Hogwarts express and location [was Quidditch World Cup - Irish vs English]

[Meredith]

No: HPFGUIDX 97095

> Lita:
> <snip>But I do think that the British Ministry of Magic is
> composed of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. For one,
> there is the absence of an Irish Minister of Magic at the
> World Cup. For another, it seems that Hogwarts is where
> Irish wizards are educated.<snip>
> 

Luckie:
Forgive me if this has ever been discussed, but I was wondering how 
this relates to the Hogwarts Express. We know Seamus is from Ireland. 
I know this is movie comtamination, but Oliver Wood in the PS/SS and 
CoS films (Sean Biggerstaff) has a Glasgow accent. Hogwarts is 
located in Scotland. Therefore, it makes sense for students such as 
Harry, the Weasleys, and Malfoy to travel to London to use the 
Hogwarts Express. (Do we know where Hermione comes from, btw?) But 
what about students who already live in Scotland, or Northern 
Ireland? It seems a bit tedious to travel all the way to London just 
to backtrack. If Hogsmeade is the only all-magical town in Britain, 
wouldn't there be a student who lived in Hogsmeade full time, on 
occassion? (A shopkeeper's child, for example?) The trio always finds 
each other on the Express, and inevitably they find Malfoy, Crabbe 
and Goyle as well, but have they ever seen Seamus or wizards we know 
to be NOT English or Welsh?

~Luckie