Hogwarts

Template:Book-in-universe Template:HP School Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fictional setting in J. K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series. It is a school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen living in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Six of the seven books in the Harry Potter series are largely set at the school, with each book lasting the equivalent of one school year. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, most of the book is set outside Hogwarts as main characters Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley do not attend their final year of school (though Rowling has stated that Hermione eventually does return to school to graduate). The climactic battle of the book, and the series, however, is set at Hogwarts.

School location and information

In the novels, Hogwarts is located somewhere in Scotland. The school has numerous charms and spells on and around it that make it impossible for any Muggle (i.e. non-magical person) to locate it - they can't see the school, only ruins and several warnings of danger. While Hogwarts is a total institution, its status is not discussed in great detail in the novels, but it is known to be a coeducational, secondary boarding school, taking children from ages 11 to 18. Education at Hogwarts is not compulsory, with some students being home schooled as stated in the seventh book. Rowling initially said there are about 1000 students at Hogwarts; She later suggested around six hundred, while acknowledging that this number was still inconsistent with the small number of people in Harry's year. She further explained that this had resulted from her creating only 40 characters for Harry's year.

The Headmaster or Headmistress, assisted by a Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress, undertakes management of the school. The Head is answerable to the twelve-member Board of Governors.

It is unclear how Hogwarts is funded; it is insinuated that the families pay for the students at least partially (when said families are able). In book six Tom Riddle says that he can not afford to go to Hogwarts, to which Dumbledore replies "There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes," (p. 213), as students are required to purchase their own textbooks, uniform, and other supplies. The Ministry of Magic's efforts to take control of the school in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix imply that it is a publicly funded school, though no mention of where the Ministry receives its funds is made.

Rowling has said that Hogwarts is "a multifaith school".

Other forms of wizarding education

There are two other schools of magic mentioned by name in the Harry Potter novels: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore implored the Hogwarts students to welcome their friends from the north. The name of a possible school, the Salem Witches' Institute, is only mentioned in relation to a number of middle-aged witches in Goblet of Fire and Rowling has not confirmed if it is indeed a school of magic in the United States. It is possible, however, that the 'witches' institute' is wordplay on Women's Institutes (British). Fans have suggested a possible North American location for this school due to speculation that its name is a reference to the Salem witch trials. Goblet of Fire also mentions an unnamed school in Brazil.

It is also possible for adults to study magic by distance learning, a method attempted by Argus Filch, as Harry inadvertently discovered in his second year that Filch was attempting to teach himself basic magic from a "KWIKSPELL" correspondence course in beginners' magic Template:HP2.

Enrolment

A magical quill at Hogwarts detects the birth of magical children, and writes their names into a large parchment book. Every year, a teacher (in recent years, Professor McGonagall) checks this book and sends a letter to the children who will have turned eleven years old by 31 August. Acceptance or declination of a place at Hogwarts must be posted by 31 July. The letter also contains a list of supplies like spell books, uniform, and other things that the student will need. The prospective student is expected to buy all the necessary materials, normally from shops in Diagon Alley, a concealed street near Charing Cross Road in London found behind a pub by the name of The Leaky Cauldron. Students who cannot afford their supplies can receive financial aid from the school, as was the case with the young orphan Tom Riddle.

Letters to Muggle-born witches and wizards, who may not be aware of their powers and are unfamiliar with the concealed wizarding world, are delivered in person by a member of Hogwarts staff, who then explain to the parents/guardians about magical society, and reassure them regarding this newsTemplate:HP7. They also assist the family in regards to buying supplies and gaining access to Diagon Alley.

Each student is allowed to bring a cat, toad, or owl. However, Ron Weasley brought a rat and Ginny Weasley brought a Pygmy Puff, so other pets may be allowed. First year students require equipment for their different subjects. Equipment listed in the acceptance letter includes: a wand, a standard size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of brass scales, a set of glass or crystal phials, a kit of basic potion ingredients, and a telescope. The Hogwarts uniform consists of plain work robes in black, as well as a plain black hat, a pair of protective gloves, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. Each uniform must contain the wearer's nametag. First years are not allowed a broomstick of their own, though an exception to this rule is made for Harry in his first year after it is discovered that he has an excellent ability at Quidditch.

Arrival

Hogwarts as depicted in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Students can travel to Hogwarts and the neighbouring all-magical village of Hogsmeade in many ways. One such method is the Hogwarts Express that students take at the start of each school year in the books. It is not clear if this is compulsory even though other methods have been used. Harry and Ron arrived by flying the Weasley's family car in their second year after missing the train, Template:HP2 despite quotes from both Albus Dumbledore and Hermione Granger who both say that flying into the grounds is impossible because of security spells placed around Hogwarts. (Dumbledore later lifts these enchantments so that he and Harry can enter as quickly as possible after retrieving the fake locket Horcrux.) Other methods of travel include broomsticks, Thestrals, a one-time connection to the Floo Network, as well as the Knight Bus. On the other hand, Apparition is not possible within the premises of the castle. Hermione Granger, quoting from Hogwarts, A History, multiple times throughout the series, states this.

Students travelling by Hogwarts Express must first travel to King's Cross station in London to board the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9¾. The platform is reached by walking through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, however students advise others to attack at pace. After a journey beginning at 11:00 am and ending after nightfall, the train arrives at Hogsmeade Station, near Hogwarts. From there, first year students are accompanied by the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds – or another suitable teacher if they are absent – to small boats, which magically sail themselves across the lake to arrive at a small landing stage near the castle of Hogwarts; from there, they await their turn to get sorted into their houses. The older students ride up to the castle in seemingly horseless carriages, which pull themselves up to the main entrance to Hogwarts Castle. In the fifth year class of Care of Magical Creatures students learn of the creatures that are actually tethered to the carriages. These creatures are called Thestrals, winged horse-like creatures that are invisible to all Muggles, and to witches and wizards who have not personally witnessed someone's death. Hogwarts is host to one of the only herd of tamed Thestrals in Britain. In an apparent discrepancy, Harry, who had already witnessed the death of his parents, could not see them until book five after he witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory. J.K. Rowling's explanation for this is that he needed to fully feel the meaning of death before he could see the Thestrals.

When the first year students initially arrive at the castle, they do not go directly to the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast. Instead, they must first undergo the Sorting Ceremony, which determines the student's house, and then bring up the rear. Students at Hogwarts are divided into four Houses, each bearing the name of one of the school's original founders. As Minerva McGonagall said in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,

The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

Following a short speech from the Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress, first year students line up and wait for names to be called in alphabetical order, by surname. One by one, each student is seated upon the stool in front of the rest of the student body, and a magical hat, The Sorting Hat, is placed on the student's head. The Hat examines the student's mind and assigns the student to one of the four Houses based on abilities, personality and aspirations. After deciding, the Hat shouts out the name of the House that the student has been sorted into and the student joins his or her housemates at their house table. While for many students the decision is almost instant and seems to require no input from the individual, difficult decisions appear to be made in consultation with the student. This was the case with Harry's sorting in book one, for which Dumbledore later confirms that "...It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." If Harry were placed solely by his abilities, he would have been suitable for Slytherin; however, Harry's plea "not Slytherin" was recognised by the sorting hat and resulted in a Gryffindor placement underscoring his difference from Lord Voldemort.

After the Sorting ceremony, the students and teachers enjoy a feast, prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves. If Dumbledore is feeling particularly cheerful, he will lead the students in singing the school song, "Hoggy Warty Hogwarts." (The tune is picked by the students, thus, they all finish at different times. Fred and George are the last, owing to the fact that they were signing it as one would a funeral march.) It is implied that the rest of the teachers find this particular tradition a little unnecessary.

Houses

Main article: Hogwarts houses

Like schools in many English-speaking countries, Hogwarts uses the House system. The student body of Hogwarts is divided into four Houses, each named after the witch or wizard who founded it. Because students spend nearly all their time at school with fellow members of their own house, house placement determines much of the students' Hogwarts experience.

