Impossible timetable

[Sherlock (a.k.a Merlyn)]

No: HPFGUIDX 38438

I'm in my final year at secondary school in the UK. (Going on study leave 
for exams next Friday I think *eek*). Since JK Rowling has taught in UK 
school (or schools) then chances are the time-tables are based around the 
ones that we have in secondary schools here.

My day starts at 9am (10 mins registration meaning we start lessons at 9:10) 
and we finish at 3:10pm (we only have 45 minutes for lunch.) The grammar 
school nearby starts at 9:30pm, finishes at 4:30pm Mon, Tue, Thur and Fri, 
and finishes at 2pm on Wed.

My time-table for Monday:
First Lesson - Double History (1hr 10 minutes) 9:10 - 10:20
Second Lesson - Double Chemistry (1hr 10 minutes) 10:20 - 11:30
20 minutes break
Third Lesson - Double Maths (1hr 10 minutes) 11:50 - 1:00
45 minutes lunch
15 mins Registration (assemblies on Tue and Thurs)
Four Lesson - Double Drama (1hr 10 minutes) 2:00 - 3:10

This is 8 lessons a day - no private study lessons or free periods. (Apart 
from those who chose to do GCSE Language + 1 other GCSE subject besides 
compulsory and private study making up the rest of the time instead of a 
'half' GCSE.) Total week length = 20 lessons (all doubles), about 7hr 30 
length school day.

Since Hogwarts is a boarding school, then I suppose it can start the day as 
early as 8am in the morning (which is about the time I have to leave the 
house for the bus!) and finish as late as 5pm. If we assume that double 
lessons at Hogwarts are 2hrs (rather than 1hr10 mins like my school) then 
that's about a 10hr school day, then that's about 5 doubles in day (or 10 
singles). So in a five day week, there would be 25 lesson slots.

But if Transfiguration, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defence 
Against the Dark Arts are all double lessons (8hrs or lesson time), and the 
rest of the subjects are all singles. That could mean , you either had all 
four doubles on the same day, and two of the singles (clears 10 lesson 
slots) or after the four doubles there is 2hrs of 'free' time. Then the rest 
of the subjects: Astronomy, Charms, Herbology, Divintation, Muggle Studies, 
Study of Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Arthimacy - can be then divided 
between the other days. Or the four doubles could be spread so that there 
was one double lesson per day, apart from say Friday, which was all single 
lessons and perhaps a shorter day.

When we (at my school) were about to enter into our 4th year, we had to 
choose what subjects we wanted to do in our final two years as well as our 
forced ones. Some combinations could NOT be taken, since the lessons were on 
at the same time. Example: Drama and Sociology (or PE)

And in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakban (page 76, Ch6 'Talons and 
Tea Leaves') there is a little proof that some of the options could not be 
taken together since they were on at the same time. We know that Divination, 
Muggle Studies and Arithmancy were *all* on at the same time. This clears up 
three of the one hour lesson placements. We also know that in the third year 
Defence against the Dark Arts wasn't on during any Potion lessons, since in 
one lesson (first lesson, Boggart one) Snape is found in the Staff room, and 
later on he actually takes Lupin's lesson. Now, let's assume Dumbledore 
regonises Snape's ability with Defence as well as Potions and has 
deliberatly organised the time table so that Snape is free whenever Defence 
against the Dark Arts is.

Besides maybe a 2hr or 1hr free period a day, (which could act as a 'break' 
but could happen at any time during the day) those students who don't have 
Study of Ancient Runes will also be free whenever that particular subject is 
on.

By looking a PoA - if we 'pretend' that their first day of lessons was a 
Monday (just for Gryffindor). Just to make typing out easier, option 1 is 
Divination or Muggle Studies or Arithmancy:

Monday:
Option 1 (1hr)
Trans (2hr)
Care of Magical Creatures (2hr)
Free for 2hrs
Astronomy (1hr) (after all, we've never *seen* a Astronomy lesson, and they 
weren't mentioned in PoA!)

Total: 8hrs
Teaches teaching 3rd Year: 6

Can't think about others, but I can do Thurs I think

Thurs
Potions (2hrs)
Defence Against Dark Arts (2hrs)
History of Magic (1hr)
Study of Ancient Runes (1hr) (or free for an hour)
1 Free Hour (since those who weren't on S.A.R will have already had their 
other hour.)

Total: 8hrs
Teaches teaching 3rd Year: 4

There's my theory, based around my time table and some strange ideas :). Of 
course, the only person who *really* knows is J.K Rowling. I don't think the 
time-table is impossible, just maybe odd. Also, regarding Prof Sinistra's 
work load, well - maybe you can specialise at NEWT level, you know, choose 
subjects? Maybe only 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year have compulsory 
Astronomy, which would mean Prof Sinistra has only one hour of her night per 
day taken up with them. The ones who chose Astronomy at NEWT level have 
theory lessons and might be able to pop up and join the lower years and make 
their own observations, or perhaps book the astronomy tower. Or perhaps, 
only 1st years get to do the mid-night star-gazing, and the rest have to 
have theory lessons?

Personally, I really hope it turns out that at NEWT level some subjects are 
still compulsory unless there are special circumstances. (Somehow can't see 
Harry and Ron keeping up with Divination or Potions, but those are fun to 
read about [just to make us either like Snape's nasty manner more, or hate 
him more, and to make us grin and roll our eyes at Trelawny.)

Maybe Sinistra is addicted to caffine and that's how she manages to get 
through her lessons *grin*

Steph (who's brain hurts slightly)

"The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly 
persistent illusion." Albert Einstein

Sade - a play about the Marquis de Sade. Official site - 
http://www.sade.r4f.com

_________________________________________________________________
Meld je aan bij de grootste e-mailservice wereldwijd met MSN Hotmail: 
http://www.hotmail.com/nl