Hermione is “Muggle-born”, but in many ways she seems much more familiar with the wizarding world than Harry. She doesn’t like speaking Voldemort’s name, and she dreads the giants. Granted she’s an quick and voracious learner, but I get the impression that she didn’t just find out that she was a witch when her Hogwart’s letter arrived. Before Hogwart’s, did she go to the witch’s equivalent of grade school?
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s [Philosopher’s] Stone her first meeting with Ron and Harry on the Hogwarts Express has her admitting that she was ever so surprised when her letter arrived. She definitely dove into the realm head-first, having completely read the entire first-year booklist during the eight weeks preceding her matriculation. She also read as many books about the wizarding world as she could lay her hands on.
I find it telling that she’s the only character mentioned who’s actually read Hogwarts, a History. More than once, I gather.
A girl after my own heart.
She learned it from the streets, trial and error.
Not quite. In book 2, during the excitement of the Chamber of Secrets, she laments that she left her copy at home (to make room for more Lockheart books, of course), since all the copies are checked out of the school library. So at least some other students are at least referring to the book, even if not necessarily memorizing it.
I do keep wondering how long it’s going to take Harry to pick up a copy of Hogwarts, a History himself, and read it. Probably about as long as it’ll take him to go talk to Dumbledore as soon as a problem starts.
This begs the question, how did she manage to acquire the books? Given her parents were muggles and probably had no knowledge of where to buy them…
…not to mention her robes, wand, etc. And unlike Harry she wouldn’t have access to wizard money so how did she ever PAY for these things? Although it hasn’t been expressly said, I imagine some mechanism must be in place at Hogwarts to specially orient first-year Muggles (and their families) what Hogwarts’ is all about, where to purchase the necessary materials, how to board the train, etc. Exchanges with muggle and wizard currencies perhaps, perhaps Muggle families must open an account at Gringott’s and are given guided trips through Diagon alley for shopping. I think I’ve read at least one fanfic story approach the idea.
On the Internet? Perhaps with money from this site: http://www.centercoin.com/pobjoy_mint/isle_of_man/isle_of_man_harry_potter_coins.htm ("Honestly, Shoshana, for the last time, it’s possible to tag URLs. It’s all there in SDMB, A History.")
I’m at a bit of a disadvantage regarding source material—the books are back with the Ottlets—but I seem to recall that Hermione’s parents were at Gringott’s changing Muggle money (and looking more than a tad uncomfortable) at the beginning of CoS. Mr Weasley was delighted (“But . . . you’re Muggles!”).
With its centuries of experience, I imagine that Hogwarts would have developed FAQs, tutorials, etc. for the assistance of newly discovered witches and wizards. Maybe something like the “Handbook for the Recently Deceased.”
Lockhart, I believe;) I would think that copies checked out meant not that students were reading it all the way through but that they were searching for something that would tell them more about what was going on. Hermine, for her part, has exclaimed annoyedly at least once something to the effect of “Honestly, haven’t you ever read Hogwarts, a History?” to Ron and Harry, I believe.
Well, yes, it invites the question, anyway. Rowling having been silent on the subject, AFAIK, we are left to speculate. My speculation is that a Muggle-born’s notification letter would contain addenda, orientation literature, and perhaps an arrangement for a face-to-face meeting between a Hogwart’s representative and the candidate and his or her parents.
The events of the books in question taking place predominantly during the late twentieth century, I do not feel any great urge to explore how the experience of an inmate of a Battle-of-Britain-era English orphanage would have jibed with that of Hermione Granger.
Well, in Book 5, when the kids are given literature regarding possible career choices, a Muggle Liason office is mentioned. My guess is they’re like orientation guides, to help the Muggle-Borns and their parents around this strange new world. Hermione, I think, would be the type to go straight to Diagon Alley about 5 seconds after receiving her letter and realizing what it was all about and buying as many extra books as her poor arms would hold. Harry, IIRC, only bought the required textbooks before his first year, so he wasn’t as up on wizarding culture as Hermione.
Marlitharn. Good catch.
Or, they went ‘on loan’ as many of the occult books suddenly did the year we studied world religions at my Catholic school. (they were stuffed in the closet in the Principal’s office)
Perhaps someone is trying to make it difficult for young Wizards to get their hands on that particular book for a reason to be revealed later.
I can’t imagine that Muggle-born children receive the admission letter in the same manner as did Harry Potter. For one thing, they’re unfamiliar with owl post. Also, presumably they’ve never heard of the whole wizard world, so I imagine that someone from the admissions office has to make a personal call to explain everything to them, including the existence of this prestigious boarding school and why the parents would want to send their child there. I think some parents would insist on seeing the school prior to sending the child there. And the family would have to be accompanied to Diagon Alley, as even the entrance is secret.
Dewey, Harry’s first letter arrived through the normal post, IIRC. He didn’t start getting owls until Vernon confiscated and destroyed it.
I was just thinking about this stuff this morning. Stop reading my mind!
A neat trick, considering she didn’t have a wand to get through the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron or to summon the Knight Bus, or floo powder, or any other means of actually entering Diagon Alley.
I’m agreeing with the “Muggle Liason Office/orientation material” theory. Sort of the Hogwarts equivalent of campus key tours.
Of course, so was Harry at that point. Hypothetically, suppose Harry had managed to read his first letter from Hogwarts instead of having it taken from him. How on earth would he have replied, accessed his vault at Gringott’s, gotten his supplies, and so forth? It’s a damn good thing his uncle kept all those letters from him and forced Hagrid to show up.
Perhaps, had Harry been able to read his initial letter, it would have contained different information. E.g., the Internet knows when I’m looking at it, so perhaps Harry’s Hogwarts letter would also know. No reason it couldn’t, given how the Marauder’s Map works.
Did it? I remember a shot of a single owl flying towards the house, letting go of a letter and banking off, and the letter finding its way directly to the letterslot in the door.
(I’d check, but I’m in the middle of finding continuity mistakes (trap rope appears and disappears and changes legs) in Brother Bear and don’t want to change discs.)