• Gryffindor, symbolised by the lion, characterised by valour and courage, founded by Godric Gryffindor. Its colours are red and gold.

• Hufflepuff, symbolised by the badger, characterised by loyalty and a hard work ethic, founded by Helga Hufflepuff. Its colours are yellow and black.

• Ravenclaw, symbolised by the eagle, characterised by wit and intellect, founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. Its colours are blue and bronze.

• Slytherin, symbolised by the serpent, characterised by ambition and cunning, founded by Salazar Slytherin. Its colours are green and silver.

Each of the school Houses has a Head of House who exercises additional pastoral and disciplinary responsibilities over his or her House. At the beginning of the series, the Heads of House are Minerva McGonagall for Gryffindor, Pomona Sprout for Hufflepuff, Filius Flitwick for Ravenclaw, and Severus Snape for Slytherin (Snape is replaced by Horace Slughorn in Deathly Hallows due to Snape's appointment to Headmaster).

There are also House ghosts. They are Nearly Headless Nick for Gryffindor, The Fat Friar for Hufflepuff, The Grey Lady for Ravenclaw, and The Bloody Baron for Slytherin.

Throughout the school year, the four houses compete to earn 'house points' and win the house cup at the end of the year. As a form of incentive or punishment, the achievements or failures of each student cause their house to gain or lose points respectively. In book one, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom find themselves shunned by other Gryffindor students after they are responsible for losing one hundred and fifty house points overnight. Points are recorded in four enchanted hourglasses located in the School's Entrance Hall. For each point or penalty a student earns, a jewel matching the colour of the house (red rubies for Gryffindor, yellow topaz for Hufflepuff, blue sapphires for Ravenclaw, and green emeralds for Slytherin) will fall or rise respectively inside the relevant hourglass. At the end of each school year, the points are added up, and the house with the most points wins the House Cup.

The award or deduction of points is automatically detected by magical means, and adjustments are made to the display in the relevant hourglass. It would appear that for an authority figure to deduct points they must announce the deduction aloud, otherwise no points are removed. For example, when Inquisitorial Squad member Montague tried to dock points from Fred and George Weasley, they pushed him into the vanishing cabinet before he could say the words, and thus the points were not deducted.

There appear to be no fixed numbers of points attached to specific actions; this number is decided by a teacher on the spot and may vary greatly. Houses also receive points based on their performances in Quidditch, as in Harry's third year.

The level of importance placed on the point system was very high in Harry Potter's first few years of school. Later on in the series, the House Cup competition declines in importance due to the darker events happening in the outside world. Indeed in later years, the death of a student, the beginning of the second war, and the death of Albus Dumbledore contributed to the neglect of the inter-house competition.

Terms and holidays

Hogwarts' school year is structured in a similar way to other 'non magical' schools and colleges in the UK, with a three-term year punctuated by holidays at Christmas and Easter and bounded by the long summer holiday. Term begins every year on September 1st, and finishes at the end of June the following year. Students have the option of staying at Hogwarts for the winter and spring holidays. Those who choose to stay at the castle do not have lessons and attend a feast on Christmas Day. Students also do not have classes the week of Easter, but this is much less enjoyable due to the large amount of work that the teachers assign students at this time in preparation for final exams.

Students of the third year and above are allowed periodic visits to the all-Wizarding village known as Hogsmeade. This is only allowed with consent of the current parent or guardian of the student, noted in a form sent to coming third-year students. On these occasions, it is the role of the Care Taker to stand watch at the gate and prevent unauthorised students from entering Hogsmeade.

Other than the aforementioned breaks, and weekends, students do not receive any other holidays. There are normally four feasts per year, the start-of-term feast at the beginning of the school year and end-of-term feast at the end of the school year, as well as feasts at Halloween and Christmas. Feasts are also called to mark any special occasions, as in Harry's fourth year, when there was a feast to celebrate the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament.

Classes and teachers

Main articles: Hogwarts subjects and Hogwarts teachers

As Hogwarts is a school of magic, students are not taught ordinary subjects such as mathematics and English: in the case of some subjects, students are assumed to have been taught a basic level and are not expected to need any more; in the case of others, students simply never learn them. Before attending Hogwarts, most wizard-born children are home-educated by parents or others, sometimes even attending Muggle primary schools; Muggle-borns or those in exceptional circumstances (such as Harry Potter) attend Muggle schools.

First and second year students all learn the same subjects:

• Herbology - taught by Pomona Sprout up to book 7, and at some later time she is succeeded by Neville Longbottom as of 2017 (by the end of book 7) - which teaches students how to properly care for and understand magical plants. Herbology class is located in the greenhouses.
• Potions, taught by Severus Snape from the beginning of the series through to book 5. Upon successfully gaining the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in 1996, the role of Potions Master is taken up by Horace Slughorn in books 6 and 7; both teachers teaching students the art of potion-making. This classroom is located in the castle dungeons.
• Transfiguration, taught by Minerva McGonagall, until end of Book 6 when she temporarily is Headmistress. Snape takes over as Headmaster in the seventh book. Transfiguration was also taught by Albus Dumbledore in the time of Tom Riddle's schooling, which he attended from 1938 to 1944.
• Charms, taught by Filius Flitwick teaching students about those spells, which do not "fundamentally alter the properties of the subject of the spell; but adds, or changes the state of the subject": for example, making teacups dance.
• Defence Against the Dark Arts, taught by many teachers, not lasting more than one year each from about 1957 up until mid 1998. This subject teaches students how to properly defend themselves against the Dark Arts, including Dark wizards and creatures, although the subject matter varies greatly from year to year. No teacher of this class has ever held this post for more than a year since Tom Riddle was rejected for the post by Dumbledore. So far during the series the subject has been taught by (in chronological order) Quirinus Quirrell, Gilderoy Lockhart, Remus Lupin, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody (who is impersonated by Bartemius Crouch Jr.), Dolores Jane Umbridge, Severus Snape, and Amycus Carrow. Under the jurisdiction of Amycus Carrow, the subject became known as just the Dark Arts. It should also be noted that after the death of Voldemort in book 7 the "one-year" curse on the job was lifted.
• History of Magic, taught by the ghost of Cuthbert Binns, which teaches students about historical events in the wizarding world. He taught it since he was alive, and never stopped teaching it, despite dying.
• Astronomy, taught by Professor Sinistra throughout the series, is about how to identify and plot the positions of stars, planets, and so forth.

In addition to these, first year students take flying lessons, taught by Madam Rolanda Hooch.

In their third year, students must choose at least two additional subjects to take. These can include:

• Care of Magical Creatures, taught by Rubeus Hagrid, who succeeds Professor Kettleburn who retired in the English summer of 1993. Hagrid begins teaching in book 3 and is substituted by Professor Grubbly-Plank in books 4 and 5 (or whenever necessary), which teaches students all about magical creatures. As of 2017, he is still at Hogwarts, however teaching status unknown.
• Divination, taught by Sybill Trelawney until being unceremoniously sacked by Dolores Umbridge partway through the first term of 1995 (book 5). Dumbledore almost immediately finds a replacement in the centaur Firenze. At the end of book 5, Trelawney is re-instated as a Hogwarts teacher, but Firenze cannot leave, so both remain and share the position. Firenze continued to teach the lower levels (3, 4 and 5) while Trelawney teaches NEWT levels, 6 and 7. Divination teaches students the methods of predicting future events.
• Ancient Runes, taught by Bathsheda Babbling, which teaches students about runic scripts and how to read them.
• Arithmancy, taught by Septima Vector, which teaches students about the magical properties of numbers.
• Muggle Studies, taught by Charity Burbage, who teaches students about the life of Muggles. Burbage is killed in the beginning of book 7 by Lord Voldemort. Alecto Carrow takes over under Voldemort's orders, and teaches students that Muggles are scum, comparing them to animals. Seventh year Gryffindor student Neville Longbottom irritates her somewhat by asking how much Muggle blood she and her brother (Amycus) have. The subject was taught by Professor Quirrell until he took a year off to get some experience (this being the year prior to Harry's first school year). After his year of absence (and with Voldemort in allegiance) he switches to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

There are also private lessons that can be taken at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Lupin teaches Harry how to perform the Patronus charm in order to protect himself from Dementors. In Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, Harry takes Occlumency lessons. These lessons were to help Harry close his mind and prevent external penetration. This class was taught by Professor Snape, who tells anybody who asks that Harry is not learning Occlumency, but Remedial Potions. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter takes private lessons with Albus Dumbledore. In these lessons, Harry learns Lord Voldemort's weaknesses and strengths, as well as his past and present. Harry also learns of Horcruxes, a branch of Dark Magic.

