| William Bannister | |
|---|---|
|
Species |
Anthrozil |
|
Parents |
Clefspeare/Jared Bannister, Marilyn Bannister |
|
Spouse |
Bonnie Silver |
|
Anthrozil Traits |
Fire breathing and danger sensing |
|
Children |
Karen Bannister, Charles Bannister |
|
Actor |
Alex Randazzo |
William "Billy" Bannister is the protagonist of the Dragons in our Midst series, and also acts as a main character in Oracles of Fire, though his parts in Eye of the Oracle and Enoch's Ghost were minimal. Gifted with
the dragon trait of fire breathing and the ability to sense danger as it approaches, Billy wields the sword Excalibur, throughout the Dragons in our Midst series, but passes it to his good friend Walter Foley for most of the books in the next series. Billy loses his dragon traits in the end of Tears of a Dragon, but regains them in The Last
of the Nephilim.
Billy from the cover of 'Raising Dragons'
Billy has brown hair and hazel eyes and owns a cat named Gandalf. He enjoys drawing, and has sold some of his artwork for as much as $50. He donates any money gained from his artwork to the local animal shelter, using only just enough to buy new art supplies when needed. He mostly draws exaggerated caricatures, but can draw a serious portrait with an equal amount of skill.
Family[]
He is an only child, the son of Jared (formerly the dragon Clefspeare) and Marilyn Bannister. His paternal grandparents are the dragons Goliath and Roxil; his other grandfather is (ironically) Palin, squire to the dragon slayer Devin, and the one who killed Goliath.
Introduction to the series[]
In Raising Dragons, Billy is introduced as a young teenager with no knowledge of his draconic heritage, but experiencing strange phenomena: his breath is unusually hot, and he feels odd whenever something dangerous is about to happen. He accidentally overhears his parents discussing the change in their son's behavior, and learns that he is a half-breed dragon—the son of the dragon-turned-human Clefspeare, now Jared Bannister—and he has earned some traits from the dragon side of his family. He realizes he can breathe fire when he accidentally sets off a heat-sensing sprinkler system, nearly flooding a school bathroom, and soon his father reveals all to him.
His father, has kept his past secret in the hope that the corrupt knight, Devin, a dragon slayer, would never find him. He tells Billy that there are misled men who still believe dragons to be evil creatures and wish to destroy them all, and so Jared and all the other dragon-humans must stay in hiding.
One day, a new girl arrives at his school, and Billy's principal, Dr. Edward Whittier, begins acting suspicious. When he harasses the new girl, Bonnie, Billy rushes to help and burns one of his principal's cronies, only to discover the girl missing and her normally ever-present backpack lying on the ground, open and empty. Dr. Whittier turns on Billy, but suddenly Billy finds himself soaring through the air and looks up to see Bonnie holding him. When they land on Mount Hardin, Bonnie reveals that she, too, is part dragon, and her main dragon trait is a large pair of wings which she'd been hiding in her backpack. Then she tells him that Devin, alias Dr. Whittier, is one of the dragon slayers, and that he must know about both of them by now.
They return to find the school in a panic. Most of the adults have some to pick up their children after a "bat creature" (Bonnie) was seen carrying a boy (Billy) through the sky. Billy takes Bonnie to his home, where he introduces her to his mother and warns her of the slayer. His father is still at work, so Billy instructs Walter Foley to give him a message when he returns: "A dark knight is coming quickly". The message is greeted with confusion by both receiving parties, but Walter faithfully carries out his task, and soon Jared joins Billy, Bonnie, and Marilyn at the airport.
They all escape in a plane, only to find that Devin has stowed away. He shoots and mortally wounds Jared, but Billy and Marilyn escape. Billy finds out some time later that his Dad has been transformed back into his true form: Clefspeare the dragon. Billy continues on to discover his calling as the "dragon savior" in the series, learning about sacrifice, loyalty, and courage in his pursuit of following God. He is the chosen wielder of Excalibur. Professor Charles Hamilton is a beloved mentor of Billy's, referring to him as "William". Billy remains close friends with Walter and is looked to as a leader by many of the dragons and their human allies. He becomes very close to Bonnie, and marries her in the end of the final book of Oracles of Fire, The Bones of Makaidos . They have two twin children in the epilogue, Karen, and Charles. These two are separated from their parents and know nothing about them in the next book, The Song of the Ovulum' (Children of the Bard )
Movie[]
Movie In a low-budget film of Raising Dragons made by Christian Friends Productions, William 'Billy' Bannister is played by actor Alex Randazzo.
This is Alex Randazzo and Rebecca Nelsen, who plays Bonnie. Alex was one of the main reasons she got her part.