Hogwarts

«The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.«—Rubeus Hagrid praising Hogwarts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the British wizarding school, located in the Scottish Highlands. It takes students from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and also the Republic of Ireland.

The castle is located in the mountains near a loch. The precise location of the school can never be uncovered because it was rendered Unplottable. To Muggles, the school looks like an old abandoned castle. Similarly, most wizarding schools locations are protected in order to prevent their ways of teaching being revealed, as well as protect the students and schools themselves from any harm.

Established around the 10th century, Hogwarts is considered to be one of the finest magical institutions in the Wizarding World, though other notable schools included Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, the Durmstrang Institute in Scandinavia, and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States. Children with magical abilities are enrolled at birth, and acceptance is confirmed by owl post at age eleven. However, if the child in question is a Muggle-born, a professor from the school would come and inform the child’s parents.

The school’s motto is Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus (Draco Dormiens Nvnqvam Titillandvs), which, translated from Latin, means «Never tickle a sleeping dragon».

Typical school year

«Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you…«—Welcoming Feast speech

Term begins on 1 September. Students usually reach Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express, which leaves from Platform 9¾ of London’s King’s Cross Station at 11 a.m. sharp. There seemed to be other ways of entering the school, such as via broomsticks or Floo Powder, or simply Apparating to a nearby location such as Hogsmeade. Missing the Hogwarts Express for any reason is a very serious problem, but will not cost the student points as long as they get there before the term has officially started. The Hogwarts Express brings the students to Hogsmeade station, where the first years traditionally cross the Black Lake in boats with the gamekeeper, and go under an opening in the rocks upon which Hogwarts is built, through a curtain of ivy, and finally into an underground harbour.

Older students travel on the road in carriages pulled by Thestrals (invisible to any that hasn’t witnessed death) to the castle. The Welcoming Feast takes place in the Great Hall. This feast includes the Sorting ceremony, followed by a few words from the current Headmaster or Headmistress, the banquet starts after this, including large quantities of food and drink. The feast is closed with a few more words from the Headmaster or headmistress, but it also included the usual «start-of-term notices».

After dinner, students are led to their house common room by a prefect. This is a special time for new students to get comfortable with their surroundings because the next day classes begin. The class schedules are handed out during breakfast by the Heads of House. After two weeks of classes, the Quidditch team trials and flying lessons for the first years usually occur.

Homework is usually assigned to students at the end of classes or at the end of the school term. It is usually completed by students in the: Study Hall, Study Area, Library, Gryffindor Tower reading room or another common room. A homework planner can be used to help students to keep track of all their homework assignments. The planner also tells the students to complete the homework when it is opened. If a student fails to complete the homework or is late in handing it in, he/she could be given a detention as a punishment.

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 of nine weeks. Students have the option of staying at Hogwarts for the winter and spring holidays. Those who choose to stay at the castle during the Christmas holidays 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.

Other than the breaks and weekends, students do not receive holidays. However, students third year and above may visit Hogsmeade, the local village, occasionally. There are normally four feasts per year: the start-of-term feast at the beginning of the school year, end-of-term feast at the end of the school year, and feasts at Hallowe’en and Christmas. Feasts are also called to mark special occasions, as in Goblet of Fire, when there was a feast to celebrate the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament.

Classes will proceed normally and the next notable event occurs on the evening of 31 October: the Hallowe’en feast. Decorations include giant pumpkins and flocks of hundreds of bats flying across the halls. The served foods include pumpkin treats, tarts, cakes and all sorts of magical sweets. The Quidditch season starts usually with the first Quidditch match in the first weeks of November. In the second week of December, the Deputy Head takes names of those who are staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays. The first term usually ends about a week before Christmas and most of the students and some of the teachers go home by the school train.

In Triwizard Tournament years, the Yule Ball occurs on the evening of Christmas Day, ending at midnight. On the 25th of December, a Christmas Feast is held in the Great Hall. Shortly after the 6th January (Epiphany aka Twelfth Night), the Hogwarts Express returns to Hogsmeade; the second term begins. The exact dates of the beginning of the Easter holidays vary every year. During these holidays, the students may go home. The final exams are held the first week of June and the results come out on the second week. In the evening before the Hogwarts Express goes back to London, the End-of-Term Feast is held. The Hogwarts Express returns to London during the third week of June. Some staff and all of the students leave Hogwarts for summer holiday.

School spirit

«And be warned: thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts.«—Hogwarts’ rules

Hogwarts’ motto is: «Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus». The translation is: Never tickle a sleeping dragon.Quidditch is possibly the most popular sport at the school, with most of the student body turning out to watch each match. Hogwarts also has a Frog Choir which sings at special occasions.

Coat of Arms

The blazon of the Hogwarts Coat of Arms clockwise from top left: the Gryffindor lion, the Slytherin serpent, the Ravenclaw eagle, and the Hufflepuffbadger, all circling the letter ‘H’. The motto, «draco dormiens nunquam titillandus» to be carried in an escroll beneath the shield. The way that the house mascots are arranged makes the centre line divide the houses with warm colours and mammal mascots from the houses with cold colours and saurian mascots.

School song

There is an official school song, though this is only sung when the headmaster is in a particularly good mood and deems it appropriate (which is therefore why it was only known to have been commissioned once from 1991—1998). It doesn’t seem to conform to the strict opinions of older headmasters and headmistresses, such as Armando Dippet. As such it may be an invention of the relaxed Albus Dumbledore and certainly sounds like it’s of his invention.^[6] There is no standard rhythm to the song. Everyone can sing it how they like, as such the Weasley twins prefer a slow and deep style.