make the difference in the war.

Charlie is a very rough, callous guy. He works with dragons as a career, and is often far away in Romania. He was, and still is, a great Quidditch player and above average spell-caster. He has always been away in the background throughout the story, mainly used as an excuse to force Ron to stay at Hogwarts. But I’m sure that that’s not all he’s there for.

As the great war approaches, Charlie’s not going to stay in Romania. He’ll be coming back to Britain, where he will be put on the battlefield as one of Dumbledore’s strong men. But will he come alone? Doubt it. He can bring his associates that work with him, plus what he works on. Dragons. That’s right, "the most famous of magical beasts" (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) would be an extreme addition to Dumbledore’s Army. HBP’s climax could very well involve these magical beasts, and be the turning point in the battle. Imagine a scenario like in OotP, as Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Harry’s lot are all slowly losing to Voldemort’s army. All seems lost, when in swoops Charlie and company on all different sorts of dragons, immediately changing the outcome. Remember Norbert? Sweet remembrance. Norbert leads the dragons in this victory against Voldemort.

Then there’s the "cool" Weasley, Bill. Known for having long hair, Bill is a kind-hearted yet well-rounded guy who has his priorities in order. Both a Prefect and Head Boy, Bill led an excellent Hogwarts career and is an extremely high quality wizard. Gringott’s is the eldest Weasley’s home, which brings us to a pair of factors that can be controlled because of the bank, plus one more due to Bill’s personality.

The first factor is another creature, goblins. Known for having rioted several times in the history of magic, goblins can be seen as "discombobulators," like the Indians in the Seven Years War. Not on any particular side, goblins could decide the entire battle depending on who they pester more. But with Bill on Dumbledore's side, the goblins could be reasoned with and join the good side, a powerful weapon that could help greatly.

Then there’s the second factor, money. Whoever controls Gringott's controls all of the wizarding gold, which can be very persuasive. Not extreme, but enough to hire several people to go out and fight on the battlefield. Plus, you keep the dark side away from money, preventing Lucius Malfoy and all of the other slippery Death Eaters from using more than their own share of money to get out of sticky situations.

Lastly, Bill brings you an ally, France. Fleur Delacour should now be here to stay, as Bill is going out with her and teaching her "Eenglish." With Fleur comes Madam Maxime, and with Maxime comes Beauxbatons. With many more people on the good side, Dumbledore's army may greatly outnumber the Death Eaters and their allies. I’m sure France is right up there with Britain in wizardry, henceforth sending many powerful witches and wizards to the British army. A whole nation of several hundred people (possibly more) to add to the fray would be very important to the outcome of the war.

As you can see, the two eldest Weasley siblings have a lot to bring to the table. On the battlefield, they can certainly hold their own, but as described they control a lot more. Dragons, goblins, the wizard economy, and the aid of France should certainly be enough to tip the war in the good side’s favor. Although Harry must take on Voldemort alone, the help of friends will certainly not be a detraction. Two groups of magical beasts would certainly aid Dumbledore’s Army, and these two Weasleys will most likely no longer remain in the background.

12/24/04

Posted by: Sara