Hogwarts Castle

"The castle is a stronghold of ancient magic."

- Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter

Hogwarts Castle is a wondrous, magical building with many towers and turrets, built over a thousand years ago by a wizard architect. It is home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If Muggles approach the castle, all they will see is a mouldering ruin with a sign warning them to keep out and that it is unsafe. It is also protected by numerous ancient spells and incantations to protect the inhabitants, strong enough to apparently resist the dispelling effects of the Taboo. Hogwarts is built in a forested area, and sits on the edge of the Black Lake. The castle is located in Scotland, near the village of Hogsmeade. The castle's architecture is always changing, a feature contributed by Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw.

Floor plan
Hogwarts Castle's floor plan is impossible to know, as it is always changing. However, some assumptions can be made, such as the Great Hall and the Entrance Hall are both on the ground floor.

Chamber of Secrets


"He was standing at the end of a long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more serpents, rose to a cieling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place"

- Harry, exploring the chamber

The Chamber of Secrets was allegedly created deep under the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle during Medieval times by Salazar Slytherin, who disagreed with the other Hogwarts Founders on the merits of blood purity. The Chamber of Secrets was home to an ancient Basilisk, which was intended to be used to purge the school of Muggle-born students. The entrance is found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor. One must say "open" in Parseltounge and a sink will open into a slide. This is the entrance. It is said that falling down the large, dark pipe, one can see hundreds of other pipes leading off theirs. At the end of the pipe, one is launched into a damp, stone chamber. This room is stated to be "miles beneath the school". The chamber starts to get smaller and darker as one progresses down a slimy hallway. Littering the floor of the tunnel, are many animal bones, such as rat skulls. A bend in the tunnel leads to yet another long twisted hallway. However, in this one, there is a gigantic snake-skin. The basilisk left it there. After this sight of snake-skin, there was just more tunnels that seemed to Harry to go on forever. More and more bends in the tunnel.

Finally, at the end of one tunnel, is just a solid wall. Engraved into the doorway, are two entertwined serpents with emerald-green eyes. These stone snakes only respond to "open" in Parseltounge, similar to the ones found in the bathroom entrance to the chamber. When qued to open, the halves slide apart, revealing the main chamber of the Chamber Of Secrets.

The main room is huge. the ceiling is so high, it becomes lost in darkness. Many pillars supported it, which had serpents entwined on them. They cast shadows throughout the chamber. Standing against the far wall is a huge statue of the chamber's creator, Salazar Slytherin.

Potions Classroom
The Potions Classroom is where Potions classes are taught. The classroom used to be squared-sized, very large, with large tables and windows. From 1995-onwards, the classroom was of an oval shape and relatively smaller, with small work tables. In 1996, the classroom was extended, adding space for more work tables.

Head of Slytherin's Office
The office used by Severus Snape during his long tenure as Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a gloomy and dimly-lit room found in the school Dungeons. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars filled with slimy, revolting things, such as bits of animals and plants, floating in potions of varying colours. Snape's collection grew over time – in 1994, Harry Potter noted there were more jars than in 1992, and by 1996, there were hundreds of them. The office had a fireplace. In a corner, there was a cupboard containing Snape's private stock of Potions ingredients. In 1997, the office also contained a table, but it is unknown if it had been there before. The office is sealed with a spell only wizards can break.

Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin Dungeon is located behind a wall in the cellars of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A Password spoken to the wall is required to enter it; whereupon a passage is revealed leading to the Common room -- a low-ceilinged, dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. This dungeon extends partway under the lake (which is why it has green-coloured lamps). The common room has lots of low backed black and dark green leather sofas with buttons, skulls, and dark wood cupboards. It has quite a grand atmosphere, but also quite a spooky, cold one.

Kitchens


The Hogwarts kitchen is located directly under the Great Hall, down the same staircase that leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It contains tables identical to those in the Great Hall and are directly below them; food must simply placed on the tables in the kitchens, and it magically appears in the Great Hall. The kitchens are staffed by over 100 house-elves including Dobby, Winky, and Kreacher (since Harry Potter inherited him and ordered him there). Helga Hufflepuff brought the House-elves to work in the kitchens as a way of ensuring they could work and not be abused. To gain access to the Kitchens, one must tickle the pear on a fruit portrait, which turns into a door knob.

