Magical powers or not, high tuition fees are a real pain in the ass

With the last Harry Potter novel out on the shelves over 4 years ago and the first installment of the final two movies in theaters last month, I thought now was a grand time to discuss the serialization.  Everyone on the planet by now capable of reading knows Harry defeats He Who Must Not Be Named, marries Ginny Weasley, and sires two sons and a daughter. That’s old news. There’s far more compelling stuff to discuss that, to my knowledge, no one else has seriously addressed.

Like how does Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft stay in business? Hogwarts is a boarding school. The books never specify whether it’s a public school or a private one. Public here is referred to in the American sense of the word, as a school funded by the public at large through taxes imposed by local, state, or federal governments. In the real world, the muggle world, there is no such thing as a public boarding school. Anyone attending a boarding school would be paying tuition for the education plus additional expenses for room & board.

Why would Hogwarts be any different? In the wizarding world, people still use money to buy the goods and services they desire. The wizarding currency, at least in the UK dominion, is the galleon and is fully convertible with muggle currencies. Hermione’s dentist parents at one point are in Diagon Alley swapping pounds sterling for galleons. The galleon should technically be illegal. Legal tender in the UK is defined as Bank of England notes, Scottish and Northern Irish promissory notes, and various pound and pence coins, and gold sovereigns. While it’s never specified in the books, I assume that the galleons are minted from gold or other precious metal that has a clearly definable value in the muggle world.

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