Number of Students

[plinsenmayer]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C6404
From: plinsenmayer
Subject: Number of Students
Date: 8/9/00 12:35 pm  (ET)

Hi:

Good point Joywitch & the others who pointed out that part from CoS
where JKR emphasizes that there are only 5 Gryffindor boys in Harry's
year. I'm glad someone could come up with some solid evidence to support
my theory. <g>

<<<You have a point, but I still have trouble with it. There were 100
carriages to take the 2nd through 7th years up to school from Hogsmeade
station, and the first years went in boats. Each carriage holds at
least four (Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville shared one) That's 400;
add the first years in the boats, assuming the same average, and you've
got 467.>>>

I would say that each carriage holds *up to* 4 students. In PoA, there
were only 3 students in Harry's carriage (himself, Ron & Hermione). That
means there isn't someone standing there ensuring that at least 4 students
get into each carriage. Crabbe & Goyle are quite large supposedly -- I
wouldn't be surprised if they took up an entire carriage themselves. Some
of the professors might also be riding in the carriages as Prof Lupin
did in PoA.

I still think the *preponderence* of the evidence suggests a student body
of 225-300 students. That would still qualify as "hundreds" of faces
watching Harry being sorted from SS. It probably looked like hundreds
in any case -- he was completely nervous at that point.

I'm with Joywitch -- the 200 Slytherin supporters at that Quidditch match
must have included a fair number of alumni and/or Hogsmeade residents.

Just my 2 galleons (again) --

Penny