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AIBU?

to think Hogwarts is actually a really small school?

223 replies

FlutteringButterflie · 30/08/2013 19:57

I watch the film earlier and realised in Griffindor in Harry's year there were only 5 boys and 3 girls. There are 4 houses so probably about 40 pupils per year.

7 years, so about 280 pupils - not really that many when you think about it.

[geek]

OP posts:

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thebody · 30/08/2013 22:45

diseases, Sirius WAS in griffindor house. remember prof slughorne said he had Regulus but not Sirius as he didn't have the set?

Lavender is killed by Greyback, well she looks dead anyway in the last battle.

what I don't get is how come if some muggles go there why don't their parents boast to their friends.

shit here its a big boast to get into the 'good' comp, I would be freakin boastin to all my friends if my kid turned out to be a wizard/witch and went to a posh boarding school!!!!

CaptainCapybara · 30/08/2013 22:56

I always wondered why Harry couldn't see thestrals until after Sirius died when in flashbacks you can see he saw his mum die.

Elevader · 30/08/2013 23:00

Captain I thought he just saw the green flash of light, not his mum? It could also have something to do with him being so young that he was unable to process death??

CorrinaKedavra · 30/08/2013 23:01

Elevader what a fantastic link!

"Using inappropriate charms on a goat"

I thought I loved JK Rowling a lot until was posted on another thread this morning and I am utterly amazed by her. She is so inspiring and her sense of social responsibility is marvellous.

FlutteringButterflie · 30/08/2013 23:05

I always wondered why Harry couldn't see thestrals until after Sirius died when in flashbacks you can see he saw his mum die.

I thought he did see them before? I thought him and Luna were the only two in the group who could see them when they flew to rescue Sirius.

I could be mistaken. It's been a long since I read the books.

OP posts:

MrsGeologist · 30/08/2013 23:05

A joke, but pretty accurate. I'd rate it unsatisfactory too.

ProudAS · 30/08/2013 23:07

Hogwarts did get an OFSTED inspection years ago. I am using phone but will try to find link.

MrsGeologist · 30/08/2013 23:07

I reckon he couldn't see them because it's not jut seeing death, it's perceiving it, IYSWIM. He was too young to understand what he had witnessed, so it didn't count.

CorrinaKedavra · 30/08/2013 23:08

I think it was said on the other thread that Harry had to process Sirius dying before he could see them. I'm not that much of an expert and only changed my name for the studio tour.

JeanPaget · 30/08/2013 23:13

I also thought it was a bit of a plot hole that Harry couldn't see Thestrals before.

It's also a bit weird that in the first book Hagrid knows all about Prof. Quirrell and says he seems scared of his own subject, when later we find out about Voldemort's curse that means no DATDA teacher lasts more than a year, meaning Harry's first year has to be the first year Quirrell is teaching Defence...

ConfusedPixie · 30/08/2013 23:13

I could see them opulling the carraiges when they went back for 5th year as he'd seen Cedric die. Luna said something to him about it.

JeanPaget · 30/08/2013 23:13

It's seeing Cedric die that allows Harry to see the Thestrals not Sirius, since Sirius doesn't die until the end of Order of the Phoenix

ConfusedPixie · 30/08/2013 23:14

Excuse the bad typuing fingers are painful tonight and it limits my typing abilities on my big keyboard

JeanPaget · 30/08/2013 23:14

Sorry cross-post!

ConfusedPixie · 30/08/2013 23:14

Excuse the bad typuing fingers are painful tonight and it limits my typing abilities on my big keyboard

ConfusedPixie · 30/08/2013 23:15

Haha, less than 30 seconds between, nice timing

FairPhyllis · 30/08/2013 23:16

The hall in the films is modelled on Christ Church College Oxford's hall, which has a capacity of about 300. So about right for the calculations of number of students.

Any more and they wouldn't be able to have feasts! They have to have several sittings at meals at ChCh as it is because they would never be able to fit the whole college in.

Picturesinthefirelight · 30/08/2013 23:17

Dds school is smaller!! On induction day there were 18year 7s but she says there were a few who couldn't make induction.

CorrinaKedavra · 30/08/2013 23:19

Cedric then, not Sirius. Sorry.

The Great Hall apparently has a capacity for 400 students but then lots of them would be littler than the students of Oxford. Daniel Radcliffe's first costume is enchantingly tiny

ConfusedPixie · 30/08/2013 23:21

But Fair, the films really can't be seen as an accurate extension of the books as there is a lot they got wrong in them, so it's a possibility that they could have gotten the number wrong too.

I wish Rowling would just say "There were X many students at Hogwarts", she has epic lists of students, their names, DOBs, houses and years, so why not just clear it up once and for all?

Does anybody else remember JKs personal site from years ago? It was all HP based and there were loads of puzzles and things ingrained into the site, it was brilliant. Loads of spoilers and things, Dean's backstory was on there and there was a door that had spoilers behind it if you solved puzzles too.

DiseasesOfTheSheep · 30/08/2013 23:21

diseases, Sirius WAS in griffindor house. remember prof slughorne said he had Regulus but not Sirius as he didn't have the set

My point exactly - Sirius was a Gryffindor who, at that time was thought to have gone bad - so why did Hagrid say there wasn't a witch or wizard gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin? Eh?!

It's bugged me for years. I have perspective issues

CaptainCapybara · 30/08/2013 23:24

Ah yes of course it was Cedric not Sirius. I don't know if Harry was too young for his mum's death to "count" that could be it but I would have thought the fact that he was old enough to have a vague memory of it would be enough.

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JeanPaget · 30/08/2013 23:28

Ooh good point Diseases, that is annoying!

FairPhyllis · 30/08/2013 23:30

Well I know the films aren't 'canon' but it's not a bad rough estimate.

I think wizarding society is pretty fucking grim tbh - what happens to you if you are a Squib? Do you get to go to Hogwarts? I know Filch works there and he is a Squib, but there don't seem to be any who are children. Do you basically get cast out of the wizarding world when you are 11 and have to go to Bog Standard Comp while all your siblings go off and have fun at Hogwarts?

JKR's vice-like grip on the minutiae of the world and on controlling people's interpretations of it is one of the least attractive aspects of Potterdom imo.

Elevader · 30/08/2013 23:33

FairPhyllis You end up as a crazy cat lady like Mrs Figg

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