Muggle-borns getting to Hogwarts, Muggles in Diagon Alley and the Grangers

[Alicia]

No: HPFGUIDX 54335

Anne U asked:
 
Questions on muggle-born wizards/witches like Hermione:
 2) How do they get to Diagon Alley or Platform 9 &3/4 (1st year)?

Me:

This has been bugging me since I first read these books!

My theory is that there are two acceptance letters from Hogwarts. If 
there's a magic quill that can tell when wizard children are born, 
surely it can also tell who the parents are. So, children with at 
least one wizard parent get the letter Harry got, just saying, "Get 
your books and be on the train" because they will have family to tell 
them all about it. So Seamus, who is half/half, would be fine with 
this letter. Harry had two wizard parents and lives with people who 
were able to tell him that, so he also got this letter. I don't think 
Hagrid is a specific mentor to Harry so much as that Harry is a 
special case. Hogwarts sent Hagrid to make sure he got the letter. It 
*was* a stroke of luck, though, that he saw the Weasleys on the 
platform. I think Hagrid was meant to tell him that but forgot

On the other hand, children with two muggle parents get a different 
letter, being more explicit. My school used to have information 
nights for new pupils the year before they started, and I think 
Hogwarts invites muggle families to a similar information session at 
the Leaky Cauldron - if the children can see a doorway and lead them 
to an invisible pub, parents must realise that something's up. At the 
session someone explains about the hidden WW, how to get to Diagon 
Alley, change money at Gringott's, find the train platform, 
communicate by owl, etc. Possible also hints on how to hide it from 
other people - that the child has won a scholarship to some exclusive 
school abroad, or whatever. Parents who don't accept this for their 
child get a Memory Charm, parents who do go through to Diagon Alley 
and buy the schoolbooks.

I would also love to know more about the Grangers though, especially 
if we could see Ron in a muggle house.

Alicia