10 Harry Potter Mysteries JK Rowling Has Actually Answered
6. How Did Harry's Parents Become So Well-off?
Another source for official answers to Harry Potter questions is, of course, Pottermore, which revealed the source of Harry's inherited riches.
We are told at first that the Potter family is a very old wizarding one, but not initially a great one. It was never considered pure-blood, especially as the vaunted 28 pure blood families (The Sacred Twenty-Eight) judged it as sounding too Muggle-like.
The Potter line originated in wizarding circles from one 'Linfred of Stinchcombe.' This elderly and eccentric wizard 'pottered' around his garden, preparing cures and ointments for others to try out. Eventually, these simple concoctions became the basis for a long line of products that would evolve into well-known potions such as Skele-gro and Pepperup Potion (the cure for colds).
Proceeds from these inventions meant that 'the potterer' would leave a substantial inheritance to each of his children. From here, apparently, the small fortune gradually grew and was passed down as each member of the family through many generations inherited both the cash and a hard-working attitude with a flair for ingenuity.
Throw in a genuine Potter (one male relation's wife's maiden name) and another famous potion (Sleekeazy's Hair Potion) and you end up with the vast family fortune that James and Lily Potter were able to leave to their son, Harry.