It’s an interest-free loan. Unless the “certain rights” Lucius has over HJPEV until graduation are troublesome, it is in probably HJPEV’s best interest to delay paying the loan back as long as possible.
Or unless, I suppose, he expects significant deflation before graduation. I don’t think any of the HJPEV’s plans that we know of are likely to result in deflation, quite the opposite in fact.
It’s an interest-free loan. Unless the “certain rights” Lucius has over HJPEV until graduation are troublesome, it is in probably HJPEV’s best interest to delay paying the loan back as long as possible.
Dumbledore was willing to send Hermione to Azkaban to prevent Lucius from getting those rights (well, and the money). It seems likely to me that they’re troublesome.
True as such. But storywise it would seem weird to leave this hanging. That’s one reason why I’m already irrationally overinvested, I notice, in my theory that it’ll get taken care of pretty much on the side by finding out the true culprit and thus cancelling the debt through the Wizengamot or, failing that, possibly through Draco.
There are other options, of course. There have been good points about Dumbledore now having an interest to Make Money Fast for Harry, and about possible other people who might be willing to bankroll a business venture for the newly brightened legend. And, again storywise, I can see handling the “leave it hanging” option in a decent manner as well, if there’s some closure about the relations of houses Potter and Malfoy (presumably with Lucius dead or imprisoned and stripped of his status).
Either I misunderstand you or you have it exactly wrong.
If HJPEV pays back the no-interest loan early, he has less money to spend in the meantime.
If HJPEV pays back the no-interest loan at the latest possible time, he has plenty of money he can use to make more money, and to spend, in the meantime.
The way I imagine it working is that any money Harry might acquire is automatically spent on paying off his debt, but he doesn’t get into trouble if this doesn’t pay the debt until he turns 18. I don’t think the situation where he makes plenty of money and does not pay off the loan will be allowed. So either Harry can not worry about the debt and pay it off eventually at the cost of not having any money til then, or pay it off sooner and then have free use of money.
I don’t think we need to rely so much on your imagination.
“I think there’s about forty thousand in my Gringotts vault,” Harry said. It was strange how that was still causing more internal pain than the thought of taking an over-fifty-percent risk to his life to destroy Azkaban. “As for the other sixty thousand—what are the rules, exactly?”
“It comes due when you graduate Hogwarts,” the old wizard said from high above. “But Lord Malfoy has certain rights over you before then, I fear.”
If a debt isn’t due, it need not be paid on. There’s nothing here that says he’s required to pay anything else before he graduates.
In fact, it’s possible that the author meant us to understand that HJPEV didn’t have to pay anything right now and that the whole hundred grand isn’t due until graduation. But that would mean the author had been a bit sloppier than I’m fairly confident he is.
Lucius was still wearing the cold smile. “One hundred thousand Galleons. If you have not that much in your vault, I suppose I must accept a promissory note for the remainder.”
[...]
“I think there’s about forty thousand in my Gringotts vault,” Harry said. [...] “As for the other sixty thousand—what are the rules, exactly?”
“It comes due when you graduate Hogwarts,” the old wizard said from high above. “But Lord Malfoy has certain rights over you before then, I fear.”
Emphasis mine. I think (most of) whatever he has must be payed immediately, and the “due” part is only for the rest.
It’s an interest-free loan. Unless the “certain rights” Lucius has over HJPEV until graduation are troublesome, it is in probably HJPEV’s best interest to delay paying the loan back as long as possible.
Or unless, I suppose, he expects significant deflation before graduation. I don’t think any of the HJPEV’s plans that we know of are likely to result in deflation, quite the opposite in fact.
Dumbledore was willing to send Hermione to Azkaban to prevent Lucius from getting those rights (well, and the money). It seems likely to me that they’re troublesome.
Or that it doesn’t fit Dumbledore’s narrative.
True as such. But storywise it would seem weird to leave this hanging. That’s one reason why I’m already irrationally overinvested, I notice, in my theory that it’ll get taken care of pretty much on the side by finding out the true culprit and thus cancelling the debt through the Wizengamot or, failing that, possibly through Draco.
There are other options, of course. There have been good points about Dumbledore now having an interest to Make Money Fast for Harry, and about possible other people who might be willing to bankroll a business venture for the newly brightened legend. And, again storywise, I can see handling the “leave it hanging” option in a decent manner as well, if there’s some closure about the relations of houses Potter and Malfoy (presumably with Lucius dead or imprisoned and stripped of his status).
This is only true if you assume harry won’t have any other use for money for that whole time, which seems unlikely to me.
Either I misunderstand you or you have it exactly wrong.
If HJPEV pays back the no-interest loan early, he has less money to spend in the meantime.
If HJPEV pays back the no-interest loan at the latest possible time, he has plenty of money he can use to make more money, and to spend, in the meantime.
The way I imagine it working is that any money Harry might acquire is automatically spent on paying off his debt, but he doesn’t get into trouble if this doesn’t pay the debt until he turns 18. I don’t think the situation where he makes plenty of money and does not pay off the loan will be allowed. So either Harry can not worry about the debt and pay it off eventually at the cost of not having any money til then, or pay it off sooner and then have free use of money.
I don’t think we need to rely so much on your imagination.
If a debt isn’t due, it need not be paid on. There’s nothing here that says he’s required to pay anything else before he graduates.
In fact, it’s possible that the author meant us to understand that HJPEV didn’t have to pay anything right now and that the whole hundred grand isn’t due until graduation. But that would mean the author had been a bit sloppier than I’m fairly confident he is.
Emphasis mine. I think (most of) whatever he has must be payed immediately, and the “due” part is only for the rest.
Wasn’t it noted that Lucius would have some extra powers over Harry while he holds the debt?
No, not “extra powers.” Only, “certain rights,” which I mentioned in my post.
Weird—I didn’t see that the first time.
Out of curiosity, is there a relevant distinction between “extra powers” and “certain rights” as used here?
Only that one is what Dumbledore said and I quoted, and the other is what you thought I’d left out.