======Manors======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Residence]], [[Stately Home]]
  * **Location:** Typically located in isolated areas of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]].
  * **Owner/Residents:** Primarily the ancestral homes of wealthy, influential, and often [[Pure-blood]] [[wizarding families]].
  * **Key Features:** Large, sprawling estates, often protected by powerful defensive [[magic]], including [[Muggle-Repelling Charms]]. They serve as symbols of wealth, lineage, and social status within the [[wizarding world]].
=====Description and History=====
A manor in the [[wizarding world]] is a large and impressive country house, serving as the primary residence and ancestral seat for a prominent family. These estates are typically centuries old, passed down through generations, and hold significant historical and sentimental value for their owners. Architecturally grand, they are usually situated in remote locations, hidden from [[Muggle]] view through a combination of physical isolation and magical concealment.
Manors are indicative of a family's high social standing and wealth. They often feature extensive grounds, which may include gardens, forests, and other features like the white peacocks that roam the grounds of [[Malfoy Manor]]. The interiors are equally opulent, with numerous rooms, valuable heirlooms, and portraits of ancestors. Many of these families, such as the [[Malfoy family|Malfoys]], employ [[house-elves]] to maintain the vast properties.
=====Role in the Story=====
Manors play a crucial role as key settings in the series, particularly during the [[Second Wizarding War]]. They are not merely homes but function as centers of power, headquarters, and prisons. Their isolation makes them ideal locations for clandestine activities away from the prying eyes of the [[Ministry of Magic]].
The most significant example, [[Malfoy Manor]], was co-opted by [[Lord Voldemort]] to serve as the headquarters for his [[Death Eaters]]. It was the site of strategic meetings and the imprisonment of several of [[Harry Potter]]'s allies. The [[Riddle House]], while a [[Muggle]] manor, is central to the backstory of [[Lord Voldemort]], being the site of his patricidal crime and his temporary base of operations upon his partial return to power. These locations highlight themes of aristocratic decay, the corruption of power, and the dark history behind some of the wizarding world's most established families.
=====Known Manors=====
  * **[[Malfoy Manor]]**
    * A grand and opulent manor located in [[Wiltshire]], [[England]], and the ancestral home of the [[Malfoy family]]. During the [[Second Wizarding War]], it was used by [[Lord Voldemort]] as his main headquarters. The drawing room was used for [[Death Eater]] meetings, and its cellar was used as a makeshift prison for [[Garrick Ollivander]], [[Luna Lovegood]], [[Dean Thomas]], and [[Griphook]]. A key skirmish occurred here, leading to the rescue of the prisoners by [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]] and [[Dobby]]'s subsequent death.
  * **[[Riddle House]]**
    * A formerly grand [[Muggle]] manor located in the village of [[Little Hangleton]]. It was the home of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s paternal grandparents and father, whom he murdered there as a teenager. After years of neglect, [[Voldemort]] returned to the house with [[Wormtail]] and [[Nagini]] to use as a temporary hideout before the events of the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. It was here that the caretaker, [[Frank Bryce]], was murdered after overhearing [[Voldemort]]'s plans.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1//, Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, England, was used for the exterior shots of [[Malfoy Manor]]. The interior sets were designed to be imposing and cold, reflecting the dark influence of its occupants. (film)
  * The concept of the ancestral manor home draws on a long tradition in British literature, often used to explore themes of class, heritage, and the decline of the aristocracy, which J.K. Rowling applies to the [[Pure-blood]] elite of the [[wizarding world]].