[HPforGrownups] Re: It really annoys me ...

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 163877

Anne Squires:
>Given the history of the "modern toilet"  I do not believe that
>Salazar Slytherin, wizard or no, had anything to do with the
>construction of a girls' bathroom.  As I stated in my previous post,
>Hogwarts must have undergone a renovation at some point to have
>bathrooms and accompanying piping installed.  It makes absolutely no
>sense to me that those who were responsible for these renovations did
>not notice that their pipes led to a secret chamber.  I still maintain
>that it is a plot hole. 

Bart:
Pun intended? 

However, do recall we are dealing with Wizards here. In addition, consider that the British "public school" system evolved, and didn't reach the state as described in the HP novels until about the 18th century or so (and the influence of the Ministry makes it an interesting cross between a public school and a state school). For example, the use of prefects was essentially done as a money-saving measure, although we don't see the upperclassmen vs. lowerclassmen (that's older vs. younger, not richer vs. poorer) that typified public school at one point (and, for all I know, still does). 

The RW resistance to indoor toilets was due, almost certainly, not to cultural rejection of the different but to the general disgusting quality of outhouses; even though the waste was being whisked away, there was still that psychological idea of fouling one's own nest. Mr. Binns would probably know more about this than you or I, but it may be that wizards used to keep offal eaters to keep their wayside chapels clean (which would explain Sally keeping his pet snakey down there, and how it stayed alive all those years). 

Bart