Malfoy Money---A Thought

[meira_q]

No: HPFGUIDX 47369

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Eric Oppen" <oppen at m...> wrote: 
> This is something that just occured to me. 
> How do we _know_ that the Malfoys have gobs and gobs o'money?  It 
could be that one reason that darling Drakie didn't go to Durmstrang 
is that Hogwarts wouldn't charge fees for his tuition, while 
Durmstrang _would._ 

My opinion: 

We do not know for certain that the Malfoys have "gobs and gobs 
o'money". 
Lucius and Narcissa strike me as not being perhaps the "perfect" 
parents, but I think they want their son to recieve the best 
education he cat get, and if they have to chose between Durmstrang 
and Hogwarts, I think they would chose Hogwarts for a few reasons: 
from what I understand about Durmstrang, they emphasize the Dark Arts 
far more than any other subject, and if indeed Draco's parents care 
for him as far as educating the sole heir (unless JKR has been 
leaving out some *major* facts about the Malfoy family *g*) for his 
role in life, then they would want him to have as broad an education 
and learning as possible. 

There is no evidence in canon about Hogwarts charging fees to study 
there, but I do not think that this is the reason why Draco goes 
there and not to Durmstrang. 

> Owning Malfoy Manor doesn't mean much---many very old families 
had/have ancestral estates that are "entailed," meaning they can't be 
sold out of the family by wastrel descendants.  And even buying those 
brooms might not mean that the Malfoys have a lot of money.  If one 
of the things they _do_ have is part-ownership of the broom 
manufactory (broomery?) Malfoy Sr. might have been able to swing the 
new brooms as part of his perqs, instead of paying cash. 

ummm, just a thought, but having a part-ownership of a broom 
manufactury would make them very rich indeed, if we take into account 
the price of the Firebolt, for example (we do not know the actual 
price, but I assume it to be extremely expensive), and assuming that 
flying on broomsitcks is one of the major ways of transportation, as 
well as a very important part of Quidditch. So, if their wealth is 
not "old" and hereditary, then it at least comes from this factory. 
I do not think that Lucius would so readily give away 7 perfectly 
good and new Nimbus 2001's just so his son can be in the Quidditch 
team, if all they had is a part-ownership of said factory. 

> Draco's eagle-owl might be like Malfoy Manor---"in the family," but 
not bought new.  And if they do have a house-elf or two, we know that 
house-elves don't need to be paid, and they could be inherited, the 
way Winky was. 

> Even if the Malfoys _are_ well-off, compared to the Weasleys, that 
doesn't mean that they weren't a lot richer in the past.  The Malfoys 
we know might well not be short of the readies, but _feel_ horribly 
pinched compared to their ancestors. 

This might be possible, but I still think that they are swimming in 
gobs and gobs of money. 
*thinks of Draco's high-quality school robes, for example* 

> This gives us a reason why they'd follow Voldemort---if Lord V. 
promised Lucius a return to Those Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear, and 
to restore the Malfoy fortune to what it was in those times, a Lucius 
Malfoy who had been brooding about his family's (relative) fall from 
fortune might well listen. 

Although they are filthy rich, I don't think that money is the 
primary reason why they would choose to follow Voldie. 

Besides, if they indeed are loaded, it would give a nice touch 
of "Narcissa married Lucius just because of his fortune" ;-)

Meira