Im sure you're all familiar with the much used idea of Harry being super rich, doesn't know about it, and has Dumbledore sneaking money to Harry's friends, OoTp, or any of the other places it's gone.

No matter how much money was stolen or which places it went in each story i found there was generally always one constant thing. Actually i have yet to EVER see a story where this particularly thing wasn't true. Harry's still rich as sin. If he had 20 billion to begin with he still has 15 billion left. If he had 50 million he still has 30 million left. He's always completely stinking rich no matter what, and is left with considerable power that comes along with wealth. All it's ever used for is a way to get Harry to dislike Dumbledore, or whoever Dumbledore spent the money on.

What if Harry got robbed completely. What if the Potters had a fortune of say 50 million galleons, and when Harry find his inheritance he has 150,000 left?

I thought it would be a fun idea to implement, and i had a few more idea's to tag along with it that ill get into below a bit later. But the main idea here was to basically leave Harry with enough money that's equal to that of a modern midsized home. So basically in terms of U.S dollars, about 350-400k? Thats about what California seems to generally cost so thats what im basing off of. That way, yes he still has a large sum of money, but its not gunna get him anywhere. You can't bribe your way through the government with 400k. You can't disappear from the world and stay hidden top security for 400k. It's really nothing but a very very nice starting boost to someone who has nothing yet, but not enough to live for ever, and certainly not enough to fund your uber Diagon Alley shopping spree to fund your new war.

So stage 2. This idea will have to lay on the fact that Harry has definitely never known his family had a large fortune, or if he did he never was able to find out how much it was, which could easily be done i think because generally in cannon the people who would be into the crowds that know about such things wouldn't really attract Harry's attention for friendship. In cannon he can care less about money, or thinks he's already well off enough. You also have the fact that most people generally dont speak of their finances period, unless you flaunt it like Malfoy.

So I thought it could be conceivable that Dumbledore introduces Harry to his family fortune at his age of majority. Sure Harry could get mad and all that he never knew, but Dumbledore could stage it so that Harry has NO idea he was ever robbed from. He could lay out some BS paperwork, show Harry how his account has been taken care of and blah blah. It could be forged, or maybe it's just bits and pieces never showing his original numbers. Maybe He concocts some crap story about taxes and crap. Either case Harry doesn't know he was robbed.

Now Harry, though not poor, is not rich, and the goblins could care less about his ass. No special treatment because he's one of their top pureblood customers..... But Dumbledore could be. He could have been previously rich, he could be rich from stealing Harry's money, either way Dumbledore could very well have big influence on golbins who kiss HIS ass, not Harry's.

My idea though completely unoriginal here, was to have some goblin kinda tip him off. Maybe pull him aside and show Harry someone paperwork he thought was shady or inconsistent. Or maybe Harry says something he thinks to be true on his accounts, the goblin looks at him weird, or says something. Anything to get Harry investigating a little deeper, or make him question his accounts.

Perhaps upon looking deeper he finds out there are tons of transfers signed by him, of vast amounts of money, but of course he doesn't remember them.... Perhaps he was under a potion, perhaps under the imperious. And perhaps the real reason Harry got Occlumency lessons that possibly did more harm than good was to ramsack his mind so he had a very hard time finding out he had been obliviated of these occurences....

I thought it might be a fun way to introduce a political Harry fic, or maybe used as a reason to get to know anyone who has political sway, or people who know about the financial world. Instead of just suddenly becoming more Slytherin because he is angry, he has a real event that completely makes him question his life and all that are involved in it.

And it could create a real struggle to work through too, because Harry doesn't have vast riches to throw around to get what he wants. He's going to have to work for it. Give equal compensation for information he needs. Be it finding a way to get his money back, or delivering proper pay back.

Need training? Can't pay for it? Better find someone who can and start posing for all those picture advertisements he hates.....

