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The Middle Courtyard[1] (also known as the Transfiguration Courtyard) was one of the cloisters in the inner part of Hogwarts Castle.

Description[]

This courtyard had grass in the open area, in which a big tree grew over the centuries. There was one massive iron armillary sphere that stood in the centre of the courtyard.[2] During the late 19th century, the Armilliary sphere was decorated with a Wyvern Fountain. According to Sir Cadogan, the Wyvern was supposed to represent the Wyvern of Wye that he slew, although the Wizard's Field Guide stated that wasn't the case.[3]

History[]

On 2 September 1890, Abraham Ronen gave his new student an assignment to repair the courtyard's broken statue, which allegedly symbolised heartbreak.[4]

Students running after Leta Lestrange in courtyard

Student's running after Leta in courtyard

In 1910, Leta Lestrange, Professor Minerva McGonagall, and several other students ran in the corridors of this courtyard after Leta used Oscausi on a Gryffindor girl.[5]

The Transfiguration department was located somewhere near here as well as Classroom 1B.[6]

During the 1996–1997 school year, this courtyard was used as the location for which the Ravenclaw Duelling Club operated.[7]

Behind the scenes[]

MiddleCourtyardthroughthefilms

The Middle Courtyard through the films

  • In the first two films, the scenes in this courtyard were filmed in the cloister of Durham Cathedral. However, in the fourth film, the location used was the New College (Oxford) and a big tree is shown in a corner. In the third video game, the courtyard is similar with the courtyard from the first film, but with a large pond instead of a fountain. The Oxford courtyard is also seen in the fifth video game but with a smaller tree and slightly different cloister windows. The courtyard shown in the sixth film (and video game) was built in Leavesden studios, most likely to accommodate the addition of the Astronomy Tower. The set has now been renovated into the newly enlarged Entrance Courtyard for Deathly Hallows.
  • Despite being on the Ground floor, the courtyard is incorrectly shown to be on the First floor in the fifth and sixth video games. This is because the games placed the courtyard inside the Long Gallery and used a decoy for the courtyard's real location, for unknown reasons.
  • The courtyard from first two films is similar to the courtyard from the sixth film and video game, except the new one has the Astronomy tower.
  • The Courtyard's centre fountain's shape changed during the middle of the first film (when Harry released Hedwig to the winter sky), but it was restored after the scene
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, Harry appears to fly over the cloister of Durham Cathedral even though scenes of the First Task were filmed in the Oxford Courtyard. However, in the Hogwarts Castle replica of that film, a new courtyard is shown (see image on the left), closer to the Quad seen in the second film.
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the entrance to the Headmaster's office is located here. But by the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it has moved to the Entrance Courtyard.
  • In the PS1 adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone this is where Harry was taught to fly by Madam Hooch, and is known as the Flying Practice Area.
  • It is interesting to notice that the structure of the cloister with the towers surrounding it (except Astronomy Tower) is similar to the the one from the cloister and towers from Durham Cathedral.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

Ground floor of Hogwarts Castle
Bathrooms
Boys' toilets · Haunted Toilets
Classrooms
Classroom Eleven · Classroom 1B · Temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom · Transfiguration department
Corridors & Bridges
Corridor off the Entrance Hall · Courtyard corridor · Great Hall balcony · Ground-floor corridor · Herbology corridor · Musical corridor · Owl Corridor · Oxford Corridor · Quad balcony · Staffroom passage · Suspension Bridge · Terrace · Tracery Hall · Viaduct
Courtyards
Astronomy Tower courtyard · Central tower courtyard · Courtyard · Middle Courtyard · Northern Courtyard · Northern Courtyard Annex · North Tower courtyard · Paved grounds · The Quad · Storeroom courtyard · Viaduct Courtyard · West Tower courtyard
Halls and rooms
Bean Bonus Room · Bell Tower Entrance Hall · Central Hall · Chamber off the Great Hall · Chamber of Reception · Duelling Club room · Entrance Hall · Great Foyer · Great Hall · Ground-floor green room · Hall of Herodiana · House Point Ceremony chamber · Link Building · Out Of Bounds · Portrait Room · Resting chamber of Lord Voldemort · Side chamber · Staffroom · Suspension Bridge entrance · Training Grounds Entrance · Viaduct Entrance · Suspension Bridge foyer
Offices
Room 234-00
Other locations
Keep Out! · Secret student sweetshop · Viaduct Courtyard Gatehouses · West Well
Portraits, statues and other artwork
Architect of Hogwarts · Brian Gagwilde · Broken Broom · Circe · First Headmaster of Hogwarts · Gargoyles at the staff room entrance · George von Rheticus · Giffard Abbott · Girl with flowers · Glanmore Peakes · Godric Gryffindor · Google Stump · Greta Catchlove · Heath Heatherton · Henry Bumblepuft · Jocunda Sykes · Kelpie Statue · Lonely Male Gargoyle · Lonely Male Gargoyle's friend · Medieval couple · Merwyn the Malicious · Mirabella Plunkett · Miserable Female Gargoyle · Norvel Twonk · Pangur Donn · Old Posh Baron · People watching Quidditch · Sarcastic Male Gargoyle · Staring Portrait · Statue symbolising heartbreak · Professor Swoopstikes · Sylvia Pembroke · Temeritus Shanks · Timothy the Timid · Violet · Wizard with a walrus moustache · Wyvern Fountain
Staircases
Boathouse Steps · Faculty Tower staircase · Grand Staircase · Marble Staircase · Slughorn's Stairs · Staircase to the Entrance Dungeon · Staircase to the Serpentine corridor · Staircase to the second-floor corridor · Staircase to the third-floor corridor · Turris Magnus staircase
Storerooms
Artefact Room · Broom cupboard (Entrance Hall) · Broom cupboard (ground floor) · Herbology Store · Storage Cupboard · Storeroom
Hogwarts Duelling Club
Rematchbadge
Duelling Club Captains
Hogwarts: Gilderoy Lockhart · Severus Snape
Gryffindor: Angus Matlock
Hufflepuff: Duelling Club Captain
Ravenclaw: Alannis
Slytherin: Duelling Club Captain
Duelling Club Members
Gryffindor: Edward · Emily · Harry Potter · Hermione Granger · Neil Randall · Neville Longbottom · Romilda Vane · Ronald Weasley · Seamus Finnigan · Stewart
Hufflepuff: Anthony Otterburn · Heather · Justin Finch-Fletchley · Karl Limpley · Kouta Ohnishi · Rhonda Fladbury
Ravenclaw: Andrew · Helen Dawlish · Fawcett · Rebecca · Shoma Ichikawa · Terry Boot · Trevor Birch
Slytherin: Bridget · Draco Malfoy · Fergus Cowley · Irfan Mustaq · Maynard Hatton · Millicent Bulstrode · Peter · Rachel · Roy
Badges
Crossfire Badge · Defender Badge · Duelling Beginner's Luck Badge · Duelling Club Champion Badge · Duelling Veteran Badge · Keen Duellist Badge · Master Duellist Badge · Nine Lives Badge · Persistence Badge · Reflex Badge
Duelling Club locations
Great Hall · Middle Courtyard · The Quad · Training Grounds
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