Grading and assessment

During their first four years, students need only to pass each of their subjects before advancing to the next level the following year. Regular exams and lessons usually seem to be graded on a numerical scale from 0 to 100, even though Hermione is known to have received 112% in Charms in Book One and 324% in Book Three in Muggle Studies. If students fail their year, they need to repeat it in the following school year.

To qualify as a registered practitioner of magic, students must study for the compulsory Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) examinations taken in the fifth year. If passed, a student may proceed to the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) level, a more advanced exam covering fewer subjects in more depth, taken at the end of the seventh year.

Subjects are graded on the following scale:

Passing Grades

• O = Outstanding
• E = Exceeds Expectations
• A = Acceptable

Failing Grades

• P = Poor
• D = Dreadful
• T = Troll

The O.W.L.s roughly corresponds to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), and the N.E.W.T.s to the A-level examinations used in the English secondary school system. In order to proceed to a N.E.W.T., a student usually needs to have achieved at least an E in the O.W.L. of the same subject, although some professors (e.g. Professor Snape) insist upon a grade of O. Students who fail their exams or who do not achieve high enough grades continue to take O.W.L. classes in their sixth and seventh years.Template:HP6

At the beginning of their 6th year, students speak briefly with their head of house to decide which classes to continue in depending on their O.W.L. scores and their goals after school. The classes they decide to continue are considerably more advanced.

Because they dropped one or more classes, students in their sixth and seventh year may get several class sessions off per week. The heavy workload that each of these classes require means that students usually spend these times studying and doing homework. At the end of their seventh and final year, students take the N.E.W.T. exams, which test what the student has learned over the past two years. Many professions require high grades in these tests, meaning that students must work very hard to ensure that they pass.

In their sixth year, students may take a twelve-week course of Apparation for twelve Galleons. The instructor in Harry's year is Wilkie Twycross.

Other staff

Aside from the teachers, Hogwarts has a large number of support staff, including:

• Poppy Pomfrey, who is in charge of the castle's hospital wing.
• Rubeus Hagrid, while also a teacher, is the school's gamekeeper.
• Argus Filch, the school's caretaker assisted by his cat, Mrs Norris.
• Irma Pince, the school's librarian.
• Madam Hooch, who looks over the Quidditch matches held at Hogwarts and teaches first-year students how to fly on broomsticks.
• Wilkie Twycross, who conducts classes for apparition. (Works for the ministry).
• Over a hundred house-elves, including Winky and Dobby before he died.

Student life

The day begins at Hogwarts with breakfast in the Great Hall. Students sit at their own House table and can eat as well as socialise, or finish homework. The headmaster eats with the professors at the High Table placed at the far end of the hall. During breakfast, owls bring in the students post, generally consisting of The Daily Prophet, letters from parents or friends, or packages from home. A bell signals the start of the first class of the morning at 9 a.m.

There are two long morning classes with a short break in between them for students to get to their next class. After lunch classes resume at 1 p.m., and there is a break around afternoon teatime before another class period. First year students sometimes get Friday afternoons off. In the evening, students eat their dinner in the Great Hall, after which they are expected to be in their common rooms.

The four House dormitories have secret entrances known only to members of that house and require a password (with the exception of the entrance to the Ravenclaw dormitory, where you have to answer a question) in order to gain entrance. Inside is the common room, which contain armchairs and sofas for the pupils, as well as tables for studying. There are fireplaces to keep the rooms warm, and students either relax here in the evenings or else complete their homework. There are notice boards in each common room too, as well as at other strategic points throughout the school. There are also parties in these common rooms, where students celebrate after winning a Quidditch game, or when someone from the house achieves something (e.g. Harry Potter captures the Golden Egg in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament). The students sleep in their House dormitories, which branch off from the common rooms. Each year gets at least two rooms; one for boys and one for girls (at least in Gryffindor House, an enchantment prevents boys from entering the girls' area, although there appears to be no spell to prevent the reverse from occurring). Each student sleeps in a large four poster bed with bed covers and heavy curtains in the House colours, and thick white pillows. There is a bedside table for each bed, and each dormitory has a jug of cool water and glasses on a tray.

On designated weekends, Hogwarts students in their third year or higher, with a signed permission slip, are permitted to walk to the nearby wizarding village of Hogsmeade, where they can relax and enjoy the pubs, restaurants and shops. There appears to be a good relationship between the school and the village, and the students get on well with the locals. Favourite places in Hogsmeade include Honeydukes Sweetshop, Zonko's Joke Shop (now closed), clothing stores such as Gladrags Wizardwear, the Shrieking Shack, rumoured to be the most haunted building in Britain, and the pubs The Three Broomsticks and The Hog's Head and Madam Puddifoot's (tea shop).

Food

The house-elves at Hogwarts are skilled chefs, and cook a wide variety of dishes for every meal. The food served at the school is fresh and grown locally; the school has vegetable patches by the greenhouses. The meats and other condiments are probably bought in from Hogsmeade village, and the various dishes are prepared in the kitchens directly below the Great Hall and, at meal times, magically transported up so that they appear served for the students. Many of the dishes still eaten at Hogwarts were derived from the spells of House Founder Helga Hufflepuff. Hogwarts food is typically British, although the school sometimes makes exceptions (during the Triwizard Tournament, foreign dishes, such as bouillabaisse, were served in honour of the visiting schools). The usual drinks (apart from water) are milk, tea, coffee, orange juice, and pumpkin juice.

Discipline

Apart from losing points from a house, serious misdeeds at Hogwarts are punishable by detention.

According to the school caretaker, Argus Filch, detention meant subjection to various forms of torture until relatively recently, but in present times usually involves assisting staff or faculty with tedious or sometimes perilous tasks. Ironically, when students are caught wandering around the castle at night in book one, for their "detention" they are sent to the even more dangerous Forbidden Forest to help Rubeus Hagrid. Other infamous examples of detention include the one dealt on Harry Potter by Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In this case, Harry was forced to write "I must not tell lies" repeatedly using a magical quill which then carves what is written into the back of the writer's hand, like an invisible scalpel.

For even more serious offences, students may be expelled from Hogwarts. Harry Potter comes under threat of expulsion by the Ministry of Magic at the beginning of his fifth year at Hogwarts after he is detected using magic in the presence of Muggles, a serious offence among the wizarding community. The Headmaster Albus Dumbledore argued in Harry's defence, stating that besides the fact that it was done in self-defence, the Ministry has no authority to expel students – such powers are invested in the Headmaster and the Board of Governors. Severus Snape has made numerous attempts to have Harry expelled, and he attempted to have Harry's father, James, expelled when they were at Hogwarts together. The only student known to have actually been expelled is Rubeus Hagrid, for possessing an acromantula believed to be the Monster of Slytherin, and for opening the Chamber of Secrets -- a crime for which he had actually been framed by Tom Riddle.

Professors seem to be able to punish students with relative impunity and can hand out detention, even for unsatisfactory grades. Enforcement of rules outside of class mainly falls to the caretaker, with the assistance of the prefects. A student's Head of House usually has the final say in disciplinary matters.

