multi-culti wizarding education / Karkaroff / Pettigrew

[pamscotland]

No: HPFGUIDX 40846

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "catlady_de_los_angeles" <catlady at w...> 
wrote:

<snip>

> I believed that Durmstrang was in Latvia, but JKR made me wrong by 
> saying in an interview that it is in northern Scandinavia. I can't 
> find the particular interview.
> 

I heard JKR say it at a reading.  She did a tour of Britain giving 
readings to raise money for the Maggie Centres (cancer support drop-
in centres).  The one in Glasgow started with some staff from Glasgow 
Zoo exhibiting and talking about some of the creatures mentioned in 
the books or their muggle equivalents - snowy owls, big lizards, 
etc.   Then JKR read from GoF (the bouncing ferret bit) and then she 
answered questions from the audience - we all put up our hands and 
she chose the questioners, invariably children.  

One child asked where the three magic schools were.  She said she 
didn't know because they were kept secret, but she was almost certain 
that Hogwarts was in Scotland, Durmstrang was probably somewhere near 
the Arctic Circle, northern Scandinavia sort of thing and 
Beauxbatons, she imagined, would be on the French Riviera somewhere.  
The impression she gave was that there were ONLY three magic schools 
in the whole of Europe - but, of course, she couldn't be sure because 
no muggle could be sure!

I wanted to ask her where all the other magic schools were in the 
world but she didn't pick me - and my children were too embarassed by 
my jumping up and down waving my hand in the air to put up their 
hands.  By the time it was my turn to get my book signed I'd 
forgotten I'd wanted to ask her about that and we started talking 
about the Comic Relief books instead!

Cheers for now

Pam