Question of the Day
Jun. 9th, 2004 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cygna_himeWell, today I feel like considering in some depth a HP question that has been clattering around in my brain a good bit.
So, I was considering OotP, and in true Vimes style, I decided to consider a few semiconnected points. To whit:
-Sirius' parents disowned him, yet he had enough money to buy Harry a Firebolt without a second thought.
-The Blacks are an old, wealthy family in the English aristocracy.
The first point seemed to me to indicate that Sirius' vault (711, I do believe, and probably quite an old one--Flamel had 713) was then and is now full of gold, most of which his parents could not touch. Although he could not touch the principal of that inheritance (he could only move out because of his Uncle Alphard), the money seems to have been earning interest all the while he was in Azkaban. Why he could get into it while on the run is anybody's guess, but that's not the point. The point is that it's a reasonable supposition that a sizable amount of the Black money was entailed, or at least out of his parents' power to will away.
Now, the Blacks are an old, wealthy, noble family. What do such families tend to have, particularly ones that have always been wealthy? Land. Buildings. Solid, non-monetary wealth that's not liable to plummet in value. Yet we have yet to see anything but Grimmauld Place, and you can't go telling me a family like theirs wouldn't have a country estate. So, the question is, who does have it now? In Vimes terms, where's the money?
Going for a moment on the supposition that the missing stuff is entailed, and was either passed to the next heir or put into their control while Sirius was imprisoned, who is the next heir? There is no male of the Black name left (Phineas calls Sirius 'the last of the Blacks'), so that's out. Where does the pedigree take us next? Over one branch, to Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda...and their husbands.
There's no knowing which is the eldest, although you can suppose by their childrens' ages that Narcissa is younger than Andromeda, so I'll consider them as if they were triplets.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus have both been in Azkaban, along with Rodolphus' brother, the only one who could convincingly have made a bid for the property along their line. She almost certainly has no children; if she has, they are under the guardianship of the Ministry in all likelihood. We have yet to hear of there being a Lestrange Harry's age or a bit older, and although there could be one, it is a very long shot. We may as well leave them and proceed to brighter possibilities.
Andromeda and Ted Tonks may or may not still be living; as blood traitors, they would have been high on the victims list. Still, it is never mentioned that they were casualties, and one or both is quite possibly still around. If only Ted is alive, he could possibly make a bid on behalf of his daughter. Nym-Tonks is the best possibility so far. She is a witch, pure-blood, and carries the Black genes; she is, however, not a male heir. If she were the heir, there would at least be no problem with the Order using Grim Old Place. However, the wizarding world looks to be behind the times enough that she would not be heir unless there was no male lineage whatsoever.
Narcissa and Lucius are by far the best possibility. Both have (until very recently) been free, respected, and wealthy. Indeed, they might well have had control of both Bella's and Sirius' shares of the Black fortune while both were incarcerated. Moreover, even if the entailment on the property is such that only a male with Black blood can inherit, they still have the only son in the lot...Draco. Either of them might have control of the property until he's of age (next year or so), or be given it in trust to use the interest of until their deaths. At any rate, Draco is the most likely possibility for heir to the (presumably sizable) Black fortune and property.
What does this mean? It means that Draco may be recompensed for his father's imprisonment with a large amount of money. It means that he is likely to have inheritance such that, in the event of his father's money being lost or impounded, he and his mother are still very wealthy. The whole situation also means that Bellatrix, Lucius, and maybe even Tonks (though we do not believe it of her) could have had special interest in preventing Sirius from returing from the Department of Mysteries. After all, Bella was very interested in fighting him...
See what happens when you follow the money? It gives you a whole new light on things.
In other news, quizzies!
![[i'm firenze!]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/2eb2ed9069b0/405227-59332/atypically.net/hp/images/firenze.jpg)
...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?
![[sirius + remus]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/03bf3caeb55e/405227-59332/atypically.net/hp/images/siriusremus.jpg)
The Color of Magic - "Sort of a
greenish-yellow-purple."
Which Discworld Book are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are Coraline! You are quirky, strange, and
charming. Some people may find you a little
alarming and not always get you... But they can
piss off, right? You are the kind of person who
always needs to be entertained, otherwise you
get uncomfortable. You probably still enjoy
everything you did when you were little, such
as childrens books and Disney movies. Youre fun
to be around and are usually the life of the
party.
