This thread is a focused discussion group. Please see the first post below for the current topic and upcoming book discussions. While natter will inevitably happen, we encourage you to treat this like a virtual book club and try to keep your posts in that spirit.
By consensus, this thread is reopened specifically to discuss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be closed again once that discussion has run its course.
***SPOILER ALERT***
- **Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows lie here. Read at your own risk***
Yeah, my impression was that the first five years are the mandatory ones, so it's not really analogous to high school students dropping out before 12th grade. From [link]
Secondary school is compulsory from 11 to 16 years old. At the end of this period, pupils take their GCSE (General Certifiate of Education) examinations, which generally take 2 years to prepare. After this, pupils can stay on for another 2 years and then sit their A Levels, which are necessary to continue to university level.
Also, I've heard that the whole graduation ceremony thing is mostly an American invention, at least for secondary school. I don't know how much of this is strictly true, but that's the impression I've gotten from... well, mostly from reading British fans making fun of American-written HP fanfiction, really.
My favorite was the story where Hermione talks about the Civil War -- you know, the one with Lincoln.
We didn't have a graduation at my high school (in England). There was a ceremony at the beginning of the next school year where certificates were given out for achievements in the past year, but that wasn't just for graduates.
Hmmph. That reminds me that I won one (a book token, IIRC) and never picked it up because by then I was at university in Canada.
You can get into US/Canadian schools on the strength of GCSEs (well, you could on the strength of O levels, which were replaced by GCSEs after I left). I got almost a year's worth of credit for my A levels taken off my degree. I had to take Bio 101 to make up my pre-reqs.
Thing is, British students specialise after GCSEs, so that one bio class was something I'd decided not to pursue two years earlier, and wanted to dive straight into my degree.
Which is really so much more than the question asked...
How does the 7 year thing work in Britain? I had the impression that the last two years were sort of optional
Yeah, but that's just in the *Muggle* world....
The last paragraph before the epilogue has Harry heading for his four-poster in Gryffindor tower. I think that implies a return to finish out the N.E.W.T.S. in his future.
The academic organisation shown at Hogwarts is very much patterned on the Muggle world.
Or perhaps it's the precursor--do Muggles do anything useful, ever?
I think it is more likely Hermione that wouldn't let them quit. I'd like the think that they had a nice, quiet, no life in peril, 7th year at school, finishing their education.
Yes, I think that they finished. I do, however, see Ron grumbling over studying, saying "we saved the world, and we
still
have to take our exams! It's not fair!"
Indeed.
t slumps in corner.
Finished DH about 5 hours ago. ran to the store with Andi and read through a gazillion posts here.
Y'all type a lot.
My scar eyes hurt. I may nap before I comment further.
Jesus! I was just reading EW and Helena Bonham Carter perforated Matthew Lewis' eardrum by accident with her wand.
Also, Dumbledore's "look of triumph" when he saw Harry's scar after V.'s resurrection was because he knew Harry's blood was in Voldemort, which would protect Harry.
I just finished the EW issue, too--where was the bit about HBC and the eardrum?
Jesus! I was just reading EW and Helena Bonham Carter perforated Matthew Lewis' eardrum by accident with her wand.
Eek! (Also, does he have a really straight ear canal or something? Because just about every time I've heard of something like that happening, the object has been rather thinner and bendier than those wands look.)
