Student Numbers

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 13090

Penny:"So, how do you explain the internal discrepancies about the 
number of students?  I agree that she probably could not have depicted 
every student in Harry's year if there are indeed roughly 142 of them. 
That wouldn't make sense at all.  But, why the 20 broomsticks & 20 
earmuffs? This strongly suggests to me that Harry's year is only about 
40-50 students (50 assuming that the Ravenclaws are as much as double 
the rest  of the Houses in terms of number of students in Harry's 
year).  Hey, maybe that's why they don't have classes with the 
Gryffindors.  They need all 20 earmuffs and all 20 broomsticks.  :--) 
 So, would Harry's year be *that* different in terms of class size?  I 
just don't buy it."

That's by far the best argument for the smaller student population, 
and there's no clear way to refute it. Yes, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff 
might be larger than Gryffindor or Slytherin, and yes, there might be 
other sections of classes, but it's all speculation.  Again, I'm not 
trying to defend 1,000, I'm defending about 500, which don't present 
the same problems.

Best argument for a larger Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff: there's always more 
people that do the work than get the glory. Slytherins/Gryffindors 
seem exceptional and therefore "elite", since one or the other always 
seems to get the House Cup/Quidditch Cup. Sounds reasonable, but it's 
speculation.

Best argument for additional sections: Once students start taking 
electives, this basically has to be true, since each house/year group 
no longer troops off to a class together.  Some house/year groups 
could be much smaller or larger, since the Sorting Hat doesn't respect 
quotas/proportions. Again, speculation.

I was wrong that the Yule Ball seating was 1200 cold, but it is 
*about* 1200, which means it could be 1100 or something. It is not so 
far off that it's 500 or something. Your point about the numbers of 
attendees are well taken, though.

I don't think Hogwarts or wizarding society works at 300.  The problem 
of Muggle-borns going to Hogwarts if it's so exclusive is a problem, 
and the excessively low population of the wizard world that would 
result is another. I enjoy trying to make sense of this world, and you 
have to figure out where Hogwarts fits to do that. It's clearly the 
most important institution in the wizard world after the MoM.