Again I don't know who needs to hear this, but accept your grandparents' hand-me-downs. Even if you think they'll be frumpy, just try them on. You might be surprised.
Also remember that your grandparents were young once and a lot of what they used to wear has come back into vogue. So just try them on in the bathroom. A belt around the middle can go a long way, too. If you don't like them, just thank your grandparents and say they're not for you.
If you do like them, show it off to your grandparents. They will be absolutely tickled pink that their favourite jacket/blouse/pants/etc. from 40+ years ago is going to good use (their grandchild).
What's more is if the clothing is that old and still intact, it's probably very good quality and will last you a long time too.
the face of a woman weary from bronchitis and nights with a teething toddler. I have nowhere I need to be, but I was just given some lovely scarves and thought spring might come sooner if it sees some soft colors around.
I’m so glad to be the recipient of the occasional odd & end from my grandmother’s closet. there has never been a time when I put a hand-me-down on my body and did not think of who gave it to me. it feels like I’m taking them with me where I go.
I’ve always loved you best because you drew the dumb spot in the family
To the Middle Child—I’ve always loved you best because you drew the dumb spot in the family, and it made you stronger for it. You cried less. You had more patience. You wore faded clothes that were hand-me-downs. You were forgiving. You never in your life did anything “first” but it only made you more special. The world would not come to an end if you went to bed with dirty feet.
~ Binnie Kirshenbaum, Rabbits for Food (Soho Press. May 6, 2019)
So here’s the other long thing that’s keeping me from writing up chapter 4 of CoS, and it’s: Poor Ron and his hand-me-downs!
Check this out. There’s a set of basic supplies, right, that every kid at Hogwarts needs. The cauldron, scales, telescope, etc. When did the Weasleys have to buy new ones?
A quick underlying assumption:
I tend to divide Hogwarts education into three phases: Beginning (Years 1 and 2), OWL (Years 3-5, with the first electives), and NEWT (Years 6-7), and it seems that Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology use the same texts plus the annual Standard Book of Spells for each of those periods. I’m basing this off the lack of books for those subjects on the second year supply list. I don’t imagine they keep using the same books for all 7 years, but we don’t get a comprehensive supply list in later books. There is a new Transfiguration book mentioned in third year, and of course the new Potions book in sixth year, so this seems like a reasonable guess.
Well, in 1982, Bill starts at Hogwarts. Obviously, he needs the full kit. (Bought second-hand, but bought just for him.) Okay. Bill also needs the standard Beginning books.
In 1984, Charlie starts. Bill’s still in school, so Charlie needs a full kit, too. Weasleys now own two “Hogwarts Supply Kits”. This year, Bill needs the OWL books--he takes all 12 OWLs, note. Charlie gets Bill’s old Beginning books.
In 1986, Charlie starts third year and Bill is in fifth year. Charlie needs a set of OWL books for the OWLs he’s taking. We know he took the core courses and Care of Magical Creatures. I’m going to take a guess that Charlie took Divination, and that’s part of why Ron picked it: he knew his family already had materials for him to use. Ron definitely considers that sort of thing.
In 1987, Percy starts as Bill is moving to NEWTs. He needs a full kit, too. Weasleys now own three “Hogwarts Supply Kits.” Percy gets the Beginning books already used by Bill and Charlie. Bill gets all new NEWT books for the subjects he takes. (Bill is a Curse-Breaker. We know he took Arithmancy, and almost certainly DADA. My best guess at Bill’s NEWTS is Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, DADA, Potions, and Transfiguration. Some subset of those is probably enough to be a Curse-Breaker, but Bill is an overachiever.)
In 1989, the Twins start. Bill has graduated and doesn’t need his school things... but now the Weasleys have four kids at Hogwarts. They need to buy another Supply Kit for the twins. They now own four “supply kits.” The Twins also need a second set of the Beginning books, since there are two of them. They’re even going to need an extra copy of the Standard Book of Spells every year. Meanwhile, this year, Percy starts his OWL years, using all of Bill’s old books; no new books for Percy this year. Charlie needs NEWT books, but the only thing he might take at NEWT that Charlie didn’t is Herbology. So Charlie gets a new NEWT Herbology book.
In 1991, Ron starts at Hogwarts. Charlie graduated in 1990. He doesn’t need any new supplies, they’ve still only got 4 kids at Hogwarts. (The “wand” question is almost certainly a Plot Hole, in addition to raising questions like, “Why did Charlie get a new wand?” The explanation had better contain the word “Romania.”) The Twins start their OWL years... and need new OWL books again, because with Percy and the Twins, that’s 3 Weasley children taking OWLs.
And then in 1992, Ginny starts. Okay, so they have enough copies of the beginning books, because of the Twins, but she’s child #5 at Hogwarts: she needs a whole new supply kit. She also needs the girls’ version of the Hogwarts uniform... and she’s rather smaller than her brothers were when they started school, anyway, at least in my head. (Though I love the way the movies noticed this, regularly putting Ginny in trousers when the other girls in the picture have skirts, because she’s wearing her brothers’ old uniforms and what are you going to do about it?) Meanwhile, Percy is definitely the first Weasley to be taking History of Magic and Muggle Studies at NEWT, in preparation for his Ministry career, so he gets a bunch of new books, too. Does Ron need anything new this year? Nope!
In 1993, Ron picked the same OWLs as Charlie, to minimize the amount of new stuff he’d need. The Monster Book of Monsters, at least, is a novelty. This, plus the replacement for his broken wand, are the very first new things Ron gets for school.
Yeah, mathematics is conspiring to make Ron feel like the least important member of the family, yo. Coming right between Ginny, who needs a bunch of new stuff because she’s a girl and because she’s #5, and the Twins, who need a bunch of new stuff because there are two of them in the same year? Ouch.
