Harry Potter experts! A different question - about Hogwarts class schedules!?

Do they *really* have 6 hours of classes in the morning? Read on for details...





In "Order of the Phoenix", chapter "Professor Umbridge" (page 225 of the U.S. hardcover edition) it says:


"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts..."





4 pages later, it says this (speaking of the same day), "Today they suffered an hour and a half's droning on the subject of giant wars."





So, I understand from this that single (normal) length classes are an hour and a half. There is also a bell at the end of each period, and a break between classes (to allow travel time between).





more details to come...
Harry Potter experts! A different question - about Hogwarts class schedules!?
i dont think that their classes would start at 5:00 am


im not sure of their schedule but that sounds rediculous
Harry Potter experts! A different question - about Hogwarts class schedules!?
oh, those poor hogwarts students...


and it also seems that they stay up till like one or two in the morning doing their homework, so they only get two or three hours of sleep a night.
Reply:I think you crack me up, but I'll get my dh on this right away. He's only read the books about 30 times more than I have and has a very mathmatical, scientific mind.





Oh, wait a minute, I thought their schedules varied from day to day. One day they may have double potions like say on Monday, but the next day they would have double transfiguration or something. You really need to look at establishing their schedule for the week and then if this is still occuring .... well, I'll put Mr. Oat on it.
Reply:From my understanding they have a double class on certain days meaning it's doubled the time because they won't have the class the next day.. Their classes were so many that they would have one set on monday, wedensday and friday and another set on tuesday and thursday. so unlike American schools where we attend the same set classes daily, they break theirs up. .
Reply:Oh, gawd. Poor Hogwarts students.... They have free periods though..





Ouchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nine hours
Reply:1-1/2 hours per class is wrong. Classes are 40 minutes long (personal experience). A double class is 40 + 6-10 minutes + 40 or between 86 and 90 minutes long.





The comment on History of Magic being 1-1/2 hours long is an error. Either it was a double class or they got the length wrong. It could also be that it felt like it was that long.





If you don't think such errors can be made, there was a worse error in Prisoner of Azkaban where they mentioned someone's ancestors when they meant descendants. Proofreading error.
Reply:Hello,





I've never stoped to analize that but I've read something about it. I'll leave some links that I hope you might find useful.
Reply:Like someone else said, their day-to-day schedules aren't the same, which is most likely why Ron specifically refers to "today". Nine hours of classes is only two hours longer than the American schools (if it's still the same from when I was there), which isn't too bad.
Reply:I assume that, only that day was full then, because if I remember correctly days vary. The school schedule for classes changes depending on the day, I'm liable to say that I remember onetime they had Potions as the last period on Friday, making Harry say something like Snape can't kill us. So, it's ok if they had 9 hours that day, because well they are fifth years, and throughout the books we always hear how horrible it is being a fifth year, and how much lesser time they have for fun and laughs. So it's ok if they are under this much pressure, they are after all going to have O.W.Ls ..





And, I also remember that History of Magic is an hour length period, I remember Hermione saying something like what do you do in that full hour, I think this also means that not all subjects have periods which are the same length, it depends on the complexity of the subject, as you know History of Magic is far more easier that Transfiguration..





^_^
Reply:So sorry, but the breakfast hour is so earlllyyyyy.......





Yeah, I got curious about their classes too. I'm not British so I don't know.....





I think 6 a.m is breakfast hour and 7 or 8 is dinner......
Reply:I think your confusing yourself there. I think that a single period at Hogwarts is 45 - 60 minutes long. Otherwise, it would be ridiculous and very stupid to conclude that they have 6 hours of class each morning due to the fact that their classes are an hour and a half long.





..........."Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts...".................... If we calculate the school day length of these classes using the 45 - 60min single lesson rule, then they only have around 5 1/2 - 6 hours of class in a day. I think J.K rowling might have made a mistake and forgot to write that History of Magic was actually a double lesson as well, otherwise their timetable would be just absurd.





