[HPforGrownups] Re: The Quality of a Hogwarts Education

[Cyril A Fernandes]

No: HPFGUIDX 188235

>> bboyminn:
>>
>> But you assume the only choices are one world or the other, 
>> I suspect there are many who live quite comfortably in both
>> worlds. 
>> 
>rick:
>You may suspect it, but the canon has scant facts to confirm your 
>suspicion. Ms. Figg, the Squib, is the only person we know for sure 
>lives among the muggles. Mr. W, a mugglephile if there ever was one, 
>has to study them second hand, collecting artifacts like plugs and 
>trying to puzzle out their meaning and use and quizzing HP about rubber 
>ducks. Even though he's involved policing the misuse of muggle 
>artifacts, he is more a muggle archaeologist. 
>
>The Secrecy Statute would seemed to have driven a wedge between the two 
>worlds and, therefore, the WW into hiding centuries before. An 
>Inconsistency not explained by the canon, however, is the number of 
>Wizard/Muggle marriages. At one point in DH TDL talks about how the two 
>worlds were driven apart (witch hunts & later the SS) and the WW into 
>hiding and how he's going to return the WW to it's place in the open. 

Cyril:
There are some instances of examples of exchanges between the worlds. Besides the requirement of currency exchanges which is probably managed through Gringotts, we also hear of examples/references of the following
a) Shrinking Keys that are "apparently" lost by the Muggles (not sure which book)
b) Regurgitating toilets (OOPT)
c) A teapot that I believe was spouting tea all over the place (GoF I think)
d) I also think there was an example of socks that disappeared (not sure which book)
e) Even TMR's diary that was bought from a Muggle store - and this was the one he was using in his 5/6 Year, and not when he joined Hogwarts (CoS)

Most of this is mentioned in passing, but there is clear evidence that things from the magical world do get into the muggle one, keeping Arthur and his team busy.

For sure a lot of it is done in secret (and mainly by folks such as Dung and Willy), which is necessitated as part of the statute of secrecy, but it does exist.
There is also reference to a career in Muggle Relations during Career advice, and surely there is scope to interact with the muggle world in that job.

In many ways, the WW is ancient, but it is different, and its education system is built for that world.

For example you probably do not need to do a course in engineering when you can wave a wand and expand the interior of a car, or add rooms/floors to your house.

Just as we feel that things in the WW such as the Wizard Wireless etc are cheap imitations of real world things, Arthur is amazed by how the muggles have managed to get on without magic.

Cyril.

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