Boathouse


The Boathouse is an underground harbour at Hogwarts where the boats are stored and where they dock when the First years arrive at Hogwarts Castle. By 1995 the portrait of Percival Pratt, used to hang on one of the walls, concealing a shortcut to the Grand Staircase. There are some rafters in the ceiling, that are used to store the small wooden boats. After Pratt's portrait was taken away from the Boathouse, there are only three entrances to this building: The path outside the Paved Courtyard, the stairs going down from the Entrance Courtyard, and the Lake.

Entrance Hall
The Hogwarts Entrance Hall is located on the ground floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with a wide marble staircase opposite the oak doors. Double doors to the right lead into the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff common room, the kitchens, the dungeons, and the Grand Staircase can also be accessed via the Entrance Hall. There is also an annex off the hall where Professor McGonagall speaks to first years before the Sorting ceremony at the beginning of each school year. The Goblet of Fire was placed in the Entrance Hall during the Triwizard Tournament. It is mentioned during the Battle of Hogwarts that there is a balcony above the Entrance Hall.

Entrance Hall Antechamber
The Entrance Hall Antechamber is a little building before the Entrance Hall where Professor Minerva McGonagall makes the first year students wait before the Sorting ceremony and the Welcoming Feast. This building became the Entrance Courtyard. The Entrance Hall Antechamber used to be one of the main entrances to the castle, the others being the Stone Circle and the Training Grounds.

Entrance Courtyard
The Entrance Courtyard is located in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most students witnessed the departure of Fred and George Weasley here. This courtyard replaced the Entrance Hall and Antechamber beyond 1994.

Great Hall


The Great Hall in Hogwarts is the main gathering area in the school. Students eat their meals, receive daily owl posts, and have certain special events. The Great Hall is a large hall that can easily hold all of the schools students, staff and guests. It has tall walls that reach up to the ceiling, which is enchanted to look like the sky above.

Staffroom
A long, panelled room with mismatched, dark wooden chairs. There is a wardrobe inside it which was once home to a Boggart before the 1993 Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, taught his third-year class how to vanquish it.

The entrance to this room is guarded by two stone gargoyles that can talk. These gargoyles were partially destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Caretaker's Office
The caretaker's office is the room where Argus Filch lives in Hogwarts Castle. It is connected to the Entrance Hall, in the Ground Floor of Hogwarts Castle. It's a small, simple, windowless room with a single oil lamp in the ceiling. It smells vaguely of fried fish. There are filing cabinets in it with details of the misdeeds of Hogwarts Students. Fred and George Weasley have an entire drawer to their own misdeeds. One of those cabinets is full of confiscated magic items marked "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous", in which Fred and George Weasley found the Marauder's Map. Harry found a Kwikspell letter in this office finding out Filch was a Squib. Mr. Filch keeps his chains and manacles (which are kept polished just in case) in this office.

Classroom Eleven
Classroom Eleven is a classroom on the ground floor of Hogwarts Castle. It was used by the Centaur Firenze, who taught the subject of Divination. Albus Dumbledore changed the room to look like the Forbidden Forest, Firenze's home.

Viaduct Entrance
A big Chamber in which connects the Viaduct to the First Floor. The Viaduct Entrance has a Staircase that leads to the First Floor Tapestry Corridor. This Chamber also leads to the Dungeons Corridor.

Paved Courtyard
This is one of the courtyards in Hogwarts. The fourth and first floor corridors pass around the courtyard while the third, fifth, second, sixth and seventh floors cut through it somehow.

History of Magic classroom
The History of Magic Classroom is where History of Magics classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The subject is taught by Professor Cuthbert Binns, widely regarded by almost all Hogwarts students as the most monotonous and boring teacher in existence. He is a ghost.

