[HPforGrownups] Ron being a great wizard / when is lights out ?

[Jenett]

No: HPFGUIDX 33921

On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, prongsnpadfoot wrote:
> On a completely different subject, has anyone wondered how Hogwarts' 
> students managed to do any work, when it seems they have Astronomy 
> classes at midnight, or can be found working / partying in the 
> common room well into the night. 
> Assuming normal boarding school rules I would have though the lights-
> out rule would be as strictly enforced as the `wandering around the 
> school at night rule'.  

This one doesn't bother me much, honestly.

I went to boarding school for two years (my last two years of high
school). Only the 9th graders (first year of high school, roughly age 14
for those not familiar with US school grades) had a lights out time (and
that was either 10 or 11pm - it wasn't particularly early) and only for
half the year. After that half year, it was only enforced for people who
were in academic trouble.

Everyone else, we had to sign into our dorms at 8, but could sign out of
them until 10 to be in an 'academic study area' - the library, watching a
movie for class in a classroom, in the art classrooms, the music practice
rooms, working with a teacher, etc. We just weren't supposed to be in
someone else's dorm room (except in our own dorm), downtown in the town
center or off campus or anything (and in practice, no one really checked
on us too much, it was mostly if a faculty member caught you somewhere you
weren't supposed to be that you have problems.)

We *were* supposed to be in our dorms after 10 (and the dorm proctor - a
student, usually a 12th grader or two per dorm - and the house counsellors
were supposed to check everyone was in) and quiet (i.e. no yelling in the
hallways, no loud music after 10, etc) but if people wanted to hang out in
the common room and talk, that was fine.

Comparing this to Hogwarts - it's a little odd that the students don't 
have much supervision. However, I get the impression that they're taught 
responsibility for their own actions much earlier in some ways than 
equivalent students in the Muggle world. 

It's also not uncommon for 'ordinary' boarding schools for younger
students (I had a friend who had been in boarding school since 6th grade,
or about age 11.) to have limits about what seems to be true at Hogwarts -
you're expected to behave yourself, a reasonable lights out time if one
exists at all (doesn't Harry come down at midnight to talk to Sirius, and
there's obviously no one there? That's not very late, for most boarding
schools, quite honestly. At mine, there'd often be *someone* in the common
room until midnight or 1 many nights.) most supervision in the dorms being
done by proctors/prefects, and therefore the possibility of sneaking out
once they've made their rounds.

My guess is that the house points + prefects + the emphasis on greater
responsibility (because, after all, we are teaching these kids magic that
can do some .. interesting things) probably all combine to mean there's
not a lot of late night carousing or goings on - or at least, that people
who need to get rest leave when they need to. And I'm sure that if a
student *were* staying up late and not getting enough sleep, that they'd
get a talking to from someone (teacher, head of house, etc.)

-Jenett