Hermione's career / Harry's career / Ron, Harry, Molly, and MONEY / Owl

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 59596

Darrin wrote:

<< since Hermione is destined to become the Headmistress of Hogwarts, 
>>

No, Hermione (if she lives) is going to become the first Muggle-born 
Minister of Magic, one of those crusading liberal politicians from a 
previous lifetime. HARRY (if he lives) might well become Headmaster 
of Hogwarts, after being Professor of DADA, after being an Auror or 
such, after being a Quidditch star.

RhianynTheCat (whose name I love) meowed: 

<< Sorry if I'm bringing up a topic that's alread been discussed, 
but does anyone else feel that Ron's preoccupation with appearances, 
with money (and the difference between his financial situation and 
Harry's) is foreshadowing to him being tempted in some way to      
unwittingly betray Harry? >>

Some people have suggested that before, also that Ron's desire for 
glory and his envy of Harry's glory shown by the GoF squabble could 
be set up for that purpose, also that Ron's difficulty in shaking off 
the Imperius Charm from fake!Moody's class could be set up for that 
purpose. 

I cannot believe that RON would EVER betray Harry (or any friend, or 
the good side) for mere MONEY -- even if that attitude is a piece of 
money-obsession. I've trying to think up a scheme where money could 
be the bait to lure Ron into betraying Harry, and all I can think of 
is schemes for money to lure him into being captured so that Harry 
feels the need to rescue him. 

As for glory, some listie (I can't remember who) posted a long 
essay proving that Ron's snit was NOT envious or jealous, but 
emotionally hurt by Harry having (he believed) *lied* to him (about 
whether he'd put his name into the Goblet himself), thus betraying 
their friendship, so that the snit was actually a sign of how *much* 
Ron values loyalty.

Susanne siskiou wrote:

<< It seems, Molly should involve all her kids a bit more in 
housework. It couldn't hurt to have them make their own sandwiches 
for the train ride to Hogwarts... >>

Felinia Jesta Hijinx replied:

<<I think that's a good point...unless Molly had bitter experience 
with Fred and George making everyone tadpole & cheese sandwiches in 
the past... >>

I was thinking of Molly having in the past had to do the band-aid 
spell, wash her children, and clean her kitchen, after Fred and 
George had used the family sandwich-making 'quality time' to levitate 
the knives out of people's hands, then drop then, levitate the peanut 
butter out of the jar and into someone's hair, etc.

Fred Waldrop wrote:

<< Why didn't she show Ron the robe in private so NEITHER would get 
embarressed? >>

It seems to me that Molly was too busy and *forgot*. It seems to me 
that it was a week (and the QWC riot scare) since she dumped each 
kid's parcels for the kid to take up to his or her roomm, before they 
got busy packing, which is when Ron finally unwrapped his parcels. 
Even if she had intended, while buying the controversial robes, to 
have a word with Ron about them, it went out of her head when she 
heard on the news that her whole family was endangered by rioting 
Death Eaters. 

Felinia Jesta Hijinx wrote:

<< Aunt Petunia (who evidently doesn't have an outside the home job 
either, yet almost no one comments on that! ;-)) >>

But we *know* how she spends her days -- watching the neighbors for 
gossip and watching the TV shows that report on the Joneses with whom 
the Dursleys are trying to keep up. Fixing that fancy meal for the 
Masons probably took all day, too.
 
<< I'd love to see one brief expository scene wherein Ron and Harry 
have a heart to heart that's open and direct about money - where Ron 
says he's always felt ashamed, etc., and Harry says that's okay in 
an embarrassed adolescent way - at least your family don't lock you 
under the stairs. I'd trade all my money to have my parents back. 
That sort of thing. Nothing too sloppy because they're adolescent 
males. :-) But just to put it out there. >>

I don't think that would work out very well. It sounds to me it that 
the next step is Ron's temper flaring up: it's not enough for you to 
always win everything, Harry Potter, you have to always have worse 
problems than anyone else, too.

<< Harry really *could* do more for the Weasleys if he put his mind 
to it. I find all this "pride" the embarrassing part, actually. He 
could send an occasional anonymous gift to one of the Weasleys, 
and opine that it must have come from Bill or Charlie; he could 
"accidently" spill a few Knuts or Sickles in Ron's room on one visit 
to be found on the next break. >>

Do you think Ron would have fallen for that? If he found money 
spilled on the floor of his room after Harry had been his guest 
there, he would have guessed it was Harry's and returned it to him, 
possibly with jabs about having so much money that one didn't notice 
some had gone missing. 

Where would Harry have learned about secret charity? Not in the 
Dursley home. I don't think from the kind of TV shows that Dursleys 
would watch. 

<< I'll grant you, he didn't get to pick out his own owl - but 
neither did Harry! Hedwig was a gift, and she's turned out cool. >>

We don't know that Harry didn't get to pick his own owl: 

<< Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had 
been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. 
Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast 
asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his 
thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. >>

Since Harry had been in the owl store with Hagrid, Hagrid might have 
asked him "Which one do you like?"