Hog's Head

• Type: Pub, Inn
• Location: Hogsmeade, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Aberforth Dumbledore (bartender and owner)
• Key Features: Grimy and disreputable atmosphere, attracts a shadier clientele, location of a secret passage to Hogwarts, hub for clandestine meetings.

The Hog's Head is a small, dark, and notoriously dirty pub located on a side street in the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. It stands in stark contrast to the more popular and cheerful Three Broomsticks. The inn's sign is a battered wooden board depicting the severed, bleeding head of a wild boar. The interior consists of a single, squalid room that is poorly lit, as the windows are thick with grime. The rough wooden tables are often candlelit, and the stone floor is coated in what Harry Potter suspects is centuries of accumulated dirt. The entire establishment carries a strong, persistent smell that is often compared to that of goats. The clientele is typically secretive, with many patrons concealing their identities under hoods and veils, a practice the bartender seems to encourage. Historically, the Hog's Head has been a center for clandestine activities and shady dealings. It was here that Rubeus Hagrid won a dragon egg from a disguised Professor Quirrell in a game of cards. Years earlier, it was the site of Albus Dumbledore's interview with Sybill Trelawney for the post of Divination professor, during which she made the famous prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The prophecy was partially overheard by Severus Snape, who was ejected from the premises by the barman, Aberforth Dumbledore.

The Hog's Head serves as a pivotal location at several key moments in the series. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is the setting where Hagrid is tricked into acquiring a Norwegian Ridgeback egg, an illegal act that fits the pub's reputation for illicit transactions. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger chooses the Hog's Head for the first meeting of what would become Dumbledore's Army, correctly reasoning that its private and seedy nature would deter unwanted attention. The meeting is nonetheless spied upon by Willy Widdershins and Mundungus Fletcher, who is present in disguise. Its most significant role comes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. With Hogsmeade under a strict curfew and swarming with Death Eaters, the Hog's Head becomes the headquarters for the resistance. Aberforth Dumbledore uses a secret passage, concealed behind a portrait of his late sister Ariana Dumbledore, to provide food to the students hiding in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. This passage later becomes the sole safe entry point into the castle for Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione, and subsequently for the reinforcements from the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army just before the Battle of Hogwarts. The pub effectively becomes the final staging ground for the forces fighting against Voldemort.

• Main Barroom: The primary area of the pub, a single, dirty room where patrons are served drinks.
• Upstairs Room: A private room located above the main bar. This is where Sybill Trelawney's interview with Albus Dumbledore took place.
• Secret Passage: A hidden tunnel that begins behind the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore in Aberforth's living quarters. It leads directly into the Room of Requirement inside Hogwarts Castle.

• The name “Hog's Head” is a likely pun. It fits the “Hogwarts” and “Hogsmeade” naming theme, and a “hogshead” is a real historical unit of measurement for a large cask, typically containing ale, making it an appropriate name for a pub.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Aberforth Dumbledore is clearly identifiable as the barman during the Dumbledore's Army meeting. In the novel, the barman is described but not explicitly named as Aberforth until Deathly Hallows. (film)
• The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 provides a detailed visual of the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore and the secret passage it conceals. (film)