The Grounds of Hogwarts Castle

• Type: School Grounds
• Location: Scotland, surrounding Hogwarts Castle
• Owner/Residents: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Key figures include the Headmaster, staff, and students. The official caretaker of the grounds is the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, a post held for many years by Rubeus Hagrid.
• Key Features: The grounds are vast and sprawling, featuring extensive lawns, a large lake, a dense forest, and numerous magical enchantments for protection. They are Unplottable and prevent Apparition and Disapparition within their boundaries.

The grounds of Hogwarts Castle encompass the extensive area surrounding the school. They consist of sloping lawns, flowerbeds, vegetable patches for Herbology, a large lake to the south of the castle, and a dense, dangerous forest to the east. A paved path leads from the main gates, which are flanked by pillars topped with winged boars, up to the large oak front doors of the castle. Several key structures are located on the grounds, including Hagrid's Hut, the Greenhouses, and the Quidditch Pitch. One of the most notable features is the violent Whomping Willow, planted around 1971 to conceal a secret passage to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. The grounds have been a central part of Hogwarts history since its founding and were the primary battlefield during the climactic Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.

The grounds are the setting for numerous significant events throughout the series. They are where first-year students have their initial Flying lessons and where Care of Magical Creatures classes are held. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter serves detention in the Forbidden Forest where he witnesses Voldemort (possessing Quirinus Quirrell) drinking unicorn blood. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron Weasley crash the flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow. Later, they follow spiders into the Forbidden Forest to meet Aragog. During Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the apparent execution of the Hippogriff Buckbeak takes place in the pumpkin patch behind Hagrid's Hut, and the grounds by the Black Lake are the site of a major Dementor attack on Harry, Hermione Granger, and Sirius Black. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the grounds are heavily featured as the location for all three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. A dragon enclosure was built for the First Task, the Black Lake was used for the Second Task, and the Quidditch Pitch was transformed into a large maze for the Third Task. The Durmstrang Institute ship and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic carriage were also housed on the grounds for the school year. The grounds are the site of Albus Dumbledore's funeral at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where a white marble tomb is erected for him on the edge of the Black Lake. Finally, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the grounds become a war zone during the Battle of Hogwarts, with fighting raging across the lawns and courtyards as Voldemort and his Death Eaters lay siege to the castle.

• The Forbidden Forest: A vast and ancient forest on the edge of the school grounds, filled with dangerous and magical creatures. It is strictly out-of-bounds for all students, except during supervised lessons or detentions.
• The Black Lake: A large body of freshwater located south of the castle. It is home to a colony of Merpeople and a semi-tamed Giant Squid.
• Hagrid's Hut: A small wooden cabin that serves as the home for Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds. It sits at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
• The Quidditch Pitch: A large stadium where Hogwarts's inter-house Quidditch matches are played.
• The Greenhouses: A series of glass structures where students take their Herbology lessons, housing a wide variety of magical and mundane plants.
• The Whomping Willow: A large, violent, and sentient tree that attacks anything that comes within reach of its branches.
• Dumbledore's Tomb (White Tomb): A white marble tomb on the shore of the Black Lake, serving as the final resting place of Albus Dumbledore.

• J.K. Rowling has confirmed that Hogwarts and its grounds are located in a mountainous region of Scotland (J.K. Rowling interview).
• In the film adaptations, the layout and geography of the grounds change significantly between instalments. For instance, the location of Hagrid's Hut and the Whomping Willow relative to the castle is not consistent (film).
• Various video game adaptations have created their own unique, often simplified, layouts of the grounds to facilitate gameplay (video game).