Impossible timetable/

[nuriaobradors]

No: HPFGUIDX 38458

Steph wrote:
>>>>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, Thu and Fri, and finishes at 2pm on Wed. <snip>
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)<<<<

In GoF, when Hagrid is depressed after Skeeter's article in Dayly 
Prophet, AD tells him he wants to see him next morning "at 8:30" for 
breakfast.  Also, in PoA Ron point out to Hermione about the subjects 
she's chosen, that Divination, Muggle Studies and Arithmancy are all 
at 9. I'd say then that canon is explicit that classes start at 9.
In my country , class hours last 40 minutes, but I guess that most of 
us in this group agree they last more in WW, at least in Hogwarts. 
When I posted the first message about the timetable, I had though of 
the following:
1st class: 9:00 to 10:20
2nd class: 10:30 to 11:50
Lunch: 12:00 to 12:45
3rd class: 13:00 to 14:20
4th class: 14:30 to 15:50
gaps between classes are to get on time to next class or lunch. 
Naturally, I made the calculations based in our 40 minute hour system 
and the fact that almost every class has a minimum 2-hours a week :-)

Felicia pointed out:
>>>>When I went to school in England (going back a while!) a double 
class lasted
the morning or afternoon.  Maybe things are different now?<<<

I don't know what it's like in Muggle England, <g> but it *is* like 
this in the Potterverse. Based on canon (I don't have PoA with me now 
but it clearly states that after double potions they go to the great 
hall for lunch.)

And Steph added to the Astronomy debate suggesting:
>>>>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.<<<<

It's a possibility. History of Magic could become an optative subject 
too, for the well being of the kids ;-p  

Steph:
>>>>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?<<<<

I doubt of an all-theory Astronomy year, for star-gazing is what 
makes it fun. (my boyfriend used to work in an observatory). However, 
theory lessons are of course a must, and a good way to take advantage 
of a cloudy night. Unless of course that wizarding telescopes can 
scan the sky despite clouds, mist, or a big full moon!

And speaking of full moon, Grey Wolf observed:
>>>>The real trouble is when you realise that Snape has 14 different 
clases to teach each week, at the very least, and that (as canon 
itself seems to point), he's actually got two double classes with 
each group each week, for a grand total of 56 hours to fit into a 50-
hour week (allowing for 10 hours worth of lessons each day, which is 
barbaric, if you ask me) AND still find time to spend time in the 
staff room and teach DADA lessons when Lupin is out cold (which are 
another 2 hours/group and week, with only one group [not two groups 
at the same time], for another 56 hours/week). This means that, the 
week out of four that Lupin has moon-sickness, Snape has 112 hours 
worth of class to fit into 168 hours worth of week.<<<<

Oops!, I say. Doesn't Lupin transform *one* night a month? Anyone can 
clarify what evidence is in canon about how long does poor old Remus 
have to stay curled up in his office? 
***

Dave quoted EtonBuffy:
> I was just re-reading Sorcerer's Stone and a question popped into my
> head.  If Harry has no other family than the Dursleys, and it is
> quoted often in the book that Mrs. Dursley pretends that she does 
>not even have a sister, how does she know that her sister is 
>pregnant,> let alone the name of her son?
Then responded:
>They don't know anything, do they, 'til they receive Dumbledore's
letter...?

I believe this comes from the false assumption that because Petunia 
doesn't talk to Lily, Lily behaves the same way about Petunia. In 
fact, in the first chapters of PS, we hear her talking about what a 
vulgar name 'Harry' is that her sister named her son. The fact that 
Petunia pretends *to the world* that she doesn't have a sister 
doesn't mean she's not conscious of it (envious, regretful, fidgeting 
people like Petunia *need* to know what the object of their grudge is 
up to - I unfortunately happen to know a few cases). OTOH, I don't 
picture Lily pretending her sister doesn't exist. I rather imagine 
her writing regularly to Petunia to update her in her life -perhaps 
in the hopes that making up with her is possible?
What they cannot know about, though, is the Potters' death, so 
Dumbledore explains this in the letter. So they end up stuck with the 
freak baby of the freak sister who's just died in the freakest way 
they can imagine. And who tells us they aren't afraid that this mad 
wizard who's killed the freak sister may come back to Privet Drive to 
finish the freak kid killing?
 
Nuri, who has to ens this post abruptly bc her beloved HP-loather 
boyfriend needs the computer to do things far more productive than 
this. Or so he thinks! :-p