Study Halls

[Pepper Imp]

In the GoF movie, there is the incredibly funny scene which is set in what looks like a study hall period.

Would Hogwarts give students a study hall period in canon, or is that just a movie thing? Even if they never do in the books, would it be plausible?

If they don't, could the free period that the older students are given be spent in the Great Hall with a supervisor (i.e. Flitwick, Snape, or McGonagall)?

Thanks in advance,
Cammie!

[Just Beyond the Veil]

In HBP, Harry and Ron have free periods. They would be able to spend them or any other free time they have in the library (although they don't, of course ). But I don't think they have a scheduled study hall like they do in the movie.

Hope that helped!
~Chelsea

[Pepper Imp]

Hm... I didn't think that there were scheduled study periods. But are you saying that the students could study/do homework in the Great Hall while a teacher supervises is a plausible idea?

[Just Beyond the Veil]

I'm not sure meeting in the Great Hall is very likely. I think most students would work in the library or in the common room during their free time. They seem to be pretty much left alone by the teachers during their free time. Sorry if that messes your story up, but that's just the opinion I've drawn from what we've seen in the books.

If you need them to be in the Great Hall, it wouldn't be completely un-canon for them to start something like that, especially during the times when the school was in danger (Chamber of Secrets opened, Sirius Black on the loose, etc.). The teachers could have decided that the students shouldn't be left alone.

EDIT: I just thought of another situation. I could see Umbridge, in her efforts to control the school, not letting the students be alone. She was afraid they were planning something against her, so she made them spend their free time under her nose. Just a thought.

Hope that helped!
~Chelsea

[cmwinters]

You might want to ask this in the Being British thread, as some time ago I saw a post (on LJ, I believe) by someone who had actually *gone* to a British boarding school. And they said that the study hall scene looked very familiar to them, because in a British boarding school, for some classes (like, um, chemistry), there's a practical or lab (brewing), there's a lecture portion, and then there's another portion where students read whatever out of the textbook and do their equations and essays and what have you. If I had the slightest idea where I'd seen that I'd point you to it, but unfortunately I don't.