Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic located in Northern Ayrshire in Scotland. Founded in 982, it serves the magical population of the British Isles. Over its long history, Hogwarts has attracted the best and brightest wizarding minds of the British Isles, including Albus Dumbledore, many of the Ministers for Magic, and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

Hogwarts is extremely well defended both from Muggles and from outside threats. Protective wards have existed on the property since before the school's founding. They range from anti-Apparition wards to simple Muggle-repelling charms. The nearby village of Hogsmeade has supported Hogwarts through thick and thin and is a popular destination for its students.

Hogwarts is considered one of the safest and best wizarding schools on the planet.

Black Lake
The Black Lake is a large natural lake shaped like a bean that surrounds the northern cliffs of Hogwarts castle, wrapping around it towards Hogsmeade. Towards the middle of the northern half lies the Merfolk village. The lake is home to many aquatic magical creatures, such as selkies, grindylows, and of course mermaids. First year students typically cross this lake after departing from the Hogwarts Express.

Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest is an old-growth timber wood that borders the castle's eastern and southern half. The Forest is of course forbidden to students and has been since 1403. The Forest is home to many Dark creatures as well as other more benign creatures. A centaur herd, a transplant by Headmaster John Fawley (1602-1633), roams the Forest and protects the school from other creatures such as the Acromantula colony.

Main Castle
Hogwarts is made up of many different corridors, chambers, courtyards, towers, and staircases. Its central hub is the Great Hall which is located in the northwestern quadrant of the grounds. It connects to the Grand Staircase which is the main artery of the school. There are 10 total floors to Hogwarts, the ground and Floors 1-7 as well as the Dungeons, Vaults, and Catacombs at its lowest. The castle contains many secret passageways and portrait corridors hidden by tapestries, unlocked by spells, or opened with passwords. The castle also contains many thousands of art pieces as well as many historically significant objects.

Chamber of Secrets
The Chamber of Secrets was created by Salazar Slytherin as a safe place for his chosen pupils to practice Dark magic. The entrance to the Chamber was originally unlocked only through Slytherin's locket, which was passed down by him to his heirs. Close to before he departed the school, Salazar successfully bred a Basilisk, hiding it beneath the school as a last defense against Muggle invaders.

Over time however, his purpose and that of the Basilisk had been corrupted by successive generations. In the 1670's, a scion of the Gaunt family, direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, renovated and overhauled the Chamber, modifying the entrance to the Basilisk's lair to depict Slytherin, the mouth of whom could be opened through a password in Parseltongue. A later Gaunt relative would install the modern entrance to the Chamber in the 2nd floor girl's bathroom, which again could only be opened through speaking Parseltongue.

The last time the chamber was opened was during the 1942-1943 school year. Unknown to any except then-Professor Dumbledore, Tom Riddle had opened the Chamber in search of advanced Dark magic as well as to carry out what he saw as Slytherin's mission: to wipe out Muggleborns. However

Room of Requirement
The Room of Requirement is a Vanishing Point, a near-mythical magical phenomena, within the castle's walls. A normal Vanishing point is a trash heap that Wizards unwittingly send their Vanished objects to. However when one formed in the walls of the castle, it influenced the architectural spells and created a room- the Room of Requirement. Many students have found this room, which catalogs and sorts the objects Vanished into the space dependent on the seeker's need. Theoretically, the Room could take any interior form.

Underground Chambers
The Underground Chambers are a series of connected chambers that once served as the school chapel during Hogwarts' founding. However lost in the shuffle of time and millennia, it was forgotten until Albus Dumbledore utilized the space to guard the Philosopher's Stone. It was reachable through a trapdoor on the third floor that deposited into a vertical shaft.

Quidditch Pitch
The Quidditch Pitch is a wooden stadium located on the southwestern edge of the Hogwarts grounds. During the school year, the pitch is decorated with large canopies in the four house color schemes. It connects to a small complex containing locker rooms, changing rooms, and a portrait passageway to the Hospital Wing.

Gryffindor
For more information, see Gryffindor House.

Gryffindor House embodies the values of Godric Gryffindor. Originally, Gryffindor selected the most physically fit and headstrong students, leading them into hunts and teaching them survival skills, dueling, and creature identification. Gryffindor House values honor, chivalry, and bravery.

Hufflepuff
For more information, see Hufflepuff House.

Hufflepuff House embodies the values of Helga Hufflepuff. During her professorship, Helga Hufflepuff selected any who were not initially selected by the other three houses and worked with them to learn practical lessons on horticulture, defensive magic, and healing. Hufflepuff House values honesty, fidelity, and determination.

Ravenclaw
For more information, see Ravenclaw House.

Ravenclaw House embodies the values of Rowena Ravenclaw. Originally, Ravenclaw selected the most cerebral and or curious students. She tutored them in many different esoteric branches of magic, such as Divination, Ancient Runes, and languages. Ravenclaw House values intelligence, creativity, and scholarship.

