HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY

By Penny Linsenmayer

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

("Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon")[1]

After you've absorbed this FAQ, if you're still burning with questions about Hogwarts, you might visit the Hogwarts section of the Harry Potter Lexicon site:

http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/w_pl_hogwarts.html

The Founding of Hogwarts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry was founded "about 1,000 years before" the events in Chamber of Secrets (which takes place in 1992-1993 based on internal evidence in the book). Therefore, Hogwarts was likely founded sometime in the 10th or 11th century, before the Norman Conquest.

The founders of Hogwarts were: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The surnames of each founder became the names of the four Houses of Hogwarts. Some of our members have speculated about whether each founder hailed from one of the four modern-day countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.[2]

Location of Hogwarts

JK Rowling did more or less confirm that Hogwarts is located in Scotland in an online chat.[3] For more speculation about possible locations within Scotland, please see the FAQ on "Geography."

The Castle

For an excellent description of the Hogwarts Castle (and a map of the Castle and surrounding grounds, based on descriptions within the books), see the Harry Potter Lexicon.

http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/w_pl_hogwarts.html

The Castle is set on top of a high mountain on the other side of the Lake. When he first arrives at Hogwarts, Harry notices the huge oak door and the magnificent marble staircase and flagged stone floor in the entrance hall, which he also notes is bigger than the Dursleys' home. He sees that the stone walls of the Castle's interior are lit with flaming torches and that the Great Hall is lit by thousands of floating candles. He stares in wonder at the talking and moving people in portraits hanging on the walls. In his first week at Hogwarts, Harry notices that there are many hidden staircases and doorways. He thinks that everything appears to move around quite often.

Members have wondered about the size of the Lake: how can Harry and Hermione take long walks around it if it stretches to Hogsmeade (1st year students travel by boat from Hogsmeade Station to the Castle dock)? Could bridges allow them to circle the portion of the Lake on the Castle grounds?[4]

The Houses of Hogwarts

Incoming Hogwarts students (age 11) are sorted into one of the four Hogwarts Houses. Each student dons the Sorting Hat (discussed more below), which discerns the student's strengths, weaknesses and desires. The Sorting Hat then announces which House the student will enter to those assembled in the Great Hall for the Start-of-Term Feast.

While the books do demonstrate that students can cultivate inter-House friendships (and romances), the student's social life at Hogwarts does seem to be concentrated within his/her House.

Gryffindor (the Lion)

According to the Sorting Hat's songs, Gryffindors are brave at heart, daring and demonstrate nerve and chivalry.

Hufflepuff (the Badger)

The Sorting Hat tells us that Hufflepuffs are just and loyal, patient, true and unafraid of toil.

Ravenclaw (the Eagle)

The Ravenclaw House is the one for those of ready mind, wit and learning.

Slytherin (the Serpent)

The Slytherins are deemed cunning and willing to use any means to achieve their ends. Our members have speculated a fair bit about whether the Slytherins are necessarily "evil" or if they are just ambitious (which can be used to further good or evil ends). "Greatness" is neither good nor evil.[5] One member noted: "The evidence so far suggests that a Gryffindor will break the rules if it's for a good cause. A Slytherin will bend them or get around them if possible if it advances a personal agenda."[6] Will we ever see any Slytherin students who are not depicted as nasty or evil? If they were all evil, why would Hogwarts continue to maintain this particular House?[7]

Other Wizarding Schools

Rowling has said in an online chat that Hogwarts is the only wizarding school for the United Kingdom and Ireland.[8] Our members have questioned, however, whether this can be true given that characters such as Stanley Shunpike and Rosmerta of The Three Broomsticks don't seem to have been former Hogwarts students. Is Hogwarts instead the premier wizarding school for the United Kingdom and Britain, the most exclusive of several schools?[9] Yet, Madame Malkin, when measuring Harry for his robes in Diagon Alley before his first year at Hogwarts, presumes that he must be attending Hogwarts. Does this statement indicate that there is in fact only one wizarding school in the UK and Ireland?[10]

If Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in the United Kingdom and Ireland, are students who are not admitted to Hogwarts given home-schooling or apprenticed into trades?[11] Neville Longbottom admits that his family was worried he wouldn't be "magic enough" to be admitted to Hogwarts. Yet, he is clearly a wizard. Surely if he had not been accepted at Hogwarts, he would not have remained completely uneducated. Neville's statement does raise the subject of whether Hogwarts is selective in its admission process. Is it preferential for muggle-born students since they would otherwise have no exposure to magical society (if not admitted to Hogwarts for education)?[12]

There are clearly other wizarding schools in other countries. Readers are introduced to BeauxBatons and Durmstrang in Goblet of Fire. However, it is not clear which European countries (or regions) are served by each of these schools. See the FAQ on "Geography" for speculation about possible locations for these schools.

The Student Population at Hogwarts

If we were a less obsessed crowd, this section would consist of one sentence: J.K. Rowling confirmed in an online chat that there are about 1,000 students at Hogwarts.[13] However, a number of our members are completely unconvinced that this can be true. They assert differing estimates based on their interpretations of the internal evidence in the books, arguing that Rowling must have been "wrong" when she made this statement. There are 3 schools of thought regarding the student population at Hogwarts: (1) those who believe it must be a small number (250-350); (2) those who favor a middle range of 450-600; and (3) those who support the larger number confirmed by Rowling (800-1,000 students).

The Small Number of Students School of Thought

The proponents of a student population ranging from 250 - 350 students cite the following internal evidence to support their arguments.

· Number of Gryffindor Students in Harry's Year

There are 8 known Gryffindor students in Harry's year (Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Parvarti Patil and Lavender Brown). There are roughly 20 students in each combination of 2 Houses (see "20 Broomsticks/20 Cauldrons/20 Earmuffs" below). This translates into roughly 40 students in Harry's year. This yields a total student population (if Harry's year is more or less on par with the numbers of students in other years) of 280 students.

By contrast, if there should be 1,000 students, then there should be roughly 143 students per year (1000 ¸ 7 years). This would translate into roughly 35 students per each of the 4 Hogwarts Houses in each year. Even assuming unequal sorting into the Houses (no Sorting Hat quotas), Harry's year of Gryffindors would be wildly underpopulated if they should have closer to 35 students (rather than 8). See also "20 Broomsticks/20 Cauldrons/20 Earmuffs" below for arguments that Harry's entire year (not just Gryffindors) must be smaller than needed to have 143 students (unless there are 110 Ravenclaws).

Members have wondered whether there could be another dormitory room for Gryffindor boys.[14] Others insist that this cannot be since CoS states that Harry was joined by "the other Gryffindor boys," not "some of the other Gryffindor boys."[15]

Are there only 3 Gryffindor girls in Harry's year? Some say that this must be the case as we would have been introduced to any other Gryffindor girls by this point.[16] But, one member spotted an important revelation in the scene in PoA when Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts class fights the boggart (presumably only Gryffindors are present). Correlating the shapes that the boggart assumed with the students, this member notes that there are 2 unidentified Gryffindor girls in this scene.[17] However, this is the only evidence of another 2 Gryffindor students for Harry's year. We cannot be certain that there are two additional female students in Harry's year at this point since this could just be an isolated error.

