Skip to main content

harry potter - Could a squib go to Hogwarts?



There are many subjects in Hogwarts that require magical knowledge, but not magical ability. Of course, subjects such as Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts require the student to have magic, but what stops a squib from attending Hogwarts study subjects like Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes?


A squib raised in a wizarding environment should be able to comprehend these subjects. It's not as if the Ministry is stopping them, as Hogwarts isn't on a tight leash.


It's just something I have wondered about, because squibs could be a functioning subculture in the wizarding society, and all they do is get exiled to the muggle world. They could hold just as much value as every other wizard with the capability to cast a spell.



Answer



They would certainly not be admitted, and probably wouldn’t enjoy their experience if they did attend.


Admittance to Hogwarts is controlled by the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance. You name gets written in the book if you demonstrate signs of magical ability while you’re young, but this has to be your own magic: it’s not enough to ride off the coattails of your parents.


This is part of the sample content on Pottermore, and here are the relative parts:



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's decision is final and no child has ever been admitted whose name has not first been inscribed on the book's yellowing pages. […]


[The Book’s] track record in keeping Squibs out of Hogwarts is perfect. Non-magic children born to witches and wizards occasionally have some small, residual aura of magic about them due to their parents, but once their parents magic has worn off them it becomes clear that they will never have the ability to perform spells.




If you can’t go to Hogwarts if your name doesn’t appear in this Book, and your name will never be written in this Book if you’re a Squib, then you can’t go to Hogwarts. End of discussion.


But would a Squib want to go to Hogwarts? Would it be beneficial or healthy for them to do so? I suspect not; they’d always be an outsider. This snippet of conversation is fairly telling:



“Squibs were usually shipped off to Muggle schools and encouraged to integrate into the Muggle community… much kinder than trying to find them a place in the Wizarding world, where they must always be second class, but naturally [redacted] wouldn’t have dreamed of letting her daughter go to a Muggle school—“


— Deathly Hallows, chapter 8 (The Wedding)



For examples, look at how Filch is treated by students, or Mrs. Figg at the Ministry hearing. The magical society doesn’t rate Squibs, and they’d be social outcasts at Hogwarts. Consider how certain students treat Muggle-borns, and now imagine how they’d treat Squibs.


You’d be a tiny minority, in a school of people with special talents that you don’t share, and the entire experience would remind you of what you were missing out on. Large aspects of their school experience are cut off to you, and there are plenty of ways to be bullied that you have no way to retaliate against.


And you go through all this, and what comes out at the end? There are very few jobs in the magical community that you can take, so you’ll probably end up in the Muggle world. A brief glimpse of what you could have had, but never will. It seems cruel.



I suspect a Squib at Hogwarts would be miserable and bullied, and would leave school with a strong inferiority complex. Even if they want to attend, I think it’s better to turn them away.



The link in DVK’s answer to J.K. Rowling’s old website says something similar: Squibs at Hogwarts would never be able to really fit in.



Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students. They are often doomed to a rather sad kind of half-life (yes, you should be feeling sorry for Filch), as their parentage often means that they will be exposed to, if not immersed in, the wizarding community, but can never truly join it.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

What is Tolkien trying to say in this letter?

In a draft of a letter, later recorded as #246, Tolkien makes a strange statement. I am interested in the first few sentences of the letter, but I will include the remainder for the sake of context. In the 'Mirror of Galadriel', 1381, it appears that Galadriel conceived of herself as capable of wielding the Ring and supplanting the Dark Lord. If so, so also were the other guardians of the Three, especially Elrond . But this is another matter. It was part of the essential deceit of the Ring to fill minds with imaginations of supreme power . But this the Great had well considered and had rejected, as is seen in Elrond's words at the Council. Galadriel's rejection of the temptation was founded upon previous thought and resolve. In any case Elrond or Galadriel would have proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron: they would have built up an empire with great and absolutely subservient generals and armies and engines of war, until they could challenge Sauron and destroy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Was Galadriel's temptation of Boromir instrumental to his fall?

We know Galadriel tempted the members of the Fellowship, did she tempt Boromir with visions of taking the Ring and saving Gondor? In the books, Boromir willingly accepts the judgement of the council that the Ring should be destroyed, but after the meeting with Celeborn and Galadriel his personality seems to change. Was the temptation offered by Galadriel in some way responsible for Boromir's fall? Answer It's likely, but not certain I believe it is likely Galadriel tempted him with the ring, and in doing so re-ignited a pre-existing idea to take the ring, but to be clear lets break this down into three parts. Boromir at the Council of Elrond Boromir after setting off Boromir after being tempted Boromir at the Council of Elrond Boromir pleas for the ring to go to Minas Tirith, to help Gondor in its defense against Mordor. “ Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of need? Wielding it the Free Lords of the Free may surely...
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - What is the difference between Diffindo and Sectumsempra?

In the Harry Potter books, Diffindo is called the 'Severing Charm' and it’s most commonly used to cut ropes and the like. However, in the last book Hermione uses it on Ron but misses, creating a 'slash in his jeans' and his knee gets cut, causing him to 'roar in pain'. We've only seen Sectumsempra used once on screen when Harry directly uses it on Malfoy in the sixth book, but there it's mentioned that he is 'waving his wand wildly'. Wouldn't Diffindo, if used in such a fashion also cause a similar effect? Similarly, if it was able to cut Ron, it would also be able to, say, chop off an ear (George's)? In that case, how are these two spells different, except for Sectumsempra seemingly used exclusively to hurt humans? Answer While Diffindo and Sectumsempra both can be countered by other spells, Diffindo is far more easily countered. Reparo, a relatively common spell, can completely reverse its effect when used once. “He pulled the old cop...
Post a Comment
Read more