In the summer before their fifth year, two fifth year students from each House are picked to be prefects, which grants them extra privileges and responsibilities (e.g. using the prefect's bathroom, docking points from other Houses, controlling younger students) and disciplinary responsibilities; they remain Prefects, unless appointed Head Boy or Girl or stripped of their position, for the rest of their school career. There are at most six prefects per house, all from the fifth, sixth and seventh year students: if one of them has been appointed Head Boy or Head Girl, they are not replaced as Prefects. The leaders of the student body, the Head Boy and Head Girl, are drawn from the seventh year students. A student may be chosen as Head without first being a Prefect as according to Hagrid, James Potter was Head Boy although he was not a Prefect. Prefects have the authority to deduct points from students of their own house for infractions, though they cannot take points from fellow prefects. They may also give detentions.

The only known cause for being suspended from Hogwarts is mentioned in passing by Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that they are in enough trouble and facing suspension for being out of bounds while they are in the Shrieking Shack.

It is implied towards the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, that pupils might be "thrown out" for exceptionally poor examination results at the end of their first year. The particularly thuggish Gregory Goyle was fortunate to avoid this fate during Harry Potter's first year. The punishment would seem to imply that the pupil has insufficient intelligence or magical ability to become a wizard or witch. What subsequently happens to those thrown out is not explained.

Location and grounds

J. K. Rowling says she visualises Hogwarts, in its entirety, to be:

A huge, rambling, quite scary-looking castle, with a jumble of towers and battlements. Like the Weasleys' house, it isn't a building that Muggles could build, because it is supported by magic.

The entry is bounded by two winged boars, possibly contributing to, or because of, its name. Hogwarts is supposed by the author to be located in a secluded mountainous region in Scotland, near a wizarding village named Hogsmeade. In the third film, it is mentioned that Sirius Black has been sighted in Dufftown, in Moray. Hermione is shocked by this, as Dufftown is "not far" from Hogwarts. The castle has extensive grounds with sloping lawns, flowerbeds and vegetable patches, a loch, (called the Black Lake in the fourth movie (Goblet of Fire)), a large dense forest (called the Forbidden Forest), a number of greenhouses and other outbuildings, and a full-size Quidditch pitch. There is also an Owlery, which houses all of the owls owned by the school and those owned by students.

The village of Hogsmeade is the only remaining exclusively magical community in Britain and is used as a commercial centre by students, and has lodging for visitors to the school. The Hogwarts Express runs from Hogsmeade Station, which is somewhat distant from the village itself. On a map drawn by Rowling for the film crew, the station appears to be southeast of the school, while the village of Hogsmeade appears to be northwest. This map also showed the location of the Forbidden Forest and the Quidditch pitch.

File:Hog2warts.jpg

Seen from the school Quidditch stadium.

The school is enchanted to repel Muggles (non-magical people), to whom Hogwarts appears to be "a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE".Template:GF Electronic devices go haywire and do not work around Hogwarts because there is too much magic in the air (Although, according to J.K. Rowling, Colin Creevy's non-magical camera works at Hogwarts because it is powered by the magic in the air), though a radio in the Gryffindor common room was shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. However, it is assumed that since the radio was magical, known as a Wizard Wireless, it did not run on electricity. Witches and wizards cannot Apparate or Disapparate in Hogwarts grounds, except when the Headmaster lifts the enchantment, though he or she is able to lift the restriction in certain areas only, so as to make the school less vulnerable when it serves the headmaster to allow Apparition.Template:GF

This is a list of locations on the grounds. It should be noted that some rooms in the school tend to "move around," which Rowling says can be attributed either to the magic of the school or to her own imperfect memory.

Classrooms

Potions

Potions is taught in one of the dungeons under the castle. This dungeon is large enough to accommodate a double class.

It is colder here than in the main castle, and the surrounding walls contain many jars of pickled animals, which the students find particularly creepy. Ice cold water pours from a gargoyle's mouth into a basin in the corner.

Defence Against the Dark Arts

The classroom for the Defence Against the Dark Arts class is located four floors below the Gryffindor common room on the seventh floor, and is where Professors Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin, Barty Crouch Jr. (Impersonating Moody), Umbridge, Snape, and Amycus Carrow worked.

Charms

Template:HP School Charms is taught by Professor Flitwick and the Classroom is located down the Charms corridor on the third floor and has a window overlooking the front drive.

Transfiguration

Professor McGonagall's office is located on the first floor, but her Transfiguration classroom could be anywhere in the main building. Scenes in this room in the movies were filmed at Durham Cathedral, England

Greenhouses

Template:HP School There are at least four greenhouses where Herbology classes are held by Professor Sprout, and, apparently, Neville Longbottom as of 2017. To get to the Herbology greenhouses, students frequently walk across the vegetable patches in the grounds. Among many others, the greenhouses have housed honking daffodils, leaping toadstools, umbrella-sized flowers, Snargaluffs, Abyssinian Shrivelfigs, Mandrakes, Puffapods, Bouncing Bulbs, Bubotubers, Screechsnaps, Fanged Geraniums, Flutterby Bushes, and a Venomous Tentacula. The first-year students are only taught in the first greenhouse; however, second-year students are occasionally taught in the second and third greenhouse.

North Tower

To enter the North Tower, it is necessary to climb a ladder on the seventh floor through a trapdoor in the ceiling. The North Tower contains Sybill Trelawney's residence and one of two Divination classrooms. This classroom is at the base of the North Tower and is a round room with walls lined with shelves (they hold teacups, crystal balls, and decks of cards), small round tables, armchairs, and pouffes. The classroom also has an oppressive fire with a copper kettle that gives off heavy fumes.

Astronomy Tower

Astronomy classes occur here, since this is the tallest tower and therefore has the best view of the night sky. The Astronomy Tower faces west and is located above the main entrance of Hogwarts. This is also the site of Albus Dumbledore's death at the hands of Severus Snape.

Classroom Eleven

When Firenze the centaur was appointed the new Divination teacher after Sybill Trelawney was sacked in book five, he was given a classroom on the ground floor, as he was unable to climb up the ladder to the normal classroom on the seventh floor. Albus Dumbledore made classroom eleven look like the middle of a forest clearing, full of trees and plant life. Since Firenze stayed on as Divination teacher even after Trelawney was rehired, it is presumed that the room has not changed. The book states that this is one of a group of unused classrooms in one area, so one can only assume that there are several more classrooms on the ground floor.

Offices

Snape's Office

Severus Snape's office is located in the dungeon, adjacent to the Potions classroom. The room is filled with bizarre creatures in jars, and Snape keeps his private stores of potion ingredients there. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he declines an offer for an office nearer to his new Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, preferring to remain in the dungeon.

McGonagall's Office

Minerva McGonagall's office is in the hallway down from the Great Hall. The professor has one window in her office that overlooks the hills beside Hogwarts. Her bed is beside that window while her podium is on the other side of her room. Her podium is where she writes all her letters and other important documents.

Staff Room

Template:HP School Located off the Entrance Hall, the staff room is a long panelled chamber with mismatched dark wooden chairs. There are two stone gargoyles on either side of the door that challenge any student who knocks. Within the staff room is a large wardrobe, which on one occasion in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, became infested with a boggart.

Filch's Office

Argus Filch, the caretaker, has an office off the Entrance Hall that has a single oil lamp hanging from the ceiling and a vague smell of fried fish. His office contains filing cabinets with records of every student that Filch has ever punished (Fred and George Weasley have an entire drawer to themselves), as well as a cabinet marked "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous". His office contains well-oiled and polished chains and manacles, which he hopes to use on the students again one day. This is also where Fred and George Weasley found the Marauder's Map, which had been confiscated many years before.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's Office

This is the office of the current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Although it is mentioned in the first book, during which time it is used by Professor Quirrell, the reader does not then see it. It is seen during the tenures of the five successive occupants. When Gilderoy Lockhart used it, it was full of portraits of himself. When Remus Lupin used it, it contained a variety of interesting Dark creatures used during his lessons. When the fake Alastor Moody occupied it, it was full of Dark Detectors, and when Dolores Umbridge used it, all the surfaces were draped with flowery and lacy covers and cloths and on one of the walls were many china ornamental plates decorated with technicolour kittens. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Severus Snape, who was formerly the Potions Master, became the new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Unlike previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professors, Snape preferred to stay in his office in the dungeons, while the new Potions professor, Horace Slughorn, occupied the D.A.D.A. office.

