• conditional_soup
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    2 months ago

    This is the kind of thing that has made the interpretation of Harry Potter as a struggle between old (“good”) conservatism vs new (“bad”) conservatism really resonate for me. You can think of the wizards as nobility, and muggles as commoners. It’s acceptable to buy gifts and stuff for the people who don’t really need them, but for the lesser nobility, it would be viewed as a handout and would be really difficult to navigate in a way that allows everyone to save face.

    • MicrowOP
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      2 months ago

      Iirc in the actual lore (not the movies) McGonagall somehow gets access to Harry’s Gringotts vault and takes the money for the broom from there. So it’s not exactly a gift.

      • conditional_soup
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        2 months ago

        I didn’t remember that! Is that actually in the book, or is that some expanded lore thing?

        • zaphod@sopuli.xyz
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          2 months ago

          Just recently reread the first book, it’s never explained. McGonagall talks to Gryffindor’s team captain about what broom they should get for Harry.

    • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
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      2 months ago

      Makes sense. Would also explain why he doesn’t ask Harry to buy him a new wand or candy on from the cart. Harry offered to buy all the candy for himself, and then just split some with Ron. But a wand is pretty important in a Wizarding school, someone should have bought him one lol.

      • Kiosade@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        I get that Ron’s parents were supposed to basically be Irish Catholics that didn’t believe in birth control (which doesn’t make sense, because why would Wizards believe in God?), but like… they probably shouldn’t have had so many kids if they couldn’t afford to take care of them properly.

  • jettrscga@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The idea that Ron went a whole school year without a wand is absurd.

    It was just a plot element for some funny moments and to have Lockhart blast himself with a spell at the end. I don’t think there was any other justification until people started making up defenses after the book came out.

  • Sonori@beehaw.org
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    2 months ago

    Boy, it sure is a shame that Ron doesn’t have any rich friends, especially one who might have not gotten him anything for Christmas last year dispite having received a personal gift from and who might have found ways to share is wealth on the day they met. Sure is a shame he doesn’t know anyone like that./s

  • BlitzoTheOisSilent@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I always got the impression that, despite their financial issues, the Weasleys were too proud for “handouts.” Like, despite their frustrations and hand-me-downs and everything that came with it, to them, it didn’t matter because they had each other, and they truly cared for each other.

    Like, yeah, the Malfoys had money and the newest and best of everything, but until the final book, they didn’t seem to have a loving family home or lifestyle. Everything was about status and how they were perceived by the world around them (Lucius having a great job with connections because it made him “important,” whereas Mr. Weasley had a job that was looked down upon but was important for both wizards and muggles).

    Arthur was a member of the Order, he was a powerful and accomplished wizard, yet was content with his job working with “muggle artifacts” because he had a passion for it, and that was more important than his perceived status in society. I also imagine that they, the Weasleys, didn’t want to give Harry the impression they only wanted him around so he’d buy them things, and Harry probably didn’t want to be tempted to buy them things so that he could basically make them beholden to them (“I spent 100 gold on this wand for you, you owe me XYZ”). Remember, Harry was almost put in Slytherin, and did have several moments throughout the series where he acted less than honorably towards those around him.

    Or I’m just overanalyzing the work of a transphobic conservative bigot. 🤷‍♀️ I haven’t reread the books since JKR went all-in on her bullshit, but that’s the impression I remember from reading them every summer growing up.

    • eskimofry
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      2 months ago

      I still don’t understand why JKR died on the hill she did; given she wrote HP, which is on the other end of the universe to her hate. The moral of HP is to practice kindess regardless of the abilities, appearance, or standing in society.

    • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      I always got the impression that, despite their financial issues, the Weasleys were too proud for “handouts.”

      Yeah, that’s pretty much stated outright in GoF 10:

      Harry looked away. He would willingly have split all the money in his Gringotts vault with the Weasleys, but he knew they would never take it.

      If Harry had started buying the Weasleys a bunch of stuff, it would have just made the entire situation more awkward.