Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======The Head's Office at Hogwarts====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** Office, Residence * **Location:** A tower in [[Hogwarts Castle]], Scotland * **Owner/Residents:** The current [[Headmaster]] or [[Headmistress]] of [[Hogwarts]]. Notable occupants include [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Dolores Umbridge]], [[Severus Snape]], and [[Minerva McGonagall]]. * **Key Features:** A large, circular room accessible via a moving spiral staircase, guarded by a stone [[gargoyle]] that requires a [[password]]. The walls are lined with the portraits of former Heads, and the room houses many powerful magical objects. =====Description and History===== The Head's office is a spacious, circular room with several tall, arched windows that offer a commanding view of the [[Hogwarts]] grounds. Access to the office is famously guarded by a large and "rather ugly" stone [[gargoyle]]. To gain entry, one must provide the correct [[password]], which is typically the name of a [[sweets|sweet]] favored by the current Headmaster. Upon hearing the correct [[password]], the [[gargoyle]] leaps aside, and the wall behind it splits in two to reveal a single spiral stone staircase that moves upwards like an escalator, carrying the visitor to the oak door of the office. During the tenure of [[Albus Dumbledore]], the office was filled with spindly-legged tables that supported numerous delicate and complex silver instruments of unknown purpose, which whirred, spun, and emitted small puffs of smoke. Key items within his office included a large, claw-footed desk; a golden perch for his [[phoenix]], [[Fawkes]]; a shabby wizard's hat known as the [[Sorting Hat]]; the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] displayed in a glass case; and a shallow stone basin, the [[Pensive]], kept inside a black cabinet. The office's most significant feature is the collection of portraits of all former Headmasters and Headmistresses of [[Hogwarts]]. These portraits are not merely paintings; they are magically enchanted to retain the consciousness and wisdom of their subjects. They are honor-bound to offer counsel and assistance to the current Head and to serve the school, though they often feign sleep when visitors are present. The office's appearance changes with its occupant. When [[Dolores Umbridge]] illegally seized the position, she redecorated it with lacy doilies, pink adornments, and a collection of ornamental plates featuring frolicking kittens. Under [[Severus Snape]], the room was described as being much darker and gloomier than it had been under [[Dumbledore]]. =====Role in the Story===== The Head's office is the setting for numerous pivotal moments in the series, serving as a sanctuary, a place of revelation, and a strategic command center. * **[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]**: [[Harry Potter]] is first brought to the office after being found near the petrified body of [[Justin Finch-Fletchley]]. Here, he meets [[Fawkes]] and first sees the [[Sorting Hat]] and the [[Sword of Gryffindor]], two objects that would later be instrumental in his defeat of the [[Basilisk]]. After the events in the [[Chamber of Secrets]], [[Dumbledore]] uses the office to explain Tom Riddle's past, the nature of the diary [[Horcrux]], and why [[Harry]] can speak [[Parseltongue]]. * **[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]**: Following his return from the [[graveyard]] at [[Little Hangleton]], [[Harry]] recounts the return of [[Lord Voldemort]] to [[Dumbledore]] in the office. It is here that [[Barty Crouch Jr.]] is unmasked and interrogated using [[Veritaserum]]. The office's [[Pensive]] is also introduced, which [[Dumbledore]] uses to show [[Harry]] memories relating to the first [[Wizarding War]]. * **[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]**: The office becomes a symbol of [[Dumbledore]]'s authority in his struggle against the [[Ministry of Magic]]. [[Dumbledore]] makes a spectacular escape from the office to evade arrest by [[Cornelius Fudge]] and [[Dolores Umbridge]]. Later, consumed by grief and rage over the death of [[Sirius Black]], [[Harry]] vandalizes the office, smashing many of the delicate silver instruments. * **[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]**: The office is the primary setting for [[Harry]]'s private lessons with [[Dumbledore]], where they use the [[Pensive]] to delve into the memories that reveal [[Voldemort]]'s history and the secret of his [[Horcrux]]es. * **[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]**: [[Harry]] enters the office under [[Snape]]'s tenure to speak with the portrait of [[Phineas Nigellus Black]]. Following [[Snape]]'s death, [[Harry]] uses the [[Pensive]] in the office to view [[Snape]]'s memories, finally learning of his true allegiance and motivations. After defeating [[Voldemort]], [[Harry]] returns to the office to speak with [[Dumbledore]]'s portrait, who confirms his mastery of the [[Deathly Hallows]]. [[Harry]] decides to leave the [[Elder Wand]] in [[Dumbledore]]'s tomb, using the office as his final point of departure. =====Known Areas Within===== While a single room, the office contains several distinct and important features: * **The Head's Desk:** A large, claw-footed desk that serves as the main workspace. * **The Portrait Collection:** The portraits of former Heads that line the curved walls. * **The Silver Instruments:** A collection of whirring, magical devices of unknown function, cherished by [[Dumbledore]]. * **The [[Pensive]] Cabinet:** A black cabinet where [[Dumbledore]] stored the [[Pensive]]. * **The [[Sword of Gryffindor]]'s Case:** A glass case by the window where the celebrated sword was kept. * **[[Fawkes]]'s Perch:** A golden perch near the door for [[Dumbledore]]'s [[phoenix]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * The passwords used by [[Dumbledore]] were almost always the names of Muggle sweets. Known passwords include "Sherbet Lemon," "Cockroach Cluster," and "Fizzing Whizbee." When [[Harry]] needed to enter after [[Dumbledore]]'s death, he guessed "Dumbledore," which the [[gargoyle]] accepted. * In the film adaptations, the Head's office is depicted as a much larger, multi-levelled space with a vast library integrated into its design, a significant departure from the single circular room described in the novels (film).