Muggle Studies Classroom
The Muggle Studies Classroom is where Muggle Studies classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hospital Wing (1992-1993)
The Hospital wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is run by Poppy Pomfrey. Students who suffer mishaps during the school year are sent or brought to the hospital wing for treatment. The hospital wing is well equipped to deal with all manner of magical and mundane injuries, from broken limbs to regrowing lost bones. Only in the most severe cases are students sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for further treatment, such as when Katie Bell touched a cursed Opal necklace in 1996.

Temporary Defence Against The Dark Arts Classroom
The Temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom was used by Professor Quirrell between the years 1991 and 1992 while the third floor corridor was out of bounds. It has four pillars and in the middle a pedestal for the teacher. The classroom entrance is around the Transfiguration Courtyard. In the 1991–1992 school year, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was Professor Quirinus Quirrell. He used a different classroom because the third floor corridor was forbidden. It was located on the first floor. The classroom smelled strongly of garlic, said to be protection against a vampire he'd met in Romania and feared was coming back to get him. They have covered the Curse of the Bogies and how to treat Werewolf bites.

Gryffindor Head's Office
The Gryffindor Head Office is positioned on a corridor which may be accesed by climbing the large staircase in Hogwarts' Entrance Hall. This office was occupied by Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, for many years.

Herbology Greenhouses
The greenhouses are located below the Bell Towers and are where many varieties of magical plants are grown. These plants are studied in Herbology classes, and are also sometimes used as potion ingredients.

Stone Bridge
The Stone Bridge connects the first floor corridor to Viaduct Entrance and Transfiguration Courtyard and Classroom.

Girl's Lavatory - Out of Order
This girls' lavatory (also known as Moaning Myrtle's bathroom) is situated on the first floor of Hogwarts Castle. It has been out of order ever since a student named Myrtle was killed there. Myrtle has haunted the bathroom ever since, leading it to be a place most students do not want to enter. This bathroom holds the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. To get in the Chamber, a person needs to say "open" in Parseltongue. This will cause the tap with a snake on the side (a tap which incidentally, never worked) to move into the floor, revealing a tunnel which leads downwards into the Chamber. The Girls Lavatory is located in a corridor that connects the Viaduct Entrance and the Stone Bridge to the Transfiguration Courtyard.

Entrance to Headmaster's Office (prior to 1995)
The doorway to the entrance's staircase is guarded by a gargoyle, and can only be accessed by using the correct password. Once the password has been spoken, the gargoyle rises up, revealing a spiral staircase. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, one will find themselves at the main door to the Headmaster's office. The passwords created by Dumbledore were always the name of of his ever-changing favourite sweet.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's Office
The office used by the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located on the first floor off the ground of the castle that holds Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is connected to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom by two staircases

Charms Classroom
The Charms Classroom is where Charms classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is located on the third floor.

The Charms Master is Filius Flitwick. The Charms classroom also happens to be where Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger learned one of their first spells, Wingardium Leviosa.

This class has quite a few lessons centered around theory, but there are still many lessons focusing on practical application. These lessons allow the students to actually use the charms they are being taught. The Hover Charm, Cheering Charm, Summoning Charm, Banishing Charm, Silencing Charm, and Drought Charm are just a few of the charms taught to students throughout this course. They have also learned to use charms to make a pineapple dance across the desk and how to create teacups with legs.

One-Eyed Witch Passage
The One-Eyed Witch Passage is a secret tunnel that leads from Hogwarts to the cellar of Honeydukes Sweetshop in Hogsmeade. Harry Potter first learned of it from Fred and George Weasley when they gave him the Marauder's Map in 1993.

Fred and George Weasley had used the passage to sneak supplies from Hogsmeade on many occasions. When they handed on the map to Harry, Harry used it to sneak into Hogsmeade on two occasions, until he was seen in Hogsmeade by Draco Malfoy when his invisibility cloak slipped and he narrowly missed being expelled. After that he did not use the passage again.

Trophy Room and Armour Gallery
The Trophy Room is a room on the Third Floor of the Hogwarts Castle. Awards, trophies, cups, plates, shields, statues, and medals are kept in crystal glass displays in this room. This room also contains a list of Head Boys and Head Girls. Prominently displayed are Hogwarts Awards for Services to the School, with known recipients being Tom Marvolo Riddle, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Probably, in 1995, the Triwizard Cup was placed here as well. The Trophy Room is connected to an Armour Gallery.

