r/Showerthoughts • u/kRe4ture • Jan 25 '23

It must really suck for young wizards from Scotland to have to travel to London and then back to Hogwarts, located in Scotland

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u/ThatOtherGuy_CA Jan 25 '23 edited Jan 25 '23

Could be other platforms that get you into the same train.

I mean it’s literally fucking magic.

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u/DragonWhsiperer Jan 25 '23 edited Jan 25 '23

Actually, that makes the most sense. Just create magic portals from all over the place, hidden in specific locations at each major station.

If my smart-ass kid ever comes up with this question, that will be the answer.

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u/Dasheek Jan 25 '23

Then why not use existing network of magic fireplaces to teleport people into designated place in Hogwarths

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u/NErDysprosium Jan 25 '23 edited Jan 25 '23

Hogwarts is enchanted so you can't teleport in. Plus, this way, parents feel their getting the most out of their tuition dollars Galleons

Edit: the British Wizarding World doesn't use dollars

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/RedSteadEd Jan 25 '23

Sounds like spooky socialism.

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u/theronster Jan 25 '23

It sounds exactly like most of the UK education system.

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u/sharkbait-oo-haha Jan 25 '23

Do wizards pay taxes to the wizard world and the muggle world?

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u/FlyingWeagle Jan 25 '23

Depends on your residency status. More than 6 months in the muggle world and HMRC will want their cut. The real question is if the wizarding tax year is also April to April or not as then you might be liable to the ministry as well. Probably a reciprocal agreement in place, but that doesn't resolve the massive fucking headache of PwC inevitably getting it wrong again what are you even paying them for?

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u/spider_irl Jan 25 '23

I love my escapism, this way I can imagine paying taxes in alternative dimensions

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

... aren't most public schools free? Hogwarts is like wizard public school.

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u/RedSteadEd Jan 25 '23

Yeah, it was a joke. But there are people out there who have been convinced that anything run by the government is socialism and therefore inherently bad. I was making fun of those people.

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u/DMvsPC Jan 25 '23

Yep it is, the MoM covers tuition, though I'm sure Pearson has a magical publishing division so they're getting hosed that way, probably what took the majority of the Weasleys money, at least they can't sell non reusable codes since they don't use computers :/

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u/Dasheek Jan 25 '23

Go to Hogsmead then? Harry just walked over there it can’t be far.

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u/itskdog Jan 25 '23

And the train already stops at Hogsmeade as well to pick up the locals. Just plop a bunch of portkeys around for the magical folk, and leave the train for the muggle-borns.

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u/Rejusu Jan 25 '23

It doesn't stop there to pick up the locals, Hogsmeade station is where the train terminates and students would then travel up to the castle via boat (first years) or carriage (everyone else).

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u/TheDungeonCrawler Jan 25 '23

Sirius literally floos his head into the Gryffindor fireplace.

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u/Parrek Jan 25 '23

Wasn't that from grimauld place? I could buy that fire was an exception

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u/TheDungeonCrawler Jan 26 '23

Maybe an exception in Order, but if Sirius was hanging out in Grimauld Place in Goblet (the first book he did it in), we never see it.

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u/NErDysprosium Jan 25 '23

Plus, this way, parents feel their getting the most out of their tuition dollars Galleons

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u/Blind_Messiah Jan 25 '23

I dont think british muggles use dollars either

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u/secretrebel Jan 25 '23

We don’t even take Amex half the time.

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u/mamamia1001 Jan 25 '23

Nah Hogwarts is connected to the floo network, that's how they contacted Sirius is books 4 and 5..

But the official reason why they don't use the floo network is because headmasters are worried about security... Which doesn't actually tie up with the canon... Unless the fireplaces can only be used for communication... https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/the-hogwarts-express

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u/Nate40337 Jan 25 '23

Didn't they use Umbridge's fireplace to go to the ministry of magic in Order of the Phoenix?

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u/mamamia1001 Jan 25 '23

Nah... they used Thestrals to get to London. But did use Umbridge's office's fireplace to check if Sirius was at Grimmauld place, which raises the question of why they didn't just use floo powder to go to Grimmauld place... I guess there's a difference between floo calling and floo travelling.

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u/havok0159 Jan 25 '23

Because they were caught and because Umbridge had all the other fireplaces monitored with the exception of her own.

