Sundry topics (aka The Neverending Email)

[Christian Stubø]

No: HPFGUIDX 8164

This did get long, didn't it? 

TOC:
1.  AGES/QUESTION
2.  CONNOISEUR HIPPOGRIFFS
3.  MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER
4.  PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE'S MAP OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND
5.  COVER ART
6.  ARE ALL SLYTHERINS ROTTEN TO THE BONE?
7.  MINISTRY OF MAGIC AND MISUSE OF MUGGLE ARTEFACTS LAWS
8.  POSSIBLY ANNOYING QUESTION
9.  ROBES IN THE BOOKS AND IN THE MOVIE
10.  STUDENT NUMBERS/WIZARD NUMBERS
11.  TEACHER QUESTIONS
12.  MODYFYING MY OPINION OF THE NORWEGIAN TRANSLATION OF THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

I am on digest, so I am answering (and possibly starting) several threads in one big lump
(some of these things may have been said before, without having reached me yet).  Pardon
any ytPnIg rerOrs - I believe I caught most, but you just never know...  Please ask if
some things are not clear - it is 3:40 AM here (and raining, I believe - earlier today it
was down to -10 degrees centigrade, with -18 just a few miles away).

1.  AGES/QUESTION
Some time ago, JKR answered about the ages of different teachers, referring to
McGonagall, I believe, as being 'a springly 70' years old.  Did she also state the age of
Professor Snape, and could somebody please restate it if she did?  

2.  CONNOISEUR HIPPOGRIFFS
Just a funny detail from 'PoA Chapter Fourteen - Snape's Grudge':

"'Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets,' said Hagrid wisely.  Behind
him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow."

That scene takes on a whole new meaning after having read the GoF... ;-)

3.  MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER
For those of you that know of the British (BBC, possibly ITV) television series
Heartbeat, Mundungus Fletcher makes me think of a cross-product between Claude Jeremiah
Greengrass and Sgt. Blaketon.  If he was the one raided by the ministry, he is probably a
former auror, who served for a long time, paying his taxes (if wizards have do pay taxes,
that is), and is now retired, living at home, having fun tinkering with his muggle
objects.  He is probably more than just a bit mad with these young aspiring hotheads from
the ministry who are trying tot ake the fun out of life of old servicemen (it would be a
bit like a local police-unit visiting retired sergeant-major of the North Staffordshire
Regt, trying to confiscate his price-collection of side-arms collected through 45 years
of service).

4.  PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE'S MAP OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND
Just to pick a very small nit (I do not even recall whose it was) - the scar on Professor
Dumbledore's knee is of the London *Underground* (i.e. subway), not of London itself. 
(Do you think it updates itself when they open new lines or close old ones?  And does it
have the names of the stations?)

5.  COVER ART
I agree with the assessment of the three first US Covers.  Have you noticed, though, that
on the UK edition of PS, Harry's hair appears to be exceptionally tidy?

6.  ARE ALL SLYTHERINS ROTTEN TO THE BONE?
I do not believe so - in 'PoA Chapter Six - Talons and Tea Leaves', *all* of the students
except Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle applauded, and then cheered, when Harry first was allowed
to pat Buckbeak's beak, and then was allowed to fly him.  Just something I noted.

7.  MINISTRY OF MAGIC AND MISUSE OF MUGGLE ARTEFACTS LAWS
I believe the reason flying cars and motorcycles are not allowed is because the flying
may be accidentally activated by a muggle who pushed the wrong button by accident.  I
think flying brromsticks are not prohibited because (a) they are necessary for the
wizarding world in Britain; and (b) I believe it takes some effort, both with magic and
willpower, to get it off the ground.  Thus, while muggle kids might be playing witches on
a stray flying broomstick, the chances that they take to the skies is rather small.  The
restriction on flying carpets may just be a move to protect domestic broom-industry, or
perhaps carpets are more responsive than brooms (they are family-vehicles, after all),
and thus more easily will rise to the skies even if it is just occupied some muggle kids
who have read Arabian Nights.

