Hogwarts in Harry Potter world

[Steve B]

Just watched Harry Potter 1, and I was wondering why there would be so much sh*t in and around Hogwarts that is soooo dangerous? and why the hell would parents let their kids go there? Do they (the parents) not know? Is it mainly for the mini-adventures Harry and Co. get into, or is it that wizards all like a bit of sadomasochism? Any thoughts?

[akiratubo]

I wonder why, for detention, the kids would be forced to HUNT WEREWOLVES!  Alone!  Hagrid just lets Draco and Harry wander off by themselves when there is every reason to believe a bloodthirsty werewolf is in the immediate vicinity.

Also, I've noticed that Dumbledore seems to use Harry to do his dirty work.  Sorcerer's Stone: Dumbledore uses Harry to disintegrate Valdemort and his host.  Chamber of Secrets: Dumbledore uses Harry to kill that pesky Basilisk that's been haunting Hogwarts for several decades.

[JohnL]

>Is it mainly for the mini-adventures Harry and Co. get into,

I think this is the real reason. I would be kind of boring if it were just like a normal school. Not to mention that the kids would probably break their necks if they ever fell off their brooms while playig Quiditch (or however it's spelled).

[J.R.]

I have on BIG question for the author of those books:

Just what exactly do the wizards use their powers for? Do they help mankind? End world hunger? Cure diseases? No. They even have that huge marketplace in London, and it seems to me a condensed population of wizards would have helped during the Blitzgrieg. The Alan Rickman teacher talks about fame and riches, so I guess every famous and/or rich person is a wizard, and wizards are incredibly selfish. That's some sloppy storytelling there.

[raj]

On the other hand, you'd then get wizards running you life for you.  "You nasty muggles, you've gotten yourselves in yet another war.  Well, it is obvious that you can't govern yourselves, so we will do it for you."  

I don't know too many muggles who'd go for that (actually most Europeans seem to have surrendered liberty for a nanny state, but I don't want to start yet another political thread.)  Besides, 1) perhaps the good wizards wwere battling the evil wizards during WWII and/or 2) wizards have decided it isn't ethical to do everything help the muggles (sort of like "why does God allow evil & suffering to exist).

[AndyC]

There also seems to be some inconsistency in the relationship between wizards and normal folks. There seems to be a fair bit of mixing between the two, what with the whole "dirty blood" thing. Wizards aren't all that different in most cultural respects anyway. On the other hand, we have wizard scholars going on raids to observe muggles and puzzling over the purpose of a rubber duck.

I also wonder why nothing from the dark forest ever comes out and invades the school. The little (less big?) spiders seem to go back and forth a good deal, but not the legions of huge ones, dog-sized and bigger.

Also, I had assumed that Hogwarts did not exist in our physical world, but in a parallel dimension of sorts. It would make sense, considering that the population as a whole are unaware of the place or any of the weird things around it. The whole bit about running through the brick wall to catch the train would seem to support that as well. But when Harry and Ron are unable to cross over, they get in the flying car and catch up with the train. It seems odd, unless the car can jump dimensions and nobody bothered to tell us.

[Funk, E.]

I could just imagine their parental concent release form...

"...also not responsible for irreversible curses, petrification, and/or acquisition of lycanthropy. Nor may we be held liable for death, near-death, undead or  vampiric behaviors, events or consequences... Students may be exposed to hazordous waste, potions, artifacts, spells, plants, animals, insects, minerals, proceedures, forests, staircases, exotic and occationally mythical creatures..."