Warning: Some of the content on this page contains major spoilers for the sxith book. All of the content is safe to read except for the Hogwarts Classes and House Cup sections.


A History of Hogwarts

Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago (the precise date is uncertain) by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built Hogwarts together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered severe persecution.

For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out the young who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

Reliable historical sources tell us this much, but these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing about. Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic. So far, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened twice, both by Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort).

General Facts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the few wizard schools mentioned in the Harry Potter series. We see two of these school in Harry's fourth year for the Triwizard Tournament. Hogwarts is protected from Muggles so they are not discovered. When Muggles walk by, they see the ancient remains of a castle instead of the wonderful place it really is. The school is protected from outside intrusion, so the only known way to get into the school is through the gates.

First year students come to Hogwarts by crossing the Lake in front of the castle, while all of the other students ride a carriage to the school. These carriages are pulled by Thestrals, which are black and skeletal, and can only be seen by a person after he or she has seen someone die.

Once inside the castle, first years are required to put on the Sorting Hat, which sorts them into the four house groups: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. All four houses have their strong and weak points, and all students are picked by the Sorting Hat to the group in which he or she would fit the best in. The house you are selected into will be the group of people you will live with throughout your seven years of school at Hogwarts before you are of age (seventeen years old). All houses have their own dormitories and common room.

Information

Hogwarts Houses - Information about the four Hogwarts Houses.

Hogwarts Classes - Information on the known subjects taught at Hogwarts.

Quidditch - Information on Quidditch at Hogwarts

House Cup - Information about the House Cup.

Sorting Hat - The songs of the Sorting Hat in Harry's six years at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts Houses

	Founder: Godric Gryffindor         Leader: Professor McGonagall         Ghost: Nearly Headless Nick         Colours: Gold and Scarlet         Animal: Lion
Founder: Salazar Slytherin Leader: Professor Snape Ghost: The Bloody Barron Colours: Green and Silver Animal: Serpant
	Founder: Helga Hufflepuff         Leader: Professor Sprout         Ghost: The Fat Friar         Colours: Yellow and Black         Animal: Badger
Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw Leader: Professor Flitwick Ghost: The Grey Lady Colours: Blue and Bronze Animal: Raven

Hogwarts Classes

*Note: Some of this content contains major plot spolers.* Below is a list of all of the known classes of Hogwarts as well as their respective teachers. Note that in the subject of Defense Against The Dark Arts, no one teacher has managed to stay for more than one year. Professor Quirrel, who had Lord Voldemort sharing his body, was killed. Lockhart, who didn't accomplish anything he said in his books, lost his memory down in the Chamber of Secrets when his Memory Charm backfired. Lupin was a werewolf, exposed by Snape, Alastor Moody was really Barty Crouch Jr., a Death Eater, in disguise. (We see the real Moody in Harry's fifth year.) Dolores Umbridge was a worker for the Ministry of Magic, trying to regulate the teaching material. She ended up being sacked. In Harry's sixth year, Professor Snape takes over, but in the end of the book joins the Death Eaters and kills Dumbledore. His true loyalty, however, is still uncertain. The teacher for Harry's seventh year, if Hogwarts is open, is unknown.


Ancient Runes
Teacher: Unknown


Arithmancy
Teacher: Professor Vector


Astronomy
Teacher: Professor Sinistra


Care of Magical Creatures
Teacher: Hagrid


Charms
Teacher: Professor Flitwick


Defense Against the Dark Arts
Teachers:
Book 1: Professor Quirrell
Book 2: Professor Lockhart
Book 3: Professor Lupin
Book 4: Professor Moody
Book 5: Professor Umbridge
Book 6: Professor Snape


Divination
Teachers:
Books 3-5: Professor Trelawney
Book 5 and 6: Firenze


Flying Lessons
Teacher: Madam Hooch


Herbology
Teacher: Professor Sprout


History of Magic
Teacher: Professor Binns


Muggle Studies
Teacher: Unknown


Potions
Teachers:
Book 1-5: Professor Snape
Book 6: Professor Slughorn


Transfiguration
Teacher: Professor McGonagall

The Hogwarts House Cup

*Note: Some of this content contains major spoilers.* The significance of the House Cup was stated by McGonagall in her first speech to the first year students. She said, "Your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor" (Sorcerer's Stone, chapter seven). Therefore, the actions of each student would either gain or lose points. Harry, however, often finds that rule breaking for a good cause is worth more than obiding by them. The actions ironically earn him a slew of house points, as seen in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.

The house cup during Harry's years at Hogwarts was one by the following houses:

First Year:
First Place - Gryffindor (482 points)
Second Place - Slytherin (472 points)
Third Place - Ravenclaw (426 points)
Fourth Place - Hufflepuff (352 points)

Second Year: - Gryffindor

Third Year: - Gryffindor

Fourth Year: - Unknown, due to the Triwizard Tournament, but black covered the Great Hall as a sign to remember Cedric Diggory (killed after the Third Task by Wormtail in the graveyard of Voldemort's family).

Fifth Year: - Again not known, but the contest was unfair due to Dolores Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad. Harry missed the end-of-year feast while talking to Nearly Headless Nick about Sirus's death.

Sixth Year: - The House Cup winner is unknown this year. There was no end-of-year feast because of the death of Professor Dumbledore.

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