======Groundskeeper's Hut======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Residence
  * **Location:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] grounds, Scotland
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Rubeus Hagrid]]
  * **Key Features:** A small wooden cabin with a single room, located at the edge of the [[Forbidden Forest]].
=====Description and History=====
The **Groundskeeper's Hut** is a small wooden cabin that serves as the home for the [[Hogwarts]] groundskeeper, most notably [[Rubeus Hagrid]]. It is situated on the school grounds at the very edge of the [[Forbidden Forest]]. The exterior often features a crossbow and a pair of galoshes by the front door. Adjacent to the hut is a small garden and a pumpkin patch, where [[Hagrid]] cultivates enormous pumpkins, some of which are used for the [[Hallowe'en]] feast.
The interior of the hut consists of a single, large room that is both rustic and cluttered. Hams and pheasants are often seen hanging from the ceiling. A large, open fireplace, where [[Hagrid]] frequently boils a copper kettle for tea, dominates one wall. The furniture is oversized to accommodate [[Hagrid]]'s large frame, including a massive wooden table with chairs and a bed covered with a patchwork quilt.
Throughout their time at [[Hogwarts]], the hut served as a crucial sanctuary and second home for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]]. They were frequent visitors, often discussing important matters with [[Hagrid]] over tea and his notoriously hard [[rock cakes]].
=====Role in the Story=====
The hut is the setting for numerous significant events in the series:
  * **//Philosopher's Stone//:** The trio's friendship with [[Hagrid]] is solidified here. They learn key details about the [[Philosopher's Stone]]'s protection and witness [[Hagrid]] illegally hatch a [[Norwegian Ridgeback]] egg, naming the [[dragon]] [[Norbert]].
  * **//Chamber of Secrets//:** Following [[Hagrid]]'s advice to "follow the spiders," [[Harry]] and [[Ron]] depart from the hut into the [[Forbidden Forest]], which leads them to [[Aragog]]. The hut is also where [[Cornelius Fudge]] and [[Lucius Malfoy]] arrive to arrest [[Hagrid]] and take him to [[Azkaban]].
  * **//Prisoner of Azkaban//:** The hut is central to the plot involving [[Buckbeak]] the [[Hippogriff]], serving as the headquarters for his defense. Later, it is the site of [[Buckbeak]]'s apparent execution, a key event that [[Harry]] and [[Hermione]] witness and later alter using the [[Time-Turner]].
  * **//Goblet of Fire//:** After [[Rita Skeeter]] publicly reveals his half-[[giant]] heritage, [[Hagrid]] secludes himself in the hut until he is coaxed out by [[Albus Dumbledore]] and the trio.
  * **//Order of the Phoenix//:** [[Hagrid]] recounts his dangerous mission to the [[giants]] to the trio inside his hut. It later becomes the scene of a violent confrontation when [[Dolores Umbridge]] and several [[Aurors]] ambush [[Hagrid]] in an attempt to sack him, resulting in [[Professor McGonagall]]'s severe injury.
  * **//Half-Blood Prince//:** The funeral for [[Aragog]] is held in the pumpkin patch next to the hut. This event allows [[Harry]] to procure a critical memory about [[Horcruxes]] from [[Professor Slughorn]], whom he finds in the hut mourning with [[Hagrid]]. During the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]], the hut is set on fire by the [[Death Eater]] [[Thorfinn Rowle]], but the blaze is extinguished by [[Hagrid]] and [[Harry]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * **Main Living Space:** The single room of the hut functions as an all-in-one living area, kitchen, and bedroom. It contains the fireplace, the large wooden table where [[Hagrid]] hosts his guests, and various pieces of oversized furniture.
  * **Garden and Pumpkin Patch:** An outdoor area next to the hut where [[Hagrid]] practices his gardening skills. This patch is where [[Buckbeak]] was tethered during his time at [[Hogwarts]] and where his apparent execution took place.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptations, the location and design of the hut change. In the first two films, it is situated on relatively flat ground not far from the castle. From //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban// onward, the hut is relocated to a much more dramatic setting at the bottom of a steep, grassy hill, making it appear more isolated. (film)
  * The film version of the hut is also more stylized than the simple cabin described in the book, featuring multiple crooked, steeply-pitched roofs and a more weathered, fantastical appearance. (film)
  * In the //Hogwarts Legacy// video game, which is set in the 1890s, a similar groundskeeper's hut can be found in the same location, implying it has been the traditional home for groundskeepers for a long time. (video game)