There are beloved franchises, and then there’s Harry Potter. Starting with the novels, the property has grow into theme parks, stage plays, and of course the Harry Potter movies (which are streaming with a Max subscription). There are a number of lingering questions about the universe, with someone asking on reddit why the Weasleys are so poor. And as a fan myself I have thoughts.
Fans are waiting for news about the Harry Potter TV show, but the events of the film franchise are still being unpacked. And while the Fantastic Beasts franchise is seemingly DOA, moviegoers continue to re-watch the original eight films. One fan took to Reddit with an ongoing question about the Weasley family’s finances. They posted:
I get that having 7 kids to feed would be expensive but by the time all of them are in Hogwarts which is free (as I far as I know), why are they still struggling? There’s no electricity, gas, water or internet bills to be paid. Travel by floo, portkey, broom or apparition etc is free. They live on a rural block in a home they probably built themselves (or if they didn’t I doubt it was expensive). Arthur is the head of his department at the ministry, surely he must make a decent salary. Is there something I’m missing?
Some points were made. While the Wizarding World has its own currency system, they don’t have to worry about the various bills that us muggles have. That includes Wizarding infrastructure which is by and large free. And as such, some fans are confused about exactly why the Weasleys are struggling with money… especially since Arthur Weasley has a good job at the Ministry of Magic.
Of course, the Weasleys do have an exceptionally large family, which comes with its expenses. Specifically a whopping seven children, who all need to be clothed, fed, and sent to school. And while Hogwarts is free, all of the uniforms and supplies needed to school are not.
I understand that the math might not be mathing for the Harry Potter fan who posted on Reddit about The Weasleys. After all, Arthur is a Ministry Employee, working in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Although this might be a reason why the family is so hard up on cash. During The Goblet of Fire, Molly Weasley explains this, saying:
It’s Arthur’s fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper Wizarding pride.
Given this information, it’s more than possible that The Weasley’s financial issues are a direct result of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge discriminating against Arthur and his entire department. So perhaps that’s why his pay isn’t as high as other Ministry Employees like Lucius Malfoy.
Maybe it’s better not to get too into the weeds about the Weasley family finances, and how many expenses they actually have to worry about. And perhaps we’ll get a better understanding with the forthcoming Harry Potter series.
It’s currently unclear when said series will arrive, but the entire Wizarding World is streaming now on Max. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.