The High Table

• Type: Ceremonial furniture, Staff dining table
• Location: Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
• Owner/Residents: Hogwarts Staff (including the Headmaster, professors, and other faculty members)
• Key Features: Positioned on a raised dais, long polished wood construction, central ornate chair for the Headmaster

The High Table is the long, polished wooden table located at the top of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It is positioned horizontally on a raised dais, directly facing the four long House tables belonging to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. This elevated position provides the staff with a clear view of the entire student body and establishes the table as the room's focal point. The primary function of the High Table is to serve as the dining table for the Hogwarts faculty during start-of-term, end-of-term, and holiday feasts, as well as daily meals. The Headmaster or Headmistress sits in the center of the table in a large, throne-like chair. Other members of staff, such as Heads of House, professors, the school nurse, the caretaker, and the gamekeeper, sit on either side. In addition to the staff, distinguished guests are also seated at the High Table during special occasions. During the Triwizard Tournament, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch, Sr. from the Ministry of Magic were seated there, along with Headmistress Olympe Maxime of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Headmaster Igor Karkaroff of the Durmstrang Institute.

As the central point of authority in the Great Hall, the High Table is the setting for many of the school year's most significant events, announcements, and turning points in the series.

• Ceremonies and Announcements: All major ceremonies are conducted from the front of the High Table. This includes the annual Sorting Ceremony, where the Sorting Hat is placed on a stool before the table, and the awarding of the House Cup at the end of each school year. The Headmaster delivers start-of-term speeches and other important announcements from this position.
• Significant Events:
  • In Harry Potter's first year, Professor Quirrell ran to the High Table to deliver his panicked warning about a troll in the dungeons.
  • Gilderoy Lockhart was formally introduced to the student body as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher from his seat at the table.
  • Albus Dumbledore announced the revival of the Triwizard Tournament and explained its rules from behind the High Table. The Goblet of Fire was also placed before it to select the champions.
  • Dolores Umbridge famously interrupted Dumbledore's start-of-term speech with her own address from the High Table, signaling the Ministry of Magic's new influence at Hogwarts.
  • At the end of Harry's fourth year, Dumbledore used his position at the table to deliver a solemn tribute to the late Cedric Diggory and to announce the return of Lord Voldemort to the entire school.
• The Battle of Hogwarts: During the climactic Battle of Hogwarts, the High Table and the dais it rests on were repurposed. The area served as a command post for the castle's defenders and was later used as a somber space where the bodies of the fallen, including Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks, were laid.

• The Headmaster's Chair: The most prominent feature of the High Table is the large, central chair reserved for the Headmaster or Headmistress. It is described as a great golden throne, symbolizing the highest authority within Hogwarts.

• In the film adaptations of the series, the High Table is depicted much as it is described in the novels. The set for the Great Hall features a long, ornate table on a raised platform, with a particularly grand and throne-like chair for the Headmaster. (film)