· Length of Sorting Ceremony

Sorting 143 students in the Sorting Ceremony would take hours (assuming an average of one minute per student).[18]

· Length of Tables

The four House tables in the Great Hall would need to be slightly longer than the size of an American football field to accommodate 250 students each. There has been no mention of sound amplification in the Great Hall, and this would also be necessary if it were that large. Harry can also always see the Staff Table quite clearly, and this might not be as likely if there were 1,000 students in the Great Hall.[19] Some have countered that there was seating for about 1200 people at the Yule Ball (see below); therefore, the space is there for large tables capable of seating 250 people in each House.[20]

· Size of Hogwarts Express

A train to carry 1,000 students would need to be at least 20 carriages long (based on a BritRail model), not including any room for student luggage.[21] But, could the Hogwarts Express have an internal space-enlarging charm like the Weasleys' car?[22] Is it possible that not all Hogwarts students arrive at Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross in London (it might not make sense for students coming from Scotland to go to King's Cross station in London, only to return to Scotland)? See "Hogwarts Express" below.

· 20 Broomsticks/20 Cauldrons/20 Earmuffs

Harry's year must include fewer than the 143 students that would make up a normal class-size if there are 7 years of students and a total student population of 1,000 students. When Harry and his fellow Gryffindors have double potions with the Slytherins, there are 20 cauldrons. Similarly, when he and the Gryffindors take flying lessons with the Slytherins, there are 20 broomsticks. When Harry and his fellow Gryffindors have double herbology with the Hufflepuffs, there are 20 pairs of earmuffs when they work with the mandrakes in CoS. Many members have concluded that unless there are a hugely disproportionate population of Ravenclaws (110 or more) in Harry's year, his class-size is considerably smaller than 143 students. It seems that there are roughly 10 students in each of Slytherin and Hufflepuff and 8 (or 10) Gryffindors for Harry's year.[23]

If his year is disproportionately small, are there still 1,000 students at Hogwarts during these years (are the other 6 years larger than average) or are there more like 800 students when there would normally be 1,000?[24]

Some members like the theory that Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses are smaller as there are "more people who do the work than get the glory (or notoriety in the case of the Slytherins)."[25] But, there are still only roughly 10 Hufflepuffs in Harry's year, based on the evidence of the 20 pairs of earmuffs in double Herbology.

There cannot be 5 students of each gender in each House for each year though or the Sorting Ceremony would not make much sense (there can't be quotas or the Sorting Hat couldn't evaluate a student's strengths, weaknesses or desires in all cases).[26] But, if there are students who would do equally well in more than one House, then perhaps the Sorting Hat is using a quota system of sorts.[27]

· Limited Number of Teachers

There would need to be considerably more teachers than we've been introduced to if there are 1,000 students at Hogwarts. See "Teachers" below for a reference of the 12 identified Hogwarts professors. There is only so much 12 teachers can do in a day unless they are all using time-turners.[28] As one member calculated:

"If we accept that there are 1,000 students and agree that most of the classes would have to be split into streams to make the numbers smaller, McGonagall could be teaching 56+ classes per week, but it might be approaching 100. At an hour per lesson, that would be 13 hours of teaching every weekday with no breaks for a catnap."[29]

Others have argued that 12 teachers wouldn't be enough even if there were only 300 students, and accordingly, we must have not been introduced to all the teachers.[30] This has been countered with evidence that 12 teachers could manage a student population of 300 students.[31]

· Point System

If there are 1,000 students, aren't the year-end accumulated point totals for each House in SS (in the 400 points apiece range) quite low?[32]

· Harry's Point-of-View

Proponents of the small student population school of thought argue that Harry's point of view (POV) and emotional state may affect the larger numbers that are touted by those in favor of the larger student population. Though the Great Hall is described as seating "hundreds," they argue that Harry was nervous when being sorted and any number of people would loom large to a nervous 11 year-old boy who didn't have much previous exposure to large groups.[33] They argue that Harry, nervous in the Quidditch match against Slytherin in PoA, sees 200 Slytherin supporters when there could be far fewer.[34] Similarly, they point out that the reference to "about 100 tables seating about 10 people each" could be Harry's exaggerated viewpoint; he's nervous about leading off the dancing (and even being at the Yule Ball after all).[35]

Those who support the larger student numbers contend that Rowling, as omniscient narrator, is relaying these facts, which are unaffected by Harry's POV.[36]

The Middle Range Student Population School of Thought

Some members favor a middle-ground approach. They believe some of the arguments advanced by the small number proponents and other arguments advanced by those who believe there is a larger student population. Having picked amongst the arguments advanced by those in the opposite camps, they favor a student population of 450-600 students.

