Highlights
- The Potters' generational wealth is traced back to their ancestor, Linfred of Stinchcombe, who amassed a great fortune through his medicinal services and inventions of healing potions.
- Fleamont Potter, a direct descendant of Linfred, quadrupled the family's gold by creating the popular beauty product Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.
- Harry Potter is estimated to have a minimum of $1.2 million in his Gringotts vault, based on the number of Galleons shown in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Harry’s immense wealth is established in the very first installment of the Harry Potter series, when Hagrid takes him to Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and he finds a treasure trove in his vault. It is never specified why the Potters were so rich — which is especially mystifying since James and Lily Potter were only 21 when they died. Rowling’s later writings, however, finally revealed the story behind the Potters’ generational wealth.
J.K. Rowling once stated in an interview how she made Harry Potter rich in the wizarding world because she had nothing in the world she lived in: “Harry's money never really is that important in the books, except that he can afford his uniform and so on. On the other hand, I think I really gave him a fortune because I was so broke when I wrote the first book and it was wishful thinking that I would not have to worry about such things.”
RELATED: Harry Potter: The History of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Explained
Where Did the Potters’ Money Come From?
Even though they were not considered a part of the ‘Sacred Twenty-Eight’ (a list of the most prestigious, pure-blood families), the Potters were still highly respected in the wizarding world. Their lineage could be traced back to the “well-beloved and eccentric” wizard, Linfred of Stinchcombe, in the 12th century. He was a master Potioneer, who invented several remedies that evolved into healing potions “still used to this day”. These included Pepperup Potion for the common cold and Skele-gro for mending broken bones or regrowing entire bones (which Madam Pomfrey also used to treat Harry’s arm after Gilderoy Lockhart made his bones vanish).
Linfred also offered his “medicinal services” to his Muggle neighbors, who simply thought of him as a “lovable old chap”. His reputation as being absent-minded and harmless allowed Linfred to grow plants in his garden (which were needed as ingredients for his potions) and conduct different experiments, without raising any suspicion among the Muggles. They even gave him a nickname, ‘the Potterer’ (which became corrupted over time to ‘Potter’), since he enjoyed “pottering about in his garden with all his funny plants”. His cures for pox and ague enabled him to amass a great amount of wealth over time, and he left a significant pile of gold to each of his seven children upon his death.
The future generations of the Potters continued to marry their neighbors (some of whom were Muggles) and live in West England, while working diligently to preserve and even increase the family fortune with a “quiet brand of ingenuity that had characterized their forebear”. Linfred’s eldest son, Hardwin, married Iolanthe Peverell (the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell and, hence, the inheritor of the Cloak of Invisibility). Henry Potter, a direct descendant of the couple, was a member of the Wizengamot from 1913 to 1921. It was ultimately his son, Fleamont Potter, who “took the family gold and quadrupled it”. He created the popular beauty product called Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion, which is the same potion that Hermione Granger used for the Yule Ball (“two drops tames even the most bothersome barnet”). Fleamont eventually sold the company at a high profit after retirement. His wife Euphemia gave birth to their only son, James Potter, when the couple had long given up hope on having a child. Soon after James’ marriage to Lily, Fleamont and Euphemia died of dragon pox, leaving their son as the sole heir to the family fortune. This was later bequeathed to Harry when his parents were killed by Voldemort.
How Much Money Does Harry Potter Have In His Vault?
Even though Rowling has not revealed exactly how much money Harry has, it is hinted throughout the series that he has a sizable amount. He even gifts his Triwizard Tournament prize money (amounting to a thousand Galleons) to Fred and George Weasley because he doesn’t “need” it. Apart from his own inheritance, Harry is also left with Sirius’ assets (including Grimmauld Place) after his godfather’s death.
A popular Reddit thread attempted to break down the exchange rate between wizarding money and its Muggle counterparts, based on the value of everyday items like candy and bus rides in both worlds. It concluded that a Galleon is likely to be equal to $25; a Sickle can be around $1.50; and a Knut is equivalent to $0.05. Another Reddit user named NeokratosRed used these calculations to figure out how much money Harry has, depending on the number of coins shown in his vault in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone — which are around 50,625. It is estimated that the minimum amount of money Harry has at Gringotts when he is about to start Hogwarts is about $1.2 million. Considering how only Galleons can be seen in the movie (whereas the vault is also supposed to hold mounds of Sickles and Knuts, according to the book), Harry’s actual amount of wealth is likely to be in an even higher range.
MORE: Harry Potter: What Happened to James Potter and Lily Evans’ Parents?
FAQs
Harry Potter's sudden wealth came from a family inheritance dating back to the 12th-Century, when his ancestor invented magical potions. Despite his newfound riches, Harry remained humble and focused on his needs rather than extravagant desires.
Where did Harry Potter get all his money from? ›
Harry Potter's sudden wealth came from a family inheritance dating back to the 12th-Century, when his ancestor invented magical potions. Despite his newfound riches, Harry remained humble and focused on his needs rather than extravagant desires.
