Possible Flint: Fireplace in the common rooms

[jwcpgh]

No: HPFGUIDX 83403

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> 
> Tell me, if you we a young student in a wizard boarding school 
would you want to sit at the fireplace having conversations with you
> undoubtedly uncool parents right there in front of all your 
friends? I think not. I suspect that long ago students stopped 
answering embarassing Floo calls from their parent to the point 
where attempting Floo calls became pointless.
> 
> In addition, we don't know that other students haven't used the 
fire for communication. Our window into Hogwarts life is limited by 
Harry's perspective. <snip> 
> Also, I would think that at any boarding school students do not 
have free and unlimited access to telephones(muggle equivalent of 
Floo Fire Talking).<snip>

Laura:

This post made me smile, as our son is a college freshman this fall 
and we're working out the various means of communication that are 
available nowadays.  Between email, cell phones and instant 
messaging, a parent can check up on-I mean, be in touch with a child 
all day every day if s/he so chooses.  Of course, that sort of 
defeats the purpose of going *away* to school, doesn't it?

Back on topic, several people have suggested on this list that 
Hogwarts is similar to a boarding school of 20-30 years ago.  I 
would think that kids didn't have easy or regular phone access to 
home (or parents to kids at school) in those days.  Communication 
was by mail except for emergencies, I'd guess.  And Harry isn't 
likely to get any communication from home on a regular basis anyhow, 
so his interest in how such communications might be accomplished 
would be pretty small.  
Besides, all kids love to get letters from home when they're at 
school or camp-after all, the parents can't send money or goodies in 
a phone call!

It would be sort of unfair if kids from magical families got to talk 
to their parents via floo network but kids from muggle families 
didn't.