Number of students at Hogwarts

sagelyone <kjohnson@sprintpcs.com> kjohnson at sprintpcs.com
Sat Feb 8 00:37:36 UTC 2003


No: HPFGUIDX 51860

> > Q: How many students attend Hogwarts, and how many
> >    students per year per house?
> > A: There are about a thousand students at Hogwarts.
> > -----
> >
> > If we do the math, we get:
> >
> > 1000/4 = 250
> > 250 /7 = ~35
> >
> > So, about 35 students per year per house.
> >
> > Of course, that's assuming that each year,
> > roughly the same number of students come
> > to the school, and that out of that total,
> > each house gets roughly the same number of
> > students.
> >
> > So, apparently, we haven't even met half
> > of 'em in Harry's year alone.
> >
> > -Tom
> 
Me: (Sorry it took so long to get this in. 
While I take into account everyone's theory about the varying 
numbers, one thing still nags me. 

For all the sneaking/snooping around the school HRH do in four years,
 they NEVER bump into another student. 

Casting aside the time Hermonie bumps into that Ravenclaw with the 
mirror in COS, we never hear Harry say that he sees another student. 

If a school has 1000 students, odds are there's more than one kid 
snooping around at night, early in the morning, or somewhere on the 
grounds. 

In POA, no one sees them (TT H&H) running across the grounds to 
Hagrid's. No one is looking out of a window to see Buckbeak? 
McGonnagal saw Harry catch the tiny snitch in his first year, but no 
one sees anything else? Odd. 

I'm sure there are countless examples of this. Harry only sees 
teachers or no one when he:  Is carrying his egg in GOF  He and
Hermonie are running back into the hospital ward in POA He, Ron and
Lockhart are heading to the Chamber of Secrets.  All those times they
snuck into the girls bathroom in COS (ok, Percy  did catch them once)
 Outside DD office in GOF 

Granted, this is a work of fiction through the eyes of a teenage boy.
 I can accept that. But with so many kids in the school, I doubt HRH 
are the only ones to ever leave their common room when they're not 
supposed to. 

Speaking of the common room. Harry leaves his divination homework out
 on the table in GOF. Although no one would want it, why would he do 
that if the common room wasn't small and had only a few students?  In
POA, he also tells Neville that he left his homework in the  library. 

I lived in a college dorm for two years that housed about 1500 
students alone. Three towers, 11 floors each. Although I knew 
everyone on my floor, no one left their books or homework out. Plus, 
there was always someone somewhere, everywhere at all hours. It was 
never deserted. 

I don't want to start punching holes in canon or JKR's work, but if 
there are 1000 students at the school, how would the invisibility map
 work on a Saturday afternoon? But maybe that's another post. 

Sagelyone







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