Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or simply Hogwarts, is the UK school for magic in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. It is attended by witches and wizards aged eleven through seventeen/eighteen, who are there taught the fundamentals of magic. It is supposedly the safest place in the wizarding world, at least in the UK.

Institutional Structure
Students attend Hogwarts for seven years. For each of the first five years, they take a set of core classes, with electives added in beginning in the third year. First year students also take flying lessons. In place of regular final exams, fifth year students take O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels; the grades students earn on these exams determine which classes they will continue to take for their final two years, which in turn affects their future career options. Similarly, seventh year students conclude with N.E.W.T.s, or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Students who have turned seventeen -- so either in sixth or seventh year -- may pay a small fee to take Apparition Lessons as well.

Beginning in the third year, students with a signed permission slip are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, the local wizard village, on specified weekends. Students may also elect to participate in a number of extracurricular clubs and activities (such as the Gobstones Club); the most popular is Quidditch. Each House has a Quidditch team, and they compete annually for the Quidditch Cup.

Members of each House may also earn or lose House points based on their academic performance or behavior. Students have been known to earn points by helping teachers, answering questions correctly, or acting for the good of the school; students have lost points by violating school rules or being rude to teachers. At the final feast of each school year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup.

Sorting and Houses
On first year students' first night at Hogwarts, they are called alphabetically to put on the Sorting Hat, which examines their minds and assigns them to one of four Houses. Each House prides itself on embodying and valuing a certain trait more than others.

Gryffindor
Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, chivalry, and courage. It is led by Minerva McGonagall. The founder was Godric Gryffindor; House colors are scarlet and gold. The ghost most often associated with the House is Nearly-Headless Nick.

Known Gryffindors: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger

Slytherin
Slytherin values ambition, cunning, determination, and purity of ancestry. It is led by Severus Snape in Sorcerer's Stone through Half-Blood Prince and by Horace Slughorn in ''Deathly Hallows. ''Notable members include Draco Malfoy and Voldemort. The founder was Salazar Slytherin; House colors are green and silver. The ghost most often associated with the House is the Bloody Baron.

Ravenclaw
Ravenclaw values intelligence, wit, and learning. It is led by Professor Flitwick. Notable members include Luna Lovegood and Cho Chang. The founder was Rowena Ravenclaw; House colors are blue and bronze. The ghost most often associated with the House is Helena Ravenclaw, or the Grey Lady.

Hufflepuff
Hufflepuff values justice, loyalty, and equality. It is led by Pomona Sprout. Notable members include Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. The founder was Helga Hufflepuff; House colors are yellow and black. The ghost most often associated with the House is the Fat Friar.

Classes
Hogwarts requires of its students a certain set of core classes through their fifth year. Electives may be added in starting in the third year; first-years also take flying lessons.

Core Classes

 * Potions teaches students how to brew and use potions. It is taught by Severus Snape in Sorcerer's Stone through Order of the Phoenix and by Horace Slughorn in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.
 * Charms teaches students basic spells and enchantments. It is taught by Filius Flitwick.
 * Herbology teaches students about the care and uses of magical plants. It is taught by Pomona Sprout.
 * Transfiguration teaches students the art of turning one thing into another. It is taught by Minerva McGonagall.
 * Astronomy teaches students about the stars and planets. It is the only class taught at night and is taught by Aurora Sinistra.
 * History of Magic teaches students about the social and political history of the wizarding world. It is taught by Professor Binns, notable for being the only ghost teacher in the school.
 * Defense Against the Dark Arts teaches students about how to protect themselves against dangerous magical creatures and dark spells. The teacher position for this subject is rumored to be cursed, as it has been taught by a different teacher each year. In Sorcerer's Stone it is taught by Professor Quirrell; in Chamber of Secrets it is taught by Gilderoy Lockhart; in Prisoner of Azkaban it is taught by Remus Lupin; in Goblet of Fire it is taught by Mad-Eye Moody; in Order of the Phoenix it is taught by Dolores Umbridge; in Half-Blood Prince it is taught by Severus Snape. In Deathly Hallows the class is taken over by one of the Carrows, who instead of teaching defense instead teaches students how to use the dark arts.

Electives

 * Flying lessons are taught only in the first year and teach students the basics of broom travel. It is taught by Madam Hooch.
 * Care of Magical Creatures teaches students how to care for and interact with magical creatures. It is taught by Rubeus Hagrid; however, Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank spends a significant amount of time substitute teaching the class.
 * Divination teaches students how to predict future events via a number of methods, including but not limited to crystal balls and reading tea leaves. It is taught by Sybil Trelawney. Beginning in Order of the Phoenix, it is co-taught by the centaur Firenze.
 * Muggle Studies teaches students about the culture and technology of Muggles. It is taught by Charity Burbage.
 * Ancient Runes presumably teaches students to read and interpret historical runes. While no professor is named in the text, J. K. Rowling says the professor is called Batsheda Babbling.
 * Arithmancy is taught by Professor Vector.
 * Apparition lessons may be taken beginning when a student turns seventeen; while the class is taught at Hogwarts, it is offered through the Ministry of Magic and taught by Wilkie Twycross.