Third Floor Corridor
The Third Floor Corridor on the right hand side was out of bounds during the 1991–1992 school year at Hogwarts because it was the access point to the Chambers where the Philosopher's Stone was being hidden. Fluffy, a three-headed dog owned by Rubeus Hagrid, guarded a trap door that led into the Chambers. Towards the end of the school term, Professor Quirrell gained access to the trap door by enchanting a harp to play music which lulled Fluffy into a state of sleep.

Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom
The Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom is where Defence Against the Dark Arts class is taught. It is located on the third floor. In 1991, Professor Quirinus Quirrell taught in a different classroom because the third floor was out of bounds. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, as well as a Dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stands a projector that is activated by magic. Several desks and tables can be found in the classroom as well as some sets of large windows. The classroom decoration had several changes over the years, spanning from lots of pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart to tons of skeletons and Shrunken Heads.

Hospital Wing (1995-1996)
The Hospital wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is run by Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Students who suffer mishaps during the school year are sent or brought to the hospital wing for treatment. The hospital wing is well equipped to deal with all manner of magical and mundane injuries, from broken limbs to regrowing lost bones. Only in the most severe cases are students sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for further treatment, such as when Katie Bell touched a cursed Opal necklace in 1996.

Suspension Bridge
The Suspension Bridge is one of the three bridges at Hogwarts castle. It connects the third floor corridor to the Astronomy tower and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower.

Library
The Hogwarts Library is located at the fourth floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and contains tens of thousands of books on thousands of shelves. Overseen by Madam Irma Pince, the library is where students can go to peruse or borrow books to supplement their studies (or for personal enjoyment). The library closes at 8 pm.

Storage Room
This room is where the Mirror of Erised was kept from September to December 1991 and where Harry saw the image of himself and his deceased parents. After this it was moved under orders from Dumbledore in the hope that Harry would not go in search of it again.

Bathroom
This is the bathroom where Graham Montague appeared after entering the Vanishing Cabinet in 1995.

Prefects' bathroom
Hidden in the fifth door to the left of a statue of Boris the Bewildered. The door opens when given the correct password. There is large pool-like bath and many taps for different types of bubble baths and lotions. In one side of the room there are the stalls with toilets inside. Opposite of the toilets there is a large, swimming pool-like tub with faucets surrounding it. The faucets all run differently-coloured water, bubbles, and foam. Looking at the tub, one would imagine it would take quite some time to fill, but it actually fills remarkably fast, considering its size.

Boy's Lavatory
There is a passage leading from this bathroom to the seventh floor. Draco Malfoy was attacked by Harry Potter with Sectumsempra in this lavatory in 1997.



Study of Ancient Runes Classroom
The Study of Ancient Runes Classroom is where Study of Ancient Runes classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is located on the sixth floor of Hogwarts Castle. It includes some desks, a bookcase and a lectern for the professor.

Horace Slughorn's second office
This office is located on Hogwarts Castle's Sixth floor. Once used by then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Galatea Merrythought, it is now used by Horace Slughorn, Potions Master. Its use after Professor Merrythought's retirement in 1945 in not known, although it can be assumed that it was left unoccupied, as when Albus Dumbledore negotiated with Horace Slughorn that the latter resume his post of Potions master at Hogwarts in 1996, Slughorn demanded that he receive this particularly large office, implying that no other teacher had been using it. Fairly roomy, this office included a fireplace with two large sofas surrounding it, a round dinner table big enough to sit ten people and access to a private balcony. It had enough space to hold a Christmas party. Also, the room has two entrance doors, with at least one connecting to the sixth floor.

Seventh Floor
There are entrances to Gryffindor Tower and the North Tower on this floor.

Ravenclaw Head's Office
The Ravenclaw Head's office is the thirteenth window from the right of the west tower. This was where Sirius Black was held captive, awaiting the Dementor's Kiss in 1993. He was rescued by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and escaped on Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

Entrance to Headmaster's Office (1996 and after)
The doorway to the entrance's staircase is guarded by a gargoyle, and can only be accessed by using the correct password. Once the password has been spoken, the gargoyle rises up, revealing a spiral staircase. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, one will find themselves at the main door to the Headmaster's office. The passwords created by Dumbledore were always the name of of his ever-changing favourite sweet.