The location of the office is mentioned in passing when after the first attack of Ms. Norris in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on the second floor of Hogwarts, Professor Lockhart mentions that his office is "right up these stairs".

Flitwick's Office

Filius Flitwick's office is on the seventh floor and is the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. In the third book, Sirius Black was held there.

Entrance to Headmaster's Office

The entrance to the headmaster or headmistress' office is located behind the statue of a stone gargoyle on the seventh floor, though on the opposite side of the castle from Gryffindor Tower. When given the correct password, the gargoyle leaps aside and the wall behind it splits in two, revealing a stone spiral staircase that moves like an escalator. The office itself is presumably located one floor up as the staircase moves upwards to a highly polished oak door with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin. Dumbledore preferred passwords relating to sweets, such as "Fizzing Whizbee," "Sherbet Lemon", or "Acid Pop." During Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Harry unthinkingly says "Dumbledore!" and the door opens.

Headmaster's Tower

Template:HP School The headmaster or headmistress' office and residence is inside this tower, and is entered via a staircase guarded by a stone gargoyle on the seventh floor. The office is a large and beautiful round room with windows that have a view of the Quidditch pitch and the mountains surrounding Hogwarts. It is decorated with portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses, including Dilys Derwent, Armando Dippet, Phineas Nigellus Black, Professor Everard, and Dexter Fortescue. The desk is enormous and claw-footed with a highly polished surface and a high-backed chair. On the wall behind the headmaster's desk is a shelf that holds the Sorting Hat and beside the Hat, Godric Gryffindor's sword is contained in a glass case.

The office can seal itself so that none but the rightful headmaster or headmistress is allowed to enter, as Dolores Umbridge found out after she was made Headmistress. During Albus Dumbledore's tenure as Headmaster, the office contained a number of spindly-legged tables with numerous silver instruments of unknown function, at least one of which appears to have something to do with tracing or monitoring visions or dreams. Following Dumbledore's death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, his portrait appeared, but was asleep, and had not woken by the book's end. According to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore's portrait is placed on the back wall behind the Headmaster's chair.

Dormitories

Slytherin

The Slytherin dormitories and common room are actually located under the lake. Access is gained by going through the door to the left of the main staircase in the Entrance Hall and down the stone steps that lead into a labyrinth of corridors. When given the correct password, a bare stone wall opens into the Slytherin common room. The common room is long and low with a rough stone ceiling and walls. It is lit by green-tinted lamps hanging by chains and carved chairs stand around a fire burning under an elaborate mantelpiece. The somewhat gloomy and dank atmosphere resembles the Slytherin house's dark reputation. The location of the Slytherin dormitories (under the lake) is what sets off the green-blue hue of the dormitories.

Hufflepuff

The Hufflepuff dormitories and common room are in the cellar, adjacent to the kitchens. They are located through the door to the right of the main staircase in the Entrance Hall, down a flight of stone steps and along a broad, stone corridor lit with torches and decorated cheerfully. The Hufflepuff common room is the only common room that Harry does not actually visit over the course of the series. However, in an online chat on Bloomsbury.com following the release of Deathly Hallows, Rowling describes the room. It is accessed through a still life painting near the kitchens and is a "very cozy and welcoming place, as dissimilar as possible from Snape's dungeon. Lots of yellow hangings, and fat armchairs, and little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have perfectly round doors, like barrel tops." (4) As the Hufflepuff mascot is the badger, the cozy Hufflepuff common room bares resemblance to an underground burrow.

Gryffindor

Template:HP School Gryffindor Tower is entered through the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor. It can only be entered if one knows the correct password. When the correct password is given, the portrait swings forward to reveal a hole, which leads into the Gryffindor common room. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black was denied entry, and slashed the Fat Lady's portrait. For a short period afterwards, Sir Cadogan, a portrait of an eccentric knight, guarded Gryffindor Tower.

Gryffindor Tower is where the Gryffindor common room and dormitories are located. The common room has windows, a fireplace, tables, and squashy armchairs. Its walls are lined with the famous medieval tapestries depicting the The Lady and the Unicorn, over which there are a few large paintings. There are separate dormitories for girls and boys, which are subdivided by year. Girls are permitted to enter the boys' dormitories, but boys cannot visit the girls', because the Hogwarts founders felt that boys were less trustworthy than girls were. As seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the stairs to the girls' dormitories turn into a slide if a boy attempts to go up them. It is unknown if the other houses have similar security systems to prevent this, but is assumed that there are. There are fourteen dormitories and each is a round, windowed room that includes five four poster beds and several bedside tables. In the first film (which was released before the publication of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) however, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are seen walking up the stairs to the 1st year girl's dormitory door. In general, the Gryffindor common room is a cosy and bright place, stemming from Gryffindor house's do-good reputation.

Ravenclaw

Ravenclaw Tower is located at the west side of the castle. It is home to the Ravenclaw common room and dormitories. The tower is entered through a door that had no handle and no keyhole, just a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. To enter it you must correctly answer an intellectual and/or philosophical question rather than simply give a password. If a student cannot answer the question, the student waits until one arrives that can, therefore Ravenclaw students learn something new every day. The eagle doorknocker opens the door if it determines that the answer is a legitimate one. Inside, it is described as an "airy" room with many arched windows overlooking the surrounding mountains, all hung with bronze and blue curtains. The ceiling is domed and painted blue with stars on it. The floor is covered by midnight-blue carpet. There is a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw beside the entrance to the dorm. As the Ravenclaw house values intelligence and wisdom, the common room in general can be described as a studious and philosophical place. As the house mascot is an airborne bird, the Eagle (Raven in the movies), the common room is situated high in the air, on its tower.

Others

Kitchens

The kitchens are located directly under the Great Hall in an enormous, high-ceilinged room. It has stone walls, heaps of brass pots and pans, and a large brick fireplace at one end. The kitchens contain four long wooden tables positioned exactly the same way as the tables above. Food must simply be placed on these tables in the kitchens in order to be sent up through the ceiling to their counterparts upstairs.Template:GF The kitchens are staffed by over a hundred house-elves, including Dobby, Winky and, as of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Kreacher. To gain access to the kitchens, one must go down the corridor to the right of the main staircase in the Entrance Hall, find the painting of a bowl of fruit and tickle the pear, which then giggles and becomes a door handle.Template:GF

Harry appears to have known and then forgotten about the location of the kitchens in his first three years at the school. In the Philosopher's Stone, he recalls that there is a suit of armour near to the kitchens, noting that he must be 'five floors up from there' (he appears to be on the same level as the library: he has run from there, and does not mention using any staircases). By The Goblet of Fire, however, he does not know where the kitchens are (he has to be told about them by Fred and George Weasley, and does not realise where Hermione is taking him when they visit the kitchens). One could argue that what Harry had initially believed to be the kitchens by the library was not, that there is a common kitchen for student use, or (most likely) that Rowling had forgotten the first instance when she wrote the scene in Goblet of Fire. During their time at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley steal food frequently from the kitchens.

Chamber of Secrets

The Chamber of Secrets, which is deep under the dungeons (probably under the lakeTemplate:CS), was home to an ancient Basilisk, intended to be used to purge the school of Muggle-born students. The Chamber was built by Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, before he left the school. Since June 1993, the Chamber has presumably been empty.

