numbers again

[naama_gat at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 13054

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jim Ferer" <jferer at y...> wrote:
> Penny:"Actually, someone (sorry I can't remember who) made the very 
> good point that we're getting Harry's POV of how many tables there 
> are & how many people they seat.  He could just be overwhelmed when 
> he makes this observation (or just inaccurate).  What GoF says in 
any 
> case is: "there were *about* a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, 
> each seating *about* a dozen people"
> 
> That's very convenient. It allows any undesirable evidence to be 
> discounted.  It's perfectly possible to tell the difference between 
> something Harry is seeing and may be wrong about (Example:[Cedric] 
> was just a useless pretty boy...) and something the omniscient 
> narrator is telling us.  I can't see any colorable argument around 
> seating for 1200 at the Yule Ball.
> 

I was trying to think of a nice, polite way to make the same 
argument, Jim. Thanks for doing it for me!

I have another point to make regarding the number of students. 
JKR has said quite specifically that there are 1000 students in 
Hogwarts. Now, obviously that doesn't sit well with (or rather is 
flatly contradicted by) evidence in the books. BUT - I can't believe 
that JKR, who has spent years planning and thinking of the HP world, 
and who is at least as intelligent as most of us here, hadn't thought 
of this very basic problem. Its not a reasonable slip up, IMO.
So, as I see it, its a problem with no solution right now. I 
shouldn't be surprised if JKR will address this discrepancy in the 
next book, and solve it somehow. Haven't a clue how it will be done, 
so its another thing to wait for!

Naama