Need the help of a smart aristocrat or lawyer to get his money back, and any other physical items stolen from the potter vault? Better relinquish that hereditary wizenmagot seat, even if it's to vote on things you dont believe in.

This whole idea though is going to rest on the assumption that Dumbledore was Harry's magical guardian and was authorized to make these descisions while Harry was still to young. (Though i personally would make some kind of a safeguard that Dumbledore had to get through "questionably" so Harry has any means of getting something back. Like the papers Harry has to sign idea that i stated above.)

The other very important idea i have yet to come up with is Dumbledores motive. But that there is only limited by your own imagination. Maybe hes evil, working for the other side, or his own side that's just as bad. Maybe he's trying to pay off old debts that financed his Grindewalde war, compounded by many bribes, fuding the order ( Harry does't need to be the only guy with cool gadgets and dragonhide), payroll, school upgrades. With such a large amount of money once might get a little too used to spending it...


Hopefully that sparks some fun for some of you

 

Has Anyone found a stolen money story where Harry just Doesn't care?

(Sorry, but you wanted to know what your Idea sparked.)

 

hmmm. better than nothing i suppose.

 

Well, I think this would pretty much bring Harry directly back to where he usually is in any Indy!Harry story. Most people barely use his money to do things anyways. They buy some dragon hide and a new wand with some book. Of course, can't forget the clothes shopping! It's a good idea if you make it the main theme of the story, but besides that I wouldn't find much about it amazingly interesting.

 

I agree with the OP

Yes giving him less money would make the fic harder to write but also a hell of alot more interesting because then Harry would have to actually do something instead of getting things handed to him on a silver platter.



I think a story where harry steals money from other people would be more awesome. But ive only ever seen this done well once and the story was left uncompleted.

 

Thief Harry. Thats an interesting idea. And not just for the sake of stealing money for himself. Maybe harry actually gets enough proficient in the art of stealing that he might make it into a profession. Kinda reminds me of Oceans 12. But then he would be rich again.

 

I'd rather him be penniless.

Completely dirt poor. Have him fight for scraps with hobos on the streets.

 

Problem with that is that most Poor!Hobo!Harry stories end up with him having some odd accent, trouble with writing, and super skills with a gun that he carries around Hogwarts.

 

I'd rather have Harry's family be under the service of the Longbottom, and then uses Neville's stupidity to steal all his money.

 

Hmmm. I could go for an Ocean's 11 type plot with Harry filling the role of Ocean. In fact, I think that could make for a pretty sweet story.

/sigh

F-ing plot bunnies.

 

I think a poor Harry would be better than penniless. You could give him a crappy apartment and clothes, but not enough to, say, go buy Gin-gin flowers from Hogsmead every weekend. Plus there would be a great Potter-Malfoy contrast the author could play off (poor/rich).

 

Don't let any slash fangirls read that!

 

Hmmm, this could be interesting if you took it a bit further. After Dumbledore's mooching off, Harry's not only "will off"... he's not even penniless. No, he's indebted to his neck - for his Hogwarts education, restitution of various things he had screwed up over the years, taxes on properties he didn't even knew he owned and has bills piling for all the stuff Dumbledore had ordered with his money.

Furious, he storms off to Dumbledore and demands to be repaid in full.

And Dumbledore agrees to pay every last knut and cover all the lawsuits - IF Harry kills Voldemort.

Talk about motivation...

 

Okay, maybe not the best choice of words. I strictly mean an antagonistic contrast.

Doesn't Harry have motivation enough? Although, this would be great for Apathetic!Harry.

 

I think a serious theif!Harry- not like the mostly humor one that Rorschach's Blot made- would be interesting enough to keep the writer from discontinuing it like most Indy/Darker!Harry fics. I couldn't do it but there are plenty of skilled writers on this site that could.

 

What if Harry's parents and or Sirius, all of which left him money had embezzled and or got the money through other dirty means, and Harry was left to deal with the ministry. I think it could turn out to either be a very humorous fic or it could be pulled into a serious fic.