A resource - Potions - Double Classes - Magic Quill

[Catlady]

No: HPFGUIDX 12979

On the Harry Potter Anonymous egroup, 'Joe Guy' just posted a long
message of extracts from JKR interviews. They cover many (alas, not all)
of the questions we are discussing here now.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrypotteranonymous/message/4034

Rebecca J. Bohner wrote:
> I don't think the classes have to be 3 or 4 hours long.  To teach
> a child the basics of Potion-making when you have seven years to
> do it in, a 2-hour class once a week would surely be sufficient.
> Side question:  does "Double Potions" mean "a class twice as long"
> or "two classes in a row", or does it mean "we're doubling up with
> another class"?

As far as I can tell, at Hogwarts, Double whatever means BOTH a class
twice as long and a class with two houses in it. I think the Potions
class has to be 3 or 4 hours longer because of the lab work,
specifically that it must be that some of the Potions they make in class
need to e.g. simmer over a low flame for 45 minutes (like cooking).
Therefore, there would be two class periods (for non-double classes) in
the AM and two more in the PM (each 1.5 or 2 hours). Has anyone made a
list of which classes are single and which double? 'Double Potions with
the Slytherins', 'Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs', and I believe
in Double Astronomy with the Ravenclaws. IIRC Transfiguration and Charms
and History of Magic and Defense are just Gryffindors? In third year,
they get electives, but are there any other non-elective courses besides
the ones I've listed?

Naama asked about weekly versus daily classes.
SS says: "They had to study the night skies through their telescopes
every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and
the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the
greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little
witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of
all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used
for."

Astronomy once a week, Herbology THREE times a week, which complicates
but does not destroy my nice schedule of once or twice a week. After
all, SS is first year and one of those three time slots could be given
over to electives once they get electives.

Electives: CoS says: "The second years were given something new to think
about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their
subjects for
the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously.
"It could affect our whole future," she told Harry and Ron as they pored
over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. "I just want to
give up Potions," said Harry. "We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep
all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts.""

She mentions Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Muggle Studies, and
Care of Magical Creatures. Have we heard of any other electives for
third and fourth years?

Jim Ferer wrote:
> The notion that many wizard kids aren't trained at Hogwarts
> seems intuitive, but it contradicts JKR.  She said in an interview
> that a magical quill writes down the names of magical children as
> they're born. Once a year Professor McGonagall takes the names
> of those turning eleven and sends the letters out.  There doesn't
> seem to be room for another system. OTOH, I have a hard time
> picturing Stan Shunpike as a Hogwarts student.

Maybe Stan is the source of Hufflepuff's bad reputation.<g>

I have already complained about that magic quill. It was probably just
fine 1000 years ago when Hogwarts was founded, and it probably still is
fine for the purebloods (whom I imagine as very rarely emigrating), but
it has a big problem for the Muggle-borns (and even half-and-half),
because of children who weren't born in Britain but their families
immigrated when they were very young. They weren't written in the Book
at birth because of being born aboard to foreign parents, but they are
British kids by the time they turn 11. Therefore, it would be better if
the quill wrote the list of addresses at the same time that McGonagall
writes the letters!







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