Slytherin
For more information, see Slytherin House.

Slytherin House embodies the values of Salazar Slytherin. It is notable as the only house who does not accept muggleborn students. Salazar tutored his students in the Dark Arts, so called then because they were often mysterious and dangerous, but also in wizarding tradition. Slytherin House values ambition, resourcefulness, and cunning.

Academic Year
The Start-of-Term feast is held on the first Sunday of September, followed by the first day of classes on the following Monday. Term continues until the first week of December, followed by two weeks of exams. Christmas holidays are from the Winter Solstice until Epiphany. The second term continues uninterrupted until the movable holiday of Easter, of which the students received a week's break. Final exams were held the first week of June, the students would return home the day after the End of Term feast.

Board of Governors
The Ministry of Magic instituted the Board of Governors to provide oversight over the school in 1788. The Board sets the school's budget as well as the power to approve or remove faculty. They also approve Hogwarts rules and are responsible for hearing redresses and extreme disciplinary infractions. They are a self-appointed body though there is a representative from the Department of Magical Education. The Board is made up of 12 voting, 2 observing members: 11 voting members and the chairman as well as the Ministry representative and the Hogwarts Headmaster or a faculty representative. As of 1991, the current Chairman of the Board of Governors is Lucius Malfoy.

Headmaster
The Hogwarts Headmaster/Headmistress is the chief administrator of the school as well as the one in charge of regulating the school's protective enchantments, creating and dissolving spaces within the castle, as well as making all major decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the school. Before the Ministry's imposition of power, the Headmaster had absolute control over Hogwarts, for good or ill. The Headmaster is still a representative of the school's interests in the Wizengamot, though the Board of Governors technically can choose what representative they wish by removing and approving a Headmaster as they see fit. As of 1991, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts is Albus Dumbledore.

Deputy Headmaster
The Deputy Headmaster/Headmistress is the second-in-command of the Headmaster, one who takes duties and responsibilities once held by the Headmaster including the distribution of acceptance letters, acting as a liason between the Headmaster and the faculty, and executing the Headmaster's policies for discipline. In the event the Headmaster is incapacitated or unavailable, the Deputy Headmaster assumes the role temporarily of Headmaster until either the Headmaster returns or the Board of Governors appoints a new Headmaster. As of 1991, the current Deputy Headmistress is Minerva McGonagall.

Faculty
The Hogwarts faculty occupy several subject-based departments based on the core subjects and any electives. Each department is led by a Department Head, who reports to the Deputy Headmaster. The faculty largely set their own cirriculum based on Ministry and other guidance from either the Department Head, Headmaster, or Board of Governors. The faculty have the power to place students in detention as well as to dock and grant house points.

Caretaker
The caretaker is in charge of maintenance and repair within the castle, including of the portraits, the corridors, and the various artifacts within the school. As of 1991, the current Caretaker is Argus Filch.

Gamekeeper
The gamekeeper is in charge of maitenance and management outside of the castle, typically as it relates to the flora and fauna of the surrounding lakes and forest. As of 1991, the current Gamekeeper is Rubeus Hagrid.

Heads of House
The Heads of House are faculty members who act as a liason between the Headmaster, Deputy Head, and the students, as well as to the student's parents. They provide an advisory role to the students of their House and are selected by the Headmaster based on their adherence to their House values. The Heads inculcate these values into their students.

As of 1991, the current Heads of House are as follows:


 * Filius Flitwick, Ravenclaw House
 * Minerva McGonagall, Gryffindor House
 * Pomona Sprout, Hufflepuff House
 * Severus Snape, Slytherin House

Head Pupils and Prefects
There are two prefects chosen from each of the upper years in every House, one female and one male, making for a total of 24 prefects. The prefects are selected by the Head of House and approved by the Deputy Head or Headmaster based on their personal, academic, and extracurricular merit. Prefects have the power to dock and grant house points. They report to the Head Pupils and Heads of House. Prefects have several privileges, least of all access to the Prefect's Bath on the fifth floor near the Hospital Wing as well as their own compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

The Head Pupils oversee the team of prefects. They are chosen from rising 7th years and may or may not be prefects themselves. There are two prefects every academic year, one male and one female. The Head Pupils are chosen by the Headmaster based on their personal, academic, and extracurricular merit. Head Pupils share the same privileges of the Prefects but in addition have their own living quarters within their house dormitories.

Magister
The Magister oversees the extracurricular activities of Hogwarts, such as Quidditch, school clubs, and Hogsmeade visits. It is also their responsibility to teach the 1st year course, Flying and to referee Hogwarts Quidditch. As of 1991, the current Magister is Rolanda Hooch.

School Matron
The School Matron is a licensed Healer who oversees the health and wellness of Hogwarts students, faculty, and staff who operates out of the Hospital Wing on the 5th Floor. They are typically assisted by NEWT-level students in the Introduction to Healing course as well as Mediwitches. As of 1991, the current School Matron is Poppy Pomfrey.