Percy and the Weasleys' finances

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 59045

Eric writes:

> Although it would be _nice_ if Percy were to contribute to the Weasley 
> family finances, what makes you think they'd accept it from him?
> 
And what makes you think that Percy can afford it anyway? The boy is in his 
*first* job. And that job is in the "executive fast-tack". Now, that level of 
job is a cut above most school-leaver's first jobs, and it does pay better than 
the general run of them, but not that much better, and it's also one with a 
*high* overhead in presenting the right appearance and meeting others' social 
expectations, and he comes from a family who isn't able to speed him on his way 
in any material sense at all.   It's all got to come out of his salary, and 
it all has to be done at once. If he contributes to the family grocery fund 
(and I suspect that he does, at least to some extent, so long as he is actually 
living at home) every additional knut has three places to go between dressing 
the part, joining in "power lunches" with the Ministry higher-ups and all the 
other such hidden costs of his position. He's not even taking his girlfriend 
out to Diagon Alley these days, and probably because he can't afford it.

It wasn't until his promotion to Crouch's personal assistant around Christmas 
time that he had a bit more of the ready and was able to invest in some 
formal robes (which, in the executive fast-track are a business expense -- we're 
not talking about flipping burgers here) and possibly contribute a bit more to 
the family coffers -- which Ron and Harry would know nothing about since they 
were at school and it's hardly the sort of thing that Molly would make a point 
of writing to tell Ron about (although she may concievably have tweaked the 
twins' noses with it -- and Ron was back with Harry by then and wouldn't have 
heard of it that way, either). By the end of the school year it has all come 
crashing down about him and his salary has probably been set back to where it was 
originally.

And the kid isn't even 20 yet and has no experience in managing money (when 
has he ever had any?), he's probably barely keeping his head above water.

-JOdel


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