How did James Potter have so much money? ›
At some point between 1979 and 1980, James's parents died of Dragon Pox, and he inherited the vast Potter family fortune from them, which enabled him to comfortably support his family without the need for a paying job. James also used his wealth to support Remus, who was unemployable due to his status as a werewolf.
How much did Harry Potter inherit from his parents? ›
Assuming each galleon is ~$10 and Harry inherited 100,000 galleons, he's worth about $1M wizardbucks.
Why did Harry have a lot of money? ›
William and Harry received the bulk of Princess Diana's £13m fortune when she died in 1997. In an interview, Harry told Oprah Winfrey this money funded his family's move to the US. He is also thought to have inherited millions from his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
How was Harry Potter's family so rich? ›
In short, the Potter family's vast amount of gold is due to Harry's paternal ancestors being credited in the invention of several popular and crucial potions used by the wizarding world - including Pepperup Potion, Skele-Gro, and Sleekeazy's Hair Potion - and running a massively successful potions business.
Is Harry richer than Malfoy? ›
Even though Harry Potter is immensely rich, he remains relatable and prefers to share wealth rather than use it for himself. Still, together with his inheritances and his job as Auror in the Ministry of Magic, Harry might be slightly less wealthy than the Blacks or the Malfoys.
What did Harry Potter's parents do for a job? ›
The parents of Harry Potter, JAMES & LILY POTTER where AURORS (the people who fought the dark wizards) before they went into hiding after SEVERUS SNAPE reported to LORD VOLDEMORT of the prophecy made by SYBILL TRELAWNEY.
Why were Harry's parents killed? ›
Voldemort respected Harry's parents' skills and considered their son a more dangerous threat than Neville. That was also reason enough for the Potters to die by his hand.
How rich were the Malfoys? ›
They had about 321,000,000 galleons, about 2.2 billion dollars, and 1.6 billion pounds. They were probably some of the richest families. Overall, the Malfoys seem to be the richest and most wealthy, however, there must have been other families out there that had a plentiful amount of money as well.
The Weasleys were known in the wizarding world for being of lower economic status, something the Malfoys loved to remind them of. On the other hand, Harry had inherited a small fortune from his father, who had been the heir to the wealthy Potter family.
How old were Lily and James Potter when they died? ›
As many Harry Potter fans will know, both James and Lily Potter were killed by Voldemort when they were aged just 21. Seeing as James and Lily were so young when they met their untimely deaths, fans have often questioned why Harry couldn't have lived with his Grandparents.
How much money did Lily and James leave Harry Potter? ›
James Potter inherited a large enough fortune to allow himself, Lily, and Harry to live comfortably without him or Lily having to work. The amount of money needed to do that is considerable. I would say the Potter family fortune was equivalent to no less than $3million, but no more than $7million.
How did James and Lily get rich? ›
As Ilovecats13 and DelphianDragon said, James' father Fleamont quadrupled the family's gold by inventing Sleekeazy's Hair Potion (the same that Hermione used before the Yule Ball to tame her mane). The family fortune was passed down to James, their only child, and then onto Harry. Rowling wrote about it on Pottermore.
What does Harry Potter do for a living? ›
Harry fulfilled his dream of becoming an Auror and eventually rose to the top of the department before heading up the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He has also followed in his godfather Sirius' footsteps, acting as a father figure to Teddy Lupin, child of the late Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks.
How much money was Harry left by his mother? ›
It's reported that Prince Harry inherited more money than his brother from their late mother, Princess Diana, totaling over $26.7 million. This was made possible through Princess Diana's initial bequest of just under $17.3 million, which was later increased through wise investments by royal advisors.
Where does Hogwarts get its funding? ›
School information
Any magical children residing in Great Britain or Ireland who had reached the age of eleven by the start of the incoming term were accepted as students. It was a state-owned school, funded by the British Ministry of Magic.
How were the Malfoys so rich? ›
The Malfoy family, known for despising Muggles and Muggle-borns, actually gained property and wealth through interactions with Muggle royals. Draco Malfoy, influenced by his prejudiced father, eventually grows out of his family's pure-blood mania, which was ingrained in the Malfoys' ethos.
How much is 1 galleon in dollars? ›
Table: Estimation of Wizarding Currency into Muggle Money
| 1 Galleon | 1 Knut |
|---|
| U.S. Dollar USD | $7.35 | $0.02 |
| Euro EUR | €5.90 | €0.01 |
| Japanese Yen JPY | ¥653.66 | ¥1.31 |
| Swiss Franc CHF | 7.75 Fr. | 0.02 Fr. |
16 more rowsAccording to a tweet by JK Rowling, the tuition fees of Hogwarts is paid for by the Ministry of Magic. Students only need to pay for their wand, books, supplies, clothing and equipment.
