[HPforGrownups] Saving every Sickle (Was: Percy and the Weasleys' finances)

[Patricia Bullington-McGuire]

No: HPFGUIDX 59256

On Tue, 3 Jun 2003, Susanne wrote:

> For some reason I have a hard time believing there are no
> "newer style" used dress robes available at all, maybe just
> not in maroon.

I don't have trouble believeing that at all.  Dress robes are not
something Hogwarts usually requires of its students.  Therefore, there
won't be the kind of market in second-hand student-sized dress robes that
there apparently is for everyday robes.  And very few adults would sell
off their dress robes -- they're not going to outgrow them, so they are
only likely to get rid of them if they are very worn (and probably not
suitable for continued use) or out of fashion, like the robes Ron ended up
with.

Really, how much of a market is there for used tuxedos or prom gowns?  
That's essentially what the dress robes are.  While it's not impossible in
our world to find a used tux or prom dress, the selection is very limited
and finding a current style in your size that suits your body and
complexion is a tricky business.  That's what Molly had to try to do for
*four* kids, none of whom were with her to give their opinions or try on
the robes to see how they look.

----
Patricia Bullington-McGuire	<patricia at obscure.org>

The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered
three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the
purely hypothetical.  They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each
nonexisted in an entirely different way ... 
                -- Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"