The Building
Hogwarts contains at least seven floors and several towers; it includes a Great Hall, a massive library, four student Houses, classrooms, offices, dungeons, and a variety of decor.

The Great Hall
The Great Hall is where meals take place, as well as special feasts and school assemblies. Generally, it is laid out with a high table at the front for professors and staff, with four long tables running the length of the hall, one for each house. The layout has changed on occasion. In Sorcerer's Stone, the regular tables are replaced over the Christmas holidays with a single table at which all the students and teachers dine together. In Goblet of Fire, the tables are pushed to the side and the hall decorated extravagantly for the Yule Ball.

The Library
The Hogwarts library, run by Irma Pince, is home to a massive collection of books. It includes a Restricted Section, from which students may not check out books unless they have a signed note of permission from a teacher.

Student Quarters
Each of the four student Houses has its own common room and dormitories with a special way to gain entrance so that it is accessible only to students of that House.

Gryffindor
Gryffindor Tower is accessed from the seventh floor by giving the proper password to the portrait of the Fat Lady. It contains a common room with a fireplace and study areas, as well as two sets of dormitories. The girls' dormitories feature a staircase that turns into a slide when a boy attempts to climb it, thus preventing access to men.

Slytherin
The Slytherin common room is located in the dungeons. It is accessed by giving the proper password at a certain juncture in the brick walls.

Ravenclaw
Ravenclaw quarters are located in another tower. To gain entry, students must correctly answer a riddle presented to them by the door knocker.

Hufflepuff
Hufflepuff quarters are allegedly located somewhere near the kitchens.

Classrooms and Offices
The Potions classroom is located in the dungeons; Professor Snape's office is attached, and includes a supply cabinet for restricted potion ingredients. Divination is taught in a cramped room in the top of the North Tower. The Headmaster's office is accessed by speaking the proper password to a statue of a griffin and then climbing a spiral staircase.

The Room of Requirement
Hogwarts contains a room known as the Room of Requirement. By walking back and forth before a particular tapestry three times while thinking of the room one desires, one may access a room that will shape itself to one's needs.

The Chamber of Secrets
Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin left a secret chamber in the castle. The chamber now contains a basilisk. It can be accessed through a girls' bathroom, by speaking the Parseltongue word for "open" at a broken tap.

Physical Layout
Hogwarts contains 142 staircases. Some of these staircases change where they lead; some contain false steps. The building also contains some false doors. The corridors are littered with talking portraits, statues, and suits of armor that are likely able to move. The castle also contains at least seven secret passageways.

The Grounds
The Hogwarts grounds contain numerous sections.

Hagrid's Hut
Rubeus Hagrid lives in a wooden hut on the Hogwarts grounds, bordering the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He has a fairly small home but takes care of a large garden.

The Forbidden Forest
The Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all Hogwarts students except in special circumstances. It is known to be home to unicorns, a herd of thestrals, and a large number of talking spiders called acromantulas. In Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid leads several students through the forest for a detention.

The Quidditch Pitch
Hogwarts is home to a Quidditch pitch where students participate in inter-house Quidditch tournaments each year. In Goblet of Fire, the pitch is overgrown with hedges to form a maze for the Triwizard Tournament.

The Lake
Hogwarts grounds include a large lake. The lake is known to be occupied by a giant squid, who is reputedly friendly to students. Students also sometimes swim in the lake.

The Greenhouses
Hogwarts is home to at least three greenhouses, in which Professor Sprout tends to a variety of magical plants. First-year students take Herbology lessons in greenhouse one; eventually, students progress to greenhouse three for lessons.

The Whomping Willow
The castle grounds contain a tree called a Whomping Willow, which will lash out at anyone who comes near it; a student lost an eye to it once. By pressing a specific knot in the tree's trunk, one may access a secret passageway that leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.

Staff

 * Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore, Sorcerer's Stone through Half-Blood Prince; Severus Snape, Deathly Hallows
 * Deputy Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
 * Groundskeeper: Rubeus Hagrid
 * Caretaker: Argus Filch
 * Librarian: Irma Pince
 * Infirmary: Poppy Pomfrey
 * Quidditch Referee: Madam Hooch
 * High Inquisitor: Dolores Umbridge, Order of the Phoenix only

Access
Students attending Hogwarts take the Hogwarts Express, which leaves from Kings Cross Station in London via Platform 9 3/4. The Hogwarts Express reaches the end of its line at Hogsmeade Station. From there, returning students are brought to the castle in carriages drawn by thestrals. First-year students are taken to the castle by a separate route; they cross the lake in enchanted boats and are taken to the Entrance Hall to prepare for the Sorting Ceremony. For weekend visits to Hogsmeade, students are able to walk to and from school grounds.

Other, unconventional routes have been used to reach the school. In Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron arrive at Hogwarts via enchanted car. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry uses two separate secret passageways to travel between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. In Order of the Phoenix, an impromptu Floo Network stop is created inside Hogwarts so that students may enter and exit the castle via fireplace. In Half-Blood Prince, Death Eaters use a set of matched Vanishing Cabinets to enter the castle from Knockturn Alley. In Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to the castle through a secret passage behind a portrait in the Hog's Head.

It is impossible to Apparate to or from school grounds.