Generosity

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 56302

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Dan "Danger Mouse" 
<dangermousehq at h...> wrote:

> this post made me wonder why McGonagall would drop a huge amount of 
> money on a new racing broom for Harry 

We don't KNOW that McGonagall paid for the Nimbus 2000. She may have 
gotten Dumbledore's permission to pay for it with money from Harry's 
vault (I'm sure that the wizarding world considers Dumbledore to be 
more of a responsible guardian for Harry and not the Dursleys). 

Someone on the list (sorry, I don't remember who) once suggested that 
Hogwarts pays for the first Quidditch broomstick for each student who 
gets on their House team, and buys them the best broomstick currently 
available to the general public. But if they break that first 
broomstick and need to replace, or just want to upgrade to the Nimbus 
2001, then they have to pay for it themselves or get a rich alum to 
buy it for them.

If McGonagall DID pay for the Nimbus 2000, she had the selfish motive
of wanting HER team to win. It was as much for the team as for Harry. 
And she seems to me to be much more inclined to do something extra 
for Harry, whom she pities for being an orphan, than for Ron, who has 
perfectly good parents of his own. 

> but not a couple Galleons on a new wand for Ron. She's certainly
> not obligated, IMO, it's just strange is all.

IIRC in the book, it seems like none of the professors commented 
on Ron's broken wand. It has been suggested on list (I would give 
proper credits but my memory has failed me) that they are trying to 
teach Ron the lesson that he has to ASK for help. He could ask his 
parents or his older brother Bill or his friend Harry, or if he 
asked McGonagall, there might be a fund available for buying 
replacement wands for students who broke theirs.

> And what about Harry, with his vaultful of Galleons? 

Harry knows how touchy Ron is about money and accepting gifts (as 
shown in the scene you quote) and he has trouble figuring out how to 
give Ron anything except on the appointed occasions of birthday and 
Christmas. He can't give Ron a wand for Christmas because Christmas 
presents have to be a surprise, while wands have to be fitted to the 
wizard. If he thought of giving Ron a Gift Certificate from 
Ollivander's, he probably rejected the idea because how could Ron 
get to Ollivander's? They're only second-years and have to stay on 
campus.