We all know that certain wizarding families gain infamy through their actions or political standing. As a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families in Britain, one of these notable families is the Weasleys. Of course, the Weasley family deplores being clumped together within the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and due to their pro-Muggle and Muggleborn stance (as well as their lack of wealth), they have since been labelled as "blood traitors" by several other families within the Sacred Twenty-Eight. In fact, upon her marriage to Septimius Weasley, Cedrella Black was disowned from her own family! However, one thing the Weasleys have that not many other pure-bloods have is their ability to have multiple children. For several generations, however, these children were only boys. It was not until the birth of Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley that this trend was broken. It would be the next generation (Arthur and Molly's grandchildren) that would see the trend reversed, as there is currently a greater number of daughters than sons.
While we here in Britain are more familiar with the five youngest siblings of Arthur and Molly Weasley (Percy, Fred, George, Ronald, and Ginny), it is the two oldest that caught my attention. William "Bill" Weasley is currently employed by Gringotts in their Curse-Breaking department, and Charles "Charlie" Weasley is a Dragon Handler at the Romania Dragon Preserve. Wanting to know more about these two Weasleys in particular, especially since they are the only ones currently working internationally, I took it upon myself to track them down.
While Bill does currently live in Britain with his wife and children, Gringotts still sends him to Egypt at times for work on the tombs and pyramids there. It was in Egypt's Valley of the Kings that I managed to track him down thanks to an inquiry with Gringotts. The goblin escorting me to meet with Bill, Ironcleaver, was willing to answer a few questions about Bill while we waited for him to finish up for the day. I asked him what his impression of Bill was.
"Weasley isn't too bad," Ironcleaver stated as we sat at a table within a tent on-site. "Better than some humans who take up curse-breaking. An eye for detail, he has, and respect for goblins that more should have." Well, that certainly seems to be a glowing endorsement from the goblin! It was not too long after that, and a short description of what tomb they were currently looking into, that Bill appeared. After exchanging pleasant greetings and explaining why I was there, Bill seemed slightly sheepish.
"Never thought my family or I would be important enough to keep being featured in the Prophet," he stated before answering my question on what drew him to curse-breaking. "I've always loved the thrill that curse-breaking offers. From the research into any unique spells or the history behind something to being in front of the object and trying to take down this … complicated and intricate ward, even when you know one wrong move might end up costing you something. It's exciting, and I definitely love putting the pieces together and feel extremely accomplished when it works out." This, of course, led to some stories about when it did not work out. Bill did grimace and say that he hopes his mother (Molly) remembers that he is still alive and she has grandchildren when she ends up reading this edition.
On Egypt, Bill says that even with the heat permeating everything, he enjoys everything the country has to offer. From the cities to the tombs, there is something there for everyone and he would highly recommend it as a place to visit. "Especially if you enjoy history," he laughed as he got up from the table to head back to the tomb. "Definitely worth it to see some of the tombs that are open to visitors!"
Unfortunately, I did not have the time on this trip to take in the sights (or the tombs, even with one being so close!) as I was off to Romania to meet up with Charlie. Thankfully, he was easy to find at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary as he was the one to meet me at the gate! After introductions and a short walk to the visitor's centre where we sat for our interview, I asked what it was about dragons that captured his interest. Laughing, Charlie rubbed the back of his neck as he took a moment to think how to respond.
"I don't think there was one specific thing. Bill always teases me about trying to turn the family pets into dragons before Hogwarts. They just … always held a fascination, and I had always wanted one as a pet. Tried talking Dad into one and only ended up with a poster to hang on my wall with the quote 'Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709'." A blush rose before he shifted position and continued. "I mean, they are majestic creatures, you know? Powerful ones, too, who deserve the respect that gives them. And I've always loved the outdoors, so really … between those two? It wasn't a difficult decision to make, really."
Yes, I am quite aware of how majestic the dragons are as I love dragons as well. Talking back and forth, Charlie said that the most difficult part was actually leaving home and trying to cook. "I was terrible. Swear that I rivalled the Horntail for how far my oven shot fire the first time I used it." Laughing at the memory, Charlie went on to say that the only thing that saved him was his mother, Molly, sending several packages that had pre-made meals in it. "Couldn't really harm them, could I? All they needed was a Heating Charm and they were ready. And no one beats Mum's cooking."
Right then, a roar tore through the visitor's center and Charlie perked up. Offering to bring me along to see what was happening as long as I stayed by him, I leapt on the chance. As we hurried out of the center and over to one of the pens, Charlie said that there was an injured Longhorn that they had been keeping an eye on as it looked like she was pregnant. Approaching the pen behind Charlie, I was amazed at the size of the dragon up close! It is certainly breath-taking, and pictures definitely do not do the appropriate justice to these magnificent creatures! Charlie and the other Dragon Handlers certainly had everything under control as they helped the Longhorn to deliver her clutch of eggs.
Sadly, it was time for me to leave. Charlie did offer an extended visit and tour of the Sanctuary in the future, and I am definitely going to take him up on that! I have vacation time, and I really do not mind using it for a stay at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary! Once back on British soil, the journey to Egypt and Romania to chat with the two eldest Weasley siblings just did not seem to last long enough. I am glad that I got to meet and talk with them both, as they certainly live up to the image we have of the Weasleys … even being abroad. Until next time, darling readers.