Summary
- Neville became the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts, earning around 1860 Galleons ($46,500) per year. His income would likely be higher due to the school's exclusivity.
- Harry, an Auror, married Ginny who likely earned more. He was independently wealthy, with a net worth of $300,000 and income from property ownership.
- Hermione worked her way up to Minister for Magic, earning around 8000 Galleons ($200,000) per year. Her determination made her the most qualified for the job.
Hogwarts taught the next generation of wizards, but just like in real life, career paths don't always go as planned in the wizarding world, and some of these characters' post-Harry Potter careers come as a huge surprise. If Harry Potter existed in the real world, his Hogwarts days would be far behind him, and the Boy Who Lived would now be the Wizard In His 40s. It may be hard to think of Harry as anything other than a student, but even in the Harry Potter canon (starting with the flash-forward scene), he has grown up, launched a new career, married, had kids, and sent them to Hogwarts, too.
However, thanks to Pottermore and The Cursed Child, and the tireless devotion of Harry Potter fans, there's a surprising amount of information available about where the main characters went post-Hogwarts and what they are doing with their lives now. It's easy to figure out just how much they would be earning too - in both Galleons and dollars - based on the research of a Redditor who created an exchange rate, some extra details, and a few logical conclusions (via Hello Giggles) from standard UK career salaries.
9 Neville, Professor At Hogwarts (1860 Galleons/$46,500)
When Neville was introduced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it seemed as if the character would never amount to anything. However, Neville became the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts, but lived in Hogsmeade, above the Inn - so unlike Dumbledore, he would have had some living expenses to pay out of his salary as well. GlassDoor places the average teacher salary at around £33,500 (around $46,500), which would be around 1860 Galleons a year. However, given how well-respected and exclusive compared to the average state school, Neville's income would likely be a little higher than that.
8 Ron, Auror (1600-2000 Galleons/$40-50,000)
Ron was an Auror after Harry Potter for just a short period of time, where he worked alongside Harry. However, after this, he went on to work for his brother at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. During his time as an Auror, though, he probably earned around 1600-2000 Galleons, based on the average earnings of intelligence, military, and police officers in the UK. As a shop assistant, of course, his salary would be very dependent on the generosity of his brother. In that respect, knowing the relationship between the brothers, Ron was likely shortchanged at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.
7 Harry Potter, Auror (1600-2000 Galleons/$40-50,000)
When it comes to post-Harry Potter careers, an Auror is a popular one. Like Ron, Harry became an Auror after the series concluded. Of course, given that Harry married Ginny, who was likely earning much more thanks to the Hollyhead Harpies, he wouldn't really have been strapped for cash. Then there's the fact that even before working, Harry was independently wealthy (although the reasons for that aren't particularly well explained). Some estimates put his net worth in the millions, but Harry Potter's net worth is closer to $300,000, with additional earnings from Sirius Black, and of course, the ownership of a piece of property in the center of London.
6 Luna Lovegood, Magizoologist (2000 Galleons/$50,000)
Given that Luna is lowkey the best Harry Potter wizard, the character went on to marry a descendant of none other than Newt Scamander, and she and Rolf Scamander became magizoologists together. The series doesn't say what a magizoologist would earn, but assuming it is comparable to a muggle zoologist, it's possible to work out the yearly salary. GlassDoor puts the average earning for a zoologist at around $50,000 (or £36,000). That's roughly 2,000 Galleons a year. Luna and Rolf's total household income would be around $100,000, much higher than Ron or Neville's household income.
5 George Weasley, Shop Owner (2800 Galleons/$70,000)
A store's profits can vary hugely depending on the products sold and how successful they are. Based on the books, it's known that Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was incredibly popular to the extent that the brothers were considering opening a second location in Hogsmeade. The average 'shop owner' salary on GlassDoor would be just under $70,000 a year, which would be 2800 Galleons. However, it can be worked out that the original loan from Harry to open was 1000 Galleons, which would be around $25,000 - and that Ollivander's was estimated to make around $26,000 a year, based on how often students need wands.
4 Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Headmaster (3000 Galleons/$75,000)
It's difficult to know how much a Headmaster would make out of all the Harry Potter careers, especially given that Headmasters' salaries in the UK vary hugely depending on the school, and a private school headmaster makes significantly more money. According to Payscale, the average is £55,000 (a little over $75,000), which would be 3000 Galleons a year. Of course, it's also implied that the Headmaster also lives at Hogwarts, like most of the teachers, so there would be no living expenses or bills to pay on top of that, which would make McGonogall's net and disposable income significantly more than her peers.
3 Hermione, Minister For Magic (8000 Galleons/$200,000)
After the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Hermione leaves school and first starts working in a "good" Ministry position, but by the time of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, she had worked her way up to Minister for Magic - and no one is surprised. Given Hermoine's determination and constant hard work, nobody was more qualified for the job than the Hogwarts alum. Assuming that the Minister makes about the same as the Muggle Prime Minister (given that they are doing the same job for their respective communities), that would put Hermione at around 8000 Galleons a year, or a little over $200,000.
2 Ginny, Professional Quidditch Player (200,000 Galleons/$5 Million)
There is no salary noted for Quidditch players when it comes to Harry Potter careers, but given that they're the magical equivalent of footballers, Ginny could have earned millions after Harry Potter. Endorsements and appearances may also have upped this in the same way that they do in the real world. However, assuming that Ginny wasn't an athlete with millions of dollars in endorsements, she would still be extremely wealthy. According to Statista, the average football player's salary depends on the team, but it ranges from $0.9-8.7 million a year. If Ginny was somewhere in the middle of that range, she'd be earning $5 Million a year - or 200,000 Galleons.
1 Draco Malfoy, Independently Wealthy (321,285,145 Galleons/12M)
Draco Malfoy didn't have to get a traditional job like the other Harry Potter careers, as Malfoy is independently wealthy in Harry Potter - and even in a post-Voldemort world, it seems that he hung onto that fortune. Malfoy also married Astoria Greengrass and studied alchemy, but this was on the level of a personal interest, not a professional calling. According to the original Wizarding World, his family was also worth an incredible amount, which some have calculated to be $1.6 billion (via Distractify), but according to the Reddit math used for the rest of the Harry Potter careers, is more like 12-13 million.