What are the WW rules?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 114320

> sad1199 wrote:
> 
>     In reading recent posts about Molly buying Ron ugly robes and 
> not being able to make them magically I started wondering. There 
> must be rules or laws in the WW world that allow for certain things 
> but not for other things. Otherwise everyone could just zap up 
> whatever they wanted and be as rich as Lucius Malfoy. WW has money 
> and stores and stuff; if a witch or wizard could just pop some 
> clothes out of their wands why would they need money or stores? 
> Maybe most magical spells and charms and potions are just temporary? 
> <snip>

Carol responds:
JKR was asked a similar question in a July 2000 interview:

"Q: It seems that the wizards and witches at Hogwarts are able to
conjure up many things, such as food for the feasts, chairs and
sleeping bags. . .if this is so, why does the wizarding world need
money ? What are the limitations on the material objects you can
conjure up ? It seems unnecessary that the Weasleys would be in such
need of money. . . (Jan Campbell)
A: Very good question (well done, Jan!!). There is legislation about
what you can conjure and what you can't. Something that you conjure
out of thin air will not last. This is a rule I set down for myself
early on. I love these logical questions!"

You can read the whole interview at
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2000/0700-swns-alfie.htm

I remembered reading the interview previously and found it by doing a
search for "conjure" and "money" at the Quick Quotes portion of the
Lexicon site. The Quick Quotes home page is at
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/index.html

Based on JKR's response, it seems that wizards and other magical
beings can't conjure money (remember the Leprechaun gold Ludo Bagman
uses to pay the twins that disappears after a few hours?) or food--if
you could conjure food, Sirius would only need a wand to prevent
himself from starving and wouldn't require chicken legs and hams owled
to him by the kids. No one would need to earn a living and the
Weasleys could be as rich as the Malfoys. Lupin wouldn't have to wear
shabby robes. Etc. Etc.

Probably the chairs that Dumbledore conjures disappear when they're no
longer needed. I would argue that the chamberpots in the Room of
Requirement do, too. That makes more sense to me than the alternative
argument that they were somewhere else in Hogwarts but transported
themselves to the RoR when Dumbledore needed them.

Carol