HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDY

"The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world."

—Rubeus Hagrid's praising of Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the British wizarding school, funded by
the Ministry of Magic.
Hogwarts is considered to be one of the finest magical institutions in the Wizarding
World, though other notable schools included Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France,
the Durmstrang Institute implied to be in northern Europe, and Ilvermorny School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States.
Description
Hogwarts School is located somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland and consists of the
large Hogwarts Castle and extensive school grounds surrounding it with a loch called
the Black Lake, a large dense forest called the Forbidden Forest, several greenhouses and
other outbuildings, and a full-size Quidditch Pitch. One of the castle's tower holds
an owlery, which houses all the owls owned by the school and by students.
The school has numerous charms and spells on and around it that made it impossible for
a Muggle to see it as the school; rather, they saw only ruins and several warnings of
danger.
History
Hogwarts was founded around 990 A.D. by four of the greatest wizards and witches of
the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin.
They each represented an aspect of personality that they wanted to bring out in new
students.
However, shortly after founding the school, Slytherin had a falling out with the other
founders about blood purity, and wanted to admit only pure-blood students. He felt pure-
blooded students deserved to learn magic, and those of other ancestry such as Muggle-
borns and Half-bloods, were unworthy. The other three founders all disagreed, especially
Gryffindor. Slytherin left the school, but not before secretly building the Chamber of
Secrets. He foretold that only his own heir would be able to open it once they arrived at
the school, and the heir would unleash a murderous basilisk living inside to purge the
school of all Muggle-born students.
About three hundred years after the school was founded, the Triwizard Tournament was
established as an interscholastic competition between three of the most prestigious
magical schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Typical school year
"Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year
full of magical education awaits you…"
Term begins on 1 September. Students usually reach Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express,
which leave Platform 9¾ of London's King's Cross Station at 11 a.m. sharp.
There seemed to be other ways of entering the school, such as via broomsticks or Floo
Powder, or simply Apparating to a nearby location such as Hogsmeade. Missing the
Hogwarts Express for any reason is a very serious problem, but it doesn’t cost the student
points as long as they get there before the term officially started. 
The Welcoming Feast takes place in the Great Hall. This feast includes the Sorting
ceremony, followed by a few words from the current Headmaster or Headmistress. The
banquet starts after this, including large quantities of food and drink.
Coat of Arms
The blazon of the Hogwarts Coat of Arms clockwise from top left: the Gryffindor lion,
the Slytherin serpent, the Ravenclaw eagle, and the Hufflepuff badger, all circling the
letter 'H'. The motto, "draco dormiens nunquam titillandus", carried in an escroll beneath
the shield.
"Never tickle a sleeping dragon".
Houses
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each
House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and
wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while
any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most
points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to
whichever House becomes yours."
—Minerva McGonagall to first year students in 1991, shortly before the Sorting
ceremony
Hogwarts students were divided into four houses:
Gryffindor
Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry. Its emblematic animal is the
lion and its colours are scarlet and gold. Minerva McGonagall is the most recent Head of
Gryffindor. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as "Nearly Headless Nick",
is the House Ghost. The founder of the House was Godric Gryffindor.
The common room is located in one of the highest towers at Hogwarts, the entrance was
situated on the seventh floor in the east wing of the castle and is guarded by a portrait of
The Fat Lady. She permits entrance if given the correct password, which is changed
numerous times throughout the school year.
Famous Gryffindors include Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall,
Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Sirius Black.
Hufflepuff
Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play. Its emblematic
animal is the badger, and yellow and black are its colours. The Fat Friar is its ghost. The
founder of the House was Helga Hufflepuff.
The Hufflepuff dormitories and common room are located somewhere in the basement,
near the castle's kitchens. It can be accessed by tapping the barrel two from the bottom,
middle of the second row in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff". 
Famous Hufflepuffs include Hengist of Woodcroft (founder of Hogsmeade), Newt
Scamander, Nymphadora Tonks, Cedric Diggory.
