[HPforGrownups] Why are some poor, others rich in the WW?

[the firey chasm from whence it came]

No: HPFGUIDX 66715

At 05:04 AM 7/2/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>I've been curious about this for a while. If wizards and witches can
>conjure things into existence, why is anyone poor in the wizarding
>world?

I think the stuff that wizards and witches conjure out of thin air doesn't 
last, I think it disappears after a while. Kind of like leprechaun gold. ;) 
After all, if everything could just be conjured, then there'd be no need 
for house elves to cook food, right? But apparently, that food has to come 
from somewhere.

>  Why does Lupin have a tattered, patched robe? Why couldn't he
>conjure himself a new robe?

I have wondered why he could repair them by saying "reparo". But maybe that 
spell only works for things that have been broken or damaged, not stuff 
that's just worn out over time. You'll notice it's usually used for things 
that have been broken suddenly, but stuff does wear out, even in the WW.

>Why does Ron have to buy a used dress robe
>instead of having his parents create a new one for him?

Same thing...if it was conjured, it would go away after a while..and maybe 
not at the most convenient time!

>Why does Molly
>make Christmas sweaters? Why not create them magically?

She might well use magic to knit them faster, the way Hermione did in OOTP 
when she was making the hats for the house elves. You know, just bewitched 
the knitting needles to knit them really fast.

But in an overall answer to your question, I'd just say that I've read this 
theory (possibly on HP Lexicon, but I can't remember), that conjured stuff 
doesn't really last. So in order to have things, you do have to really 
"make" them in the WW.

~dream