Wizarding Professions

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 108464

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "starlandcolleen"
<colleengordon1 at m...> wrote:
> Carol <justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> 
> > If we take as canon that Harry heard James' voice in the
> > Boggart!Dementor scene with Lupin, then both Lily and James were 
> > at home in Godric's Hollow with baby Harry on Halloween--which 
> > they would not have been if one or both were teaching at Hogwarts.
> > 
> > Whatever they were doing, I don't think it involved teaching--or 
> > being an auror.


> Colleen:
> I have been thinking alot on this subject. What were their 
> occupations? And a larger question; what kinds of occupations do 
> wizards have if they don't work for Gringotts or the MoM or teach at 
> Hogwarts, etc... In the mentions of career counselling, it is all 
> magical work. Where do wizards buy their groceries? Are there 
> butchers, grocers, or farmers among them? Or do they trade with 
> muggles? If so, it must be through Gringott's. But what good would 
> wizard gold be to muggles? The only place I've ever heard of wizards 
> shopping is Diagon Alley. Where do they got their "regular" clothes 
> i.e. jeans. Just wondering.


Asian_lovr2:

To Carol's point, JKR has already said that James inherited enough
money that he didn't need a regular job. Once you have a pile of money
usually what you become is a 'businessman'; you invest in
opportunities as they come up. Example; you might help a merchant, say
the potions supply shop, purchase a large shipment. In return, for
using your money, the mechant would return your money plus give you a
percent of the profit. Typically, rich people like James or Lucius
make money off of 'investments', rather than a specific occupation or
paid labor. You know the old saying, it takes money to make money.

To Colleen's point, yes, indeed I think there is a full range of
businesses and occupations in the wizard world that parallel the
muggle world. There are wizard farmers, but they use spells and charms
instead of tractors and plows. There are magical butcher shops, and
bakeries, just as there are wizard ice cream shops, sidewalk cafes,
inns, pubs, clothing stores, joke shops, etc.... 

I believe that there are businesses that funnel goods and produce into
the wizard world from the muggle world. If I were a wizard who married
a muggle whose father happen to be a fresh produce broker, I would be
foolish if I didn't start a small neighborhood produce shop that was
actually a front business for diverting goods into the wizard world.

I don't see why there can't be muggle/magic owned businesses just as I
describe in a variety of product areas. However, I'm not saying it's
one or the other, magical farmer OR muggle/magic 'front' businesses. I
don't see any reason why their can't be both. As far as the money, we
already know the Gringott's exchanges currency just like any other bank. 

We know that the silver goblets that Sirius has in his house were the
finest Goblin wrought silver; common goods made by magical beings. So,
reasonable there must be common goods crafted by other magical people
using magical methods.

On the surface, we see what appears to be a limited number of jobs.
But, if we look below the surface, we see that for every surface job,
there are hundreds of job backing it up. Consider everything that
necessary to run Fortescue's ice cream parlor. First, he needs a
building, which in turn, needs things like floor tile, kitchen
fixtures, counter tops, paint, etc.... Once he has the store front, he
need to fill it with counters, tables, chairs, cold storage cupboards,
etc... Then he neeeds mixing bowls, spoons, forks, cups, bowls, cones,
fruit, fruit flavored and other flavoring syrups, chocolate, nuts,
cherries, cookies, etc.... All that has to come from somewhere and
there is no reason why it can't be made or sold by wizards.

Another good example, Fred and George's Joke shop; let's look down the
 road several years and assume the business is very successfull. Fred
and George aren't going to have time to make everything themselves.
So, the will have a whole factory full of people; probably several
factories. One that specializes in fireworks. In that factory, one
person will work on rockets, another on Cathrine wheels, another on
firecrackers, another on complex airborne displays. Just the fireworks
factory alone will probably have many many emplyoyees. Then the joke
part of the business. Some guy will sit on an assembly line all day
long enchanting trick wands, another guy will form the wands from
sticks of wood, etc... etc.... In another department, a whole crew of
people will make trick sweets. 

We already know there are Importers and Exporters, Ali Basheer wants
to start importing flying carpets. And, we can safely assume that a
full range of magical goods travel into and out of the country.

When you look deeper than the surface, you must see that there are
hundreds and hundreds of different jobs available in the wizard world.

Just a thought.

Steve/asian_lovr2