How wealthy is Harry Potter? (was Re: Ron's Jealousy of Harry...)

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 16633

Demelza quoted:

"No -- don't bother," said Ron, going red.  He was always touchy about the
fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had
much more money than he did."

Penny commented:

<<<[side note: Rita -- this is JKR referring to the Potter wealth as a
"small fortune" -- it seems you challenged last weekend that it might be a
large fortune.  All a matter of perspective, but JKR does describe it here
as a "small" fortune]>>>

Interesting.  Perhaps this is a problem with UK to US translation:  In
British English, "a small fortune" can, and usually does, mean a very large
fortune, not, as might be assumed, a modest fortune.   Admittedly, it's a
rather confusing use of the word "small," but it is an emphatic use, and I
think JKR intended that phrase to mean that Harry was left a massive amount
of money.

**
Oxford Encyclopedic Dictionary: -'small fortune'- [colloq] - great wealth; a
huge sum of money.
**

Neil
________________________________________

Flying Ford Anglia

"Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose,
was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint
of gold in his hand." ["The Quidditch World Cup", GoF]

Check out Very Frequently Asked Questions for everything
to do with this club:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/VFAQ.htm