A Wisdom Archive on third year

A letter is sent to the magical children in Britain during the summer of their eleventh year. If, for any reason, this letter does not reach its intended recipient, owls will continue to deliver letters until one reaches its intended recipient. The letter also contains a list of supplies, including spell books and cauldrons. The prospective student is expected to buy all the necessary materials, normally from shops in Diagon Alley, a street in a wizarding neighborhood near Charing Cross in London. Letters to Muggle-born wizard ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - The School Year and Daily Life

Hogwarts Castle is an ancient, rambling and historic castle with seven floors in a mountainous and secluded location in Scotland. [1]. The castle has extensive grounds, including a loch (mountain lake), a large and dense forest called the Forbidden Forest due to the dangerous creatures there, a number of greenhouses, a graveyard (this is the white marble tomb of one Hogwarts' most famous headmasters, Albus Dumbledore), several outbuildings and a full-size Quiddi ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - Location and Grounds

In interviews [2] [3], JK Rowling has suggested that the name 'Hogwarts' derives from a type of lily which she had seen at Kew Gardens some time before writing the Harry Potter books. By coincidence, the name Hogwarts also features in the Molesworth books. The Hogwarts is the title of one of Molesworth's imitation Latin plays, and Hoggwart is also the name of the headmaster of Porridge Court, a rival of St. Custard's, Molesworth's terrible prep school. It has also been suggested that JK Rowling may have found some inspiration from Atlantic College, a real co-educational boarding school in Brit ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - Possible influences

Hogwarts has a number of teachers, all granted the title of professor on appointment, each specializing in a single subject. Other staff positions at the school include that of school nurse, caretaker, librarian, and gamekeeper/groundskeeper. About a hundred house-elves work in the kitchen and take on the housekeeping duties of the castle. Students are taught a range of subjects all based around the magical arts. Aside from Astronomy class, none of the standard academic disciplines taught in Muggle institutions appear to be on the syllabus. For ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - Staffing and Curriculum

The motto of Hogwarts is "Draco dormiens numquam titillandus," which in Latin means "Never tickle a sleeping dragon." Creator J.K. Rowling said she wanted a practical motto for Hogwarts, since so many schools have less pragmatic ones such as "Reach for the stars" - something like "Ad Astra" in Latin. Students at Hogwarts are divided into four houses, each bearing the name of one of the school's original founders. Students are assigned to a house based on their particular academic and personal strengths and weaknesses. The houses are:< ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - School Motto and Houses

There is a magic quill at Hogwarts that detects the birth of a magical person and records his or her name. Each year, the deputy headmaster sends letters of invitation to the children on the list who will have turned eleven by the start of term. If for any reason a letter does not reach its intended recipient, owls will continue to deliver letters until one reaches its intended recipient. The letter also contains a list of supplies, including spell books and cauldrons. The prospective student is expected to buy all the necessa ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - The School Year

In interviews [2] [3], Rowling has suggested that the name 'Hogwarts' derives from a type of lily which she had seen at Kew Gardens some time before writing the Harry Potter books. By coincidence, the name Hogwarts also features in the Molesworth books. The Hogwarts is the title of one of Molesworth's imitation Latin plays, and Hoggwart is also the name of the headmaster of Porridge Court, a rival of St. Custard's, Molesworth's terrible prep school. It has also been suggested that Rowling may have found some inspiration from Atlantic College, a real co-educational boarding school in Brit ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - Possible Influences

Hogwarts - Early History. Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by two wizards and two witches: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Shortly after founding Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin fell out with the other founders. Slytherin wanted to admit only pure-blood students, but the other three founders disagreed. Slytherin left the school, but not before secretly building the Chamber of Secrets. When an eventual successor, the Heir of Slytherin, returned to the school, he or she would be able to open the Chamber, unleash a horrible Basilisk, and purge the s ...

Read more here: » Hogwarts: Encyclopedia II - Hogwarts - History