======Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[School]] of [[Magic]]
  * **Location:** Scotland (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * **Owner/Residents:** Officially overseen by a [[Board of Governors]]. Run by a [[Headmaster]] or [[Headmistress]] (e.g., [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Minerva McGonagall]], [[Severus Snape]]). Populated by staff, students, and resident [[ghost]]s, including the four House ghosts: [[Nearly Headless Nick]], the [[Bloody Baron]], the [[Grey Lady]], and the [[Fat Friar]].
  * **Key Features:** A vast, seven-story [[castle]] situated in a mountainous region, protected by numerous powerful [[enchantment]]s. The school and its grounds are [[Unplottable]]. To [[Muggle]]s, it appears as a derelict ruin with a "Keep Out: Dangerous" sign. Its most famous architectural features include its one hundred and forty-two moving staircases, trick steps, sentient [[portrait]]s, and the enchanted ceiling of the [[Great Hall]].
=====Description and History=====
[[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] was founded over a thousand years ago by four of the greatest witches and wizards of the age: [[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]]. They established the four [[Hogwarts Houses]] in their names, each valuing different virtues in their students. For a time, the founders worked together in harmony, but a rift grew between [[Salazar Slytherin]] and the others. Slytherin believed that magical education should be restricted to those of pure-blood lineage and left the school after a bitter conflict. Before leaving, he secretly built the [[Chamber of Secrets]] within the castle, hoping his heir would one day use the [[Basilisk]] within to purge the school of [[Muggle-born]]s.
The [[castle]] itself is an imposing magical structure with numerous towers and turrets. Its interior is famously complex and confusing, with staircases that lead to different places on different days and doors that only open when addressed politely or tickled in the right spot. The extensive grounds surrounding the castle include the vast [[Black Lake]], the dense [[Forbidden Forest]], numerous greenhouses for [[Herbology]], a [[Quidditch Pitch]], and the [[Owlery]].
The school's motto is //Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus//, which is [[Latin]] for "Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon."
=====Role in the Story=====
[[Hogwarts]] serves as the primary setting for the first six books of the series and is the site of the final climactic battle. For [[Harry Potter]], the school is the first place he ever truly felt at home. It is where he forges his most important relationships, including his friendships with [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]], and develops his magical abilities under the tutelage of professors like [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Minerva McGonagall]].
Throughout the series, [[Hogwarts]] is central to [[Lord Voldemort]]'s plans and the wizarding world's resistance against him.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, the school is the hiding place for the [[Philosopher's Stone]], and Harry confronts [[Professor Quirrell]] and [[Voldemort]] in its underground chambers.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, the legendary [[Chamber of Secrets]] is reopened, and Harry must battle the [[Basilisk]] to save the school.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, the school is guarded by [[Dementor]]s from [[Azkaban]] as [[Sirius Black]] is believed to be targeting Harry.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, [[Hogwarts]] hosts the [[Triwizard Tournament]], an event manipulated by [[Barty Crouch Jr.]] to orchestrate [[Voldemort]]'s return.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, the [[Ministry of Magic]] interferes directly at [[Hogwarts]] through [[Dolores Umbridge]], leading to the formation of [[Dumbledore's Army]].
  * In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the school's defenses are breached by [[Death Eater]]s, culminating in the death of [[Albus Dumbledore]] in the [[Astronomy Tower]].
  * In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, [[Hogwarts]] falls under the control of [[Voldemort]]'s regime, with [[Severus Snape]] as [[Headmaster]]. It becomes the site of the final conflict, the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], where Harry and his allies make their last stand, ultimately defeating [[Voldemort]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * [[The Great Hall]]
  * The Four House [[Common Room]]s: [[Gryffindor Tower]], [[Slytherin Dungeon]], [[Ravenclaw Tower]], and the [[Hufflepuff Basement]].
  * [[Headmaster's Office]]
  * [[Hospital Wing]]
  * [[Library]]
  * [[Room of Requirement]]
  * [[Chamber of Secrets]]
  * [[Astronomy Tower]]
  * [[Owlery]]
  * [[Kitchens]]
  * [[Dungeons]] (including the [[Potions]] classroom)
  * Various Classrooms (for [[Charms]], [[Transfiguration]], [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]], etc.)
  * The Grounds:
    * [[Forbidden Forest]]
    * [[The Black Lake]]
    * [[Hagrid's Hut]]
    * [[Whomping Willow]]
    * [[Quidditch Pitch]]
    * Greenhouses
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * J.K. Rowling has confirmed in interviews that [[Hogwarts]] is a boarding school located in a remote part of Scotland. (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * According to information released on Pottermore, [[Rowena Ravenclaw]] is credited with devising the ever-changing floor plan of the [[castle]]. The school's rudimentary plumbing system was magically retrofitted in the eighteenth century, which required altering the entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]], moving it to a new girls' bathroom. (Pottermore)
  * In the film adaptations, the exterior shots and design of [[Hogwarts]] were a composite of several real-life locations, including Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, and extensive CGI and physical models. Interior scenes were often filmed at locations like Gloucester Cathedral and Lacock Abbey. (film)