Head of House

Head of House is the title for a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is responsible for the one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. It is possible for a Head of House to serve concurrently as Deputy Head but not as Headmaster.

A Head of House must have been a member of that House while a student at Hogwarts. It is possible that a shortage of teachers who had been in Slytherin after the First Wizarding War paved the way for Severus Snape to become Head of that House at a remarkably young age for such a position. On the return to the Hogwarts Faculty of Horace Slughorn, who had been Head of House when Snape was a student, Snape jealously guarded the prerogatives of the Headship.

A Head of House is also in charge of discipline over its students as well as making decisions regarding the House's Quidditch team. A student's expulsion usually rests within the decision of the Head of the specific house; other Heads cannot interfere, with the exception of the Headmaster.

A Head of House also gives the fifth years of their House advice for the student's future career.

The precise mechanism by which a Head of House is chosen is not known, though it is likely they are appointed by the Headmaster of the school, as McGonagall appointed Slughorn as the interim Head of Slytherin when Snape had been temporarily relieved of his position at Hogwarts after killing Dumbledore.

Gryffindor

 * Godric Gryffindor (Medieval times)
 * Minerva McGonagall (1970s - 1998)

Hufflepuff

 * Helga Hufflepuff (Medieval times)
 * Pomona Sprout (? - ?)

Ravenclaw

 * Rowena Ravenclaw (Medieval times)
 * Filius Flitwick (? - ?)

Slytherin

 * Salazar Slytherin (Medieval times)
 * Horace Slughorn (? - 1981)
 * Severus Snape (1981 - 1997)
 * Horace Slughorn (1997 - ?)