No really...you wouldn't see the long term benefit of having a potentially rough or less than pleasant 7 years in exchange for learning magic properly? I find that really hard to believe.

"I'm really anti-social" seems like a cop out. You aren't being forced to interact with folk at Hogwarts. You have an entire castle of rooms to use to get away from folk, and as you master more advanced magic you have spells that provide you with the isolation you apparently hold so dear.

 

Considering how terrible a number of the teachers are, how the school is a death trap, how a lot of the classes wouldn't interest me (Charms, Transfiguration, & Defense seem to be the only classes where you actually use your wand in the first place), and how I'd be a poor mudblood likely getting bullied by every Draco wannabe?

No fucking thanks.

Or, if you just want me to answer the original topic, no I wouldn't ignore the muggle world.

 

If I had no memories of anything past November 2008, I'd go and never look back tbh. I'd definitely make some money in the Muggle world though, whether through potions or Charms/Transfiguration and the magic of the Internet. Any chance to escape my shitty home life back then.

 

I'm sorry, but what? Let me get this straight... You - given this opportunity as an adult in the body of a child - would reject the power to bend reality itself to your will, because, what, some teachers are bad? Some classes are boring? Some spoiled inbred eleven-year-olds might be mean to you?

That is the reasoning of a man not willing to work or struggle or sacrifice for anything. I mean, to be brutally honest, if you really care that much about what a bunch of dipshit children think, that's kind of pathetic dude. If you just don't care to learn magic, then just say that. I don't really understand the sentiment, but "Fuck off, I don't want magic!" is a valid (if sort of weak) reason. But this "I want it, but think being bored in class or having to hear snide racist comments from dickhead kids is too high a price to pay" attitude of yours is just baffling.

On topic, in that situation, I would definitely try to maintain at least some ties in the muggle world, mostly for entertainment and financial purposes. One thing's for sure, I would do my homework to find out exactly how much I could get away with using magic to cheat the stock market, or just generally manipulate circumstances in the muggle world to benefit myself and the people/things I care about. The Statute of Secrecy and various muggle protection laws probably sharply limit what I could get away with, but I think it would be fun hunting down and exploiting every loophole.

 

Hey, come on now...he also is scared of the idea of going through puberty again. Must have been super traumatic for him, the whole growing up thing. Not something just anyone could handle.

 

You could always learn magic via homeschool, correspondence courses (owl or otherwise) or via some second-rate bootleg school. You can still learn magic without Hogwarts. Frankly, with how Hogwarts is depicted, most might be better off.

Source: https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/wizarding-schools

Puberty sucked. I looked better a decade ago. Also, a bunch of hormone-ridden preteens and teens enclosed in one space learning how to manipulate emotions and minds? Hopefully the good-looking ones are smart enough to defend themselves before it's too late.

 

Really? "I wouldn't go to Hogwarts because all the smart ones will be raping the good looking dumb ones"? Really? You've read too much weird fanfic on AO3.

 

*Squints* Can't tell if sarcasm, or...

 

There's a possibility that my post contained a small element of sarcasm.

 

Ugh the ethics of all that.

like, it’d be super awkward when the teen girls started liking me.

I’d definitely go to school and stuff, but it’d be awhile before I’d date anyone just bc of age differences and stuff.

that said I’d be able to use magic to be taller...

 

I've really made a lot of people angry that I wouldn't care that much about learning magic in the Harry Potter world.

First of all, in this scenario, I have to go back to myself as an 11 year old as a muggleborn student, which means that for me, this takes place during the canon years-- I'm basically the same age as Katie Bell. This means that in my third year, I have to hope that I don't get killed by the basilisk that is specifically targeting people like me. The next year, I have to hope that the Dementors keep trying to kill Harry & leave me alone. Then I've got Umbridge & her blatant hatred for muggleborns to look forward to, likely meaning some state-sponsored torture is on the table. The year after that, I have to hope that I don't end up collateral damage in Dumbledore's quest to save Draco's precious little soul, no matter how many people he nearly kills along the way.

All of that is a lot worse than 'some teachers or spoiled kids might be mean to you.'

Here's the thing about all this bending reality itself -- a lot of the magic we see in canon wouldn't be that useful in real life. Following the laws in the magic world means you could still only perform magic basically in the privacy of your own home without breaking the statue of secrecy.

It would be great to Apparate everywhere, but you'd have to make sure that no one ever notices you arriving. Get in a car wreck-- can't Reparo away the damage unless you're on a dark country road, far away from other people.

Sure, you could always use the Confundus charm to get out of dealing with something annoying like say the lines at an airport, but you'd be again breaking the law.

The Imperius Curse would be probably the most potentially useful thing-- but not only does that make you Evil with a capital E, it also comes with a life sentence in Azkaban if you get caught.

 

I lol'd. Think a little highly of yourself there, don't you?

Also on the subject of age differences and such, I imagine age potion-enabled one night stands with grown women outside of school would help you get through that awkward period. Of course, that opens the door for the type of shenanigans where you find out that that adult witch you just slept with was actually a female classmate who had the same idea and wanted to hook up with older men... or worse, a male classmate who wanted to get freaky with polyjuice... With that said, I'm going to go scour my brainpan with a brillo pad now.

EDIT:

Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but your attitude annoyed me in the same way I get annoyed if I see someone blatantly wasting good food. Just seemed like you were (hypothetically) squandering an amazing (hypothetical) opportunity.

See, that is a much better argument. I disagree with a few of your points, and with your overall conclusion that learning magic isn't worth the hassle, but these reasons are far more understandable than what you said earlier.

 

Get a load of this guy not slayin' since 14.

 

This is taken way out of context. It's possible to learn magic in the safety and comfort of your own home, so why not take it? Also, with the existence of love potions and given what happened to Ron and Harry in book 6, do you really think no one has been sexually assaulted at Hogwarts? We already know Mary MacDonald was assaulted by Snape and co in canon.

 

This might be a useful point to remember that both sides have magic, a potential rapist can use magic to their advantage but also a potential victim. Rape and sexual assault also aren't new phenomenon, so I would imagine that the school itself might be imbued with magic that protects its students from it by now.

 

Lol @ Xiph0's immediate plunge into irredeemable evil. I mean, I've always thought that in a similar scenario I would be tempted in some of those directions, but damn! I kinda sorta have to respect the fact that you put "Become the next Dark Lord" on the agenda from day one.

 

So sexual assault is a no go, but murder and normal assault (Mary MacDonald Vs Snape and co, Harry Vs Draco and Snape Vs Dumbledore) is a-okay? That's very selective protection.

I get that wizards have a higher pain tolerance and better healing so they can be more reckless, but come on.

 

Right, sorry, that was a bit flippant of me. My point was that we don't really have much evidence of sexual assault within Hogwarts and that it's therefore a stretch to use that as reasoning to not want to go.

 

I mean. We don't have any evidence of sexual assault within Hogwarts.