And I think that what Sirius had to say may be correct as well, because the time length of each lesson may vary according to the complexity and importance of the subject.





HP rocks!!!





:)
Reply:Unsure, but one thing's for sure, they would NOT start at 5am. That's ridiculous. 7am at the earliest. My school starts at 8:45, and that's considered early compared to most schools..


%26amp; they probably don't have that many breaks. It wouldn't take that long to travel between classes!


On my school timetable, we don't put in time for travel - it's just like this: Period 1- 8:45 to 9:37, period 2: 9:37 to 10:29... and so on.
Reply:Hi Jim :)





This is a very good question, it got me thinking even before I have my caffeine kick (it's 07:43) here in London...





Well, I would have said that they use some sort of magic, but if we have leaned anything from POA, it's not an option.





I'll have a think (and a big cup of coffee) and get back to you..
Reply:I am no HP expert and have never bothered with such details really, but I've always assumed that "double Potions" meant they share that class with another House, not double the usual time. 3 hours for one subject wouldn't be logically effective, would it? A teenager's (or even an adult, for that matter) attention span simply could not tolerate that long torture. I am not familiar with the British system (nor of the American) but major subjects here are given a minimum of 40 minutes (for grade school to high school) to an hour and a half at the most (but usually for college classes). I also agree that 4am is quite too early for breakfast. You'd have hundred of sleepyheads for sure!





I also think that they don't have break after each class. Remember in CoS, Snape have to accompany them to their Herbology class (and Lockhart, too). I think that breaks occur in between at least two classes.





No matter how serious and urgent a subject is specially for 5th and 6th years (for the OWLS and NEWTS), I've always thought that the difficult and taxing (that Ron and Harry usually complain about) part were the loads of assignments and advance lessons they get, not the hours.





I'm still on the first few pages of your first chapter, but I mean to read on... Brilliant fanfic, by the way.
Reply:Hmmm, interesting question. I got the impression that classes started at nine, though.


(from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban "Look at this! 9:00..." - Ron Weasley)


So maybe it was more that lessons are 45 minutes and there was a double History of Magic.


MY VERSION OF THE HOGWARTS SCHEDULE


6:00-8:50: Breakfast


9:00-10:30: History of Magic


10:40-12:10: Potions


12:20-1:20: Lunch


1:30-2:15 Divination


2:25-3:55- Defense Against the Dark Arts





Also, Double could mean that there are two houses in one class in which case the schedule would be





6:00-8:50: Breakfast


9:00-10:30: History of Magic


10:40-12:10: Potions


12:20-1:20: Lunch


1:30-3:00: Divination


3:10-4:40: Defense Against the Dark Arts





I highly doubt that classes started at five.
Reply:Well this is just my assumption but, I get the impression that Ron, might have been emphasizing that they had double potions and double Defense Against the Dark Arts because those were the classes he was especially dreading to go to, but in fact those classes were all "doubled" that day. If thats the case then each class would last for one hour and a half making a standard period 45 minutes. If thats the case then maybe, the next day the schedule would have gone: double Charms, Transfiguration, Care of magical creatures, and Herbology (not in that particular order necessarily). Then maybe on Monday, they'd have all eight classes for 45 minutes that way they get an even amount of time in each class weekly. Now I'm not familiar with the British system but in my part of the US, from Jr. High to High school, you have all your periods on Monday which are six, then on Tuesday and Thursdays you have all the odd numbered periods for two hours on Wednesday and Friday the even numbered ones. I've noticed people have the tendency to mention the fact time and again that their next class will be a double period when they hated it. Your friend might say, "today I've got graphic design, English, and ugh two hours of calc with Mrs. Whatshername and her *beep* I swear that lady hates me!" :P I THINK that might be the case here, I do know that if I were in Ron's shoes I'd be gritting my teeth at the thought of having to spend an hour and half with Snape, and then another with Umbridge. :P I could be wrong but, I do think that makes sense.