If Muggles are unaware of Wizards, why do they agree to send their kids to Wizarding schools?

[Jeana <jayemelle@earthlink.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49700

> Barb:
> 
> There's nothing to suggest that Harry's experience was one-time.  
Even though they assumed that he was in fact knowledgeable about the 
wizarding world (Hagrid expressed surprise that Harry wasn't 
completely clued-in) when it was clear that none of the letters had 
reached him, a further effort was made.  Each letter may in fact be 
enchanted and extras may spontaneously be produced and try to get to 
the recipient until the potential student finally actually opens it 
and reads it for himself (without it being snatched away and/or 
disposed of--Harry did in fact open and start to read a letter, but 
this is what happened).  Why should we think that some special 
enchantment was invented for when Harry received his letters, when it 
was not expected that there would be trouble?  

Me:

I think the powers that be at Hogwarts had every reason to believe 
there would be trouble when Harry recieved his letters--they'd known 
from the get-go that the Dursleys were "the worst kind of Muggles" 
(or perhaps "worst sort"--I'm at the office and quoting from memory, 
sorry), and that's not promising in terms of the type of upbringing 
they expected Harry to receive in his relatives' care.  And although 
_Hagrid_ was certainly shocked to learn that Harry didn't know about 
his past, I don't think we ever know what Dumbledore, McGonagall, or 
anyone else who oversees the admissions process thought of the 
situation.  Perhaps they were prepared to combat it because they 
expected it--and with good reason.  Because they knew early on that 
the environment Harry would be placed in would not be a magically 
nurturing one, and because of the extreme importance of Harry in the 
WW, I think there certainly would have been some sort of extra 
effort, when the time came, to make sure he was contacted about 
Hogwarts.  Although perhaps I was incorrect in phrasing it a "one-
time" effort, because we certainly don't know that something like 
that has never happened before, I still believe Hogwarts would have 
put more time and resources (as in, sending Hagrid personally to find 
him) into making sure Harry would attend, than into doing so for a 
more run-of-the-mill student, Muggle-born or otherwise.  And I do 
think that there have to be potential students who never make it to 
wizarding school at all--Hogwarts and the other schools can't force a 
child or his/her family to accept the existence of magic and the need 
for magical education--and who, thus, remain untrained.

As for the other questions you brought up, they've definitely made me 
think.  Perhaps "class" wasn't the right word for the defining 
characteristic I was trying to describe.  Since I'm at work right 
now, with no access to the books or time to think on the issue, I'll 
try to come up with a clearer answer later, and get back to you :o)

Tess