Jump to content

Hogwarts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 86.43.170.137 (talk) at 08:57, 31 July 2007 (→Well Known Students). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Current fiction Template:Book-in-universe Template:HP School In J. K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series of novels, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen. Six of the seven books in the Harry Potter series are largely set at the 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, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger do not attend their final year of school. The climactic battle of the book, and the series, however, is set at Hogwarts.

In the novels, Hogwarts appears to be the only such school in the British Isles and is located in Scotland. The school has numerous charms and spells on and around it that makes it impossible for any muggle 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 17. 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;[1] 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.[2]

Management of the school is undertaken by the Headmaster or Headmistress, assisted by a Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress. 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 family is 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.

Other forms of wizarding education

There are two other schools of magic mentioned by name in the Harry Potter novels: one, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, is located in France, while the Durmstrang Magical Institute is assumed to be located in Northern Europe (since its uniform includes thick furs, and since the students found the British climate more appealing). The name of a possible school, the Salem Witches' Institute, is only mentioned in relation to a number of middle-aged witches in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Rowling has not confirmed if it is indeed a school of magic in the United States. 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 and Salem College, a quaint and traditional United States college for women that shares many elements of student life with Hogwarts. 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, and also by homeschooling.Template:HP7

Enrolment

A magical quill at Hogwarts detects the birth of magical children, and writes their names into a large parchment book.[3] 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 spellbooks, 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 secret street near Charing Cross Road in London. 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 provide assistance to 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 pointed hat, a pair of protective gloves, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. Each uniform must contain the wearer's name tag. First years are not allowed a broomstick of their own, though this rule is broken for Harry in his first year after it is discovered that he has an excellent ability at Quidditch.

Arrival

Hogwarts from the first Harry Potter film

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 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 due to protective spells cast by the Headmaster. This is stated by Hermione Granger, quoting from Hogwarts, A History, countless times throughout the series.

Students traveling 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 to Hogwarts. From there, first year students are accompanied by the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds – or another suitable teacher if he is absent – to small boats, which magically sail across the lake to arrive at a small landing stage near the castle of Hogwarts; from there, they await their turn to get sorted. The older students ride up to the castle in apparently horseless carriages that are later found to be drawn by Thestrals, winged horse-like creatures which can be seen only by those who have witnessed death. 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.[4]

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 students 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 rap 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 and a smoke, 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."[5] The tune is picked by the students. It is implied that the rest of the teachers find this particular tradition a little unnecessary.

Houses

Main article: Hogwarts houses
File:Z psss film 18.jpg
Harry being sorted by the Sorting Hat

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 of the students' Hogwarts experience.

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.

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 Muggle (non-magic) 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 as this time in preparation for final exams.

Students of the third year and on 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.

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; muggle-borns or those in exceptional circumstances (such as Harry Potter) attend Muggle schools.[6]

First and second year students all learn the same subjects:

  • Herbology - taught by Pomona Sprout as up to book 6, and later 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, and then by Horace Slughorn in books 6 and 7, both teachers teaching students the art of potion-making. This class is located in the dungeons.
  • Transfiguration, taught by Minerva McGonagall, until end of Book 6 where she temporarily is Headmistress. Snape takes over as Headmaster in the seventh book. It is unknown whether McGonagall is reinstated as Headmistress when Snape dies or who is currently Headmaster/Headmistress. Transfiguration was also taught by Albus Dumbledore in Tom Riddle's time, circa 50 years prior to the present day.
  • 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, properties": for example, making tea-cups dance.[7]
  • Defence Against the Dark Arts, which 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) Quirrell (first name not mentioned, although it has been alluded that it may be Quirinus or Slatero), Gilderoy Lockhart, Remus J. Lupin, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody (who is impersonated by Bartemius Crouch Jr.), Dolores Jane Umbridge, Severus Snape and Amycus Carrow. (While Amycus was teaching, it was just called "the Dark Arts.")
  • History of Magic, taught by the ghost of Cuthbert Binns, which teaches students about historical events in the wizarding world.
  • Astronomy, taught by Aurora Sinistra as of book 6, which teaches students about stars, planets, etc.

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:

There are also private lessons that can be taken at Hogwarts. 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 insists 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 1 to 100, with 100 being full marks. 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 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 end of their fifth year, students speak briefly with their head of house to decide which classes to continue on in depending on their O.W.L. scores and their goals after school. The classes they decide to continue are considerably more advanced.

Due to the fact that 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:

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 i.e. 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. 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 along 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.

Food

The food served at Hogwarts is, according to the students, very good. 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 before the students. 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 also 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.

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 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.

There is no known cause of any Hogwarts student being suspended.

