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Fred Weasley: "...before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party. He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run on to the dance floor, hoist up his robes and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his –"
Hermione Granger: "Yes, he sounds a real charmer."
Fred Weasley on his uncle Bilius[src]

Bilius (surname Weasley or Prewett) was a pure-blood wizard and a brother of either Arthur Weasley or Molly Weasley, making him the uncle of their seven children. A lifelong bachelor, he was fun-loving and lively, but was prone to eccentric behaviour.[2] He reportedly died twenty-four hours after seeing a Grim.[3]

Biography[]

Bilius was a brother of either Arthur Weasley or Molly Weasley and an uncle to the couple's seven children, as well as the namesake for the youngest son, Ronald Bilius Weasley.

Bilius never married and presumably had no children.[2] According to his nephews, Fred and George Weasley, he was always a joker, and was fun to have at weddings and parties. On more than one occasion, he was said to have consumed an entire bottle of firewhisky and then run to the dance floor, where he lifted his robes and began to pull bouquets of flowers out of an alarming part of his body.[2]

Bilius was said to have gone "loopy" towards the end of his life.[2] According to his nephew Ron, he died twenty-four hours after having seen a Grim sometime in or prior to September 1993.[3]

Etymology[]

"Bilious" is the adjective for "bile", a yellowish-green secretion of the liver. The word "bilious" goes back to the old belief that there were four bodily humours (black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood) and these four humours determined a person's temperament. "Bilious" was the personality type associated with an excess of yellow bile, and indicates a peevish, ill-natured disposition.[4]

Behind the scenes[]

  • It is often presumed that Bilius was Arthur Weasley's brother, as J. K. Rowling revealed that Arthur was "one of three brothers,"[5] but did not give the names of the other two brothers. However, it is still possible that Bilius was a brother of Molly Weasley, as although Rowling has confirmed that Fabian and Gideon Prewett were Molly's brothers,[6] she has not stated that they were Molly's only brothers.
    • Bilius could also be a great-uncle or a more distant one of the Weasley siblings, as the terms uncle and aunt are often used interchangeably to refer not only to the siblings of either parent, but also to those of one of a person's grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etcetera. This is evident, for example, in the case of Sirius, who simplistically referred to his great-great-grand-aunt Elladora Black as his "Dear Aunt Elladora" when explaining his relationship to her to Harry.
  • Bilius seemed prone to outrageous behaviour, and is hinted to have been an alcoholic.
  • If Bilius was the brother of Molly, then he would distantly link to the House of Black, for Molly's aunt by marriage is Lucretia Prewett. If he was the brother of Arthur, he would be closer, as his possible (and Arthur's) mother would be Cedrella Weasley.
  • In the Weasley family tree published on Pottermore, Bilius appears on Arthur's side, just as the vast majority of Molly's known relatives appear on Molly's side, which could reinforce the idea that Bilius is an uncle to the Weasley siblings on the paternal side.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Fred and George know of his death, as does Ron, meaning that he died some time after Ron, at least, was born and was deceased by 1993 for Ron, Fred and George to tell the story.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 8 (The Wedding)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 6 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
  4. MedicineNet.com
  5. Weasley family trivia on J.K. Rowling Official Site
  6. Gideon and Fabian Prewett on J.K. Rowling Official Site
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