They also cite the following internal evidence:

· Number of Carriages to Transport 2nd - 7th Year Students

The 2nd - 7th year students are transported from Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts via "about 100" carriages that hold up to 4 people apiece (PoA). If 400 students are 6/7 of the total, then the student population is roughly 467 students.[37]

The small number advocates argue that the carriages don't all hold 4 students each (Harry, Ron and Hermione do not have a 4th student in their carriage). Some of the carriages might also be used to transport luggage.[38]

Those in favor of a larger student population conjecture that not all students arrive at Hogsmeade Station at the same time (or via the Hogwarts Express).

The Large Student Population School of Thought

The proponents of a student population ranging from 250 - 350 students cite the following internal evidence to support their arguments.

· Size of the Castle; Busy Corridors

The castle is described as "huge" or "enormous" (vast). The corridors are described as "busy" and oftentimes "filled with students" (crowded). If there were only 300 students and the castle is really as vast as it sounds, there wouldn't be nearly enough students to create busy, crowded corridors.[39]

Why would Ron think it was possible for Colin Creevy and Ginny Weasley (both Gryffindors and both in the same year) to not meet each other if there are a small number of students?[40]

But, if there are 250 Gryffindors (per 1000 students in total), the members in favor of a smaller student population argue that the common room would need to be absolutely enormous to allow Hermione room to spread her homework out over several tables. They also wonder how the common room would ever be deserted if there were 250 Gryffindors (let alone deserted as frequently as it seems to be for the Harry/Hermione/Ron trio).[41]

The small number theorists also argue that maybe the Castle is large because it was created to serve a wizarding population that was much larger 1,000 years ago. This has been countered with the argument that the Castle can change its size and space to fit current needs.[42]

· Size of the Great Hall

The Great Hall is described as seating "hundreds." Some members argue that 280 students wouldn't qualify as "hundreds."[43] Others insist that Harry's POV could affect this description.

· Quidditch Matches Crowd

The Quidditch stadium is described in SS as seating "hundreds." Those in favor of the larger student population point out that there were 200 Slytherin supporters dressed in green at the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match in PoA, with the remaining 3/4 of the attendees supporting Gryffindor. They argue that there must be roughly 800 students for this to be the case.[44]

The Quidditch matches are also described as crowded and full of fans. 300 students wouldn't ever make the stadium look "full," let alone "crowded."[45] "Hundreds" of students are described as filling the stands to watch the 3rd Task in GoF. Are 300 students enough to qualify as "hundreds"? But, if there are 1,000 students, would the description "hundreds" make sense, given that there are more people than students in attendance (some family members, the judges, faculty members)?[46]

Those in favor of a smaller student population argue that if there are 800 people in attendance, there is no evidence that all attendees are students. There could be alumni, faculty, parents or interested sports fans (including Hogsmeade residents) attending the matches. "Hundreds" of seats wouldn't be enough to allow any alumni, parents, faculty or Hogsmeade residents to ever attend a match if there were 1000 students.[47]

· Yule Ball Tables

At the Yule Ball in GoF, the Great Hall is described as having "about 100 tables seating about 12 people each." Those favoring a large student population argue that if there were only 300 students, there would need to be at least 900 attendees who are not students.[48]

Small number theorists cite Harry's POV as a possible explanation.