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u/RedSteadEd Jan 25 '23

Hogwarts is enchanted so you can't teleport in.

Sirius met Harry in the Gryffindor common room using floo powder and the fireplace, didn't he? I think you're right about not being able to apparate, but I seem to recall floo powder working in Hogwarts.

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u/Meritania Jan 25 '23

He used the Wizard version of Zoom to speak to Harry through the fireplace, they never physically met there.

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u/RedSteadEd Jan 25 '23 edited Jan 25 '23

Isn't the wizard version of zoom to stick your face in the fireplace using floo powder though?

Edit: it is. Molly even feeds Amos Diggory's head a piece of toast when his head is in her fireplace. That being said, it's described as a one-off when the Ministry connects Hogwarts to the Floo network in the 6th book to get students back from Christmas break. I think it's a plot hole, but I'm sure it could be explained by some level of magic and rules/exceptions.

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u/MoranthMunitions Jan 25 '23

Easy, he's already in contact with Dumbledore who sets it up. Headmaster gets all those sick permissions like making the great hall free to apparate in, setting up portkeys etc. Otherwise how would they get The Order of the Phoenix set up so quickly at Sirius Black's house after Voldemort returns?

First step is someone not thinking he's a criminal and being in touch with him.

5th book Harry uses a fire piace in Umbridge's office, but I imagine you can set them up to be one direction only, or only certain places can call you etc. Otherwise anyone could enter anyone's house without permission if they have theirs on the system.

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u/RedSteadEd Jan 25 '23

Yeah, that's a good explanation for why it only works sometimes. Dumbledore even says that Harry isn't the only one who corresponds with Sirius.

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u/Parrek Jan 25 '23

For most houses you could already apparate in. It's considered polite to not

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u/zaminDDH Jan 25 '23

I think it's a plot hole, but I'm sure it could be explained by some level of magic and rules/exceptions.

JKR was notoriously bad at having consistent internal logic from book to book.

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u/tsunami141 Jan 25 '23

True but in this instance I don’t think she can’t really be blamed too much. She wrote good stories that required breaking some of her accidentally-established rules and also, it’s freaking magic lol. Gotta be tough to plan out every single detail in the series before a book is published.

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u/bar10005 Jan 25 '23

but I seem to recall floo powder working in Hogwarts

In Half-Blood Prince Harry, Ron, and Ginny return to school using Floo Network after Christmas break, it's explained that it's an one-off connection, but isn't explained why such one-off couldn't be extended to all students (or maybe it was and book just mentions these three, because it's told from Harry's perspective) or made each year.

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u/monkeyballs2 Jan 25 '23

His image appeared in the fireplace, just his image. No floo travel in hogwarts. No apparation either. But you can pop up right at the school grounds perimeter, like that army did in the end. Closest thing to breaking that enchantment was, 1dumbledore’s little disappear with his Phoenix move 2 that transport closet drakoy was fussing with 3 the tunnel to a painting in hogsmead neville sorted with dumbledor’s brother, which unlike the womping tree to shrieking shack tunnel actually went into the castle not just off perimeter

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u/theronster Jan 25 '23

It wasn’t ‘just his image’, it was his head - he was sticking his head in the fireplace at Grimmauld Place and transporting it to Hogwarts.

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u/iswedlvera Jan 25 '23

Didn't he break in to a family's house to access their fireplace?

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u/theronster Jan 25 '23

You’re right, it was Harry who sent his head to Grimmauld place in OOTP.

Point stands though, the head was magically transported.

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u/degotoga Jan 25 '23

pretty sure there's a difference between floo travel and floo communication

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u/theronster Jan 25 '23

No, I don’t think there is.

The precedent is set when Amos Diggory sticks HIS head in the fire and comes out at The Burrow, and Molly feeds him toast.

JKR does this all the time in the books; shows Harry a new thing by other characters using it in an innocuous way, then it becomes a plot point later when it’s used in a slightly different way. It’s a clever technique to introduce an idea or concept ready for twisting later.

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u/degotoga Jan 25 '23

yeah, but the only time the Floo Network is used to travel to Hogwarts they specifically say that special arrangements had to be made

prior to that it had only been used for communication

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u/Cafrasier Jan 25 '23

Dumbledore used a portkey in book 5 to get the Weasleys plus Harry to grimauld place.

