[HPforGrownups] Re: Do all wizards go to school?

[Jenett]

No: HPFGUIDX 37431

On Thu, 4 Apr 2002, blpurdom wrote:

> Hagrid does refer to the amount they remove from Harry's vault 
> as "enough for a couple o' terms."  Whether he means enough for the 
> supplies Harry will need or the supplies and tuition both is 
> unclear.  JKR has left wiggle room here.  However, since there are 
> three terms per school year, it would be odd for this to only refer 
> to his supplies, since he is presumably purchasing everything he 
> will need for his entire first year.  While there's nothing in canon 
> proving tuition is charged, this fragment of text makes that a 
> possibility, while nothing in canon begins to hint at the endowment 
> to which you refer.

Ironically, it's the scene you reference that convinces me that whether or 
not students in general pay money to Hogwarts (I'm actually also inclined 
to the 'endowment or some other means of paying' version, though I agree 
that there's nothing in canon to date that says what's going on for 
certain), the money Harry takes out in that scene is *only* for spending 
money and beginning of year equipment expenses.

Hagrid's comments to Harry have always struck me the way my mother's
comments to me worked before starting the school year, both at the two
years of boarding school and my college years. Which was, more or less
"Here's a check for your spending money for the year." 

Because, see, Hagrid *doesn't* say anything like "We'll need to save this
amount of it for tuition." or "When you get to school, you'll need to give
this pouch to <name>" or take some and say "I'll take care of paying your
bills there." or anything like that. There's nothing like that in there.
Just the fact that they need some money for supplies and such, and that
there'll be some left over when they're done, and that he won't need to
make a trip until next summer, probably.

(Though, granted, the opportunities to spend money at Hogwarts seem sort
of limited until 3rd year - food on the train, and owl-order, and asking
older students to get things in Hogsmeade until you can go yourself.)

So, I think it doesn't make sense to assume that Harry is paying tuition. 
I think there are bits of dialogue or comments or *something* that would 
be there if he did. (Or at least, if Rowling considered it important, 
which is a whole other issue)

However, there are a few other options. One is that *other* students pay 
tuition, and that Harry doesn't for some reason. 

This might be because that's already been dealt with by his parents'
estate/executors/whoever.  It might be that his parents put down money as
soon as he was born (since children's names go down in the acceptance book
when they're born, according to various sources), and that account has
multiplied suitably.  It might also be that Hogwarts has a general policy
of offering full scholarships (regardless of need) to students whose
parents were killed by Voldemort. (As some colleges were making noises
about post 9/11)

But I personally think that these reasons (while fitting the available 
facts and being things that are done in the Real World and which therefore 
fit practical considerations) aren't what's going on either. (Again, 
personal opinion)

The reason I think that there's no tuition involved is that it seems like 
Harry gets a very standard letter (certainly the one he finally reads is 
not noticeably thinner than the ones he *didn't* read. 

And there's no mention of tuition in there. At all. Just the needed 
equipment/required stuff, and the place and time to meet the train. 

Now, if Harry were to get a personalised letter (meaning that if for some 
reason, his tuition were already taken care of by some other means), you'd 
think that it would include something about how to deal with the 
Dursley's, a note that Hagrid will be seeing to his buying stuff, or 
whatever. Or even just plain, a "We're delighted to welcome you back to 
the wizarding world." 

All of which seems to indicate that Harry *does* get a standard letter,
and that whatever financial arrangements are made, they're not referred to
at all in that. 

And I don't know about other schools, but the three I've gone to (boarding 
school, college, graduate school, the last of which I've been dealing with 
the tuition bills myself...) don't send you a letter saying "Hey, you got 
in..." and then separately send the financial stuff without mentioning it. 

They've sent letters saying "Congratulations, you've been accepted at..." 
and "To let us know you'll be attending, return this card." and "Financial 
information is included in this packet" or "Financial information will be 
following in a separate letter." But they say *something* about it. 

All of which adds up in *my* brain as "There isn't direct tuition or room 
and board type payments involved here." I agree that canon isn't clear on 
this point, but I think that my reasoning is no less possible or likely 
than other reasonings. 

-Jenett