8.  POSSIBLY ANNOYING QUESTION
Have anybody managed to confirm or deny an apparently steafast rumour about Ron Weasley's
name being a pun at the expense a certain Running Weasel and his yellow rat?  I searched
the messages of both this list and the archive-list, but found nothing conclusive.  I do
not place too much belief in the rumour (I believe it an Internet-myth, to be frank),
mostly because nobody manage to say of which 'third dynasty' he was a member.  It is not
important, but it has been bugging me.

9.  ROBES IN THE BOOKS AND IN THE MOVIE
To rehack this old battered subject - I still do not agree with the pictures I have seen
from the movie-sets, showing the hogwarts uniform as open robes, with dark trousers,
shirt, tie and a house-specific knitted V-neck sweater.  It simply looks too much like
muggle school-uniforms to me.  Also, there are points in the text that I find supportive
of my view (I have just started rereading the series, to refresh my knowledge of Canon,
as I have read rather a lot of fanfiction the last few months - don't want to get things
mixed up).  When Harry buys his first robes, at Madam Malkin's, she "slipped a long robe
over his head" (PS Chapter Five - diagon Alley), and when Snape had been bitten by
Fluffy, he had to hoist his robes up to show the bite to Filch (PS Chapter Eleven -
Quidditch).  In CoS, we are told that Hermiones had her robes pulled up over her face
when she came out of her cubicle in Moaning Myrtle's bathrooms, with her face full of fur
(CoS Chapter Twelve - The Polyjuice Potion).  There is also no place that I can think of
where a distinction is made between open and closed robes.  Also, in PS, Harry is wearing
jeans when arriving at Hogwarts, and I doubt jeans would be an accepted part of a uniform
involving shirt and tie, when the trousers are visible.

When younger wizarding-people wear trousers, jeans and sweater, I take that to be more a
light case of youthful rebellion against the ways of the elders, in much the same way
that the Beatles caused the hair of teenagers around the world to grow longer in the
sixties.  It may also be a sign of fascination with a muggle culture where the accepted
standard of clothing finally is almost as easy to put on as robes are.  The older
generations seem to prefer robes, exercising some of the same standards as the scots do
with kilts.  It also makes sense to me that the school uniform is old-fashioned compared
to the taste of the younger generations, as that does seem to be the standard in muggle
schools in Britain and Australia, at least (I *do* watch A Country Practise and Home And
Away occasionally!).

10.  STUDENT NUMBERS/WIZARD NUMBERS
The number of English wizard-students also determines the total population of wizards in
Britain.  I did some rough calculations on this, a month or two back, based on the
assumption that the average wizard lives twice as long as the average muggle (based on
JKR's age-statement - Dumbledore is 150).  With that assumption, I concluded that the
number of wizards in britain and Ireland is roughly 20 (twenty) times the number of
students.  300-400 students would mean a British/Irish population of 6000-8000 wizards
all ages.  I think the spreadsheet is in the files section.

For this reason alone I support a relatively high number of students at Hogwarts, because
the wizarding-population needs to be of a certain size.  The British Wizarding population
is able to support a relatively large Ministry of Magic, with several departments under
junior ministers, a large commercial district (Diagon Alley), a smaller commercial
district (Hogsmeade - mainly supported by students, I admit) and a sizeable district for
less honourable commercial activities (Knocturn Alley).  Mr. Ollivander has 'thousands of
narrow boxes', and I doubt that the majority of these are empty, and Gringotts has about
a hundred goblins at work (PS Chapter Five - Diagon Alley), which indicates quite a high
level of activity.  There is also an influential daily newspaper, which does sound like
it is based in Britain, and there is Witch Weekly (probably based in Britain, but maybe
elsewhere), and at least one professional publication (Transfiguration Today).  

There has to be people enough to man all these industries and businesses, and look after
children and the household (which I get the impression may be something of a norm still
in wizarding society).  Therefore I think that 300-400 students is a too low number, as
the population of wizards this would indicate only barely would be able to support the
level of activity we see.