They also argue that "about 100 tables seating about 12 people each" doesn't necessarily mean there were 1200 people in attendance. But, they argue that even if there were 1200 people in attendance, the Ball was only open to 4th - 7th year students. The maximum number of students (assuming 100% 4th - 7th year attendance and that 10% of the 4th - 7th year students invited a younger student as their date) yields 650-700 students at most (assuming 12 BeauxBatons & 12 Durmstrang students). Accordingly, these members argue that the number of Yule Ball tables does not support the 1,000 students population figure.[49]

· Underpopulated in Harry's Year

Members have speculated that perhaps Harry's year (and even the years preceding him) is underpopulated due to a low birthrate (or babies/children being killed) during the First Voldemort regime. One member has also put forth a "King Herod" theory (that perhaps Voldemort killed a number of children or male children about Harry's age if there was a prophecy that he would be defeated by a young child).[50]

· No Viable Wizarding Population if Smaller Student Population

Some members have extrapolated the wizarding population for the United Kingdom and Ireland based on the student population numbers, and they have concluded that a student population of 300 students would not yield a viable wizarding population. They point out that the wizarding population must be reasonably large given the numbers of wizards celebrating Voldemort's downfall in Chapter 1 of SS in Little Whinging, Surrey and the fact that tickets to the Quidditch World Cup game were "hard to come by" (with 100,000 available seats). A student population of 300 students wouldn't yield an overall population large enough to support those figures.[51]

These members also argue that the wizarding population must be larger (12,000 - 15,000 wizards in the United Kingdom & Ireland, which requires 800 - 1,000 Hogwarts students) in order to support the high level of economic activity described in the books (Gringotts, wizarding commercial establishments in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and Hogsmeade, publishing ventures such as The Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly and textbooks; professional Quidditch franchises, etc.).[52]

Others have counted that if there are 300 Hogwarts students, this can work out to a United Kingdom & Ireland wizarding population of roughly 10,000, which translates into a worldwide wizarding population of 4,000,000 (explaining the "hard to come by" seats for the Quidditch World Cup). They also argue that there is other textual evidence that the British wizarding population is relatively small and that 1,000 students wouldn't support the economic activities described either.[53]

It has also been argued that Hogwarts may not be the only wizarding school in the United Kingdom and Ireland (despite Rowling's statement on this topic). Accordingly, the extrapolated overall wizarding population numbers would be incorrect if there are other wizarding schools or if witches and wizards who are not accepted into Hogwarts are home-schooled or apprenticed into trades.[54]

Some members have cited the Preponderance of Evidence Theory for the proposition that the best evidence of the student population may well be the information we have about Harry's year (despite Rowling's contradictory statement in an online chat).[55]

Some members have concluded that perhaps Rowling simply did not work out the details ahead of time, and the books will never be internally consistent as far as this particular topic is concerned.[56] Others insist that this is an extremely critical detail that Rowling must have worked out in advance. They just assume that she failed to be sure the numbers were internally consistent throughout each book, but that she is not wrong in saying that there are about 1,000 students at Hogwarts.[57] Most members do hope that it might be addressed in a way that resolves the conflicting evidence in one of the later books.

Admittance to Hogwarts

Rowling stated in an online chat that there is a "magical quill in Hogwarts, which detects the birth of a magical child, and writes his or her name down in a large parchment book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, and sends owls to the people who are turning 11."[58] There has been some discussion if this means all children turning 11 during a calendar year (1 January - 31 December) receive a Hogwarts letter or only children who will be 11 before the start of the Hogwarts fall term on 1 September.[59] There is also the question of whether all magical children receive automatic admission to Hogwarts in their 11th year. Neville's statement about maybe not being "magic enough to go to Hogwarts" sheds some doubt on this. Yes, surely it is dangerous for a magical child to remain uneducated. Did Stanley Shunpike, Madame Rosmerta and Tom of the Leaky Cauldron attend Hogwarts?[60]

What happens if a child's parents (particularly muggle parents) refuse to allow their child to attend Hogwarts?[61]

How do muggle parents deal with nosy relatives and friends regarding their child's education at Hogwarts? Memory charms?[62]

