98 Fun Facts About Hogwarts

In which region was Hogwarts founded?

The Scottish Highlands: enchantments keep Muggles from seeing the school, which to them looks like an abandoned old castle.

Which of Hogwarts' four founders first owned the Sorting Hat?

Godric Gryffindor: yet his old hat still thought about putting Harry in Slytherin.

How do first-years get from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts?

Boat: Hagrid escorts them from the station across the lake to the castle.

Rowling said she may have unknowingly borrowed the name Hogwarts from plants she once saw where?

Kew Gardens: a friend reminded Rowling of plants they had seen there with a similar name, which she had forgotten.

What is the name of the three-headed dog that guards a trapdoor at Hogwarts?

Fluffy: Hagrid lets slip that music sends him to sleep, so Harry later lulls him with a flute.

The word "hogwarts" appears once in which 1939 novel?

Finnegans Wake: Rowling thought she had made the name up, but Joyce had already slipped 'hogwarts' into a string of invented words.

Which Hogwarts professor hides Voldemort's face under his turban in Harry's first year?

Quirinus Quirrell: he jinxed Harry's broom, while Snape, the teacher Harry suspected all year, was really trying to save him.

Which huge creature lives in the Hogwarts lake alongside merpeople and grindylows?

A giant squid: the same lake later hosts the Triwizard Tournament's second task, where Harry must rescue a friend from its depths.

Which deadly creature emerges from the Chamber of Secrets?

A Basilisk: its direct gaze kills, but the students it petrified in Harry's second year had seen it only indirectly.

Which student is forced by Voldemort to open the Chamber of Secrets?

Ginny Weasley: Lucius Malfoy had slipped Tom Riddle's old enchanted diary into her cauldron, and it took hold of her.

Where in Hogwarts does Dumbledore's Army secretly meet during Order of the Phoenix?

The Room of Requirement: when the group is exposed, Dumbledore claims he formed it himself, saving Harry from expulsion.

What does Draco secretly repair to smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts?

A Vanishing Cabinet: its twin stands in Borgin and Burkes, so mending the school's one lets Death Eaters step straight through.

Who voices the Sorting Hat in the films?

The hat was originally Godric Gryffindor's, and it announces each first-year's House to the whole hall.

Where in Hogwarts is the House Cup presented at the end of each school year?

The Great Hall: in Harry's first year, extra points for his and his friends' heroism snatched the Cup from Slytherin at the last moment.

Which of Harry's friends become prefects?

Ron and Hermione: Percy, estranged from the rest of his family, still writes to congratulate Ron.

Whom does Harry accidentally inflate before his third year?

Aunt Marge: Harry then storms out and runs away from the Dursleys' house to London.

From which London station does the Hogwarts Express depart?

King's Cross: Rowling's own parents had first met on a train that left from there.

When writing about Platform 9¾, Rowling later said she had been picturing which other London station?

Euston: she was thinking of its layout, which is why her description of platforms 9 and 10 doesn't match the real station.

Which London hotel's frontage stood in for the Hogwarts Express station's exterior in the films?

The St Pancras Renaissance: the films shot platform scenes inside the real station but used its grander Gothic neighbour for the outside.

How do students get onto Platform 9¾ to catch the Hogwarts Express?

Walk through a barrier: when it sealed shut in Harry's second year, he and a friend flew an enchanted car to school instead.

Which North Yorkshire Moors station played Hogsmeade Station in the films?

The village had already served as Aidensfield in the TV series Heartbeat.

Which railway landmark does the Hogwarts Express famously cross in the films?

Glenfinnan Viaduct: the films drew so many fans onto the line that they were warned after near misses with trains.

Which Northumberland castle was used for many Hogwarts exterior scenes in the films?

Alnwick Castle: yet many views of the school came from filming a detailed scale model.

Which part of Hogwarts does the ghost Moaning Myrtle haunt?

A girls' bathroom: it hides the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and it is where Myrtle died when the Chamber was last opened.

Which Hogsmeade sweet shop has a secret passage to Hogwarts in its cellar?

