[HPforGrownups] Weasley Economics

[Carol Bainbridge]

No: HPFGUIDX 46327

Rita wrote:

>5) kids at Hogwarts may be very expensive but still it strikes me that
>things seem never to get better. As, even without being rich, my family has
>never had any serious financial problems I may be wrong, but it seems
>unrealistic to me that the Weasleys still can't get anything new!

I say:

I hadn't thought about the Weasley's financial status too much until the 
recent postings and this one finally made me think of something.  It does 
indeed seem unrealistic that the Weasleys still can't get anything 
new.  True they have 5 kids in Hogwarts, but they had at least 4 in at the 
same time before (I think), plus 2 at home.  That had to be rather 
expensive.  Now they have 5 at school, but 2 out on their own, and aside 
from the cost of the books and accessories, do we know what, if anything, 
Hogwarts costs?  What the tuition is?  In addition to that, Arthur surely 
doesn't have a minimum wage job.  He works at the Ministry of Magic and 
seems to have a fairly decent position there.  Even with a large family and 
a stay-at-home wife, it strikes me as unusual for them to be so very poor.

So my thought was -- what if there is some other reason the Weasley's have 
no money?  I have no idea what that reason might be, but maybe it's related 
to the last time Voldemort was around.  Could Arthur be in debt as a result 
of Voldemort's last reign of terror?  Or could Arthur be paying the bills 
of someone who was either destroyed or hurt by Voldemort?  Hospital bills, 
for instance?  Or could he be helping someone who is in hiding and wants to 
remain in hiding, just in case?  Or could he be contributing to some 
project?  It also makes me wonder then if Arthur's trip to Egypt was 
strictly for pleasure or if some business was involved.  Maybe he didn't 
even win the money for the trip.

Anyway, as I said, I have no idea what the reason might be that the 
Weasleys are so very poor, but I do wonder now if there IS some reason 
other than the obvious.