Wizard/Muggle Economies - was Wizard/Muggle money

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 109295

Michal:"In the books, the Grangers exchange Muggle money for Wizard
money, a service that would probably be unavailable unless wizards had
a use for Muggle money."

Well, there has to be that service for the Muggle families who have a
foot in the wizard world, like the Grangers and many others, but that
would leave the question of what Gringotts would do with the Muggle
money once it had it.

Michael:"So, I suspect that wizards do business with Muggles.
Individuals might go to the Gap or Penneys to get jeans (or flowered
nightgowns to wear at the World Cup). A shopkeeper might acquire
merchandise from Muggle wholesalers. A rich wizard might invest in
Muggle businesses. Of course, they'd have to behave properly,
following the secrecy rules set by the Ministry of Magic."

I agree with you, and it's almost got to be a source of the tension in
the wizard world between the "purebloods" and the others.  Hermione
isn't going to stop going to Marks & Spencer because she's a witch,
nor will the other kids in school from the Muggle world.  Next thing
you know, somebody's got on a great looking little item from a
fashionable Muggle shop, and other kids will see it and want it.

The rest flows from that, the investment and involvement with the
Muggle world. A lot of the purebloods must hate it.  Lucius probably
speaks out against it often - all the while plugging money into Muggle
investments.  

I can imagine Muggle goods brought into the wizard world and enchanted
- toasters that don't need plugged in and shirts that repel spaghetti
sauce.

What do you think Lucius's cover in the Muggle world is? I've got it -
record producer.  It's a natural.  If things don't work out for Draco,
he can always be in a boy band. :-)

Jim Ferer