Hey everyone
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it’s magical student population,
and how exactly students are selected for the school. Now, Hogwarts has a rich history,
and dates back to the tenth century. It’s located in the Scottish Highlands (though
we don’t know exactly where), and it’s location is largely hidden because it was
built during a time when witches and wizards were still being persecuted by muggles for
their use of magic.
Hogwarts was founded by 4 witches and wizards who all had ‘the selfsame yearning, to make
the world’s best magic school’. These founders were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw,
Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff, and when they finally got together, Hogwarts was
born.
Hogwarts has a great reputation, and over the course of the centuries that it has existed-copious
amounts of talented witch and wizard alumni have emerged from its walls.
It’s "The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world." according to Hagrid.
So, the school has been around for a VERY long time, and it seems like every year, the
school boasts just as many students as the previous year. But, just how many students
actually attend the school? How many students receive a TOP NOTCH magical education each
year?
In an interview in October 2000, Rowling was asked “How many students attend Hogwarts,
and how many students are there in each house?”.
Rowling replied with a very to-the-point: “There are about a thousand students at
Hogwarts”
And while that would give us a nice sum to work with, 250 students per house, unfortunately
I don’t think that this figure makes much sense. In both the books and films, there
is nothing that appears to indicate such a large number of students, and this number
heavily conflicts with the world that we’ve been introduced to.
Hogwarts students attend the school for 7 years, which means that, based on the figure
of 1000 students total, there would be approximately 36 new students from each house, per year.
If there are an equal number of boys and girls, that would mean that 144 students, 72 boys
and 72 girls, start at Hogwarts each and every year.
A more widely recognized figure, or at-least a more widely fan-appreciated figure, is that
there are 280 students at the school total. That’s 70 students from each house, and
10 new students per house per year. This seems to make a lot more sense. But my next question
is, how are the walls of Hogwarts filled YEAR after YEAR? How are these students chosen
to attend the famous wizarding school? How do they find out that they have been chosen?
First of all, I want to point out a clear distinction between muggle-born students and
students that come from magical families. The families of students who come from a magical
background are most likely already privy to Hogwarts- and it’s highly likely that the
parents of the student attended the school themselves. However, the families of muggle-borns
would have no concept of magic at all, i.e, Hermione, and that is why there are different
procedures for different types of students.
All young witches and wizards should expect a Hogwarts acceptance letter. The Hogwarts
acceptance letter informs new students of their acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry, and along with the letter includes a list of required textbooks and materials
required for the upcoming school year. When a witch or wizard from a magical family receives
this letter, things are fairly straightforward. They know the procedure and when the time
comes for them to go to school, they’re brought to platform 9 ¾ and sent off.
The procedure for Muggle-borns, however, is a little bit different, as I’m sure you
can imagine the shock and surprise, the surge of confusion, when receiving a letter like
that.
From Hermione:
"Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter,
but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there
is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it
will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"
And also Colin Creevey:
“It’s amazing here, isn’t it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic
till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad’s a milkman, he couldn’t believe it either.
So I’m taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it’d be really good if
I had one of you” — he looked imploringly at Harry — “maybe your friend could take
it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?”
In the case of Muggleborns, Hogwarts dispatches a member of staff to travel to the home of
said muggle-born student so that the letter can be properly introduced and explained.
The books don’t actually acknowledge which staff member is directly responsible for this,
however, as Mcgonagall is in charge of the registrar- it makes most sense that it would
be her responsibility. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to explain
‘magic’ to a muggle, a real monster of a task, however, if it’s going to be anyone
- I think that either Dumbledore or McGonagall would be most convincing. In the films, we
see Dumbledore travelling to Wool’s orphanage to inform Tom Riddle of his acceptance to
the school. Though he was magical, he had no parents that he knew of, so it was necessary
for a member of staff to come and explain the process as well the magical world.
Ok, so that’s how students are INFORMED of their acceptance, but how are they actually..accepted?
How are they specifically chosen for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Enter-
the Quill of Acceptance:
“In a small locked tower, never visited by any student at Hogwarts, sits an ancient
book that has not been touched by human hands since the four founders placed it there on
completion of the castle. Beside the book, which is bound in peeling black dragon-hide,
stands a small silver inkpot and from this protrudes a long, faded quill. These are the
Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance and they constitute the only process by which
students are selected for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
The book and quill were put in place by the founders of Hogwarts to aid with and automate
the Hogwarts selection process. They knew that for centuries they would need students
to be selected for the school, and there’s no way that they would be able to manage it
manually. One of the main parameters put in place for detecting students is as follows:
“At the precise moment that a child first exhibits signs of magic, the Quill, which
is believed to have been taken from an Augurey, floats up out of its inkpot and attempts to
inscribe the name of that child upon the pages of the book.”
This means that as soon as a child shows any form of magic, it is immediately set in writing
that they are a magical being. No child would be able to perform magic, undetected, without
this magical book and quill taking note of it.
How the book and quill actually operate is anyone’s guess:
“If anybody understands what powerful and long-lasting magic causes this book and quill
to behave as they do, nobody has ever confessed to it, doubtless because (as Albus Dumbledore
once sighed) it saves the staff tedious explanations to parents who are furious that their children
have not been selected for Hogwarts. The Book and Quill’s decision is final and no child
has ever been admitted whose name has not first been inscribed on the book’s yellowing
pages.”
One thing that is worth mentioning, however, is that sometimes the book and the quill don’t
quite agree on what constitutes ‘magical’ activity.
“A mere whiff of magic suffices for the Quill. The Book, however, will often snap
shut, refusing to be written upon until it receives sufficiently dramatic evidence of
magical ability.”
In the case of Neville Longbottom, for instance, the quill was eager to write his name in the
book right at his birth. He came from a magical family, and exhibited faint signs of magic
right away, but no one seemed to really notice- the book included. It has been reported that
it was not “until he was eight years old did either his disappointed great aunts and
uncles, or the old stickler of a Book, accept that he was truly a wizard, when he survived
a fall that should have killed him.”
For centuries, the book and quill have selected students for Hogwarts school of witchcraft
and wizardry, and for centuries, the Quill’s sensitivity, coupled with the Book’s implacability,
have never yet made a mistake.”
And that’s it for this video! Did you guys know about all of these steps? Which surprised
you?
Let me know down in the comment section below
UNTIL NEXT TIME
YER A WIZARD ARRY