Weasleys and the Problem of Money

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48172

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "corinthum <kkearney at s...>"
<kkearney at s...> wrote:
> Darla wrote:
> 
> >  There's been something nagging at me about the Weasleys lack of 
> > money. If they are so hard up, as they appear to be on several 
> > occasions (i.e hand-me-down robes, shortage of family owls etc), 
> >why 
> > did they blow the money they won in PoA on a holiday abroad? 
> 
> I didn't see it as blowing the money on a just-for-fun vacation.  If 
> I remember correctly (sorry, no books at my disposal), they traveled 
> in order to see Bill, whom they hadn't see in two or three years.  
> Why waste the money on luxury items that the family has done 
> perfectly well without if they can see their oldest son, and get a 
> vacation in the process?
> 
> -Corinth

bboy_mn comments:

I'm inclinded to agree with Corinth, spending the money on a vaction
to visit their son and to give the kids an experience that they would
remember for a lifetime is hardly 'blowing it'. 

They Weasleys get by just fine on their adequate but modest income.
Many many people of all financial states would take a windfall like
this and spend it on something very special rather than factor it into
their, as I said, modest but adequate income.

They didn't just hold on to it and let in nickle and dime away until
it was gone, the did something which to them was spectacular. A once
in a lifetime opportunity to give their kids something big, special,
and memorable. It may not have been the most finacially sound choice,
but by much deeper more heartfelt standards I feel it was the better
choice.

Now a related but slightly different subject. As I have said many
times before, I think most people have misinterpreted the problems
between Ron and Harry in GoF and thier causes. 

Of course, Ron doesn't like to be poor, I've been poor, I am poor, and
believe me I don't like it, but that doesn't mean I'll rat out my
friends for money.

Through the first (approx) half of Gof, Ron PRIMARY problem is that he
felt betrayed by Harry, not jealous of his fame. The full discussion
and analysis of this starts at msg# 43801. 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/43801

It's true that Hermione said Ron was jealous, but the only
conversation where Ron gets to speak for himself reveals different
feeling if you analyse it objectively. It reveals that Ron felt like
his friendship had been betrayed. So, if the is foreshadowing, it will
be in Ron feeling deeply betrayed by Harry again, and these
circumstances will open Ron up to manipulation by other people. But I
don't think for a second that Ron will ever really truly go over to
the dark side. He will go through a period where his judgement may be
clouded by emotion, and there for easy to manipulate, but when it gets
right down to it, Ron will return to his true nature.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bboy_mn