Skip to main content

harry potter - Why doesn't Hogwarts carry spare wands for the students that need them?


One of the main plot points in Chamber of Secrets is Ron's malfunctioning wand:




Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn’t pleased.



Since cracking a wand seems like a very easy thing to due, and considering that Hogwarts is made of kids, an age group not known for their responsibility, why doesn't Hogwarts have a stash of backup wands for the students?


Please don't answer that Hogwarts doesn't carry backups, because they do carry backup spellbooks (HBP) and backup brooms.



Answer



(so, I edited this to include the other theories I started to develop in comments. PMar's answer states the "obvious" but is actually quite plausible. So, theories to follow are assuming Hogwarts could have spares, but just won't.)


(after-writing note: so it's quite long, and sometimes biased, but it was fun to think and write about...)



I think they wouldn't work quite well, and a working wand seems to be essential for studying magic.




"The wand chooses the wizard" (Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)



In this answer, you can see how a wand that didn't choose you just refuses to work properly. Unless Hogwarts was to buy a workload of spares to gamble with statistics (which would be expensive), it's unlikely each student would find a spare wand that fits him. At this point, you could even have Ollivander set a branch in Hogwarts.



So there's this eleven-years-old kid who goes to Ollivander's after receiving his letter. He's been treated like a freak for all his life by his Muggle family and can finally see the light upon knowing that he's part of an other universe, one of magic, full of promises - you get the idea.


So the kid's been trying dozens of wands at Ollivander's, but there's just nothing, you know? And the last one in the shop still doesn't fit him. "Isn't there another?," the kid asks Ollivander. Ollivander replies that no, it was the very last one, he's sorry, but a teacher came before him and bought the yearly amount of school spares,picking at random. Maybe his was in the lot? The kid gets a little hope and expects to find his at Hogwarts, but then he's told that he can't go to the school without a wand. So he goes back to his Muggle unloving family. How do you sleep at night, Hogwarts staff?!


Seriously though, if there's really only one wand that will accept to be your first wand (statistically unlikely, but hey, why not), you do not want anyone to buy a spare one "just in case". Also, it's even a statistical wonder that all these wizards find the perfect match. And that Ollivander, which we can assume makes wands partly randomly, still manages to create "the one" for nearly all the English wizard community. But I digress...



A wand is seven galleons, as reminded by Simpleton. There are about 280 students in Hogwarts, according to this source. Let's say that we account for 10% of spares. That's more or less 200 gold galleons. What's to do with 200 gold galleons? Hogwarts seems pretty filthy rich as is, maybe they'd have 200GG to spare on spares (pun not intended).



I don't really have an answer for this. I could say something along the lines of "well, just because a school has funds, doesn't mean they'll spend it wisely (source: all the years I've spent as a student)", but it's a lame answer. So because I don't like to be speechless, and because OP said he loved my headcanons, and because there's a ton of others things I should be doing, but won't, and because it'll serve to introduce a neat transition, I'll say this.


Hogwarts uses the spare money to pay off newspapers and the Ministry itself, in order to continue to exist. Given the events that happen each year, you'd think a lot of parents would like their kids to be homeschooled (wasn't there something about parents retrieving their kids from Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows?). And, you'd think that some anti-Hogwarts people at the Ministry would like to fire the whole staff, even close the whole school, and start a new one somewhere else, which they'd have full control of.


But really...



I know, I know. Hogwarts is "the safest place you could think of", or something like that. True, the place itself isn't bad, apart from the moving staircases, rather low gates on the astronomy tower, etc.


The staff is nice and kind. It's true that many professors will try to save your life when you're faced with deadly beasts they've put in the castle themselves. Oh, and from other teachers as well. Thinking about it, 200 gold galleons spared per year could be used to hire a HR person to recruit legit DADA teachers (legit, as in they're not Death Eaters, dangerous beasts, frauds, or Ministry harpies).


Well the place AND staff have flaws, but what doesn't? You'll make friends anyways, right? Oh, I forgot, some of the kids are quite messed up themselves, going around controlling giant snakes to kill little girls and then blaming their peers. And some of them come from families that worship evil himself, and are tasked to kill the Headmaster. Other than that you're good.


So if you as students' representative were to suggest to buy spare wands to the face of a staff that has no problems with letting you face beasts, questionable teachers, living in a hazardous place + hazardous surroundings (Forbidden Forest, merpeople much?), and if on top of that you're not Headmaster's favorite student, well, I think the best answer you'll get is something along the lines of "Meh".


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

What is the etymology of Doctor Who?

I recently decided to watch Doctor Who, and started viewing the 2005 version. I have the first two episodes from the first season, and I can't help but wonder what is the etymology of the name "Doctor Who"? And why does the protagonist call himself "the Doctor" (or is it "the doctor")? Answer In the very first episode of Doctor Who (way back in 1963), the Doctor has a granddaughter going by the name "Susan Foreman", and the junkyard where the TARDIS is has the sign "I.M. Foreman". Barbara, who becomes one of the Doctor's companions, calls him "Doctor Foreman" (probably assuming that is his name given his relationship to Susan), and Ian (another early companion) does the same in the second episode, to which the Doctor says: Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about? "Foreman" is most likely selected as a convenient surname for Susan to use because it happened to be on display near where the TARDIS landed....

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...