The eldest of the seven Weasley siblings, Bill Weasley is known as the most successful member of his family in Harry Potter -- at least until Ron becomes a war hero, and Fred and George open their own prank shop. Bill doesn't appear much in the books, and even less in the movie, but he is a crucial member of the Order of the Phoenix. His wedding with Fleur provided some of the most important events of Deathly Hallows. Bill shows up to help in the Battle of the Astronomy, but he's attacked by Fenrir Greyback and half-turned into a werewolf. During Deathly Hallows, Harry spends time in Bill and Fleur's home, Shell Cottage, after being kidnapped and attacked by Death Eaters in Malfoy's Manor.

Like every member of the Weasley family, Bill went to Hogwarts and was in the Gryffindor house. He had a perfect academic history and became Prefect in his fifth year and Head Boy in his seventh. While Bill Weasley is generally considered a hero and a lovable character, fans have realized that he might not be as amazing as everyone thought. Soon after he graduated from Hogwarts, Bill pursued what is now considered a questionable career. In the magical world there are several possible career paths, such as healer, auror, teacher, and many positions in the Ministry of Magic. Bill, nevertheless, chose to become a Curse-Breaker for Gringott's Wizarding Bank, which, in retrospect, is a pretty controversial profession. Since the Harry Potter series has already been criticized for its lack of diversity and racism, fans find it hard to forgive these sorts of details.

What Is Bill Weasley's Job?

• The only bank for wizards in Britain, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, is an institution owned and regulated by goblins, and it has been open since 1974.
• Gringotts also served as the place for muggle-borns to exchange muggle money for wizard money, and likely the other way around.
• Gringotts is located in Diagon Alley, and it has a lot of space underground.

In the Harry Potter series, Bill Weasley works for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. When Harry first hears about Ron's older brother, Bill is working as a Curse-Breaker in Egypt for the magical bank. In fact, during the summer before Harry's third year at Hogwarts, the whole Weasley family goes to Egypt to visit the eldest son. Very little is known about Bill's job, but presumably, he is in charge of breaking curses on Egyptian tombs. When Ron tells Harry about his trip, he says that Fred and George tried to leave Percy enclosed in a tomb.

When Lord Voldemort returns to power, however, Bill goes back to England and asks Gringotts for a desk job. He's not very pleased about this, as apparently, he misses the more exciting nature of breaking curses, according to Fred in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. However, thanks to Bill's temporary desk job at Gringotts in England, he meets his future wife, Fleur Delacour. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Bill likely returned to his previous job as a Curse-Breaker since it was a profession that he loved so much.

Bill Weasley's Job Continues a Problematic History of English Colonialism

• Egyptian wizards and witches attended the only magical school in Africa, Uagadou School of Magic, located in the Mountains of the Moon, in Uganda.
• Uagadou is the biggest school for wizards and witches in the wizarding world.

Bill Weasley isn't all people thought he was. When Harry Potter readers found out about Bill's job when they were children, they didn't think much about it. However, years later, Bill's job as a Curse-Breaker in Egypt for an English bank raises a lot of eyebrows. Bill's work, essentially, consists of making it easier for Gringotts to pillage Egyptian tombs and, presumably, use the archeological and cultural content for profit. Bill isn't working for an institution that is planning to use the contents of the tombs for academic research or to honor Egyptian culture. He works for a banking institution, one that's particularly known for its shady and greedy ways.

Great Britain is known for its imperialist years, where the British Empire colonized other cultures, including many African and South Asian territories, as well as North America. England stole artifacts from these countries, many of which are still in one of England's most iconic museums, the British Museum. For years now, several countries, including Egypt, have demanded that the British Museum and other European institutions repatriate the ancient artifacts that they acquired via illegal means. For many of these countries, England and other European countries displaying these artifacts erases the violent history of colonialism between the British Empire and the many territories it oppressed. Not only that, but it deprives the righteous owners of their own cultural heritage.

In light of this sociopolitical discussion, it's hard to like Bill Weasley knowing what kind of work he does for England. In this situation, Bill is an agent of imperialism and colonialism, desecrating Egyptian tombs for his own personal gain. It was incredibly tone-deaf of J.K. Rowling to create this career path for a likable character, taking into account England's complicated history of imperialism and the many wounds that are still open thanks to the violence and oppression countries like Egypt suffered for centuries.

Hopefully, The New Harry Potter Series Will Give Bill a Redemption Arc

• The new Harry Potter series will be released on HBO and might be released in 2026.
• The series is already in pre-production and will have a budget as large as HBO's most successful TV series, Game of Thrones.

What makes the situation even worse is that Bill had the option to work in other areas of Gringotts, as it was very easy for him to simply ask for a desk job when he needed it. In fact, taking into account Bill's academic record, he could likely work in any area of the wizarding world. However, he finds it exciting to break into Egyptian tombs and apparently feels zero shame about it.

Many people think perhaps Gringotts is an international bank and Bill is simply doing some work for the Egyptian government. However, one dialogue in the book proves otherwise. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Mrs. Weasley criticizes Bill's earring, wondering what they will say at his job, Bill replies that "no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure." This makes it pretty clear that Bill goes into Egyptian tombs to get as much treasure as he can carry back to England.

On the other hand, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron mentions that one of the tombs had "all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who’d broken in and grown extra heads and stuff." In this sense, Bill taking down these curses may help muggles who might become victims of ancient magic. So perhaps there is still hope for the eldest Weasley. Even though it is problematic, Bill's job is but a minimal part of his character development. The character is considered one of Harry Potter's most heroic characters for fighting alongside the Order of the Phoenix. He takes a stance against Voldemort's fascism and protects both wizards and muggles.

The new Harry Potter TV series, set to be released on HBO, could give Bill's character a redemption arc. The show could delve into Bill's job as he realizes how harmful it is and decides to step aside, or perhaps only do it as a way to protect people, without taking treasure. In this way, Bill could continue to be one of people's favorite characters in Harry Potter, while the series discusses important themes of colonialism and imperialism.