Also, remember that Hogwarts is *large* - Professor Flitwick's office is located on the
seventh floor, and this is described as being one of the "...upper floors of the castle",
not just a single tower (Both informations from 'PoA Chapter Twenty-one - Hermione's
Secret').  It is not even specified as being the top floor.  When at university, I went
to a faculty where the buildings housed 500 students, where half had offices, relatively
large staff, several auditoriums, a large research-cenbtre with a large staff, a large
lab-building containing two large marine diesel-engines running of methane, a large hall
for testing bending- and breaking-strength of full-size hullgirders, and several other
labs, a large cafeteria, library, etc.  The building had a total of three floors, with a
footprint that was not particularly large.  (Of course it grew larger if you included the
280m (919 ft) tow-tank and the 80mx60mx10m (262ftx197ftx33ft) wave-tank, but still it is
not too large, and the footprint of the building still does not grow any larger than what
I imagine must be the footprint of Hogwarts)

The statement about 200 Slytherin supporters at a quidditch match was not from CoS - it
was from 'PoA Chapter Fifteen - The Quidditch Final', where it also says that three
quarters of the crowd were supporting Gryffindor.  I believe the majority of these came
from the students and staff at Hogwarts, as I cannot remember ever reading about
spectators coming from other places than the school.  The only reference to approaching
spectators in that chapter refers to those coming from the inside of the castle (through
the front doors).

As far as tablespace goes, on the Royal Navy torpedo-boat Destroyers of the 'River'-class
allowed 20 inches of seating-space per rating, and 18 inches of hammock-space (these were
conditions described as palatial by the crew, so you can imagine what conditions were
like in older classes of TBDs).  Kids are small, particularly at age eleven (with a
possible exception for Dudley Dursley) - they will manage.  According to 'PS Chapter
Seven - The Sorting Hat' there are four long tables for the students, and another long
table at the top of the Great Hall, for the teachers.  

I think what Rowling has done to a degree basically equals what is known in model
railroading as 'selective compression'.  The concept is that you show enough of the scene
so that it is recoganisable to the viewer/reader, but you do not show it all, as that
would take to much space.



11.  TEACHER QUESTIONS
Am I correct in assuming that so far the only classes that have been explicitly stated as
being with two houses, are those that involve a head of house teaching a class from
his/her own house?  No, I am not, I find 30 minutes after having typed this question -
flying lessons and Care of Magical Creatures.  Hagrid does have other duties beyond
teaching though, and Flying doesn't seem to last all year.

Is it also plausible that a teacher does not teach all the forms (grades in US English) -
so that Professor McGonagall for instance only teaches every second form and those that
have transfiguration and related subjects as electives, with another teacher (or two)
tackling the rest of the transfiguration-classes?  If she didn't, regardless of the
number of students, she would either not be teaching much transfiguration per week, or
she would be in desperate need of a time-turner to manage all classes.  Even with eight
periods per day, she wouldn't have enough time, if all classes of compulsory subjects
were taught only with one or two houses  - assuming two houses per class all seven years,
four 45 or 50 minute classes per class give 56 periods of teaching per week.  She would
in fact need 12 periods per day, which assuming 6 double periods of 90 minutes per day,
with four 10 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch-break means that the schooldays is 10hrs
and 10 min long, lasting from 8:30 AM till 6:20 PM.  The students wouldn't last half a
year - much less the teachers.

12.  MODYFYING MY OPINION OF THE NORWEGIAN TRANSLATION OF THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
I have previously stated a perhaps rather harsh opinion of the Norwegian translation of
PoA.  It was an opinion given before having read through the entirety of the translation.
 I have warmed a bit to the translation, but i still think it makes Hagrid look a bit
like a blathering idiot.  For a children's book, I think the translator has done a good
job, but I believe I will stick with the UK editions all the same.  One thing that annoys
me, is that Norway did not have its own cover-art done (the American cover-art is used) -
particularly annoying when one can see how well the Danish covers turned out.

=====
"There are two trillion six-houndred and sixtyfive billion  eight-houndred and sixtysix million, seven-houndred and fortysix thousand, six-houndred and sixtyfour litte devils in the world"
---------------------------------------------
Christian Stub
Student of Technology, architectura navalis

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