Fred and George Weasley: Difference between revisions

Template:HP characterFred and George Weasley are fictional characters in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling.

Fictional character biography

Fred and George are the identical twin sons of Arthur and Molly Weasley, the younger brothers of Bill, Charlie and Percy, and the older brothers of Ron and Ginny, who are both members of Harry Potter's close group of friends. The twins revel in practical jokes and pranks and are generally considered amusing by both the books' characters and readers. Fittingly, they were born on April Fools Day - April 1 1978.

While their best friend is Lee Jordan — their classmate, dormmate and fellow prankster — the twins are also good friends with Harry, having played Quidditch with him for Gryffindor. In fact, they generally treat Harry better than they do Ron; they love to torment Ron and Percy (although the tormenting of Ron is a lot more benign) but are close with Ginny (who closely resembles them both in appearance and personality) and vice versa. Like the other Weasleys, they have flaming red hair and are described as being on the shorter, stockier side like their second older brother Charlie. They seem to be quite popular among the Gryffindors, as well as with students in other Houses and with some teachers.

In the film adaptations, Fred and George are played by real-life twins James and Oliver Phelps. While the Phelps twins are quite tall and lanky, the twins are described in the books as short and stocky. The actors are also not natural redheads and have their hair dyed for the films.

Role in the series

Fred (April 1, 1978 - June 1998) and George (born April 1, 1978) attended Hogwarts from 1989 to around springtime of the 1996 school year. They were the school clowns and troublemakers, more interested in inventing new pranks than studying, although they show a high degree of knowledge and skill in creating magical jokes and tricks. They are among the most popular characters with fans, and many of their jokes and pranks are legendary, both in the novels and in the real world. Fred, at times, appears to be the more dominant twin, but they generally work as a team. Both were the Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team — and were very talented players — before they were banned by Dolores Umbridge and consequently quit Hogwarts.

File:Weasleytwins.jpg

Phelps twins as Fred and George Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

They now own a joke shop in Diagon Alley. Fred and George care little for Prefects or rules. Their appearances and personalities are so indistinguishable that they can fool even their mother. Fred appears slightly more aggressive/take-charge than George, which is most apparent in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where George is more cautious about blackmailing Ludo Bagman and, unlike Fred, is not mentioned as having a date at the Yule Ball. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fred's date was Angelina Johnson. Fred is also seen to speak a lot more often than George.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fred and George begin selling their own jokes by mail order, under the name "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." They play a prank on Harry's first cousin, the fat, bullying Dudley Dursley by "accidentally" dropping a Ton Tongue Toffee — Dudley, a glutton on a forced diet, soon has a four-foot-long tongue protruding from his mouth. At the Quidditch World Cup they impress Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic, with their fake wands.

Their ambition in life has always been to run their own joke shop. Harry (who inherited more than enough money for his needs) makes this possible by giving them his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament.

File:Fred and george weasley hp.jpg

Phelps twins as Fred and George Weasley in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The pair provide Harry with useful assistance throughout the series; in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they and Ron help him escape his house arrest at Privet Drive, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they give him the Marauder's Map, and in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix they provide distractions so Harry can use the Floo system that is unmonitored in Dolores Umbridge's office. They were also members of Dumbledore's Army, a group started by Harry, Ron, and Hermione to teach practical instruction in Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Umbridge had removed from that course's curriculum.

Later that year, they are banned from Quidditch and decide to abandon formal education; they do not, however, leave before paying tribute to Dumbledore by waging a virtual war against the dictatorial Dolores Umbridge. Threatened with flogging for conjuring a "portable swamp" in a corridor, they depart on broomsticks, yelling to Peeves in the process, "Give her hell from us, Peeves." This is perhaps the only time in school history that Peeves does what a student tells him to do - saluting the twins, he proceeds to cause weeks of havoc, throwing the school into chaos (with the aid of students and some teachers) and generally making life miserable for Umbridge.

