The Gryffindor Common Room

• Type: Common Room
• Location: Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Gryffindor students, Head of Gryffindor
• Key Features: Guarded by a portrait (The Fat Lady), accessed via password, circular room, decorated in scarlet and gold, large fireplace.

The Gryffindor Common Room is a circular, cozy room located high in Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle. It serves as the social and residential hub for all students sorted into Gryffindor House. The room is decorated in the house colors of scarlet and gold, featuring squashy armchairs, tables, and a large, welcoming fireplace which is sometimes used for communication via the Floo Network. The walls are adorned with tapestries depicting lions and other heroic scenes. Large windows look out over the castle grounds. Access to the common room is granted by speaking the correct password to the portrait of The Fat Lady, a plump woman in a pink silk dress, which then swings open to reveal a hole in the wall. The password is changed regularly for security. Known passwords have included Caput Draconis, Pig Snout, Fortuna Major, Scurvy Cur, Oddsbodikins, Flapdoodle, Balderdash, Fairy Lights, Banana Fritters, Abstinence, Tapeworm, Mimbulus mimbletonia, and Dilligrout. On at least one occasion, the portrait was guarded by the eccentric knight, Sir Cadogan, after The Fat Lady was attacked by Sirius Black. A bulletin board is prominently displayed, used for posting official notices, student advertisements, Quidditch team sign-ups, and in Harry Potter's fifth year, the numerous Educational Decrees issued by Dolores Umbridge. The room was presumably established by Godric Gryffindor when the castle was founded and has remained a place of warmth, bravery, and camaraderie for its members for centuries.

As the common room for the main protagonists, it is one of the most frequently featured locations in the series and the backdrop for numerous significant events.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is where Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger first get to know each other and their housemates. It serves as their primary base for planning their investigation into the Philosopher's Stone and is the site of celebrations after Quidditch victories and winning the House Cup.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the trio uses the common room to plan their use of the Polyjuice Potion to infiltrate the Slytherin common room.
• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the common room becomes a scene of panic when Sirius Black manages to slash the portrait of The Fat Lady in his attempt to enter. Later, he succeeds in entering the boys' dormitory, terrifying Ron Weasley. The room is also the site of a massive celebration after Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the room hosts a surprise party for Harry after he successfully completes the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. It is also where the major argument between Harry and Ron occurs after Harry's name emerges from the Goblet of Fire.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the common room is where the initial discussions for what would become Dumbledore's Army take place. The bulletin board becomes a focal point of student defiance as it is constantly covered in Umbridge's decrees.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the room is the setting for much social drama, including Ron's public relationship with Lavender Brown and Hermione Granger's subsequent distress. Most notably, it is where Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley share their first kiss after a victorious Quidditch match.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, though not directly shown, it is implied that the common room is a center of student resistance under the leadership of Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood.

• Portrait Entrance: The primary entrance is a portrait hole concealed by the portrait of The Fat Lady on a seventh-floor corridor.
• Main Room: The central, circular living area containing chairs, tables, the fireplace, and the bulletin board.
• Boys' Dormitory: A spiral staircase leads from the common room up to the boys' dormitories. Each dormitory is a circular room containing five four-poster beds with deep-red, velvet curtains. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley shared a dormitory with Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas.
• Girls' Dormitory: A separate spiral staircase leads to the girls' dormitories. The staircase is enchanted with an Imperturbable Charm that transforms the steps into a smooth stone slide if any boy tries to ascend it, preventing them from entering.

• For Harry Potter, who grew up in the cold, unloving environment of the Dursley home, the cozy and welcoming Gryffindor Common Room was the first place that truly felt like home. J.K. Rowling deliberately designed it to be a haven of warmth and comfort.
• The film adaptations feature a detailed and memorable set for the common room, establishing a strong visual identity with its rich red tapestries, worn furniture, and grand fireplace that became iconic to the series' visual style. (film)
• According to Pottermore, The Fat Lady is good friends with another portrait character named Violet, and they often visit each other's paintings for a drink. (Pottermore)