Honeydukes: when Harry can't join the Hogsmeade trips, a magical map shows him this secret way into the village.

Who owns the Hog's Head, the filthy pub where Trelawney made her prophecy?

Aberforth Dumbledore: in Deathly Hallows he sends Dobby to rescue Harry from Malfoy Manor, then lets the trio into Hogwarts by a secret passage.

The Shrieking Shack was built as a hiding place for which Hogwarts student?

Remus Lupin: villagers heard the young werewolf howling there each month, and a rumour spread that the shack was haunted.

The tunnel to the Shrieking Shack starts beneath which tree?

The Whomping Willow: the flying car Harry arrives in during his second year crashes into it, landing him in detention.

Where in Hogsmeade do Harry and Cho spend their Valentine's Day date?

Madam Puddifoot's: but the romance doesn't last, and the pair split up before that school year is out.

Which subject is taught by Hogwarts' only ghost professor?

History of Magic: Professor Binns dozed off by the staffroom fire and got up to teach, leaving his body behind.

Caretaker Argus Filch is what kind of person?

A Squib: Filch secretly tries a Kwikspell course to learn magic, which can't help someone with no magic in him.

Who plays Argus Filch in the films?

Paul Whitehouse takes over the mop in the television series.

Who is the flying instructor for first-years and the school's Quidditch referee?

Madam Hooch: at her first lesson she threatens expulsion for unsupervised flying, yet Harry's reckless flight wins him a Seeker's place.

Who fires Divination professor Trelawney in Order of the Phoenix?

Dolores Umbridge: yet by the next school year Trelawney is back teaching, now sharing Divination with the centaur Firenze.

Who plays Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter films?

Emma Thompson: her character's prophecy is what sent Voldemort after Harry's parents in the first place.

Why was Hagrid expelled from Hogwarts?

He was caught with a giant spider: Tom Riddle had framed him for opening the Chamber of Secrets, blaming his pet for the attacks.

Which headmaster agreed to train the expelled Hagrid as gamekeeper?

Armando Dippet: Dumbledore, then still a teacher at the school, persuaded him to let the expelled Hagrid stay on.

Which subject did Dumbledore teach during Tom Riddle's school years?

Transfiguration: even then he was wary of young Riddle, and questioned him about the attacks on Muggle-born students.

What does McGonagall buy Harry once he makes the Quidditch team?

A Nimbus 2000: two years later it was smashed beyond repair after Dementors made Harry fall off it mid-match.

Which creatures pull the carriages that carry students from the station to the castle?

Thestrals: only people who have seen death can see them, so Harry first notices them after watching Cedric die.

According to Rowling, what exactly is Peeves?

An indestructible spirit of chaos: Rowling said Peeves simply 'comes with the building', and only the Bloody Baron can reliably scare him.

Which comedian filmed Peeves for the first Harry Potter film, only to be cut?

Rik Mayall: he was 'very excited' about the small part, but Peeves never made it into the finished film.

Who gives Harry the Marauder's Map?

Fred and George Weasley: the map had been made decades earlier by four schoolboys, one of them Harry's own father.

When Harry first discovers the Mirror of Erised, what does he see in it?

Himself with his family: 'Erised' is 'desire' backwards, and the mirror shows whatever the viewer most longs for.

The Mirror of Erised was the last enchantment guarding which object at Hogwarts?

The Philosopher's Stone: when Harry looked into the mirror, the Stone dropped into his real pocket.

Where can visitors ride a full-scale working replica of the Hogwarts Express?

It shuttles guests between a replica Hogsmeade and a replica Diagon Alley.

How do dead headmasters remain available to advise their successors?

Through magical portraits: Snape abandoned his post shortly before he died, so no portrait of him appeared in the office at first.

Which Black family ancestor relays Dumbledore's messages to Grimmauld Place in Order of the Phoenix?

Phineas Nigellus: Sirius calls him the least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had, yet he grudgingly does Dumbledore's bidding.

Besides an owl or a cat, which third animal may students bring to Hogwarts as an approved pet?