Room of Requirement
The Room of Requirement is a secret room in Hogwarts that only appears when a person is in great need of it. The room then transforms itself into whatever the witch or wizard needs it to be at that moment. It is believed that the room is Unplottable, as it does not appear on the Marauder's Map, nor do its occupants, although this could simply be because James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew never found the room.



Arithmancy classroom
The Arithmancy Classroom is where Arithmancy classes are taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's located on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle. It includes number charts, a blackboard and large rows of tables for students to sit in.

Astronomy Tower
The Astronomy Tower is the tallest tower at Hogwarts Castle surrounded by a parapet and turret. It is where students study the stars and planets through their telescopes in Astronomy lessons with Professor Aurora Sinistra. This is usually done at midnight where the stars are best seen. The tower is usually out-of-bounds except for classes. All the way down from the boathouse you can see the huge window of the Astronomy Tower.

Bell Towers
The Bell Towers are two towers that rise over the main entrance to the Herbology Greenhouses. Between the two towers are a set of double wooden doors which lead along the first floor corridor. Inside the left Bell Tower is Filch's Office.In the first two films, the towers were quite short and had small "balcony-like areas" below the turrets at the top. From the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, they changed to being taller, thinner, having taller spires and no "balcony-like area".

Central Tower
The Central Tower is one of the three main towers in the castle and it overlooks the Viaduct Entrance. In the first two films, the tower was quite short and had small "balcony-like areas" below the turrets at the top. From the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, it changed to being taller, thinner, having taller spires and no "balcony-like area".

Clock Tower


The Clock Tower doesn't begin at the Ground Floor level. Because it's placed on top of a hill, the Tower begins at the Third Floor level. When you enter the Tower, there's a huge space, like an Entrance Hall with flights of wooden stairs at the right and left side. The first landing is at the Fourth Floor level. It's at this landing that are the clock's gears and face. A long corridor with an entrance to the Hospital Wing is at this landing. This same corridor connects the Tower to the remaining castle. If you go up another flight of wooden stairs, you will get to another landing, this time at the Fifth Floor level. It's in this landing that are the clock's bells; some massive gold and copper bells. There is another corridor at this landing; like the other, it links the Tower to the main castle.

Dark Tower
The Dark Tower overlooks the Transfiguration Courtyard. At the top of the tower is a small cell where Sirius Black was held in 1994, before he was to receive the Dementor's Kiss. (This tower only appears in the film adaptations of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, and was replaced by the Astronomy Tower in Half-Blood Prince.)

Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower
The Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower overlooks the Suspension Bridge. The contents of this tower remained even though the tower was deleted in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Gryffindor Tower
Gryffindor Tower is located behind the portrait of the Fat Lady on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle. A Password is required to enter it, which is spoken to the portrait. A circular hole is behind the painting, leading to the Common room, which is a circular room where Gryffindor students can relax after a long day of studying. The Common room is full of squashy armchairs, tables, and a bulletin board where school notices, ads, lost posters, etc. can be posted. A window looks out onto the grounds of the school, and a large fireplace dominates one wall.

The Common room is usually where celebration parties are held after Gryffindor Quidditch victories, or when Harry Potter completed a task for the Triwizard Tournament. It was also the location for Harry and Ginny Weasley's first kiss following Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup victory in 1997. The Common room fireplace was used on several occasions by Sirius Black to contact Harry while he was on the run from the Ministry of Magic.

The Gryffindor dormitories are also located in the Tower, with two doors leading off from the Common room that open to spiral staircases. One of them leads to the girls dormitory, the other to the boys. The stairs to the girls dormitories are enchanted to become a slide if any boy attempts to climb them, but not vice versa, since it was deemed that girls were more trustworthy than boys.

In the films, the Gryffindor Tower isn't one of the three main towers, and it is located on one corner of the Paved Courtyard. However, in the third film and fifth and sixth video game adaptations, Gryffindor does not have its own tower, but the common room is at the top of the Grand Staircase Tower.

Headmaster's Tower


The Headmaster's office is located within this tower. Prior to 1995, the entrance was located on the second floor. However, this changed to the Seventh Floor sometime before the 1996–1997 school year. To gain entrance, a password must be given to a stone gargoyle, which will move aside at the correct password to reveal a spiral staircase with moving steps. The office is a circular room with windows, decorated with portraits of previous Headmasters including Dilys Derwent and Phineas Nigellus Black. Many magical instruments are kept here, such as the Sorting Hat and the Pensieve.

North Tower
The North Tower is one of the many towers in the castle. The tower is the location for Divination classes and the Divination teacher's office. The entrance consists of a ladder leading through a trap door.

Ravenclaw Tower
The Ravenclaw Tower is located on the west side of Hogwarts, the staircase leading up to the common room is presumably located on the fifth floor, and is the location of the Ravenclaw common room and dormitories. The entrance to the room is at the top of a spiral staircase, and is a door without doorknob or keyhole but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. In order to enter the room, you must answer a question asked by the eagle knocker; if you answer wrong, you must wait for someone who gets it right.

Training Grounds Tower
The Training Grounds Tower is at the north of the castle and overlooks part of the Training Grounds. In 1996 the tower was replaced in a form of another bell tower.

Gamekeeper's Hut
The gamekeeper's hut is located on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, lived here for many years. This hut is more commonly referred to as 'Hagrid's hut,' although many of Hagrid's predecessors have lived in the hut too.

The Forbidden Forest


The Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students, as it home to many types of dangerous and foreign creatures, such as centaurs, Thestrals, unicorns, Hippogriffs and Acromantula. Hagrid once hid his giant half-brother, Grawp within the trees of this forest. Students serving detention sentences with Hagrid with often find themselves in the forest. Harry, Ron and Hermione paid many visits into the forest for various reasons, sometimes accompanied by Hagrid and Fang, other times alone.

Greenhouses and Gardens
There are at least three greenhouses in which Herbology classes are held, under Professor Sprout's supervision. Greenhouse three is restricted to students as it houses dangerous plants such as Venomous Tentaculas, Mandrakes, and others.

The Lake


The Hogwarts Lake is a large body of water located to the south of the castle. It is about half a mile in diameter and the Hogwarts plumbing network drains into it. It is home to a giant squid and a colony of Merpeople. The lake was also used as the site of the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Quidditch Pitch


The school has its own Quidditch pitch where each house's Quidditch teams practice and play games against each other. Each year will see a total of six inter-house matches, along with numerous training sessions by each house team.

Quidditch Gate
The Quidditch Gate is the entrance to the Quidditch Pitch. It is flanked by two stone structures which resemble two of the spectator towers surrounding the pitch. Inside the gate, several trophies and shields are housed. Through the gates leads to a steep winding downhill decent from the vicinity of the Owlery and the Covered Bridge.

Entrance Gates


The Entrance Gates to Hogwarts are located a short distance from Hogsmeade Station. The gates would be opened on the first day of term and carriages pulled by Thestrals would take students up to the castle. The Entrance Gates are made of magnificiant wrought iron and are flanked by two columns topped with statues of winged boars. Just a few yards from the gates is a small guardhouse with a tall chimney. During the 1993–1994 school year, the gates were guarded by Dementors attempting to apprehend Sirius Black. In 1996, before the students traveled past the gates, Professor Flitwick and Argus Filch stood guard checking off the names of students and searching them before allowing them to continue up to Hogwarts.

Clock Tower Courtyard
The Clock Tower Courtyard is a cloister on the base of the Clock Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This cloister seems to be one of the older parts of the castle and the ceiling and walls are dilapidated. It also leads to the Covered Bridge.

Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge is a feature of Hogwarts Castle. The bridge appears derelict, and is constructed of wood beams which extend to the floor of the ravine it lays across. The roof of the Covered Bridge is sagging and appears thatched and tarred. The bridge blends in with the natural environment surrounding it.

The Covered Bridge begins at one end of the Clock Tower Courtyard, at the base of the Clock Tower. At the end of the covered bridge there is a small stone gazebo with benches. Outside of it is the Stone Circle. Given its unstable look it is possibly held up by magic.