The Hogwarts Express

The Hogwarts Express leaves King's Cross Station in London at 11:00 a.m. on September 1st each year. Students reach the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4. Is it possible that not all Hogwarts students arrive at Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross in London (it might not make sense for students coming from Scotland to go to King's Cross station in London, only to return to Scotland)? Is there more than one Hogwarts Express, and they all converge on Hogsmeade Station at the same time?[63] Does the Hogwarts Express make stops to pick up students in other parts of England, or must they all find a way to London to catch the Hogwarts Express?[64] Or, is there a Platform 9 3/4 in certain geographically dispersed train stations in Britain and Ireland that magically transport students to the Hogwarts Express (Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys happen to use King's Cross station because they live in southern England)? But, if this is the case, why not magically link students directly to Hogsmeade Station rather than forcing them to take the long train trip to Hogwarts?[65]

Sorting Ceremony

One of our members correctly predicted that the Sorting Hat had a connection to Godric Gryffindor prior to GoF.[66]

We have debated a number of questions relating to the Sorting Hat and its methodology. Does the Sorting Hat sort students based on a person's individuality and merits (strengths, weaknesses and desires)? Does family history play any role in the Sorting process (why would all the Weasleys, who are so different in so many ways, all be Gryffindors)?[67] The Sorting Hat clearly takes an individual's desires and choices into account.[68]

Do the dormitory rooms magically adjust after the Sorting Ceremony to reflect the number of students just sorted into that House for a given year?[69]

Our group had fun last spring in correlating the 4 Hogwarts Houses to the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types. We devised 3 slightly different systems (recapped in Yahoo Clubs Message #1435), but in general, our members agreed with the following[70]:

Hufflepuffs -- Introverts dominated by their hearts

Ravenclaws -- Introverts dominated by their heads

Gryffindors -- Extroverts dominated by their hearts

Slytherins -- Extroverts dominated by their heads

We have recently discussed which Myers-Briggs personality type some of the major characters might be.[71]

Tuition at Hogwarts

Do the Hogwarts students pay tuition? Some members argue that the students must pay tuition since Harry thinks to himself near the beginning of PoA that he must be careful with his money as he has years of school left. Hagrid also tells Harry on his first trip to his Gringotts vault that he has collected enough money for "a couple of terms," which implies there must be tuition of some sort.[72] Others argue that tuition may be instead paid for through wizarding taxes, Ministry of Magic subsidies or donations from wealthy alumni?[73] Harry might have been collecting money to pay solely for books and supplies (and pocket money for chocolate frogs!). If there is tuition, might there be scholarships for students such as the Weasley children?[74]

Some members have argued that tuition may not be necessary at Hogwarts since the Castle would not have utility bills or other overhead, repairs could be handled magically, the food can be supplied from the grounds and teacher salaries could be paid for through wizard taxes.[75]

Meal-Times

Many members have the perception that meal-times seem to be too frequent (and/or at odd times of the day).[76]

Courses & Class Schedules

Pre-Hogwarts Education

How are magical children educated prior to Hogwarts? Are there wizarding primary schools? If so, do most magical children attend these wizarding primary schools or are they home-schooled? Muggle-born students appear to attend muggle primary schools (Harry and Hermione are examples of this). The Weasleys would appear to be home-schooled since the wizarding population in the vicinity of the Burrow appears to be small (per GoF) and their ignorance of muggle life suggests that they did not attend the muggle school in Ottery St. Catchpole.[77] Is it even possible (or advisable more importantly) for witches and wizards to attend muggle schools?[78] Might magical children have magical methods of learning the basics and they can skip a primary education?[79] What sort of basic knowledge do they need to succeed in the wizarding world though? Do they need more than basic reading and math skills that could be learned through home-schooling?[80]

Courses at Hogwarts

For a detailed listing of classes known to be taught at Hogwarts (and some interesting facts about each one), see the Harry Potter Lexicon:

http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/classes.html

Are there other courses taught at Hogwarts that we just haven't been introduced to yet?[81] Did Hermione sign up for "everything" (all the available elective courses) or is this just a case of Harry's POV again?[82]

Members have debated what arithmancy involves.[83] Does "double" in the case of Double Potions or Double Herbology mean twice the standard class time or does it refer to the fact that two houses are combined into one class?[84] Is Dueling taught in Charms class or as an extracurricular activity?[85] For a creative correlation of Hogwarts courses to "muggle equivalents," see Yahoogroups Message #7979.