A toad is by far the least popular of the three approved pets. By Harry's time, owning one conveyed neither cool nor status and was something of an embarrassment.

Which make of car, enchanted to fly by Arthur Weasley, crashes at Hogwarts in Chamber of Secrets?

Ford Anglia is the model, an old turquoise one fitted with an Invisibility Booster. A car used in the film went on show at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.

On which festive night does a mountain troll get loose inside Hogwarts in Harry Potter's first year?

Halloween is when the troll is found loose in the school. Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from it, and she takes the blame in front of the teachers, which seals the trio's friendship.

Which painted figure guards the entrance to Harry Potter's common room and demands a password?

The Fat Lady swings open only for the right password, and the password changes frequently. Dawn French played her in the third film, replacing Elizabeth Spriggs from the first.

Which drink, served warm and foaming in tankards, do Hogwarts students buy at the Three Broomsticks?

Butterbeer tastes like a less-sweet butterscotch and also comes cold in bottles. It is safe for children to drink, yet it can affect house-elves who have too much of it.

Which creatures patrol Hogwarts in Prisoner of Azkaban until the escaped Sirius Black is caught?

Dementors, the ghostly guards of the wizard prison, are posted at the school on Dumbledore's announcement. They later attack Harry during a Quidditch match, where his broomstick is destroyed.

Which game do Harry Potter and friends play with giant enchanted pieces beneath a Hogwarts trapdoor?

Chess on a giant enchanted board is one of the defences in their way, and the match leaves Ron incapacitated. Wizard pieces follow the ordinary rules but attack each other with surprising violence.

What do the Weasley twins grow when they magically age themselves to cross Dumbledore's Age Line?

White beards, lovely and thick, sprout on both twins when they try it. The line circles the Goblet of Fire to stop underage students putting their names in.

What is the name of the Hogwarts headmaster's bird that bursts into flame and is reborn?

Fawkes belongs to Albus Dumbledore and startles a young Harry by combusting on a 'Burning Day'. His tears have healing properties, and he can carry immensely heavy loads.

Which kind of creature is Buckbeak, sentenced to death after injuring Draco Malfoy at Hogwarts?

A hippogriff expects a bow before anyone approaches, and Draco earned a gashed arm by calling Buckbeak an 'ugly great brute'. Harry and Hermione later travel back in time to save him from execution.

Which fruit in a painting must be tickled to open the hidden door to the Hogwarts kitchens?

A pear giggles when tickled and turns into a large green door handle. Behind the door, house-elves prepare every feast for the school's staff and students.

Which home-made treats does Hagrid famously bake for Harry Potter's visits to his hut at Hogwarts?

Rock cakes, large and home-made, are something Harry and his friends have to contend with over tea. The cabin stands at the edge of the grounds beside the Forbidden Forest.

Which matron runs the Hogwarts hospital wing, treating injuries such as Harry Potter's boneless arm?

Madam Pomfrey is a highly skilled Healer who turns a blind eye to eager visitors keen to cheer up bedridden friends. Her patients have included a number of Petrified students.

What is the name of Argus Filch's dust-coloured cat, who patrols Hogwarts looking for rule-breakers?

Mrs Norris has bulging, lamp-like eyes and leads Filch straight to misbehaving students. The two seem able to communicate without a word.

Which visiting school's ship rises from the depths of the Hogwarts lake in Goblet of Fire?

Durmstrang's ship hints that an enchanted craft can take a magical shortcut from one waterway to another. The lake itself is landlocked and apparently freshwater.

Which plant lets Harry Potter breathe underwater in the lake during the second Triwizard task?

Gillyweed keeps him under long enough to rescue both Ron and Fleur's sister Gabrielle. For the film, the scenes were shot in a purpose-built tank 20 feet deep and 60 feet square.

Which house-elf, freed from the Malfoys by Harry Potter's trick, later takes a job at Hogwarts?

Dobby works at the school in Goblet of Fire, having won his freedom when Harry tricked Lucius Malfoy. Toby Jones voices him in the films.