As they leave, the twins inform their fellow students of their new shop in Diagon Alley and offer discounts to students who will likewise harass Umbridge. The swamp, meanwhile, remains for some time, since Umbridge is unable to remove it and no other teacher particularly wishes to. After Professor Umbridge is driven from the school, Professor Flitwick removes it, but leaves a small bit as a tribute to the Weasley twins.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fred and George are members of the Order of the Phoenix and serve as two of Harry's six decoys when he escapes Privet Drive. George loses one of his ears when Snape's curse misfires. During the final battle, George, along with Lee Jordan, defeats Yaxley. Later on, Fred is killed by Death Eaters in the battle at Hogwarts near the end of the book, along with Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Colin Creevey. He died when a wall was blasted by Rookwood (the double agent death eater). Percy cradled Fred's body, which is described with laughter on his face as he was laughing with glee at Percy making a joke, protecting it from further harm. Fred was the only member of the Weasley family who died, though his death most likely helped to cement Percy's return to the family and played a factor in his mother's duel with Bellatrix Lestrange.

It is implied by several characters, including Professor Flitwick and Hermione Granger, that despite their poor grades and meager number of O.W.L.s, the Weasley twins are extremely proficient wizards, capable of sophisticated magic (such as spells for high-quality daydreams). This is evidenced by the large number of inventions they have created and by Fred's ability to transform Ron's teddy bear into a spider even before he had gone to and was old enough to attend Hogwarts.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

Main article: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

In The Half-Blood Prince, Fred and George continue to run their very successful joke shop out of Diagon Alley, with at least one employee. At the beginning of the school year, they have a large advertisement for a potion called "U-No-Poo," poking fun at the common euphemism of Lord Voldemort in the wizarding community. Their import item, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, plays a negative role in the Battle of Hogwarts in that book, when it is used by Draco Malfoy to escape the detection of former DA members. It is unclear if Fred and George have joined the Order of the Phoenix like they wished during the previous book, although their absence from the battle at Hogwarts suggests they have not. Their wares have twice been indirectly responsible for injuries suffered by their siblings: their Peruvian Darkness Powder allowed the werewolf Fenrir Greyback into Hogwarts, where he proceeded to savage Bill Weasley; and a love potion sold by them was ingested by Ron Weasley, requiring him to seek an antidote from the Potions Master, Professor Slughorn — who then accidentally poisoned him.

Though Mrs. Weasley initially disapproved of their enterprises, she realised they had a natural gift and passion for their business and has since raised no objections. In fact, she is now rather impressed with how successful the twins have become since leaving school. According to their proud younger brother Ron, "they're raking in the Galleons!"

They are also part-time companions to Harry and Ron. In Goblet of Fire, they try to encourage Harry and Ron to find dates to the Yule Ball by letting them see Fred ask Angelina Johnson. They also help Harry in Order of the Phoenix when Harry wishes to talk with his godfather, Sirius Black, by creating a distraction, leaving Hogwarts in a state of chaos.

Though they always seem to be berating and insulting their younger brother Ron, it seems that they are sometimes considerate to him. This is evident in Order of the Phoenix when they make an effort to not mock Ron for his poor performance at Quidditch, although they do nothing to support or encourage him either. However, in The Half-Blood Prince, they are visibly distressed when Ron is poisoned. This occurs on Ron's birthday, and the twins have arrived at school to surprise him, carrying enormous presents from their shop.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, every member of the Weasley family is being watched by the Ministry of Magic (now lead by Death Eaters). It is impossible for Fred and George to return to their shop in Diagon Alley to sell their products, so they begin to run another mail-order business out of their Auntie Muriel's house.

Personality

Throughout the series, the twins are portrayed as troublemakers. They break, or bend in their minds, the rules often, as in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when they wished to try out for the Triwizard Tournament, when they aged themselves a few months to get it. However, this did not work, and they were aged several years by a charm set by Albus Dumbledore, and had to be sent to the Hospital Wing and get treatment. This continued when they opened their shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Though they are jokers and troublemakers, they also seem to have a caring part in them, and a quality of friendship. This is shown when they give Harry the Marauder's Map, and when they care for Ron when he is poisoned. Also, in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, they are shown trying to cheer up a younger student who had recently come from a torture session with Umbridge, just before they decide to leave Hogwarts.

See also

• Weasley family
• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

External Links

Fred and George at the HP Lexicon