The Chamber is well hidden and the entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor, which leads down into a dark, slimy stone tunnel. There are many skeletons of small animals littering the floor and even a gigantic skin shed by the Basilisk. The tunnel leads to a solid wall, carved with two entwined serpents with emeralds for eyes.Template:CS When Parseltongue is spoken they open into a very long, dim corridor, lined with monumental statues of snakes, including two towering stone pillars with more carved serpents that brace the ceiling. A colossal statue of Salazar Slytherin, looking ancient and monkey-like, is at the centre. The Basilisk rested inside the statue and emerged from its mouth when the Heir of Slytherin, Tom Marvolo Riddle, summoned it.Template:CS Harry uses Parseltongue to open the chamber and destroys the diary in his second year at Hogwarts. It is later revealed that the diary was a Horcrux. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron and Hermione enter the Chamber. Ron opens the door (despite not speaking Parseltongue) by imitating sounds he heard Harry use to open Slytherin's locket. They find a basilisk fang to use to destroy the Horcrux made from Helga Hufflepuff's cup (Hermione stabs it).

Entrance Hall

The Entrance Hall is entered up a flight of stone steps and through huge double oak front doors that face west.(Personal attack removed) The Hall is lit by torches and is quite imposing, with a ceiling so high it is barely visible and a paved flagstone floor. A wide marble staircase opposite the front doors leads to the first floor. On either side of this staircase, there are two doors. One leads to the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens, while the other leads to the dungeons. There is also a door on the left side of the Hall that leads to an antechamber where the first year students wait before the Sorting, as well as a broom cupboard off the Hall. The Hall is also home to the four House hourglasses where the House points are displayed for all to see.

Great Hall

The Great Hall is entered by double doors to the right of the Entrance Hall. The Great Hall is a vast chamber that contains four long tables for each of the four Houses. Closest to the doors is the Slytherin table, followed by Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, and finally the Gryffindor table next to the far wall. On a raised platform at the front of the room is the High Table where the staffs dine. The ceiling is enchanted so that it mirrors the sky as it currently appears outside. There are also high mullioned windows around the room that show the grounds outside. Behind the High Table, there is a smaller antechamber with a fireplace and many portraits, where the champions of the Triwizard Tournament gathered for the first time. The Final Duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort took place in this room.

Hospital Wing

The hospital wing contains many beds with white sheets, optional privacy screens, and bedpans. It also contains the office of Poppy Pomfrey, the nurse. In the third film, 'Prisoner Of Azkaban' the Clock Tower is located along the corridor outside the hospital. It chimes the hours with a big bell.

Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom

Moaning Myrtle's bathroom contains the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. The entrance is a sink with a snake scratched onto the tap, opened by speaking in Parseltongue. This causes the sink to open into a pipe large enough for a person to slide down. At the bottom of this chute is a tunnel leading to the Chamber of Secrets. When Tom Riddle opened the Chamber in 1943, Myrtle was sulking in a stall. When she heard him, she opened the door, saw the Basilisk, and died immediately, becoming a ghost.Template:CS Her bathroom remains operational, but is rarely used by students because of Myrtle's disagreeable presence.

Trophy Room

The trophy room is where awards, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals are kept in a crystal glass display case. This room also contains a list of Head Boys and Head Girls. The trophy room is adjacent to an armour gallery. Tom Riddle's Award for Services to the School is among the awards here (or was, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Riddle was given the Award for discovering Hagrid's pet acromantula and for condemning it as the Monster of the Chamber; since it later became clear that the acromantula was not the monster, and that Riddle himself had opened the Chamber, it may now have been removed). Harry Potter and Ron Weasley both won Special Awards for Service to the School; their awards will be on display here as well. Peeves especially enjoys bouncing around the trophy room. In the Playstation 2 game of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Trophy Room is located down a spiral staircase through a door just next to the staff dining table in the Great Hall.

Third Floor Corridor

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, this corridor is forbidden to students. Fluffy was kept stationed within the corridor, guarding a trapdoor in the floor. The trapdoor allowed a person to drop down to below the school, into the chambers used to hide the philosopher's stone. The corridor has not been mentioned since (although Fluffy now roams the Forbidden Forest) - this could mean that the corridor is no longer out-of-bounds, or that it is still kept locked up.

Library

The library contains tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves. The different sections include an Invisibility Section, a section on dragons, and the Restricted Section at the very back, barred by a rope. Students need a signed note of permission from a teacher to peruse the Restricted Section, as it holds books about powerful Dark subject matter that is never taught at Hogwarts, and is only used by older students studying advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts. Books in the Hogwarts library may be put on hold and the student's name added to a waiting list. Chocolate and presumably, all other food and drinks are forbidden in the library, which closes at eight p.m.

Irma Pince is the librarian. She guards the books fiercely, and has been known to put unusual jinxes on the books, to make sure that they are not mistreated.

Prefect's Bathroom

The prefects' bathroom is hidden behind the fourth door to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Despite the name, this bathroom can also be used by Quidditch captains. The door opens when told the correct password. At one point in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the password was "pine fresh." Inside, the room is made entirely of white marble and is softly lit by a candle-filled chandelier. The bathtub is rectangular and about the size and depth of a swimming pool, complete with a diving board and hundreds of taps each with a differently coloured jewel set into the handle. From these taps gush not only water, but also magical bubble bath, including pink and blue bubbles the size of footballs, extremely thick ice-white foam, and heavily perfumed purple clouds that hover over the surface of the water. One tap even sends a jet that bounces across the water in large arcs. Moaning Myrtle sometimes comes here to secretly watch the prefects take baths. There is a pile of fluffy white towels in the corner and a painting of a flirty blonde mermaid.

Owlery

The Owlery is at the top of the West Tower. The Owlery is a circular stone room that holds hundreds and hundreds of different kinds of owls, including both the school owls and owls that students have brought as pets, all nestled on perches that rise right to the top of the tower. None of the windows in the Owlery have glass and so it is rather cold and drafty. The floor is covered in straw, droppings, and the "regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles". This is where Harry asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, but she has already been asked by Cedric Diggory.

Room of Requirement

Located opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy attempting to train trolls for the ballet, the Room of Requirement appears only when someone is in need of it. To make it appear, one must walk past its hidden entrance three times while concentrating on what is needed. The room will then appear, outfitted with whatever is required. To the Hogwarts house-elves it is also known as the Come and Go Room.

Albus Dumbledore was first to mention the room, noting that he discovered it at five-thirty in the morning, filled with chamber pots when he was trying to find a toilet. However, Dumbledore did not appear to know the Room's specific secrets. Dobby later told Harry of the Room in detail and admitted to frequently bringing Winky to the room to cure her bouts of Butterbeer-induced drunkenness, finding it full of antidotes and a "nice elf-sized bed". Argus Filch was said to find cleaning supplies here when he had run out, and when Fred and George Weasley needed a place to hide, it would appear in the form of a broom cupboard. Sybill Trelawney also makes a habit of using it to hide her empty sherry bottles after she is sacked in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It would seem that when one wishes to hide something it produces the same room for everyone: the Room of Hidden Things, which is full of many centuries worth of abandoned objects, such as broken furniture, books, and possessions which were presumably forgotten by their owners.

Harry learned of the room's abilities from Dobby, finding it the perfect location for his Dumbledore's Army meetings, during which it would be filled with bookcases full of Defence Against the Dark Arts volumes, many different kinds of Dark Detectors, and a plethora of floor cushions for practicing defensive spells. In Half-Blood Prince Harry used the Room of Hidden Things to stash his copy of Advanced Potion-Making, describing it as the size of a large cathedral and packed to overflowing with items hidden by Hogwarts inhabitants over the years, such as old potions, clothing, ruined furniture, an old tiara, or books which were "no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen". He later realized that Draco Malfoy had been using the room in that same state to hide and repair the Vanishing Cabinet in order to use it to smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts.

