[HPforGrownups] James Potter's profession?

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 68095

Innovan wrote -
 
The question still remains how James and Lily Potter amassed all that 
gold at Gringotts.
 
Definitely they both didn't go into government service, although one 
of the couple could have. James could have struck it big as a 
Quidditch player after Hogwarts. No confirm or deny so far, but you 
think ROn would have mentioned it first off.
 
We do know there was a joke business of "Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and 
Wormtail". Given the success of the Weasley Twins already, this seems 
the most likely so far.
 
But if that business was actually successful, why are today Sirius 
Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew all so poor, and the Potters 
the only one who made money?
 
Was Potter indispensable to the business' success and without him it 
failed after his murder? Did Potter graduate to creating more 
important magical artifacts leaving the partnership? Did product 
liability suits come up wiping the remaining owners out?
 
Me -

Personally I think James inherited all his money. In fact I'm fairly certain
JKR said that in an interview somewhere.

Secondly - I don't think there ever was any kind of joke business. They made
the map certainly, but that was for personal use. I don't think we have any
indiciation that they tried to sell stuff.

And thirdly the only one of the Marauders that we know is broke now is Remus
- probably due to not being able to get steady professional work because he
s a werewolf. Peter we know nothing about financially although I would have
thought that if he were rich he could have left the country rather than live
as a rat for twelve years. Then again it wouldn't have needed much in the
way of ingenuity to do so anyway so we can't be sure it was his finances
keeping him here. Sirius certainly ap[pears to have a large amount of money
in his own vault at Gringotts - he did after all buy Harry a brand new top
of the range broom (and I can only assume that Gringotts goblins make Swiss
bankers look positively loose-lipped in comparison since he managed to do
that without getting arrested) and he owns 12 Grimmauld Place too.

No I think we can safely say that two of the marauders came from wealthy
(pureblood?) families, one was either disowned or from an average financial
background (after all we only know that Remus is broke not that his family
was) and one we have no information on either way.

K