random ramblings before my "sabbatical"

[Vicki Merriman]

No: HPFGUIDX 235

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, heidi <heidi.h.tandy.c92 at a...> 
wrote:
> 
> > ReinaKata02 at y... wrote:
> >
> >> wizard money (book 2, I think), then can Harry do the opposite 
and > >> have some spending money for his time at the Dursley's?

> I more or less concluded that if he came home from school with any
> money, the durselys would assume one of 3 things: (a) he had a 
magical > way to turn paper into money, (b) he stole it (as IF!), or 
(c) he really > did have some inheretence from his parents, as 
Petunia had suspected, > and now he was going to give them access to 
it darnit! > None of which could lead to good results

I never thought it that way, but you're right.  The Dursley's would 
see any money as suspicious.  I was with the group who thought that 
he could surely exchange a little to have some Muggle pocket money.

However, now Harry is old enough that he could again get some money 
exchanged, if only to buy some muggle clothes that fit.  he could say 
that his godfather, Sirius Black, the notorious murderer, had given 
him the money.  Or, if he didn't want to lie, he could still say that 
he got it from a friend in the wizarding world (after all, his 
parents would have been friendly if they had lived.)

  JKR said that his clothes were all hand me downs from Dudley.  Now 
if that were really true, then he'd have had trouble keeping them 
on.    I know!  Harry got very good at shrinking charms his first 
year and has been using them to good effect ever since.  :-)

However, Harry could explain away small amounts of muggle money, and 
he could keep it hidden in his Hogwarts trunk where the Dursley's 
would never go looking.  Its time for him to exchange from at 
Gringotts and have a little pocket money.  Not enough to rouse their 
suspicions, but just a little.

Vicki