In Deathly Hallows, the Room is used by the students who need a place to hide from the Carrows, two Death Eater professors. It is also revealed that the Room of Requirement's current version can change while still occupied, though should a completely different version be required (e.g. the Room of Hidden Things instead of DA Headquarters) the room must be empty. The Room can also answer to the desire of the wizard within the room, such as providing Harry with a whistle when he needed one during a Dumbledore's Army meeting, or creating a passage to the Hog's Head (as the room cannot produce food). Later, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw is found to be one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and has been hidden in the Room of Hidden Things (a manifestation of the Room of Requirement) by Voldemort himself. Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the Room, with Harry knowing that he must look for a place to hide things, and find the tiara; but they are ambushed by Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. The diadem is finally destroyed when Crabbe fills this version of the Room with what Hermione believes to have been Fiendfyre; a particularly destructive magical fire.

It is not known if the room continues to function after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Ron expresses concern that it may have been ruined in all of its forms by the cursed fire.

Grounds

Hogwarts Castle is surrounded by mountains and is perched high atop a cliff overlooking a great black lake. When entering from the lake, a curtain of ivy hides a wide opening in the cliff face. A dark tunnel leads right under the castle into an underground harbour with a rocky beach and from there, a passageway in the rock leads to the front doors. The entrance on the road from Hogsmeade to around the lake is through a pair of wrought iron gates in the walls enclosing the grounds. On either side of the gates are two tall stone pillars, each topped with a winged boar. The Hogwarts grounds are extensive with sloping lawns, including flowerbeds, vegetable patches, and a Quidditch pitch, as well as the vast Forbidden Forest.

Lake

The lake is located on the south side of the castle, which stands on a cliff overlooking the water. It is about half a mile in diameter and the Hogwarts plumbing network drains into it. A number of magical creatures inhabit the lake, including a surprisingly friendly giant squid, often seen near the surface, a colony of merpeople inhabiting the bottom, and a population of grindylows. It was also the temporary home of the Durmstrang ship during the Triwizard Tournament in which it also served as the setting for the Second Task.

Hagrid's Hut

Rubeus Hagrid is the gamekeeper, Keeper of the Keys and the Grounds, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, and the only teacher not to live in the castle. He lives in a small wooden hut on the grounds, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with his boarhound, Fang, who, belying his appearance, is a coward. He has a pumpkin patch behind his hut, with a fence around it.

In the first film adaptation, Hagrid's hut was quite close to the south exit of Hogwarts but in the subsequent adaptations Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix Hagrid's hut is shown to be at the bottom of a long dirt path.

After the Death Eater's attack on Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince, Hagrid's Hut is severely burned as the Death Eater's escape from the grounds. It is revealed in Deathly Hallows however, that the hut was rebuilt as Harry passes it as he goes on into the Forest to face Voldemort.

Forbidden Forest

The Forbidden Forest is a large, dark forest to the east of Hogwarts Castle. It is usually referred to simply as "the Forest" and in the film series as the "Dark Forest". It is strictly forbidden to all students, except during Care of Magical Creatures lessons and, on rare occasions, detentions.

Among the plant species within the Forest are trees such as beech, oak, pine, sycamore, and yew, as well as undergrowth including knotgrass and thorns. Though the Forest is vastly dense and wild, there are a few paths and clearings. These are mostly made by Rubeus Hagrid, who frequently travels into the Forest for various reasons. The Forest is also home to an assortment of creatures. The following is an (incomplete) list of beasts that inhabit the forest:

• A herd of at least 50 centaurs, including Bane, Magorian, Ronan, and formerly Firenze.
• Werewolves, according to Draco Malfoy and Argus Filch (unlikely, considering the nature of werewolves).
• A colony of Acromantulas, the late Aragog and his family, which may have been wiped out by Death Eaters.
• Trolls (according to Tom Riddle).
• Unicorns
• Thestrals
• Bowtruckles
• Fluffy, a three-headed dog who was released into the forest after the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. it was stated by J.K. Rowling that Fluffy was to make an appearance in the Second Battle of Hogwarts, though this plan never happened.
• Though not technically a beast, there is a much damaged turquoise Ford Anglia, formerly owned by Arthur Weasley that had been bewitched with the ability to fly, but took on a mind of its own after Harry and Ron Weasley crashed it into the Whomping Willow. It fled into the Forest, never to be seen again except on one occasion in which it helped Ron and Harry escape from a hungry bunch of giant spiders. Rowling stated in an interview that the flying car was set to make a return in the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. However, it did not.
• Grawp, a "small" giant, lived in the Forest during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore later arranged for him to move up to the mountains surrounding Hogwarts and live in a big cave, where he is "much happier than he was in the Forest".
• Foxes, according to Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Blood-Sucking BugBear, according to Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Butterflies, according to Harry in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Whomping Willow

The Whomping Willow is a very valuable magical tree on the Hogwarts grounds. The tree is extremely violent, striking viciously with its branches at anything that comes within reach.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore planted the Willow to guard a secret passageway to the Shrieking Shack, a building in Hogsmeade. Remus Lupin was smuggled to the passageway each month at the full moon, where he could transform in the Shack into his werewolf form, without risking harm to others. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and his best friend Ron Weasley flew an enchanted Ford Anglia to Hogwarts, and accidentally crashed into the Whomping Willow, causing minor damage to the tree but more significant harm to the car. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black, having transformed himself into a dog, dragged Ron Weasley into the secret passageway beneath the tree. The passage was also used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione learned that Voldemort was waiting at the Shrieking Shack for Harry's surrender.

Quidditch Pitch

The Quidditch pitch is where Quidditch games are held, and where teams practice. There are three golden hoops, about 50 feet high, at each end used for scoring, and stands surrounding it, providing seating for spectators. It houses the locker rooms for the four House teams and the offices of the four team captains. The referee is often Madam Hooch, the flying teacher and Quidditch coach, although Severus Snape refereed once in Harry's first year. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire it was the site of the Triwizard Tournament's First Task and Third Task.

Locker rooms

There are locker rooms off the grounds of the Quidditch pitch where team members change for practices and games. When Oliver Wood isn't present at one point after a Gryffindor team loss in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Fred and George Weasley joke that he's still trying to drown himself in the locker room showers. In addition, there is an office is used by the Team Captain.

White Tomb

The White Tomb is where Albus Dumbledore is buried. It lies beside the lake, in a serene and calm inlet on a hill. It is the only location in the whole of the Hogwarts grounds where a former Hogwarts Head is buried, giving Dumbledore a unique distinction. The Tomb was opened by Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in order for Voldemort to retrieve the Elder Wand, which was in Dumbledore's possession at the time of his death. At the end of the book, Harry intends to secretly return the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's tomb.

History

Early history

Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago (exact date unknown) by two wizards and two witches: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. These four were among the most celebrated European wizards and witches of the time, and they personally trained all their students. All four founders selected their students according to strict criteria. Slytherin, however, desired to limit school admissions only to students born to magical parents, also known today as Purebloods; this desire brought him into conflict with the other founders, Gryffindor in particular, whom he was once very close to. Tension arose between the other Founders as well and the once-great friendship of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff failed as disastrously as that of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Divided, the four founders and their houses each sought to control the whole school, causing chaos. Slytherin eventually fled or was driven from the school, and though diminished by their loss, the remaining three founders re-established peace.

At some point before Slytherin departed, he had constructed the Chamber of Secrets and concealed a basilisk within it. According to legend, he left this for his progeny, so that, when an eventual successor ("the Heir of Slytherin") returned to the school he or she would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the monstrous basilisk within to purge the school of all Muggle-born students. The only descendant known to have discovered the Chamber is Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort, the most feared Dark Wizard of all time.

About three hundred years after the school was founded, the Triwizard Tournament began between the three most prestigious magical schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. This Tournament was considered the best way for wizards of different nationalities to meet and socialise. The Tournament was continued every five years until the too-high death toll caused it to be discontinued. After several attempts to reinstate the Tournament, in the year 1994 the Ministry of Magic decided to give it another try, after promising a big decrease in deaths. Only students age 17 and older may participate in the Triwizard Tournament.

