Where Did Harry Get Money in Skin Game?

[Bad Alias]

in cold days, the Gatekeeper told Harry that he would fill out the necessary forms to get Harry's identity reestablished.  Apparently, it was a favor not to be underestimated.      With that, I'm *sure* Harry's monthly pay as a Warden of the White Council resumed. 

Are you suggesting that he got cash from the bank, used checks, or used a debit card? Where and how did he get checks or a debit card? If he got cash from the bank, where did it go by the end of the story? Did Harry know exactly how much fireworks and Burger King were going to cost?

[Maz]

Harry doesn't have any money in Cold Days. He has to borrow a nickle from Molly. Between Cold Days and Skin Game, Harry's stuck on Demonreach. In the flashback chapter towards the end of Skin Game, Harry doesn't have any money to buy a sandwich and beer at Mac's. When he has to pay Grey, he doesn't even have a dollar.

So all this leads to the question, how did Harry buy hamburgers from Burger King and all those fireworks?

16 months have elapsed in between these two events.  Harry had Thomas constantly (albeit infrequently) visiting him to bring him supplies, etc.  Harry also had the aforementioned reestablishment of his pay and he also had whatever resources Mab would permit.  I don't see this even remotely as a plot hole that somehow he got some small bit of currency.

[Mira]

16 months have elapsed in between these two events.  Harry had Thomas constantly (albeit infrequently) visiting him to bring him supplies, etc.  Harry also had the aforementioned reestablishment of his pay and he also had whatever resources Mab would permit.  I don't see this even remotely as a plot hole that somehow he got some small bit of currency.

Yeah, he might even have still had a few bucks left in his pocket from the end of Cold Days, it isn't like he had anywhere to spend it.

[morriswalters]

It's sad that we have devolved to discussing where Harry got the money for fireworks.  If July doesn't get here soon I'm gonna go crazy. 

The definitive answer.  He borrowed it from Nic.  Nic asked for the change back, because Nic is cheap.  Thus Harry didn't have the dollar.

[toodeep]

But wouldn't he have had a dollar after that for Grey? Or was he in different clothes from when he bought the fireworks and hamburgers? If he was in different clothes that would explain it pretty well. He borrows money from Micheal or goes to a bank where the teller knows him. He buys the stuff. A day goes by. He changes clothes. The clothes with the money is still at Murphy's house. I don't recall if he visits Micheal on the last day or not.

This is the sort of thing that bothers me in a story.

Well, he had only recently seen Harvey dead.  He wasn't mostly dead, he was all the way dead.  So there is only one thing you can do - go through his pockets looking for loose change.  I assume he bought Burgers with all the cash he stole off the dead guy and thus didn't have any change at the end of the book.  That's why he had extra burgers for Jordan.

[Mira]

Well, he had only recently seen Harvey dead.  He wasn't mostly dead, he was all the way dead.  So there is only one thing you can do - go through his pockets looking for loose change.  I assume he bought Burgers with all the cash he stole off the dead guy and thus didn't have any change at the end of the book.  That's why he had extra burgers for Jordan.

Well, he could have always shook down the brute squad for any extra cash..

[Bad Alias]

16 months have elapsed in between these two events.  Harry had Thomas constantly (albeit infrequently) visiting him to bring him supplies, etc.  Harry also had the aforementioned reestablishment of his pay and he also had whatever resources Mab would permit.  I don't see this even remotely as a plot hole that somehow he got some small bit of currency.

The meeting in Mac's isn't 16 months before Skin Game. It's in Skin Game. It's a plot hole because it's repeatedly shown that Harry's life is in shambles to the point that he doesn't have pocket change. At the same time, he has enough money to buy fireworks and burgers.

Well, he had only recently seen Harvey dead.  He wasn't mostly dead, he was all the way dead.  So there is only one thing you can do - go through his pockets looking for loose change.  I assume he bought Burgers with all the cash he stole off the dead guy and thus didn't have any change at the end of the book.  That's why he had extra burgers for Jordan.

I find this unlikely but hilarious.

Another possible plot hole. How does Harry buy anything? Wouldn't he fry the computers just by being near it? I have a hard enough time with garbled drive through speakers. I can imagine what it would be like for a wizard. Static at best.

[Maz]

Vadderung asking for the nickel is in COLD DAYS not Skin Games? 

[toodeep]

Oh good gosh people.  There was a meeting at Mac's with Vadderung in both Cold Days and Skin Game.  In Cold Days he was there with Molly and Thomas, and had to bum some change from them.  In Cold Days he was under Mab's auspices and it was a top secret meeting with no one else (besides Mab and Mac) present.  He did not have to get money for that meeting as Vadderung was there in his role as Santa and thus you could argue that winter paid for his services.  So the bumming change scene happened months earlier.

[Mira]

Oh good gosh people.  There was a meeting at Mac's with Vadderung in both Cold Days and Skin Game.  In Cold Days he was there with Molly and Thomas, and had to bum some change from them.  In Cold Days he was under Mab's auspices and it was a top secret meeting with no one else (besides Mab and Mac) present.  He did not have to get money for that meeting as Vadderung was there in his role as Santa and thus you could argue that winter paid for his services.  So the bumming change scene happened months earlier.

Exactly.. 

[Bad Alias]

Oh good gosh people.  There was a meeting at Mac's with Vadderung in both Cold Days and Skin Game.  In Cold Days he was there with Molly and Thomas, and had to bum some change from them.  In Cold Days he was under Mab's auspices and it was a top secret meeting with no one else (besides Mab and Mac) present.  He did not have to get money for that meeting as Vadderung was there in his role as Santa and thus you could argue that winter paid for his services.  So the bumming change scene happened months earlier.

But Harry still didn't have any money at the second meeting in SG where he asked Mac if he could have a sandwich and a beer and pay later, so it doesn't matter that 16 months passed between the Vadderung meeting and the Kringle meeting.

[g33k]

It's Toot.

All the way back when Harry was first summoning and using the little guy, Toot laid a minor curse on Harry, to "always be short of cash-on-hand."

So he can get money for a specific use, and pay it.  But when someone unexpectedly demands a dollar, or a nickel, or somesuch... Empty pockets!

It's just such a minor magic, and so petty, that Harry hasn't spotted it yet.

Toot, of course, has long since forgotten.

[Bad Alias]

@g33k: That would explain it and it's just the sort of thing that Harry wouldn't be able to weasel his way out of.