Which Quidditch position does Harry Potter earn after dazzling at his first Hogwarts flying lesson?

Seeker is the player who must catch the Golden Snitch, which ends the game and earns 150 points. Harry went on to carry his house team to victory.

What colour is the Hogwarts Express, the steam train that leaves London each 1 September?

Scarlet is the engine's colour. Pure-blood families were outraged at their children using Muggle transport, until the Ministry decreed that students either rode the train or did not attend school.

Which actor took over as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore after Richard Harris died in 2002?

Michael Gambon first appears in Prisoner of Azkaban and put on a slight Irish accent in homage to Harris. Ian McKellen had been offered the part but turned it down.

Which 2023 video game sends players to school in the 1890s, a century before Harry Potter's time?

Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of 2023 in the United States, ending a 14-year streak in which a Call of Duty or Rockstar release held the top spot. Players enrol late, as fifth-years.

At which Hertfordshire film studio, a converted aircraft factory, were the Hogwarts sets built?

Leavesden was a centre of British aircraft production during the Second World War. Filming on the first Harry Potter picture began there on 29 September 2000.

Which university's Duke Humfrey's Library stands in for the Hogwarts library in the films?

Oxford lent the room, which is part of the Bodleian. The university's Divinity School served as the school's hospital wing in the same film.

Hogwarts ghost Nearly Headless Nick lounged around the court of which English king while alive?

Henry VII had him at court until Nick's attempt to beautify a lady-in-waiting by magic made her sprout tusks. He was stripped of his wand and inexpertly executed.

Which Hogwarts house ghost does Peeves fear, despite tormenting almost everyone else in the castle?

The Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin, is covered in silver bloodstains. Peeves is generally unimpressed by titles and badges, though he agrees to stay out of classrooms while teachers teach.

Which magical skill lets the Hogwarts Sorting Hat look inside each new student's head?

Legilimency lets the Hat judge a wearer's capabilities or mood and even answer their thoughts. It speaks through a rip near its brim and literally contains the intelligence of the four founders.

Whose name did the Hogwarts Book of Admittance refuse until he survived a fall at the age of eight?

Neville Longbottom shifted his blankets closer moments after birth, yet the Book snapped shut on the Quill. Its sternness has a purpose, as it has never yet admitted a child who could not do magic.

Into which animal could Harry Potter's father transform to roam the Hogwarts grounds by night?

A stag was James Potter's secret Animagus form, which let him explore the grounds undetected with his friends. None of them ever registered the ability.

Which breed of dragon does Hagrid hatch in his hut at Hogwarts from an egg won at cards?

Norwegian Ridgeback is the breed, and Norbert was raised on brandy mixed with chicken blood. The dragon soon outgrew the flammable hut and went to a sanctuary in Romania.

Which kind of stone figure conceals the moving staircase up to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts?

A gargoyle steps aside only when given a password, revealing a circular moving stone staircase. The round office above is full of rare and unusual magical artefacts.

Which stone basin in the Hogwarts headmaster's office lets a user step back inside stored memories?

The Pensieve at the school is engraved with modified Saxon runes and is older than the castle itself. One legend says the founders found it half-buried on the very spot where they chose to build.

Which roped-off part of the Hogwarts library needs a teacher's written permission to enter?

The Restricted Section holds books full of powerful Dark Magic that is not taught at the school. Librarian Madam Pince is especially protective of it, and some of the books can protect themselves.

Which students did Salazar Slytherin least want at Hogwarts, a stance that drove him from the school?

Muggle-borns, the children of non-magical parents, were the pupils he trusted least. Obsessed with magical purity, he grew away from his fellow founders, but hid a dark secret in the castle first.

Where at Hogwarts does the maze for the third and final Triwizard task stand?

The Quidditch pitch, an oval field with three hooped goal posts at either end, hosts the task. For the film, hedge walls 20 to 40 feet tall were built and then enhanced with computer imagery.

Which band, played on film by members of Pulp and Radiohead, performs at the Hogwarts Yule Ball?

