Mail Owls (was Hogwarts population)

[mrflynn6]

No: HPFGUIDX 40134

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "merimom3" <wmginnypowell at m...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "eriktz" <Erikzamora at h...> wrote:
> > Do you think it is reasonable to assume that if there were a 
> > thousand or so students at Hogwarts only 100 or so owls would be 
> > delivering mail on the first day?
> 
> Maybe they have magically conquered junk mail?  I know without it, 
> I'd hardly get any mail at all.
> 
> > Another thing just occured to me. Why does the mail at Hogwarts 
> > arrive every morning, when it seems at other times the mail comes 
> at 
> > just about anytime anywhere? Do you think Hogwarts monitors all 
> the 
> > owls coming in and only allows them to deliver at specific times 
> as 
> > not to disturb class?
> 
> Interesting questions which I cannot answer.  However, I wondered 
if 
> anyone else had noticed that owls are nocturnal, so why are they 
> delivering mail during the day at all?  Presumably owls were chosen 
> for their stealth; i.e., since they fly at night, most Muggles 
> wouldn't/don't notice them.  But then there they are flying about 
at 
> all times of the day delivering mail.  Look how they swarmed over 
> Privet Drive.  Not the best way to maintain the secrecy of the WW, 
> IMHO.
> 
> Ginny



Since the owls are delivering mail at breakfast, it would make sense 
that they are returning from a night of travel to get mail or deliver 
mail.  Once the owls drop the mail, they head off to the owlery to 
sleep.

As for the population at Hogwarts, I wonder if 1000 students is just 
a number JKR picked out of a hat, so to speak, during that 
interview?  It is possible that 1000 students attend classes there, 
but to introduce all of them in the books would simply be impossible.


Gretchen