Oh, for the stuffed animals, I meant that as more of an example that COULD be the case scenario. Having a stuffed animal that's special to you or used as comfort is perfectly fine, but in general, I don't see very many eleven-year-olds (or older) openly carrying them around or...say, asking for them for birthdays/Christmas.

Also, there's something weighing on my mind as far as SS classes go. It's sort of difficult to RP a firstie not knowing the answers. I mean, when you think of it, most professors ask questions in a "What do you know about ____?" kind of manner. Or even "What is the largest star in the sky?", for example. Our charries are given questions to respond to rather than a lesson where unknown concepts are explained, but that's what works in an RP setting. I just played a firstie, and really, there are only so many "Sophie didn't know the answer, so she sat and took notes" posts I can make.

Kids DO go to school already knowing some things. ABCs, numbers, shapes, etc. So if you shift that line of thinking to older kids entering Hogwarts, I think it can be assumed that they CAN start out knowing the basics. I think it's unrealistic to say they're a clean slate, especially if they have magical parents. Surely they haven't been THAT shielded to magic?