Great Hall

The Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle is the main gathering area in the school located off the Entrance Hall. Students eat their meals, receive daily owl post, and have certain special events here. The Great Hall is a large hall that can easily hold all of the school's students, staff, and guests. It has tall walls that reach up to the ceiling, which is covered with candles and enchanted to look like the sky above. At the front of the hall, is the staff table, which is designed to house the entire Hogwarts staff. The highlight of the table is the throne-like chair in the centre of the table where the current Headmaster or Headmistress sits. To the left of the table is a door which leads to a chamber with portraits.

Welcoming Feast
The Welcoming Feast is a traditional part of the school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, held in the Great Hall. It is on the first night following the arrival of the students from the Hogwarts Express, the Welcoming Feast is notable for including the Sorting of all new students into their houses.

Duelling Club
A Duelling Club was started by Professor Lockhart when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, during the 1992–1993 school year. He was given permission to teach students how to duel, in an attempt to help them learn to protect themselves. Lockhart was joined by Professor Snape, who worked as his assistant.

Halloween feast


The Halloween Feast at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry occurs on the 31st October every year. Usually the Halloween Feast is festooned with sweets-filled pumpkins, bats, orange streamers, water snakes and all sorts of Halloween-related decorations. There is usually some entertainment at the end, this may be by the Hogwarts Ghosts who pop out of the walls and do formation gliding. It's an highly anticipated feast which most Hogwarts students look forward to every year.

Yule Ball


The Yule Ball is a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, though not regularly held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a formal dance held on Christmas night of a tournament year, and is opened by the tournament champions and their partners. At Hogwarts, where the Yule Ball was held in 1994, only students of fourth year or above were permitted to attend, though younger students could also go if an older student invited them to accompany them. The ball began at 8:00 p.m. and ended at midnight.

Christmas Feast
The Christmas Feast is held on Christmas Day. It is attended by the teachers and any students that have chosen to remain at Hogwarts over the Christmas Holidays. The feast is prepared by the House-elves in the kitchens, and consisted of a hundred fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roasted and boiled potatoes, platters of fat chipolatas, tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce. For desert flaming Christmas puddings were served, with silver sickles hidden within the pudding. There are also suprise firecrackers, which, when popped, give forth a gift.

Apparition Lessons
Apparition is an optional twelve-week class offered at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for, as its name suggests, learning how to Apparate. The class begins shortly after the Christmas Holidays and is offered to students who are seventeen, or who will turn seventeen during the school year, and costs twelve Galleons. It was taught by Ministry of Magic employee Wilkie Twycross in 1997.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations


An O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) is a subject-specific test taken during Hogwarts students' Fifth year, administrated by the Wizarding Examinations Authority. The score made by a student on a particular O.W.L. determines whether or not he or she will be allowed to continue taking that subject in subsequent school years.

During these examinations a giant clock face and a huge swinging pendulum are placed at the far end of the hall in order for students and examiners to keep an eye on the time.

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests
N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) are subject-specific exams that seventh year wizards and witches at Hogwarts take to help place them in a position at the Ministry of Magic. As not all wizards pass or even take the N.E.W.T.s, they can find other jobs using their O.W.L. results.

End-of-Term Feast
The End-of-Term Feast (or Leaving Feast) is a traditional part of the school year at Hogwarts, held in the Great Hall. It occurs on the last night of the term; the Feast is notable for including the awarding of the House Cup to the house with the highest points.

Other uses
Over the years it has had many other uses including:


 * Sometime in the early 20th century, when Professor Dippet was Headmaster, the hall was used to host a play version of The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Since it ended in disasterous results, the staff decided never to put on a play ever again.
 * In 1992, Professor Lockhart held the Duelling Club in the hall. In 1996, it was used again as the Gryffindor Duelling Club location.
 * In 1993 the students were forced to sleep there over night in sleeping bags after Sirius Black broke in.
 * On Christmas Day, 1994, the Yule Ball, which is part of the Triwizard Tournament, took place in the Great Hall. The hall served several purposes this night; as a socialsing area, a stage for the performing band, and a dance floor for all attendants of the ball.
 * In 1997 the sixth year students that signed up for Apparition lessons began thus in the Great Hall due to weather conditions, before moving the class to the grounds.
 * On 2 May, 1998 the final battle between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter took place here as the conclusion to the Battle of Hogwarts and the Second Wizarding War, and became Voldemort's death-place. It also served as a holding area for the dead and injured from the battle.
 * The Divination Workshop is held in the Great Hall at 12:45. This suggests that lunch in the hall is to be finished by that time.

Behind the scenes

 * The design for the Great Hall set in the films was based on the dining hall at Christ Church, Oxford.
 * The enchanted ceiling is only seen once during the daytime in the films (the majority of the time it simply being absent), however in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, during the 5th Year OWL exams the sky can be clearly blue with a few clouds as Fred and George's fireworks go off.
 * Bellatrix Lestrange also wrecked the Great Hall in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but this must have been a detour as Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Fenrir Grayback and Thorfinn Rowle walked from the Astronomy Tower to Hagrid's Hut, the Great Hall is not between these two locations, and from the way they were exiting means they must have either come from the back of the Great Hall or the Trophy Room. This most likeley is an error in the film.
 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry and Voldemort duel at the Entrance Courtyard instead of the Great Hall, although the duel between Bellatrix Lestrange and Molly Weasley still takes place here.
 * The film layout of the tables contrasts with that of the books, which suggests that the tables run parallel to the main doors.
 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Headmaster Severus Snape held a spontaneous assembly, to which all Hogwarts students attended, to inform the students that Harry Potter had recently been sighted in Hogsmeade, and that helping him enter the castle would result in severe punishment. To this, Harry himself stepped forward from the crowd, accusing Professor Snape of murdering Albus Dumbledore. This ultimately resulted in the duel between Professors Snape and McGonagall, and then in the sacking of Professor Snape.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets

Notes and references
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