Schoolboy names

[Wanda Sherratt]

Perhaps someone who knows more about English public schools could 
explain the different levels of "naming" in the movie.  It seems to 
be that friends call each other by their first names (Harry, Ron and 
Hermione) and they call their "enemies" or rivals by their last name 
alone (Malfoy-Potter, Wood-Flint, etc.).  I thought it was a bit of 
a jarring moment in the Great Hall when Ron's Howler arrived, and 
Seamus said, "Look everyone!  Weasley's got a Howler!"  Wouldn't it 
have sounded a bit mean to call Ron "Weasley" at such a moment?  Was 
Seamus showing a bit of malice, or was it just an American director 
not appreciating the nuances?  I recall in SS, when they were 
walking through the Dark Forest, Harry called Malfoy "Draco", which 
stirred a little comment, though I could see more of an excuse for 
that:  Harry is not as mean as Draco, it could be that addressing 
someone in a hostile manner is not natural to him.  But I can't 
think of any reason for Seamus to do it.

The teachers are a bit different - they usually use 'Mr.' or 'Miss' 
when addressing a student, though I noticed that McGonagall 
addressed Oliver Wood as "Wood", and it was obviously a token of 
familiarity, not a put-down.  Snape starts off with 'Mr. Potter' in 
SS, but by CoS I think he was almost always using just the last name 
for all the students, including Malfoy.

Wanda