[HPforGrownups] "Foreign" students at Hogwarts

[Gail Pamphilon]

No: HPFGUIDX 58575

Eric wrote:
>at least, as Harry himself or HM the Queen.  (Who, let us not forget, is
>mostly German by ancestry). < 

I thought more Scottish than German. Wasn't her mother a Scot? :-) And 
Prince Philip is Greek, as I remember.

>Justin Finch-Fletchley's name is very upper-class, as is his background <

One would almost expect it to be spelt 'ffinch-Fletchley'. <g> I hope this 
sort of thing is left over from the spelling of the Middle Ages or 
whenever, otherwise I will have to describe it as being too precious - I 
could use another expression, but won't. <g>

>while about everything about Neville Longbottom screams "working class," at
>least according to a correspondent of mine from the UK who loves the HP
>books herself) <

I thought middle-class, but I'm not an expert.

>thesis of Professor Dumbledore's attitude of "if you've got the magic
>talent, you're welcome at Hogwarts" as JKR's comment on this sort of
>nonsense---but I won't. <

I have my own theory on the mix of social classes at Hogwarts. I imagined 
Tom Riddle, who hated being half muggle, being raised as a snob by his 
father and stepmother, then deciding to reject the British caste system as 
a muggle weakness. There doesn't appear to be any of that outdated nonsense 
in the WW, and little to no sexism either. Notice that Lucius Malfoy (it 
must be a Freudian slip, I spelt that as Lucious just at first!) regarded 
Harry with respect when they first met. He wasn't interested in Harry's 
(lower?) middle-class background, only in his power. It also didn't matter 
to Lucius that Harry was only a first-generation pureblood, if you like - 
his mother at least appears to have been muggle-born, though I don't know 
about his father. We know how important these things are to Lucius. Harry's 
apparent power was all that really mattered.

Gail
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