Ravenclaw
Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, curiosity, creativity and wit. Its emblematic
animal is the eagle, and its colours are blue and bronze. The ghost of Ravenclaw is
the Grey Lady, who was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, the House's
founder. Ravenclaw. The Ravenclaw common room and dormitories are located in
a tower on the west side of the castle. Ravenclaw students must answer a riddle as
opposed to giving a password to enter their dormitories.
Famous Ravenclaws include Luna Lovegood, Myrtie Warren, Cho Chang, Garrick
Ollivander.
Slytherin
Slytherin House values ambition, leadership, self-preservation, cunning and
resourcefulness and was founded by Salazar Slytherin. Its emblematic animal is
the serpent and its colours are emerald green and silver. 
Slytherin had produced the most Death Eaters and Dark Wizards.
The Bloody Baron is the House Ghost.  The founder of the House was Salazar Slytherin. 
The Slytherin dormitories and common room are reached through a bare stone wall in
the Dungeons. The Slytherin common room lies beneath the Black Lake. It is a long, low
underground room with rough stone walls and silver lamps hanging from the ceiling. 
Famous Slytherins include Merlin, Tom Riddle, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson,
Theodore Nott, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Belatrix Lestrange,Dolores Umbridge.
Subjects and teachers
Hogwarts had in its faculty an abundance of wise and talented professors. Each
specialised in a specific subject. Other staff positions included that of a school nurse,
caretaker, librarian, and Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. There were a
variety of classes taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These included
both the core curriculum and the electives, available from third year forward. Some
classes could be dropped in the sixth year.
Core classes
Astronomy
Charms
Defence Against the Dark Arts
Flying 
Herbology
History of Magic
Potions
Transfiguration
Electives (third year and up)
Third year on:
Arithmancy
Care of Magical Creatures
Divination
Muggle Studies
Study of Ancient Runes
Sixth and seventh year (with sufficient demand):
Advanced Arithmancy Studies
Alchemy
Ancient Studies
Apparition
Counseling
Hogwarts students received career advice from their Heads of House in their O.W.L.
year, some weeks prior to the examinations, to help establish what subjects the students
needed to concentrate on to achieve the required O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores for their
chosen occupations.
In fifth year, the students would get career advice, which would help students choose
their N.E.W.T. subjects. 
During the first week of summer term, the students discussed their future careers with the
Head of Houses during a careers appointment. 
Hogwarts students also had more difficult exams as they progressed higher in the
system. O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) were a set of standardised tests for fifth
year students, which determined what courses a student could continue to study in their
final years at Hogwarts.
N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) were optional levels of education for
exceptional students, much like A-levels for Muggle students. To progress to N.E.W.T.-
level, students had to receive certain high marks on O.W.L. exams, otherwise the student
would not be able to cope with the increasingly difficult subject matter. N.E.W.T. tests
occurred at the end of the seventh year and could not be retaken.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Grading System:
O - Outstanding (Pass, always continue to N.E.W.T.)
E - Exceeds Expectations (Pass, usually continues to N.E.W.T.)
A - Acceptable (Pass, rarely continues to N.E.W.T)
P - Poor (Fail, may repeat subject)
D - Dreadful (Fail, may not receive O.W.L. credit)
T - Troll (Fail, with distinction. More than one T may mean refusal into other N.E.W.T.s)
Examinations
All students at Hogwarts were required to complete a set of examinations to get into the
next year of schooling. There was one exam for each subject. In fifth year, instead of end
of the year exams, students sat their O.W.L.s; the score they achieved on these was what
allowed them to progress to N.E.W.T.-level.
Ordinady Wizarding Level
An Ordinary Wizarding Level is a subject-specific test taken during Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry students' fifth year. These exams were administrated by
the Wizarding Examinations Authority.
The score made by a student on a particular O.W.L. determined whether or not he or she
would be allowed to continue taking that subject in subsequent school years, and whether
they might be successful in obtaining a particular job.
Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test
A Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test is a subject-specific exam that seventh year witches
and wizards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry took to help them pursue
certain careers after their graduation. For instance, the Ministry of Magic only
accepts Auror applicants with at least five N.E.W.T.s with top grades of either
'Outstanding' or 'Exceeds Expectations'.