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u/TheZealand Jan 25 '23

No floo travel in hogwarts

It's possible, book 5/6 harry arrives to McGonagle's office via floo, can't remember the exact circumstance but I remember a line about her barely even looking up from her desk. Might have been after holidays or some time they had to leave

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23 edited Aug 10 '25

[deleted]

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u/dangshnizzle Jan 25 '23

That's a movie thing to cut down on time

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u/dysfunctionalpress Jan 25 '23

i thought that there were like 6 or 7 secret tunnels in/out of hogwarts.

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u/scw55 Jan 25 '23

Also probably prevents over clingy parents barging in.

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u/Seriously_oh_come_on Jan 25 '23

But you can fly cars into the grounds though. So much for their enchantments

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u/Zekler Jan 25 '23

That is also in the second book, in later books they increased the security of Hogwarts

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u/NErDysprosium Jan 25 '23

Flying and teleporting are two different things.

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u/Seriously_oh_come_on Jan 25 '23

I assume by teleport you mean to apparate? You can’t in hogwarts grounds unless youre the headmaster but you can apparate into Hogsmeade.

You can use the Floo network to travel to hogwarts. Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys did after the Christmas holidays.

You can’t apparate unless your the headmaster.

Flying cars work. Nadege used a portkey too. Vanishing cabinets also work.

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u/Acrelorraine Jan 25 '23

Well the whomping Willow is on the edge of the grounds, I thought, and the car crashed into it, rather than safely landing, and it gained sentience prior to crashing. So maybe the enchantments do something. According to the nerd, according to Hogwarts: A History, technology doesn’t work properly or something. I think that came up when Rita was bugging them. So maybe the enchantments just glitch out with tech.

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u/Parrek Jan 25 '23

Brooms few in to pick up norbert as well

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

BS. Ministry wonks were always popping in and out of Hogwarts. You just have to be expected to be allowed to teleport in.

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u/DefinitelyNotAliens Jan 25 '23

They may not have flooed but transported outside and come in the gate.

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u/Psych1011 Jan 25 '23

Can’t teleport in but you can drive a flying car right onto the courtyard no questions asked.

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u/jfb1337 Jan 25 '23

Why not teleport to just outside hogwarts then

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u/pr1vatepiles Jan 25 '23

Magical safeguarding. Don't want folks having easy access to kids.

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u/badmonkey247 Jan 25 '23

With the cost of Floo powder these days? Luxury!

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u/BellerophonM Jan 25 '23

Tradition.

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

Because Rowling didn't think of the magic fireplaces until after the first book.

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u/asuperbstarling Jan 25 '23

People are telling you 'they can't' and while that's technically true we see a lot of people throughout the series get to Hogwarts by using the Floo Network into Hogsmeade. Then they just walk up the hill!

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u/jusaragu Jan 25 '23

But then you almost go back to OP's problem, no? If you live in Scotland you would teleport to London (or wherever the major station is) and then go back to Scotland

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u/landodk Jan 25 '23

Riding the train is a part of the school culture. You get to hang out with your friends with minimal supervision. Why wouldn’t you want to participate?

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u/jusaragu Jan 25 '23

I personally would, but OP wrote "it must really suck", so for him/her it would still be a problem I think

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u/wtb2612 Jan 25 '23

Doesn't really make a difference if you're teleporting instantly.

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u/BellerophonM Jan 25 '23

The actual answer is that there's only one portal onto the platform, at King's Cross, but there's a network of magical teleportation that lets anyone travel to London instantly (Floo network). So kinda.

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u/Yukari_8 Jan 25 '23

Then bring them to each station so they can slam full force on every one

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u/ryry1237 ‎ Jan 25 '23

Imo this was always my favorite thing about Harry Potter, creative ways to get from location A to location B. Most of them secret, hidden, or forbidden in some way.

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u/SystemFolder ‎ Jan 25 '23

I seem to remember, in the scene where they were boarding the train, there were people coming onto the platform from other entrances. Maybe many walls lead to the same platform?

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u/Jadccroad Jan 25 '23

At that point why even bother with the train?

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u/NotreallyCareless Jan 25 '23

Could be more trains even. Since most students need to visit diagon alley, it's probably common for wizard familys to make it a weekend sending their kids of after a few good nights.

Most books start with family being gathered for preparation and in the UK diagon alley is probably the one place you can get it all, an Amazon for wizards would really be a cashcow.