Book of Monster's Repair Workshop
The Book of Monster's Repair Workshop is one of the rooms at Hogwarts Castle that is seen on the Marauder's Map. It is, presumably, the place where damaged copies of The Monster Book of Monsters are repaired.

Cauldron cupboard
The Cauldron cupboard is one of the rooms seen on the Marauder's Map. It is possibly a store room where cauldrons are kept.

It is possible that the cupboard to be close to the Potions Classroom or Snape's provision cupboard.

Glanmore Peakes' Corridor
The Glanmore Peakes' Corridor is a corridor located on the sixth floor of Hogwarts Castle. This corridor is named after Glanmore Peakes, famous slayer of the Sea Serpent of Cromer. There are some display cabinets with skeletons of beasts. There is also a portrait of Glanmore Peakes, namesake of the corridor, in on of the walls. This corridor links to the East Wing of the Castle. There is also a door to a Bathroom, that Fred and George Weasley used as a store.

Stink Bomb Store
The Stink Bomb Store is one of the rooms seen on the Marauder's Map. It is possibly an illegal store, because when a Hogwarts Professor bursts in the students inside it run out of the room. It is (possibly) the place where Stink Bombs and Dungbombs are sold.

On the Marauders Map the Stink Bomb Store is close to the Room of Roons(Doom)

Behind the scenes
"When it came to the third movie, Alfonso really wanted to put his mark on the films. And then a lot of things altered: anything from character looks, to the actual layout of Hogwarts itself."

- Warwick Davis


 * When explaining the concept of Legilimency to Harry Potter, Snape said that many ancient spells and charms gaurd the Hogwarts walls and grounds, ensuring the inhabitants safety.
 * Throughout the Harry Potter films, Hogwarts Castle has changed significantly:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
In the Philosopher's Stone film, only the parts of the castle that were needed for the film were created. This means that many areas of Hogwarts were missed. Areas of the castle included in the movie were:
 * The Great Hall
 * The Grand Staircase Tower
 * The Entrance Hall Antechamber
 * The Viaduct
 * The Viaduct Entrance
 * The Central Tower
 * The Bell Towers
 * The Defence Against the Dark Arts tower
 * The Training Grounds Tower
 * The Transfiguration Courtyard
 * The Paved Courtyard
 * The Training Grounds
 * The Stone Bridge
 * The Suspension Bridge
 * The Boathouse
 * Hagrid's Hut
 * The Quidditch Pitch

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
In the Chamber of Secrets film, there are a couple small changes:
 * The Training Grounds Tower's design has been changed, it now looks similar to the Clock Tower, only without the clock.
 * The Greenhouses are added to the east corner of the castle below the Bell Towers.
 * The Whomping Willow is added to the Training Grounds. It is possible that the Whomping Willow was there in Philosopher's Stone, but it was never shown.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Prisoner of Azkaban film sees the most drastic changes to the castle in the series. But, the main shape of Hogwarts is still there. These changes probably came about because of the new director, Alfonso Cuarón. These are some of the main changes that are seen in this movie:
 * The Clock Tower, Clock Tower Courtyard, the Covered Bridge and Stone Circle are added to the back of the castle.
 * The Central Tower and Bell Towers now have different shapes.
 * The Dark Tower is added in between the DADA Tower and Central Tower.
 * Hagrid's Hut is moved down the hill at the back of the castle and a Pumpkin Patch is added.
 * The Whomping Willow is moved to somewhere past Hagrid's Hut away from the castle.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In the Goblet of Fire movie, we see these changes:
 * The Entrance Hall Antechamber which appeared in the first three movies is changed to the Entrance Courtyard.
 * The Owlery is added on a hill behind the castle.
 * The Great Hall's structure has been lowered and three towers instead of two now stand on top of it.
 * A path from the Boathouse to the Paved Courtyard is added.
 * A new entrance to the Paved Courtyard is added.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix film sees the least changes as nothing noticable happens to the castle. However:
 * The cones on the four smaller towers in front of the Central Tower are made taller.
 * Cones are added to the turrets of the Clock Tower Courtyard.
 * The Stone Circle is removed from the entrance to the Covered Bridge.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In the Half-Blood Prince film, there are two major changes from the earlier films:
 * The Astronomy Tower is added which means that the DADA Tower and Dark Tower are removed.
 * The Training Grounds Tower is replaced by another smaller bell tower.
 * The Entrance Gates are added further down the hill to the back of Hogwarts. It is possible that these were present in the three previous film adaptations but were not shown.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
In a trailer of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, we get only a glimpse of the castle. However, there are these noticable changes:
 * Entrance Courtyard: It has been enlarged. Also, an archway opposite to the Entrance Hall doors connects it to the New Viaduct and the floor has been Hogwarts_Post-Battle.jpgied. It is unknown whether it is still linked to the Viaduct Entrance by the Old Viaduct or the two viaducts are the same.
 * Viaduct Entrance: The four towers around it have been made bigger. It is unknown whether it is still linked with the Entrance Courtyard by the Old Viaduct or the two Viaducts are the same.
 * The Quad: One of the towers around the courtyard (the one connected to the Stone Bridge) has been enlarged. A new bridge has been added to the tower, connecting it to a completely new little tower. The exchange between Harry and Voldemort, during which Voldemort asks "Why do you live?" likely takes place inside one of these towers.
 * Boathouse: It has a new design.
 * Hogwarts Towers: The Astronomy Tower is still there, the Bell Towers too. It seems that the Central Tower has been shortened, but this is not confirmed.
 * New Viaduct: It has been created. An archway connects it to the Entrance Courtyard, opposite to the Entrance Hall doors, most likely to connect the Entrance Courtyard to the Forbidden Forest to film Harry's death. It is supposed that some scenes will be located there as the set was built.
 * Great Hall: The window pattern has changed.
 * The castle burning in the poster is actually the look of Hogwarts in Half Blood Prince.
 * The new tower and viaduct can be clearly seen in the new Harry Potter pop up book's cover by conceptual artist Andrew 51y7vFT8xML._SS500_.jpgamson.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
A castle has been built in Universal Orlando Studios for the Forbidden Journey in the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park". It includes: Although it is based on the castle seen in Half-Blood Prince, most of it is missing and it differs greatly from the one seen in the films:
 * The Great Hall
 * The Grand Staircase Tower
 * The Astronomy Tower
 * The Viaduct and Viaduct Entrance
 * The Entrance Courtyard and the Stone Bridge
 * Hagrid's Hut and the Whomping Willow
 * The Viaduct isn't connected to the Entrance Courtyard.
 * The Great Hall is not connected to the Grand Staircase Tower.
 * The Astronomy Tower takes the place of the Central Tower.
 * The Stone Bridge is only connected to the Grand Stairase Tower.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The castle seen during the ride is Hogwarts as seen in ''Half-Blood Prince', but there are some differences:
 * The new Boathouse from Deathly Hallows is added.
 * A skinnier version of the new tower seen in the Deathly Hallows trailers, adjacent to the Stone Bridge Tower, can be seen.

The Queen's Handbag
The castle seen here is the same as seen in the first film.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Hogwarts is to be feature in the new game LEGO Harry Potter. It seems to be based on the castle shown in Prisoner of Azkaban, although it is based on the first four films. We presume this because it includes the Entrance Hall Antechamber which only appears in the first three films; and also the Central and Bell Towers have the shape used from the third film onwards. However, The Clock Tower is not connected to the castle like in the films. Also, it seems that the Whomping Willow will change location from the second to third year as it does in the films.

Origin of name
Before the Four Wizards built the castle, the site was a rocky hill beside the loch; there may have been remains of older fortifications on the site. The name 'Hogwarts' looks as if it may derive from Old Norse Hǫggvar virki = "the fortification belonging to (a Viking called) Hǫggvi"; the name Hǫggvi would be his shipboard nickname, not his birth-name, and means "the one who slays" or the like. (The name Hogsmeade (the village) looks like that it may have derived from Old Norse Hǫggvar smiðja = "Hǫggvi's smithy".)

=Notes and references=

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