Recent history

In 1942/43 the Chamber of Secrets was opened by Tom Riddle in his fifth year, causing a girl to be killed, later known to be Moaning Myrtle, inhabitant of the girls' bathroom on the 2nd floor. The Ministry of Magic threatened to close the school unless the perpetrator was caught. Because Riddle spent his time away from Hogwarts in a Muggle orphanage he did not want the school closed, so he framed fellow-student Rubeus Hagrid; Hagrid was expelled and Hogwarts remained open.

In Harry Potter's second year, the Chamber was again opened and a number of students were petrified. The Ministry of Magic again threatened to close the school unless the attacker was stopped. Harry discovered that the attacks were caused by Ginny Weasley, who was being manipulated by Tom Riddle/Voldemort through an old diary of Riddle's that was in her possession. Riddle's diary was slipped into the Weasley's cauldron by Lucius Malfoy while in Flourish and Blotts with the hope that she would be caught, thus ending Arthur Weasley's Muggle Protection Act, as well as purging Hogwarts of Muggle-borns. However, Harry was able to destroy the diary, save Ginny, and kill the basilisk that was living in the Chamber. It later emerged that the diary was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, containing part of his soul.

In Harry's fourth year, the dangerous Triwizard Tournament was hosted by Hogwarts for the first time in several hundred years. Due to the tournament, no Quidditch was played that year. Instead, the pitch was turned into a maze that served as the final of three tasks in the tournament.

At the end of Harry's sixth year, headmaster Albus Dumbledore was murdered by Severus Snape (on Dumbledore's orders, as revealed in The Deathly Hallows). Following his death, Professor Minerva McGonagall was appointed acting Headmistress, although by the start of the next school year, a Voldemort-controlled Ministry had appointed Severus Snape the Headmaster. Furthermore, Muggle-born students were no longer allowed to attend, while attendance became mandatory for all children with wizarding heritage. During Snape's time as Headmaster, the school underwent a great deal of changes, particularly due to the punishments inflicted on the students by Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who had taken up the posts of Muggle Studies and Defence Against the Dark Arts (which was then called 'the dark arts' only) professors respectively.

Near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a massive battle occurred at Hogwarts between Voldemort's forces and the combined might of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, the teachers of Hogwarts, and several other students, as well as the Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest and the castle's house-elves (led by Kreacher). The castle sustained heavy damage, but after the defeat of Voldemort at the hands of Harry Potter, it was repaired and remained open. In the Epilogue of the final volume of the series, it was revealed that the school is still open, and that Neville Longbottom has taken on the role of Herbology Professor. Professor Minerva McGonagall was appointed Head of the School (as explained by Rowling) but no longer held the position by the time the epilogue was written; however, McGonagall's replacement is unknown.

Secrets of Hogwarts

Hogwarts is home to many secret locations and passages.

The hiding place of the Philosopher's Stone

Accessed by entering a trapdoor in the forbidden corridor on the third floor, and protected by a gauntlet of seven magical challenges set up by the teachers.

• A three-headed dog named Fluffy placed specially to guard the trapdoor by Rubeus Hagrid.
• A massive Devil's Snare, grown by Professor Sprout.
• A room containing dozens of keys, charmed by Professor Flitwick to sprout wings and fly near the ceiling. One of these keys will unlock the door to the next section. However, in the film adaptation, the keys attack the seeker of the Stone.
• A large chessboard with an army of large chessmen, transfigured by Professor McGonagall. To proceed to the door on the opposite side, the person in question must beat the chessmen at a game of chess.
• A room with a large troll inside. This is presumably Professor Quirrell's challenge. In the book, Quirrell had knocked out his own troll to get to the last room and thus the Trio did not have to fight it; in the movie, it does not appear, but it appears in the Playstation One version of the game.
• A series of potions, brewed by Severus Snape. There are two doors, blocked by fire. One potion will allow the person to exit the way he/she arrived, another will allow him/her to proceed to the next chamber, some are merely wine, the rest are poison. This challenge does not appear in the movie, but does in the video game adaption.
• The Mirror of Erised can be found in the final chamber, further enchanted by Dumbledore to bestow the Philosopher's Stone upon a seeker only hoping to acquire the stone but not use it for selfish means.

The Chamber of Secrets

It is a hidden chamber built by Salazar Slytherin and is dedicated to Slytherin. It once housed a basilisk, a giant snake that can kill people by looking them in the eye. It can be accessed by speaking in Parseltongue to one of the taps in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Passages

There are nine known secret passages in and out of the school. Four of these, however, are known by Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, and where they lead is unknown. The other five are:

• A passage beneath the Whomping Willow, leading to the Shrieking Shack.
• A passage behind a mirror on the fourth floor, which is caved in. Where it leads to is unknown. Although in book five, Sirius mentions that it is large enough for an organisation.
• A passage beneath a one-eyed witch statue by the stairs to the Defence Against the Dark Arts, leading to the cellar of Honeydukes.
• A link between two vanishing cabinets, one of these in the school and the other in Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.
• A passage in the Room of Requirement, leading to the Hog's Head bar, however due to the nature of the Room of Requirement, it is possible that several passages to different locations could be accessed from it.

Room of Requirement

Main article: Room of Requirement

Before book 5, the Room of Requirement is a relatively secret place, at least secretive enough that Voldemort believed no one would be able to find it. Thus, he hid the Diadem of Ravenclaw while it was in a state known as the Room of Hidden Things, a room that housed a literal warehouse of items that students wished to hide, though a large number of items remain unclaimed, suggesting that they were either forgotten, or the room was never discovered by the student again. It is likely that the Room of Requirement is the room mentioned by Dumbledore in the fourth book, as the room in which he discovered many chamber pots, but could not discover again afterwards.

Well-known students

Main article: List of Harry Potter characters

Main article: Hogwarts students

Coat of arms, school motto, school song

Blazon

• Shield renaissance, Quarterly, I gules a lion salient to sinister Or, II vert a serpent argent, III Or a badger reguardant proper, IV azure an eagle displayed Or, in fesse couped Or scroll with letter H sable, top riband for the name Hogwarts, base riband for the motto "draco dormiens nunquam titillandus".

The motto of Hogwarts is "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus," which in Latin means, "Never tickle a sleeping dragon", although a more liberal translation might be "Let sleeping dragons lie". Creator J.K. Rowling said she wanted a practical motto for Hogwarts, since so many schools have vague ones. Appropriately, Harry Potter in his second year calls causing trouble in Severus Snape's lesson as safe as 'poking a sleeping dragon in the eye'.

The school song is sung only once in the series, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at Harry's first meal in the Great Hall. Its lyrics are as follows:

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something, please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

The song does not have a set tune; everyone sings the lyrics to a tune and time of their choosing. A scene where the whole school sings the song was filmed for the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, though was not included in the theatrical release. It can be seen in the "deleted scenes" section of the DVD Extras. It is also sung in the background just before Harry finds Barty Crouch Sr. in the woods. It has been mentioned in the book that Fred and George Weasley sang this song in the tune of a slow, funeral march.

Possible name influences

Rowling has suggested that she may have inadvertently taken the name from the hogwort plant (Croton capitatus), which she had seen at Kew Gardens some time before writing the Harry Potter series.

See also

• Hogsmeade
• Hogwarts Houses
• Portraits in Hogwarts
• Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
• Durmstrang Institute
• Locations in Hogwarts
• Hogwarts faculty

External links

• The Harry Potter Lexicon's Hogwarts Atlas featuring numerous images of Hogwarts
• The Marauder's Map from the Warner Bros website
• Accurate floorplans of the castle
• Keep Hogwarts adventures alive
• Hogwarts Reality Show
• Hogwarts Live Game
• Harry Potter Online Game

• Hogwarts on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki