Girls' Dormitory

• Type: Residential area within a school
• Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Female students of Hogwarts
• Key Features: Sleeping quarters organized by House and year group; often protected by enchantments for privacy.

A girls' dormitory at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the sleeping and living quarter for female students. Each of the four Houses has its own set of dormitories, which are typically accessed directly from the House's common room. These dormitories are further divided by year, with a separate room for all the girls in a given year group (e.g., first-year girls, second-year girls, etc.). The dormitories provide a private space for students to sleep, store their belongings, and socialize with their roommates. The most detailed descriptions in the novels concern the Gryffindor dormitories, which are known to have specific protective enchantments placed upon them by the Hogwarts Founders. According to Hermione Granger, the founders believed that girls were more trustworthy than boys, and thus enchanted the girls' dormitories to prevent boys from entering, while the boys' dormitories have no such protection against girls.

The girls' dormitories, particularly the Gryffindor one, serve as a significant private setting throughout the series. They are a backdrop for personal conversations, moments of vulnerability, and preparation for major events.

• The protective enchantment on the Gryffindor girls' staircase is a recurring element, first explained by Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It is demonstrated when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley attempt to go up to see Hermione in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and are rebuffed by the staircase transforming into a smooth slide.
• The dormitory is where Hermione gets ready for the Yule Ball and later where she, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown discuss the event.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the dormitory becomes a space of emotional turmoil for Lavender Brown during her relationship with Ron Weasley.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione shows Harry the contents of her beaded handbag, which she packed in her dormitory using an Undetectable Extension Charm, demonstrating foresight and preparedness.
• Overall, the dormitories represent a personal sanctuary and a space for fostering friendships and rivalries away from the more public areas of the castle.

Each House has its own dormitories for girls, though only Gryffindor's is described in detail in the novels.

• Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory
  • Access: Located up a spiral staircase leading from the Gryffindor Common Room. The staircase is enchanted to turn into a long, smooth stone slide if a boy attempts to climb it, immediately depositing him at the bottom.
  • Appearance: A circular room with five four-poster beds, each hung with deep-red velvet curtains. The students' trunks are kept at the foot of their beds, and there is a window overlooking the Hogwarts grounds.
  • Residents (Harry's Year): Hermione Granger, Lavender Brown, and Parvati Patil. Two other girls are noted to be in their year but are not named in the books.
• Slytherin Girls' Dormitory
  • This dormitory is never seen or described in the seven novels. It is presumed to be accessible from the Slytherin Common Room, which is located in the dungeons of Hogwarts.
• Ravenclaw Girls' Dormitory
  • This dormitory is not entered by the main characters and is not described in detail. It is located off the main Ravenclaw Common Room. Luna Lovegood is a notable resident of one of these dormitories. It is not stated whether these dormitories have the same protective enchantments as Gryffindor's.
• Hufflepuff Girls' Dormitory
  • This dormitory is never seen or described in the novels. It is presumed to be accessible from the Hufflepuff Common Room, located near the kitchens. The dormitories are reached through round doors that lead off the common room (Pottermore).

• In a 2005 interview, J.K. Rowling confirmed the in-universe reason for the protective charm on the Gryffindor girls' dormitory stairs, stating, “The girls are more trustworthy.” (J.K. Rowling interview).
• The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone features a set for the Gryffindor girls' dormitory that closely matches its description in the books. It is shown as a cozy, circular room with the four-poster beds arranged around the perimeter (film).