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. ======Hogwarts Kitchens====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** [[Kitchens]] * **Location:** Beneath the [[Great Hall]], [[Hogwarts Castle]], [[Scotland]] * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], staffed by over one hundred [[house-elf|house-elves]], including [[Dobby]], [[Winky]], and [[Kreacher]] at various times. * **Key Features:** Exact replica of the [[Great Hall]]'s dimensions, magical food transportation to the tables above, hidden entrance behind a magical painting. =====Description and History===== The [[Hogwarts kitchens]] are located in a vast, high-ceilinged chamber directly underneath the [[Great Hall]], mirroring its exact size and shape. The room has stone walls, around which are stacked gleaming brass pots and pans. A large, brick fireplace stands at the far end of the room. In the center are four long wooden tables, positioned identically to the House tables in the [[Great Hall]] above them. Food is placed on these tables and magically transported upstairs to appear on the plates of the students and faculty. The kitchens are staffed by more than a hundred [[house-elf|house-elves]], who are attired in clean tea towels stamped with the [[Hogwarts]] crest. They consider it their life's purpose and a matter of great pride to prepare elaborate meals for the school, working unseen and unpaid. The entrance to the kitchens is concealed behind a magical painting of a bowl of fruit, located in the same corridor as the entrance to the [[Hufflepuff Common Room]]. To gain entry, one must tickle the large green pear in the painting. The pear will squirm and giggle before transforming into a green doorknob, allowing the door to be opened. This magical access was likely designed to be simple, as [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]] were known to frequently sneak in for extra food. According to [[Hogwarts]] history, it was co-founder [[Helga Hufflepuff]] who brought [[house-elf|house-elves]] to work in the kitchens, intending to provide them with a safe and fair working environment, free from abuse. The proximity of the kitchen entrance to the [[Hufflepuff Common Room]] is a testament to her legacy (Pottermore). =====Role in the Story===== The kitchens serve as a critical, albeit mostly unseen, engine for the daily life of the school, but they become a significant location for several key plot developments. * In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, the kitchens are first introduced when [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] visit to speak with [[Dobby]]. Here, they also encounter a distraught [[Winky]], recently dismissed from the service of [[Barty Crouch Sr.]]. This visit exposes [[Hermione]] to the working conditions of the [[house-elf|house-elves]], which she perceives as enslavement, directly inspiring her to found the [[S.P.E.W.|Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare]]. * In //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, Harry visits the kitchens seeking [[Dobby]]'s help to find a secret meeting place for [[Dumbledore's Army]]. [[Dobby]], overjoyed to help, suggests the [[Room of Requirement]]. During another visit near Christmas, Harry encounters [[Kreacher]], who had been sent to work in the kitchens by [[Sirius Black]] on [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s orders. [[Kreacher]]'s deep-seated loyalty to the [[Black family|House of Black]] and his contempt for Harry and his friends is made apparent here. * In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, the kitchens play a heroic role during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. Led by a newly loyal [[Kreacher]], the army of [[house-elf|house-elves]] swarms from the kitchens into the [[Entrance Hall]], wielding carving knives and cleavers to attack the invading [[Death Eaters]]. This event marks a significant point in [[Kreacher]]'s character arc, showcasing his changed allegiance and the collective bravery of his species. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling confirmed on the Pottermore website that [[Helga Hufflepuff]] brought the [[house-elf|house-elves]] to [[Hogwarts]] not as servants, but to offer them a safe haven where they would not be mistreated. This is why the entrance is near the [[Hufflepuff]] badger setts. * In the film adaptations, the [[Hogwarts kitchens]] are never shown, and the scenes where Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit them are omitted from //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//. The existence of the kitchens is implied by the magical appearance of food in the [[Great Hall]], but the workforce of [[house-elf|house-elves]] and their role within the castle is not explored visually (film).
