Weasley holiday trips/Magically altering clothes [was: About Ron (not shipping)]

[blpurdom]

No: HPFGUIDX 34540

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lucky_kari" <lucky_kari at y...> wrote:
> As for the clothes, you may prefer spiffy new clothes to trips to 
> Egypt, but frankly, I don't. Having 8 children in the house means 
> that I've always worn hand-me-downs, and second-hand clothes. Like 
> Ron, it bothered me sometimes, but I completely approved of our 
> family's preference for taking long summer vacations to Alaska, 
> California, the Grand Canyon, Ontario etc. It's either new clothes 
> or good vacations in our house, and I vote heartily (with the 
> Weasleys) for vacations! 

Except that the Weasleys didn't pay for the trip to Egypt out of 
pocket; they won a contest.  Otherwise, we don't hear of any holiday 
trips taken, not even to visit relatives.  So the Weasleys are too 
poor both for new clothes for everyone AND holiday trips.  (And 
since you said you're the oldest of 8, I'm unclear about why the 
OLDEST child wore hand-me-downs; as the YOUNGEST of 5; it should be 
obvious why I wore hand-me-downs.)

> Magically altering robes does not, for some strange reason, work 
> in the Harry Potter world, in the same way that cosmetic surgery 
> doesn't seem to exist anywhere. I don't think JKR thought out that 
> one.

I do think you're right about the altering not working, but it's 
also consistent with many other things in the Potterverse.  
Polyjuice Potion lasts for only an hour.  Moody needs a prosthetic 
leg and eye (magic won't just miraculously replace the former body 
parts).  Magic isn't a cure-all for shabby clothes; you would 
probably need to continually reinforce the spell.  

OTOH, something JKR includes that actually contradicts this 
previously well-laid concept is what Barty Crouch, Jr. does to hide 
his father's body: he transfigures it into a large bone and buries 
it in Hagrid's garden.  Will the bone change back into the corpse at 
some point?  Will it be a bone forever, unless someone breaks the 
spell?  With this in mind, now one has to wonder why one can't put a 
fairly long-lasting transfiguration spell on any garment to give it 
any appearance one might wish.  THIS actually seems to be the bit 
that JKR didn't think out too well, rather than the earlier part.

--Barb
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HP_Psych
http://schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Barb