OOP: The Inheritance?

[jsmithqwert]

No: HPFGUIDX 65896

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" <Zarleycat at a...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "rowena_grunnionffitch" 
> <rowena_grunnionffitch at y...> wrote:
> >    Okay, here's a possibility. Assuming Medieval style 
inheritance 
> > laws and further assuming that Sirius, as a convicted traitor, 
> > was 'attainted' ans so incapable of inheriting then the Black 
House 
> > and fortune should have been divided among the heirs general - to 
> > wit: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa. The Black house may have 
> been 
> > empty for ten years, since Mrs. Black's death, and the gold 
> untouched 
> > in the Gringott's vault because of quarrelling by the heirs. 
> 
> I'm confused about this on two points. 
> 1. I'm not convinced anyone has been labeled a "traitor" in the 
eyes 
> of the law, medieval or otherwise.  Sure, Mrs. Black sees Sirius as 
a 
> traitor to his heritage, but that's not the same thing as a court 
> defining someone as a traitor.  The only crime people use when 
> referring to what Sirius was convicted for is "murder."
> 
> 2. If, indeed, Sirius did not inherit, and the inheritance is being 
> contested by the various members of the clan, then how could Sirius 
> offer it to Dumbledore as a Headquarters for the Order?
> 
> Marianne, wondering where all the lawyers are...

I believe that the WW, while highly traditional (i.e. most mothers 
are "homemakers"), that tradition is not necessarily 
institutionalized (i.e. Tonks, a female, can be an Auror/a secret 
agent, which is traditional _not_ a female occupation and Mrs. Black 
inherited her husbunds fortune, his family did not).  Traditionalism 
(a word?), in a sense is self-imposed, not legally imposed.  Within 
the generally medieval, but gender-neutral socio-political construct 
of the WW, inheritance should pass to the closest living relative 
regardless of the deceassed's (spelling?) intent.  Hence, despite the 
late Mrs. Black's misgivings, all of her possessions (Grimauld Place, 
the Black Fortune, Kreature, etc. . .) passed to Sirius, her son.   
Now that Sirius has left no descendents, The fortune sould pass, in 
turn, to his siblings or his mother's siblings.  Sirius has no extent 
siblings, so we turn to his mother's siblings. Note that when Mr. 
Black died, his possessions passed to Mrs. Black and his family, 
therefore, should receive none of the Black estate.  The HP Lexicon 
(a wonderful resource, www.hp-lexicon.org)  shows that cannon 
indicates only one sibling of Mrs. Black, Molly Weasley, who is, 
therefore, the closest living relative. It seems unusual that JK 
Rowling would delve into such depth about the black family relations 
if she did not intend to link the Weasleys to Mrs. Black.  I predict, 
therefore, that given our current understanding of the WW and the 
Black family tree, that the totality of the Black estate will pass to 
Molly Weasly and, by extension, her family.  This fits not only the 
cannonically factual information that we have, but also my belief 
that JKR wants (finally) to reward the Weasley family for their 
goodness.  I can think of no one who deserves the fortune more, and 
awarding the inheretence to the Weasleys sould help alleviate many of 
the problems that pang that wonderful family.