Location and grounds

Main article: Locations in Hogwarts

J. K. Rowling says she visualises Hogwarts, in its entirety, to be:[8]

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.[9] 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, flower beds and vegetable patches, a loch, 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 south-east of the school, while the village of Hogsmeade appears to be north-west. 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, 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, it didn't run on electricity. Witches and wizards cannot Apparate or Disapparate in Hogwarts grounds.Template:GF

History

Early history

Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago (exact date unknown) by two wizards and two witches: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. 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. 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 1943 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.

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

At the end of Harry's sixth year, headmaster Albus Dumbledore is murdered by Severus Snape, a professor at the school. Following his death, Professor Minerva McGonagall is appointed acting Headmistress, although by the start of the next school year, a Voldemort controlled Ministry has 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 undergoes a great deal of changes, particularly due to the punishments inflicted on the students by Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who have taken up the posts of Muggle Studies and Defense 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 occurs 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. The castle sustains heavy damage, but after the defeat of Voldemort at the hands of Harry Potter it is repaired and remains open. In the Epilogue of the final volume of the series, it is revealed that the school is still open, and that Neville Longbottom has taken on the role of Herbology Professor. Professor Minerva McGonagall is appointed Head of the School (as explained by Rowling) but no longer held the position by the time the epilogue was written, McGonagall's replacement in unknown however.

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.
  • 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 Quirrel's challenge.
  • A series of potions, brewed by Professor Snape. There are two doors, blocked by fire. One potion will allow the person to exit the way he arrived, another will allow him to proceed to the next chamber, some are merely wine, the rest are poison.
  • 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:

Well Known Students

Gryffindor

  • Harry Potter
  • Ronald Weasley
  • Hermione Granger
  • Neville Longbottom
  • James Potter
  • Lily Potter (née Evans)
  • Sirius Black
  • Peter Pettigrew
  • Ginny Weasley
  • Fred Weasley
  • George Weasley
  • Molly Weasley (née Prewett)
  • Bill Weasley
  • Arthur Weasley
  • Percy Weasley
  • Charlie Weasley
  • Dean Thomas
  • Seamus Finnigan
  • Pavarti Patil
  • Lavender Brown
  • Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
  • Minerva McGonagall

Ravenclaw

  • Cho Chang
  • Padma Patil
  • Luna Lovegood

Hufflepuff

  • Nymphadora Lupin (née Tonks)
  • Cedric Diggory
  • Ernie Macmillan

Slytherin

  • Draco Malfoy
  • Vincent Crabbe
  • Gregory Goyle
  • Severus Snape
  • Pansy Parkinson
  • Millicent Bulstrode
  • Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black)
  • Lucius Malfoy
  • Narcissa Malfoy (née Black)
  • Horace Slughorn

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 Sorcerer's Stone and 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

In interviews, Rowling has intimated that the name "Hogwarts" derives from the hogwort plant (Croton capitatus), which she had seen at Kew Gardens some time before writing the Harry Potter series. The substitution of the letter a (in Hogwarts) for the second o (in Hogwort) suggests a deliberate wordplay as is seen in the name of Diagon Alley.[10] [11], [citation needed]

The name Hogwarts also features in the Molesworth books. The Hogwarts is the title of one of Molesworth's imitation Latin plays, and Hoggwart is also the name of the Headmaster of Porridge Court, a rival of St Custard's, Molesworth's terrible prep school.

A joke, possibly relating to the name is that the entry is bounded by two winged boars.

In the 1986 film Labyrinth, Sarah mistakenly refers to the character Hoggle as "Hogwart".

"Hogwarts" is also a word that appears in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

It is also possible that the name is derived from "Warthog".

See also

References

  1. ^ "About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com". Scholastic. 2000-10-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two". The Leaky Cauldron. 16 July 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ [1] accio-quote.org.
  4. ^ Why could Harry see the Thestrals 'Order of the Phoenix'? jkrowling.com.
  5. ^ We haven't heard the school song since the first book. Did the teachers rebel against it? jkrowling.com.
  6. ^ What education do the children of wizards have before going to Hogwarts? jkrowling.com.
  7. ^ Spell Definitions jkrowling.com.
  8. ^ "Online chat transcript". Scholastic. 2000-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Hogwarts ... Logically it had to be set in a secluded place, and pretty soon I settled on Scotland in my mind." Fraser, L., An interview with J.K.Rowling, Mammoth, London, 2000. ISBN 0-7497-4394-8. pp 20–21.
  10. ^ http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/1999/0999-familyeducation-abel.htm
  11. ^ http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2001/1001-sydney-renton.htm

Template:Harry Potter locations

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hogwarts&oldid=148233691"