How many students at Hogwarts? (yes, again) (was: How do they know?)

[pengolodh_sc <pengolodh_sc@yahoo.no>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48199

--- In HPforGrownups, Sasha HP wrote:
>   Greetings!
> 

[snip]

>   We know that dining tables of all four Houses are of the
> same size (well, it's not said in any of the books, but it's
> a reasonable assumption, isn't it?).

But do we know that they are all equally full?  

>   We know that there are about 12-13 teachers in Hogwarts,
> no more (don't remember the actual number), which is enough
> to teach 280 students, but not enough to teach the crowd of
> 1000 students.

I would say that with the way Hogwarts seems to organise its classes, 
in groups of 10 or 20 for compulsory subjects, and small groups for 
other subjects, 13 teachers would not really suffice for 280 
students - at least not if the teachers have such absurd expectations 
as to have time to sleep and eat outside the weekends.  Moreover, I 
disagree that we know that there are no more than 12-13 teachers.  
That no more teachers are not mentioned is not conclusive proof that 
there are no more teachers.  Do not forget that at least one 
professor has been mentioned as professor of her department - I think 
it was Professor Sinistra who was referred to as head of the 
astronomy-department in one book (or it could be Professor Vector and 
arithmancy - I do not recall clearly who it was right now, and do not 
have access to my sources).  Head of department sounds like a 
somewhat excessive title if she is the only person in the department.

[snip]

>   Probably there are other clues as well, and new ones are
> likely to come. But current evidence is that number of
> students in Hogwarts is 280... er... no, now it's 279.

[snip]

I do not feel that the evidence is conclusive in any one direction, 
but a suspicion has been forming in my mind lately - that JKR's 
perception of the number of students at Hogwarts changed, probably 
during the process of writing PoA.  While there still is evidence in 
the later books that support lower number of students, this seems as 
far as I can see to be facts that were set rather firmly in the early 
books, and which it would be difficult to alter in a credible 
fashion - she probably couldn't have suddenly coughed up 25 extra 
Gryffindor 3rd-years for that boggart-lesson without making it look 
contrived.  But it is in PoA and GoF we get the high numbers, which 
to me seem difficult to explain without accepting that they represent 
a number of students significantly higher than the 280 suggested by 
PS and CoS.  

Best regards
Christian Stubø