Where do students learn to Apparate if they cannot Apparate or Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds and underage students cannot practice magic during the holidays?[86] Some members have suggested that the students may take field trips to Hogsmeade for this purpose. Another member questioned whether the inability to Apparate or Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds might be a myth (despite Hermione's repeated reminders of this ban and Snape's confirmation of it).[87]

Do Hogwarts students receive a well-rounded education? Do they continue to study non-magical courses (such as literature, history, music, mathematics) after they arrive at Hogwarts, or are they expected to have learned all they will need to know to survive in the wizarding world prior to Hogwarts? Is an 11 year-old level understanding of literature, languages, fine arts and mathematics really sufficient?[88] See also the following essay at the Harry Potter Lexicon site:

http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/hogwarts_academics.html#well rounded?

Course Schedules

Are elective courses segregated by House, by year or both? For example, if Ron suddenly decided to take up Muggle Studies in his 5th year (dropping Care of Magical Creatures), would he be placed with 5th year Gryffindors, 5th year students taking Muggle Studies, 3rd year Gryffindors just beginning Muggle Studies or 3rd year students just beginning Muggle Studies? Is Hermione the only Gryffindor in Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies during her 3rd year (assuming that all students choose only 2 electives and all the Gryffindors other than Hermione seem to be in Divination & Care of Magical Creatures)?[89]

Some members have worked out detailed posts regarding possible course schedules.[90]

Why do the Gryffindors have no classes with the Ravenclaws?[91]

Prefects

Method of Selection

Members have debated how the prefects are chosen each year. Are the prefects elected by the students, selected by the professors from a pool of applicants, selected by the professors but not by applications or magically selected? On what basis are they selected: academics, leadership, responsibility, social skills or some combination of these factors?[92]

If they are selected by the professors or by magical methods, can a chosen prefect reject the position?[93]

Number of Prefects

Are there two prefects per House, two prefects per House for each of the 5th - 7th year classes, or is it not necessarily an equal number for each House (particularly if they are selected based on merit)?[94] One member noted that it can't be that there is one male and one female prefect for each year (or just each House) since Molly Weasley did ask the twins why they hadn't been made prefects.[95] Another member noted that Percy Weasley says that the prefects have two compartments to themselves on the Hogwarts Express (SS), and two compartments would be far too much space for only 8 prefects (2 per House).[96]

Prefects in Harry's Year: Speculation

We have debated whether any of Harry, Ron or Hermione might be a prefect in Book 5. There are a number of people who argue that Hermione is a natural selection for prefect. However, others point out that Hermione's close association with Harry and Ron may affect her chances of being selected a prefect. Members have questioned whether prefects must be good examples of adherence to rules (like Percy), citing the fact that James Potter was Head Boy despite being described as a trouble-maker in his day. The Marauders were, however, less conspicuous rule-breakers than the Trio.[97]

Hogwarts Professors

The known Hogwarts Professors are as follows:

Albus Dumbledore HeadMaster (does not appear to teach courses)

Minerva McGonagall Transfiguration

Severus Snape Potions

Rubeus Hagrid Care of Magical Creatures (GameKeeper)

Professor Flitwick Charms

Professor Sprout Herbology

Sibyll Trelawney Divination

Professor Sinistra Astronomy

Professor Vector Arithmancy

Professor Binns History of Magic

Madame Hooch Flying Lessons/Quidditch

Professor Quirrell Defense Against the Dark Arts (1991-92)

Gilderoy Lockhart Defense Against the Dark Arts (1992-93)

Remus Lupin Defense Against the Dark Arts (1993-94)

Alastor Moody (B. Crouch, Jr.) Defense Against the Dark Arts (1994-95)

Unknown Muggle Studies

Unknown Ancient Runes

Professor Grubbly-Plank Substitute (??)

