Going back (kind of) to the original question, Harry had no idea he was a wizard until the letter arrived from Hogwarts. Oh, he knew he did strange things, but that he was a wizard? Not until the letter arrived.
So, was Harry’s letter a shock because the Durseleys knew the truth, and he got an actual “wizard” letter, and Hermione’s family needed to be “helped out” by a different letter?
I think Harry’s letter was a shock to the Dursleys because it never occurred to them that he might go to Hogwarts if they were raising him. They got the standard letter because they were aware of the magical community. Harry of course was in shock because he had no clue.
I’ve been thinking about Hermione and her folks. In HPSS (pg. 105 hardbound) Hermione says, “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—”
It sounds to me like Hermione and her parents may have been aware that there was a magical community in existence, but weren’t actually part of it. She’s surprised she got a letter because no one in her family is magic. Not surprised because witches and wizards exist. She refers to Howarts as the “best school” instead of saying something like she didn’t even know there was a school of witchcraft.
My guess is still that totally clueless Muggle families get an actual visit.
Concerning the title, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, assuming that it’s confirmed as the title of the next book:
Has anyone considered that it could refer to Hagrid? He’s half-giant, and Dumbledore has made him an ambassador of sorts to the giants. Perhaps we’re in for a surprise revelation about his mother.
This idle speculation brought to you by a plot point from GoF (hence the box to protect Ethilrist’s tender eyes), the letter E, and viewers like you.
Maybe this is why they encourage students to go into Muggle Relations - they send something by regular mail, someone shows up in a suit and tie at your door, he sits down for a friendly cup of tea with the kid and his or her parents, and at some diplomatic moment asks: “Haven’t you ever wondered about those funny little things that seem to happen to Nigel?..”
Yeah, you can kinda tell which adults took Muggle realtions as students. It’s clear that the Weasleys did not, as least not Arthur. Even though he works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department, it seems he really doesn’t have a real understanding of Muggle life. He’s clueless about telephones and mail and electricity. It’s likely Tonks (OofP) did because she does a good job of looking Muggle when she needs to and seems to understand day to day stuff.
I have a little speculation of my own where this supposed new title may have originated, and this also has a bit to do with Lily & Petunia’s family. In the last book:
Harry taunts Dudley about needing several pals to beat up on a little ten-year-old boy in their neighborhood. The boy’s name is Mark Evans - and Evans is Petunia Dursley’s and Lily Potter’s maiden name. Dumbledore tells Harry later in the book that he was sent to live with his mother’s only LIVING relation (Petunia)… but that does not preclude the possiblity that Lily and Petunia may have had a brother. If so, Mark Evans will be eleven at he beginning of Book Six - old enough to get his own letter from Hogwart’s. It would be most unlike Jo Rowling to throw Mark’s surname and age out there accidentally…
What do you think?
Or, more accurately, someone shows up in a purple ** suit and purple stovepipe hat and two or three ties ** at your door, judging from the wizards we’ve seen thus far.
LOL! That’s why more of them need to take Muggle Studies at school.
Eh. It could be that she came up with a cool name for a book, then realized the name worked even better for a completely different situation she had planned for one of the later books, and switched it.
Ohh, great observation…I totally missed that!
[spoiler]Maybe he turns out to be the Half-Blood Prince.
So if Mark is 10, then he wasn’t born (there for not living) when Harry’s parents died. Makes sense, sort of.
One snag…for him to be an Evans related to Lily, he’d have to have been born to someone who was related to Lily. That person would also then be a living relative of Harry’s mother. Making Petunia not Harry’s only living relative.[/spoiler]
Ach…it’s all so complicated!
[SPOILER]About Mark Evans being related to Harry: Didn’t Dumbledore say something about the relative needing to be a close relative? If so, Mark could be a distant relative – a second or third cousin or something like that, not closely related enough to be considered for a protective spell of the nature needed for Harry. The closer blood ties to the Evans-Dursleys might have have made the spell that much more potent, therefore making them a better choice. Preservation of the flesh over that of the spirit.
Damn. If only I actually owned Order of the Phoenix. Instead, I’m twenty miles from a library.[/SPOILER]
Using the spoiler tags for speculation, just 'cos everybody else is:
I’m betting the HBP is a historical figure, most likely Godric Gryffindor. We haven’t had any hints that modern-day wizarding royalty exists at all, but a guy who lived a thousand years ago and has a sword studded with enormous rubies sounds like a good bet. Besides, most of the backstory on the founders of Hogwarts was first introduced in Chamber of Secrets.
Hope so, anyway. I’m dying to learn more about wizarding history.
Yes! I hope if JKR does anymore books for charity, she writes Hogwarts: A History. That would be wonderful beyond all magnitude of measuring.
See, that’s why you should have read other threads 
Despite the nay-saying I am not convinced that I (and now you) are wrong though, so who knows?
My wife, who is as shameless a fan as I and my daughter, came up with that idea at once.
My feeling? [spoiler]It is Seamus Finnegan. He mentions earlier that his father is a Muggle.
My other theory is that alliterative names (Severus Snape, Poppy Pomphrey, etc.) have some significance. Although I have no idea what it might be. [/spoiler]
Regards,
Shodan
[spoiler]You mean like Bellatrix Black, the Bloody Baron, Broderick Bode, Cho Chang, Colin Creevey, Dedalus Diggle, the Fat Friar, Filius Flitwick, Godric Gryffindor, Gregory Goyle, Helga Hufflepuff, Luna Lovegood, Mad-Eye Moody, Marlene MacKinnon, Minerva McGonagall, Nearly Headless Nick, Padma Patil, Pansy Parkinson, Parvati Patil, Peter Pettigrew, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, Vindictus Viridian, and Wendelin the Weird?
Something tells me Rowling just plain likes alliterative names 
(BTW, the scary part is that I did that off the top of my head, without even having to think too hard about any of them.)[/spoiler]
Also off the top of my head, isn’t it Hannah Hufflepuff? One can presumably also add Bill Weasly, if that’s short for William. And of course, one can explain it away by saying that wizardly parents (or whoever gives the nicknames, like Fat Friar and Bloody Baron) like alliterative names.
Bob Barker? Hmmm…
I didn’t interpret that bit the same way. I didn’t think that the Grangers had any exposure to or awareness of the magic world at all, and that Hermione was under-stating things in a typical British way when she said it was “ever such a surprise.”
But then, as soon as she got the letter, she immediately did everything possible to research the magic world and find out what kind of school she was being invited to. Then she found out uthat it’s the best school of witchcraft there is, which she found acceptable.
In other words, that was just to establish Hermione’s character. Most kids, if they found out that they could do magic and go to a super-secret school, would get sucked up in the adventure of it all. Hermione, being practical and analytical, says, “Right. Fair enough. Now what kind of education will I be getting at this school?”
I think Sol Grundy has nailed if wrt establishing Hermione’s character.
Chronos, it is Helga. Re-read CoS, paying specific attention to Hermione hijacking Professor Binns’s lecture to get some information on the legend of the Chamber.