Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked by Harley Roberts on April 14, 2021
There are many subjects in Hogwarts that require magical knowledge, but not magical ability. Of course, subjects such as Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts require the student to have magic, but what stops a squib from attending Hogwarts study subjects like Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes?
A squib raised in a wizarding environment should be able to comprehend these subjects. It’s not as if the Ministry is stopping them, as Hogwarts isn’t on a tight leash.
It’s just something I have wondered about, because squibs could be a functioning subculture in the wizarding society, and all they do is get exiled to the muggle world. They could hold just as much value as every other wizard with the capability to cast a spell.
They would certainly not be admitted, and probably wouldn’t enjoy their experience if they did attend.
Admittance to Hogwarts is controlled by the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance. You name gets written in the book if you demonstrate signs of magical ability while you’re young, but this has to be your own magic: it’s not enough to ride off the coattails of your parents.
This is part of the sample content on Pottermore, and here are the relative parts:
These are the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance and they constitute the only process by which students are selected for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. […] The Book and Quill's decision is final and no child has ever been admitted whose name has not first been inscribed on the book's yellowing pages. […]
[The Book’s] track record in keeping Squibs out of Hogwarts is perfect. Non-magic children born to witches and wizards occasionally have some small, residual aura of magic about them due to their parents, but once their parents magic has worn off them it becomes clear that they will never have the ability to perform spells.
If you can’t go to Hogwarts if your name doesn’t appear in this Book, and your name will never be written in this Book if you’re a Squib, then you can’t go to Hogwarts. End of discussion.
But would a Squib want to go to Hogwarts? Would it be beneficial or healthy for them to do so? I suspect not; they’d always be an outsider. This snippet of conversation is fairly telling:
“Squibs were usually shipped off to Muggle schools and encouraged to integrate into the Muggle community… much kinder than trying to find them a place in the Wizarding world, where they must always be second class, but naturally [redacted] wouldn’t have dreamed of letting her daughter go to a Muggle school—“
— Deathly Hallows, chapter 8 (The Wedding)
For examples, look at how Filch is treated by students, or Mrs. Figg at the Ministry hearing. The magical society doesn’t rate Squibs, and they’d be social outcasts at Hogwarts. Consider how certain students treat Muggle-borns, and now imagine how they’d treat Squibs.
You’d be a tiny minority, in a school of people with special talents that you don’t share, and the entire experience would remind you of what you were missing out on. Large aspects of their school experience are cut off to you, and there are plenty of ways to be bullied that you have no way to retaliate against.
And you go through all this, and what comes out at the end? There are very few jobs in the magical community that you can take, so you’ll probably end up in the Muggle world. A brief glimpse of what you could have had, but never will. It seems cruel.
I suspect a Squib at Hogwarts would be miserable and bullied, and would leave school with a strong inferiority complex. Even if they want to attend, I think it’s better to turn them away.
The link in DVK’s answer to J.K. Rowling’s old website says something similar: Squibs at Hogwarts would never be able to really fit in.
Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students. They are often doomed to a rather sad kind of half-life (yes, you should be feeling sorry for Filch), as their parentage often means that they will be exposed to, if not immersed in, the wizarding community, but can never truly join it.
Correct answer by alexwlchan on April 14, 2021
A squib cannot go to Hogwarts simply because they will not be invited, and we know students of Hogwarts must be invited to attend the school. We know this because i believe it was nevielle said his family was relieved when he got his letter, as they believed that he may be a squib and not allowed into Hogwarts. i believe his gran was so happy that she bought him trever the toad.
Answered by Himarm on April 14, 2021
Good question.
I think the reason Rowling introduced Squibs as the wizard equivalent of Mudbloods (Strangely I cannot remember that wizards and witches with Muggles as parents have another official name.): Children of wizard with no magic ability. To keep the story tight she did not go further and chose the easy way: Squibs are treated as Muggles.
But in fact there is no reason why Squibs could not work in the magic community. There is no reason that they cannot be excellent "History of magic" teachers and professors because they would know the history from both sides and use the time other children need for learning magic to hone their skills. The same with "Astronomy", "Arithmancy", "Ancient Runes" and "Herbology". It is not clear if even "Potions" would be impossible because we never experience magic incantations, only the mechanical composition of magic ingredients which a Squib could do without problems.
As you said, it seems that the Magical Community did quite a shabby job (remember house elves and goblins ?) and simply ignored Squibs. There is nothing which would prevent the community from setting up camouflaged special schools which are led by competent Muggle teachers and some selected wizards/witches to teach Squib-friendly courses.
Answered by Thorsten S. on April 14, 2021
J.K.Rowling Official Site: (archived at http://web.archive.org/web/20120208051328/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=19)
Section: Extra Stuff SQUIBS
I have been asked all sorts of questions about Squibs since I first introduced the concept in ‘Chamber of Secrets’. A Squib is almost the opposite of a Muggle-born wizard: he or she is a non-magical person born to at least one magical parent. Squibs are rare; magic is a dominant and resilient gene.
Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students.
As an additional confirmation, we know of one squib who definitely didn't get past the Sorting Hat (and none others did even get as far) - Angus the Scottish Rugby Player:
It had never happened before and it had never happened since, but Angus got as far as the Sorting Hat before he was exposed...
the Hat announced kindly that that the boy beneath it was a good-hearted chap, but no wizard...
(source: Pottermore, Book 4/Chapter 8/Moment 1, Scottish Rugby entry)
Please note that Angus the Squib mentioned above did NOT actually get an invitation letter, corroborating the points made in @Alex's excellent answer:
No letter from School arrived for Angus
Answered by DVK-on-Ahch-To on April 14, 2021
A squib most definitely is not allowed to attend. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows chapter 33, we find out that after Lily Evans got her invitation to Hogwarts, her sister Petunia wrote a mail to the headmaster Professor Dumbledore asking to be allowed in the school as well. Professor Dumbledore refused in a nice reply because Petunia wasn't magical.
Answered by b_jonas on April 14, 2021
They can't, but by law, they should
It's true, a Squib can't go to Hogwarts. It's confirmed outright on the Wizarding World website here:
Squibs would not be able to attend Hogwarts as students.
Funny thing is, this actually breaks the U.K's laws, and since most actual historical events happened in Harry Potter's world, Hogwarts is breaking the law.
Though admittedly it's fictional and I'm not expecting everything to be completely correct, especially in the magical counterparts, but I think it's interesting to discuss nonetheless so I will add it very briefly in the section below.
It’s only unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act if an education provider treats you unfairly because of... disability
Being a Squib in the wizarding world would make you disabled since you do not contain the same ability as the average child. So technically, technically, Hogwarts is being blatantly discriminatory. Saying that it's because they can't do magic doesn't really help because maybe people would still want to learn the material. Not everyone with a degree uses that degree. Some people get a medical degree and then become cashiers all their lives because they don't feel like the person to apply it, either because they won't or can't. Same difference with Squibs, but Hogwarts doesn't think so.
Answered by Narriah on April 14, 2021
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