*~Which Neil Gaiman book are you?~*
brought to you by Quizilla
Signing of for tonight! Bai now!
So, I was considering OotP, and in true Vimes style, I decided to consider a few semiconnected points. To whit:
-Sirius' parents disowned him, yet he had enough money to buy Harry a Firebolt without a second thought.
-The Blacks are an old, wealthy family in the English aristocracy.
The first point seemed to me to indicate that Sirius' vault (711, I do believe, and probably quite an old one--Flamel had 713) was then and is now full of gold, most of which his parents could not touch. Although he could not touch the principal of that inheritance (he could only move out because of his Uncle Alphard), the money seems to have been earning interest all the while he was in Azkaban. Why he could get into it while on the run is anybody's guess, but that's not the point. The point is that it's a reasonable supposition that a sizable amount of the Black money was entailed, or at least out of his parents' power to will away.
Now, the Blacks are an old, wealthy, noble family. What do such families tend to have, particularly ones that have always been wealthy? Land. Buildings. Solid, non-monetary wealth that's not liable to plummet in value. Yet we have yet to see anything but Grimmauld Place, and you can't go telling me a family like theirs wouldn't have a country estate. So, the question is, who does have it now? In Vimes terms, where's the money?
Going for a moment on the supposition that the missing stuff is entailed, and was either passed to the next heir or put into their control while Sirius was imprisoned, who is the next heir? There is no male of the Black name left (Phineas calls Sirius 'the last of the Blacks'), so that's out. Where does the pedigree take us next? Over one branch, to Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda...and their husbands.
There's no knowing which is the eldest, although you can suppose by their childrens' ages that Narcissa is younger than Andromeda, so I'll consider them as if they were triplets.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus have both been in Azkaban, along with Rodolphus' brother, the only one who could convincingly have made a bid for the property along their line. She almost certainly has no children; if she has, they are under the guardianship of the Ministry in all likelihood. We have yet to hear of there being a Lestrange Harry's age or a bit older, and although there could be one, it is a very long shot. We may as well leave them and proceed to brighter possibilities.
Andromeda and Ted Tonks may or may not still be living; as blood traitors, they would have been high on the victims list. Still, it is never mentioned that they were casualties, and one or both is quite possibly still around. If only Ted is alive, he could possibly make a bid on behalf of his daughter. Nym-Tonks is the best possibility so far. She is a witch, pure-blood, and carries the Black genes; she is, however, not a male heir. If she were the heir, there would at least be no problem with the Order using Grim Old Place. However, the wizarding world looks to be behind the times enough that she would not be heir unless there was no male lineage whatsoever.
Narcissa and Lucius are by far the best possibility. Both have (until very recently) been free, respected, and wealthy. Indeed, they might well have had control of both Bella's and Sirius' shares of the Black fortune while both were incarcerated. Moreover, even if the entailment on the property is such that only a male with Black blood can inherit, they still have the only son in the lot...Draco. Either of them might have control of the property until he's of age (next year or so), or be given it in trust to use the interest of until their deaths. At any rate, Draco is the most likely possibility for heir to the (presumably sizable) Black fortune and property.
What does this mean? It means that Draco may be recompensed for his father's imprisonment with a large amount of money. It means that he is likely to have inheritance such that, in the event of his father's money being lost or impounded, he and his mother are still very wealthy. The whole situation also means that Bellatrix, Lucius, and maybe even Tonks (though we do not believe it of her) could have had special interest in preventing Sirius from returing from the Department of Mysteries. After all, Bella was very interested in fighting him...
See what happens when you follow the money? It gives you a whole new light on things.
In other news, quizzies!
...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?
The Color of Magic - "Sort of a
greenish-yellow-purple."
Which Discworld Book are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are Coraline! You are quirky, strange, and
charming. Some people may find you a little
alarming and not always get you... But they can
piss off, right? You are the kind of person who
always needs to be entertained, otherwise you
get uncomfortable. You probably still enjoy
everything you did when you were little, such
as childrens books and Disney movies. Youre fun
to be around and are usually the life of the
party.
*~Which Neil Gaiman book are you?~*
brought to you by Quizilla
Signing of for tonight! Bai now!