The Weird Sisters provide the music at the formal Christmas dance of the Triwizard Tournament. A Canadian folk group called the Wyrd Sisters sued Warner Bros. for US$40 million over the name.

Which society does Hermione Granger found at Hogwarts to campaign for the rights of house-elves?

S.P.E.W. is her campaign for elf welfare, begun after the shock of learning that elves work unpaid in the school kitchens. The whole subplot was left out of the Goblet of Fire film.

Which giant half-brother does Hagrid ask Harry and Hermione to look after near Hogwarts?

Grawp travelled back with Hagrid from the giants, and even Madame Maxime became exasperated with him on the journey. He is one of the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest.

Which breed of dog is Fang, Hagrid's drooling and easily frightened companion at Hogwarts?

Boarhound is the breed, and Fang looks imposing but is a gentle soul. He likes to rest his head on the nearest lap, leaving a large pool of drool and some soaked robes behind.

Which animal does Sir Cadogan ride in his Hogwarts painting after a wyvern ate his horse?

A pony, small and fat, was grazing nearby when he leapt on it and charged back at the beast. Old wizards still say 'I'll take Cadogan's pony' when salvaging what they can from a tricky situation.

On which part of Hogwarts castle is Albus Dumbledore cornered and killed in Half-Blood Prince?

The Astronomy Tower is the tallest of the castle's many towers, where students study the night sky. Dumbledore arrives there with Harry, who is left immobilised and unable to intervene.

What drenches anyone who taps the wrong barrel outside the Hufflepuff common room at Hogwarts?

Vinegar bursts from another lid as a security device to repel non-Hufflepuffs. The right barrel opens only when tapped in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'.

Which gems fill the Hogwarts hourglass that keeps count of Gryffindor's house points?

Rubies are the stone that represents the house, and they are also set into its sword of pure silver. The sword was made a thousand years ago by goblins, the most skilled metalworkers in the magical world.

Which town's railway workers felt they had mislaid something when the Hogwarts Express appeared?

Crewe is where bemused Muggle workers spent the rest of the year with that uncomfortable feeling. Ministry records hint at 167 Memory Charms and the largest mass Concealment Charm ever performed in Britain.

Which bird's feather is believed to form the Quill of Acceptance that lists future Hogwarts pupils?

An Augurey feather repels ink and the pot beside it is empty, so nobody knows what the silvery fluid flowing from the Quill is. A mere whiff of magic in a child is enough to make it write.

Which preserved Great Western steam locomotive, built in 1937, hauls the Hogwarts Express on screen?

Olton Hall kept its number, 5972, for the films but wore nameplates reading 'Hogwarts Castle'. In working life the engine was first allocated to Carmarthen in South Wales.

Which piece of magic lets the Marauder's Map track the movements of every person inside Hogwarts?

The Homonculous Charm means the map is not fooled by Invisibility Cloaks, Polyjuice Potion or Animagi. Its makers also designed it to insult Severus Snape if he ever came across it.

Before choosing a Sorting Hat, what did Rowling plan to bring alive at Hogwarts to pick students?

Statues of the founders in the Entrance Hall were her second idea, after an elaborate Heath Robinson-style machine. A list of ways to choose people then led from 'names out of a hat' to the Hat itself.

Which Paris-made accessory did Peeves win when a three-day standoff at Hogwarts ended in 1876?

A hat, custom-made by Madame Bonhabille, was written into the contract that Headmistress Eupraxia Mole signed. It also granted a weekly swim in the boys' toilets and first refusal on stale bread.

The Fat Friar, Hufflepuff's ghost at Hogwarts, still resents never being given which church rank?

Cardinal was the promotion that never came. He was executed after senior churchmen grew suspicious of his knack for curing the pox by poking peasants with a stick.

Which kind of creature is Sanguini, a guest at one of Horace Slughorn's Slug Club parties?

A vampire called Sanguini shows how impressive a clientele the gatherings drew. Members of the exclusive society were invited to dinners, drinks receptions and parties to mingle with each other and their host.