The Scale of Things

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 43317

Chris wrote:
> Hi, All
> 
> Am I the only one who has been having doubts about the scale of the
> Potterverse?  The size of the Wizarding World and the threat of
> Voldemort are both contradictory. 
> 
> Lets start with the Wizarding World.  Is it a subset of British
> society, in the sense that its British, not a world wide
> organisation?  The existence of other Wizarding schools suggests that 
> there must be a wizard (pun not intended) organisation in every
> county - at least most of them - and the Ministry of Magic has links
> with the muggle government.  But for the Wizarding world to be so
> large, the wizards must be at least one percent of the population 
> (roughly 0.2 million), and Hogwarts does not appear to be large
> enough to cater for all their children.
> 
> It has been suggested that Hogwarts does not take every pupil, but
> they do send out invitations to muggle-borns, which suggests that the
> school is not exclusive.  All of the wizards seem to be represented
> there, Malfloy's rub shoulders with Weasley's, for example. In which
> case, there must be other British Schools, even though canon appears 
> to deny this.

Listees who know about population ratios and the minimun number of 
people to support an economy as seen in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade have 
concluded that the 1000 figure JKR is enough. Elkins has recently given 
us the numbers (Thank you!), but does not adress the *other* problem: 
canon contradicts JKR's 1000 students figure. So, I think it's time to 
bring back a theory of a fellow listee that adresses this problem quite 
satisfactorily: Catlady_de_los_Angeles is the author of the theory, 
which I normally call "Multiple Campus Hogwarts"

As you've probably guessed, the theory says that Hogwarts School of 
Witchcraft and Wizardry is divided on a number of campuses and hidden 
in diverse places all over Britatin. This division makes sense, since a 
big concentration of magic and wizards at one point always causes 
trouble, and is easier to hide (say) four small schools than one big 
one. At this point, people against the theory point out that the place 
Harry goes to is designated as *the* Hogawarts, but this is no big 
deal: in my experience, the main campus is always refered to with the 
name of the whole school, while the other campuses receive lesser 
names.

And indeed Harry's school is *the* main campus. The theory says that 
only the most talented wizards get the chance to be taken to Hogwart's 
main campus (I'd also add those that come from very influential 
wizarding families, to explain Neville, Crab and Goyle). The rest of 
the wizarding children are taken to the other campuses, that are 
staffed with their own vice-headmasters (Dumbledore is headmaster of 
all Hogwarts, AND headmaster of the main campus) and their own 
teachers. 

The other campuses would also be divided into the four traditional 
houses, since they are more recent than Hogwarts, and probably appeared 
when the wizard population got bigger. At the point where the number of 
students were becoming unmanageable, other campuses were spawned, but 
kept the same structure. Those campuses might be connected to Hogwarts 
in some way (clever use of portkeys, for example), but I find more 
probable that they aren't as well protected as the main campus 
(unplotabilty, apparition-ban, etc.) and they can use floo powder to 
get to Hogsmeade and back. If the students from other campus can visit 
Hogwarts, it helps to explain the widely different number of students 
we see: they may come for particularly important (or simply all) 
quidditch matches, balls, etc.

In fact, it's altoghether possible, anyway, that the quidditch teams 
are formed with students from all the campus, and that some of the 
students travel everyday from their respective campus to practice with 
the team in the school's quidditch ground (after all, quidditch grounds 
have to be very far from muggle places, and the other schools might not 
be correctly placed). This idea is more difficult to accept, since we 
know that the entire Gryffindor team is at the main campus, and so are 
all the people Harry knows in the other teams, but it might be the 
other way round: Harry only mentions those peple he *does* know in the 
other tems from seing them around the school.

And that's the "multiple campus Hogwarts" theory as I remember it. 
Hopefully, if I've got  few of the details wrong it's author will be 
around to correct me.

> We know that Voldemort is the most powerful wizard - aside perhaps
> from Dumbledore - in the Wizarding World, but on what scale does he
> operate?  Is he leading an effective rebellion, such as Oliver
> Cromwell did, or is he just a super-powered terrorist?  People in the
> books were talking about him wanting to take over the Wizarding
> World, but can he do that?  If there are 0.2 million wizards, he's
> out numbered heavily and all they have to do is gather together at a
> safe place and crush him.  Can anyone explain these contradictions?
> 
> Chris

And here is were my favourite theory enters: MAGIC DISHWASHER. This 
theory says that Voldemort's first Reign of Terror was a terrorist war 
waged in the darkness and fought with psycological weapons and, 
especially, information. By what we've been able to piece toghether 
from what little information we've been given so far, Voldemort was 
winning the war: his DE had the run of the place and the WW had been 
almost terrorized into submision by carefully comited atrocities. I 
have recently reached the conclusion that Voldemort was aiming for a 
social breakdown which allowed him to take control of the WW before 
turning his attention to the rest of Europe.

Also, don't be so quick to ignore Voldemort's numbers. He had many DEs 
at his service (many being 20-50), which are more than enough for a 
terrorist war (my country's own active terorists are less than that), 
and consider that there must be a good number of people who, willing or 
unwillingly, support Voldemort's plans by providing him with money, 
spell/potion components and whatever he feals like asking. And finally, 
he has the Imperius, which can boost his numbers and dwindle the 
oposition's, which can be used to gather information  and break down 
oposing armies. 

And the fact is that in this kind of war, information is more important 
and powerful than any spell. You suggest, for example, that everyone in 
the WW go forward as one and attack Voldemort directly: for that to be 
possible, you first have to know *where* Voldemort is, besides managing 
to convince the chiken-livered people to come with you (not everyone is 
prepared to face Voldemort and his DE's AKs).

As the situation stands now (after being re-corporated), Voldemort has 
been busy restablishing his old network of power and information (i.e. 
pushing peope around so they start doing what he wants once again), and 
has probably already sent people to contact his old allies (giants, 
trolls) and to get new ones (dementors), and I think his goals may have 
changed, if he actually listens to his DEs (which I and MAGIC 
DISHWASHER think he does). Right now, the situation os ripe for another 
way of taking over the WW: Fudge is going to make an ass of himself by 
announcing that Voldemort isn't back (the first few times Voldemort 
flexes his muscles), and when it is revealed just how incompetent Fudge 
is, the wizards and witches all over the WW will want him substituted. 
By what we've seen so far, the most probable options at that point 
would be Dumbledore (which would refuse) and Lucius Malfoy, who the 
last time was still view as a possible ally of Voldemort, but which 
this time is very popular and influential. If Voldemort manages to put 
Malfoy in the Ministry, the WW will be his almost by default.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf