The Entrance Hall of Hogwarts

• Type: School Foyer
• Location: Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Key Features: Cavernous size, stone walls, high ceiling, grand marble staircase, House Point Hourglasses, double oak front doors.

The Entrance Hall is the primary entry point into Hogwarts Castle, situated directly inside the main oak front doors. It is a vast, cavernous space with a flagged stone floor and stone walls lit by flaming torches. The ceiling is so high that it is difficult to make out. Facing the front doors is a magnificent marble staircase that leads to the upper floors of the castle. Several key doorways lead from the Entrance Hall. To the right are large double doors leading into the Great Hall. A door on the opposite side leads down a flight of stone steps to the dungeons, where the Potions classroom and the Slytherin Common Room are located. Another passage contains a flight of stone steps leading down to the corridor that houses the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room and the Hogwarts Kitchens. There is also a small antechamber off the hall where first-year students wait before their Sorting Ceremony. Permanently housed within the Entrance Hall are the four giant House Point Hourglasses, one each for Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. These hourglasses magically display the current House Point totals with precious gems—rubies for Gryffindor, emeralds for Slytherin, sapphires for Ravenclaw, and diamonds for Hufflepuff (in the books, Hufflepuff's gems are diamonds; they are yellow diamonds in the films). The hall has been the central hub of the castle since its founding.

The Entrance Hall is a location of immense significance and serves as the backdrop for many pivotal moments throughout the series.

• A Hub of Activity: As the main thoroughfare of the castle, the Entrance Hall is constantly bustling with students and staff moving between classes, meals, and the castle grounds. A noticeboard here is used for important school announcements, such as the posting of educational decrees by Dolores Umbridge.
• First Impressions: It is the first interior location of Hogwarts that Harry Potter and his fellow first-years experience. They gather here and wait in the side chamber before being led into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.
• The Triwizard Tournament: During the 1994-1995 school year, the Goblet of Fire was placed in the Entrance Hall. Students of age crossed an Age Line drawn by Albus Dumbledore to place their names into the goblet, making the hall a center of excitement and speculation.
• Confrontations and Defiance: The hall is the site of numerous confrontations, including frequent verbal spars between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. In a memorable act of defiance against Dolores Umbridge's tyrannical rule, Fred and George Weasley set off a cascade of magical fireworks, turning the Entrance Hall into a chaotic swamp before their dramatic departure from Hogwarts.
• The Battle of Hogwarts: The Entrance Hall was a central battleground during the final conflict against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The oak front doors were blasted from their hinges, and the hall was filled with dueling witches and wizards. It was here that Voldemort presented Harry Potter's apparently lifeless body to the defenders of Hogwarts, and where the final climactic duel between Harry and Voldemort began before moving into the Great Hall.

• Front Doors: A set of double oak doors that serve as the main entrance to the castle from the Hogwarts Grounds.
• Marble Staircase: A grand staircase, opposite the front doors, that provides access to the seven upper floors of the castle.
• Great Hall Entrance: Another set of double oak doors on the right side of the hall, leading into the Great Hall.
• Dungeon Entrance: A door leading down a flight of stairs to the dungeons, which contain the Potions classroom and the Slytherin Common Room.
• Basement Entrance: A wide stone staircase leading down to the basement level, where the corridor to the Hogwarts Kitchens and the Hufflepuff Common Room is located.
• First-Year Antechamber: A small chamber off the hall where new students await the Sorting Ceremony.
• House Point Hourglasses: Four giant, enchanted hourglasses that track the House Points for the four Houses.
• Broomstick Cupboard: A storage cupboard used by the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley once trapped Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle inside it after tricking them with Polyjuice Potion-laced cakes.

• In the film adaptations, the layout and design of the Entrance Hall are significantly expanded. The Grand Staircase, which is part of the general castle stair network in the books, is often depicted as originating directly in the Entrance Hall, with its famous moving and reconfiguring properties on full display. (film)
• The set for the Entrance Hall was one of the largest and most detailed constructed for the film series, built from real stone and featuring immense detail to establish the grand and ancient feel of Hogwarts. (film)
• In the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets video game, the Entrance Hall features a “Witches and Wizards of the Month” display, a feature not mentioned in the books. (video game)