Staff Members

Madame Pince Librarian

Poppy Pomfrey Nurse

Argus Filch Caretaker

For more detailed information about Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid and Remus Lupin, see the FAQ character sketches for these Professors.

Members have debated the gender of Professors Sinistra and Vector. Professor Sinistra is seen dancing with Professor Moody at the Yule Ball in GoF, but is this definitive evidence that Sinistra is female?[98]

Are any of the professors married, homosexual, divorced or widowed? Or, are they all single? Their marital status seems very ambiguous.[99]

Heads of Houses

A Professor serves as the Head of each of the four Hogwarts Houses. The current Heads of each House are as follows:

Gryffindor Minerva McGonagall

Hufflepuff Professor Sprout

Ravenclaw Professor Flitwick[100]

Slytherin Severus Snape

Why are Professors Flitwick and Sprout given so little "screen time"? We don't even know their given names, and we certainly don't have enough information to warrant a character sketch on either of them. Yet, they serve as Heads of two of the four Hogwarts Houses. Is this solely a reflection that neither Hufflepuff nor Ravenclaw House is spotlighted much in the books?[101]

How are the Heads of Houses chosen? Would a vacancy as Head of House go to the most-qualified Professor or to a former pupil of that House?[102]

Members have wondered whether a Hogwarts Professor who is not a former pupil of Hogwarts must be sorted into a House? Or, must the Heads of Houses be former Hogwarts pupils?[103]

What are the duties of the Heads of the Houses (other than dispensing punishments and enforcing school rules)?[104]

Life after Hogwarts

Is there a graduation ceremony for departing 7th year students at Hogwarts? Most members believe there likely is not such a ceremony since we have heard no mention of one and graduation ceremonies are not common in Britain.[105]

Are there institutions of higher learning (universities) for witches and wizards? J.K. Rowling has said there are not universities for wizards.[106] Most members don't "like" the idea that there is no wizarding university. It also doesn't make much sense to most members. We hope that Rowling was discounting the idea of wizarding universities as a means of discouraging hope that she will write more than seven Harry Potter books.

Are jobs at the Ministry of Magic (government), academia (Hogwarts), Gringotts, commercial establishments in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, publishing such as The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly or textbooks, and lower-paying jobs such as those held by Stanley Shunpike, Madame Rosmerta and Tom of the Leaky Cauldron the only career opportunities for Hogwarts graduates? A disproportionate number of witches and wizards seem to work for the government (Ministry of Magic). The opportunities for pursuing a career in academia would seem to be limited if there are really only approximately 14 teachers at the only wizarding school in the United Kingdom (Hogwarts) and if there are no wizarding universities.

Footnotes

1. Yahoo Clubs Messages # 401,1073

2. Yahoo Clubs #5503

3. Online Chat with J.K. Rowling, Barnes & Noble, 8 September 1999.

4. Yahoogroups Messages #9632, 9673, 9719

5. Yahoo Clubs Messages #1466, 1467, 1473, 1474, 1475, 1478.

6. Yahoogroups Message #13731

7. Yahoo Clubs Messages #1475, 1478; Yahoogroups Messages #13719, 13731, 13733

8. Yahoo Clubs Messages #4666, 4667 (Simon Mayo interview with Rowling cited).

9. Yahoo Clubs Message #6904; Yahoogroups Message #12

10. Yahoo Clubs Message #6939

11. Yahoo Clubs Messages #6904, 6917; Yahoogroups Messages #9729, 9809, 12923, 12995, 13000, 13005