Ron, Harry, Molly, and MONEY

[Renee Daniels]

No: HPFGUIDX 59624

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" 
<catlady at w...> wrote:

Felinia Jesta Hijinx wrote:
<< 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. >>
 
To which Rita Prince Winston replied:
< 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. 

My Two Knuts:

Call me juvinile, but I think it really is a matter of pride and 
Harry's respect for Ron that keeps both of them from 
offering/accepting money. 

There is a certain pride of accompishment in making it by yourself. 
And there is a particular shame in not being able to make it by 
yourself. To accept monies as prizes or scholarships awarded for 
accomplishment is one thing, but to be given money because you are a 
nember of a minority or because you are poor just hurts. It implies 
that you are not good enough to make it without handouts. And what 
hurts even more is when you have to accept it, because its true. Yes, 
a poverty grant may 'give me the chances I deserve' but i'd much 
rather have the chances I've personaly made and earned. 

That's why I like and respect Harry for *not* practicing 'quiet 
charity.' It's impossible to reject charity from freinds, and despite 
(or maybe because) of their freindship it creates a feeling of 
indebtedness. Afterall, true freinds are equals.

Harry is inherently generous, and I think he'd give like mad if he 
thought it was really the right thing to do. But he doesn't. Droping 
Galleons around may be the easy way to solve Rons money problems, but 
it's not the best way. In the end Ron has to solve Ron's problems, 
and all Harry can do is help. 


In GoF Hermoine can accept the ominoculars as a spur-of-the-moment 
gift because she knows that had the situation been reversed she could 
have done the same (dentists tend to be pretty well off). Ron can't 
because he knows that he couldn't. Admittedly, Ron is overly money 
conscious, but in a way so are George and Fred, the only real 
difference is that Gred and Forge have direction. The 'charity' of 
1000 galleons to the twins isn't really charity IMHO, it's part 
guilt, part investment, part fortification against the future, and 
it's 5 years of b-day and christmas presents to the pair of nearly 
brothers who gave him the Maraurder's Map. They gave him freedom of 
Hogwarts and a peice of his Father, he gave them what they needed to 
build their dream. Equals, remember?

~Calimora (The Prideful Lurker)

*The bit with Ron and the dress robes isn't charity; it's self 
preservation.*