More much ado about money and those damn robes

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 59589

To respond, paraphrasing, to a bunch of the other comments on this 
money/Molly/Ron issue.

Why didn't Molly pull Ron aside?

For the first time in years, she's got a full house again, with Bill 
and Charlie back, and plus she's got two other house guests in Harry 
and Hermione. That's a lot of laundry, cleaning and cooking.

Plus, she's got three other of her own children, and Harry and 
Hermione to shop for, organize clothes, and get packed, not to 
mention try to get some time with her husband, who's working late 
hours, and maybe get -- GASP! -- a minute to herself.

So, I think maybe her thinking that Ron didn't need nursemaiding 
through the robes crisis can be forgiven, don't you?

Why didn't she fix the lace?

There has been speculation as to Molly and Arthur's ages, but perhaps 
she didn't grasp how out-of-date they were. We don't know what 
Arthur's robes look like.

Or perhaps she meant to, but didn't get around to it, what with other 
things going on. And then Ron threw the attitude at her, and she 
said, essentially, "You know, I'm sick and tired of how ungrateful 
this little brat is, whining about how everything he owns is rubbish, 
so let him fix his own damn robes."

Perfect? Not at all, but completely understandable.

What about the other kids?

We see Ginny stoically repairing a book, where Ron blew his new book 
money on dungbombs. We see Ron whining about rubbish and George 
expressing concern about how his parents will pay for all the 
Lockhart books. We see Percy somehow managing to become Head Boy and 
get top honors on used books and materials.

Far as I can tell, although the other kids certainly are faced with 
the poverty, and deal with it in different ways -- Percy by working 
that much harder (and arguably, Bill too); Fred and George by 
becoming class clowns and trying to earn their own money and Ginny by 
trying to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of insecurity -- Ron is 
the one who deals with it like a whining goof.

And no, I don't find it endearing. Fred and George and their humor in 
the face of it is endearing. Ron is just whiny. Cynicism without the 
benefit of experience is just a bad attitude.

What is this all setting up?

I think, and have always thought, that Our Boy Ron is going to face a 
serious fork in his road. Some people have targeted Percy as the weak 
link in the chain, but when the chips are down, I think Percy will 
land on the right side.

I see Ron facing a serious temptation in his life and it could bode 
badly if he chooses wrong.

Or, what could it be setting up...

Well, since Hermione is destined to become the Headmistress of 
Hogwarts, maybe Ron, who is destined to have a job with the Quidditch 
Federation, will just have to learn to have a wife that makes more 
than him.

Darrin
-- Would LOVE to have a wife that makes more than me.