Hogwarts: A Complete Guide to The Wizarding School & Grounds (2025)

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the most iconic fictional schools. The Harry Potter universe heavily revolves around it, with Harry, Ron and Hermione spending most of their time in the castle or within Hogwarts grounds. Hogwarts was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin, and each founder gave their name to a different house within the school. Students are sorted into different houses, which have their own common rooms and sleeping areas in different parts of the castle.

Hogwarts Castle includes many other unique rooms besides the houses' common rooms. From secret passages to rooms that are only available to those who ask for it, not many can say they know every corner and hidden secret within the castle. Maybe only the Marauders, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, can truly say they know everything there is to know about Hogwarts School and Grounds. But for the rest, a complete guide of the Wizarding School and its surrounding area can be just as helpful as having the Marauder's Map.

Hogsmeade Station Is the First Stop For Anyone Arriving at Hogwarts

Hogwarts School Has Several Protective Charms That Make It Impossible to Apparate Within School Grounds

• There's a real-life Hogwarts Express that people can board in Universal Studios Orlando Resort.

Hogsmeade Station is where the Hogwarts Express ends its journey and where the Knight Bus will drop any witch or wizard going to Hogwarts. The station also serves those going to Hogsmeade, the only all-wizarding village in Britain. The station is close to the Great Lake, and first-years usually take the self-propelled boats across the lake to the castle. The rest of the students take the carriages from Hogsmeade Station to the castle. These carriages might appear to be moving on their own. However, they are pulled by Thestrals, skeletal winged horses that only those who've witnessed death can see.

Hogsmeade Station was built in the early 1800s and is quite far away from the village, as the station is mostly used to safely transport Hogwarts students. The Knight Bus will only take witches and wizards who are going to Hogwarts as far as Hogsmeade Station. Tonks and Lupin accompanied Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys on the Knight Bus during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as they returned to school after winter break and Mr. Weasley's attack, and after arriving at the station, they had to walk until they were safely within Hogwarts grounds. Many witches and wizards also use Hogsmeade Station as the closest point available for Apparition when going to Hogwarts, as Hogwarts is protected by multiple charms that make it impossible for anyone to apparate within Hogwarts grounds.

Hogwarts Castle Hides Multiple Secrets Only a Few Students Were Able to Learn

The Castle Features Several Secret Passages and Hidden Rooms

• In Hogwarts Legacy, players can explore almost every inch of the vast castle.

Hogwarts Castle was built during the 10th century and features several rooms, stories, and even forty-two staircases. It is surrounded by mountains and the Great Lake and is located in the Scottish Highlands. The castle has several Muggle-repelling charms that make it impossible to find by Muggles and has several protection charms to keep the students and faculty safe.

Functioning as a boarding school, Hogwarts houses both students and faculty, who study, work and live within the castle. Students and professors share their meals in the Great Hall, where they also celebrate big holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. The Great Hall also served as the room where the Yule Ball took place during the Triwizard Tournament. The many other rooms serve as classrooms, study areas, libraries, and the common rooms and dormitories of each Hogwarts House. However, some rooms, and even the Hogwarts House's living areas, can be hard to find. These are some of the most relevant locations within Hogwarts Castle:

The Hogwarts Houses Serve as the Home For Many Students

Hogwarts Castle is a unique and intriguing building, one that is clearly supported by magic. During their first year, students at Hogwarts are sorted into their different Houses, with each house having its own living areas. Gryffindor's common room and dormitory are inside Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor. Ravenclaw Tower is where Ravenclaw's common room and dormitory was, and was on the west side of Hogwarts. Slytherin's common room and dormitories were located in the dungeons. Hufflepuff had their common room and dormitory near the kitchens in the basement.

Most Hogwarts students will only know where their own common rooms and dormitories are, as the exact location of each is mostly kept secret from students of other houses. However, Harry, Ron and Hermione learned where Slytherin's common room was during their second year at Hogwarts when they used the polyjuice potion to transform into Slytherin students. Harry also visited Ravenclaw's common room in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, accompanied by Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood, when he was looking for information about Ravenclaw's lost diadem.

Secret Passages Were Used to Help Those That Fought in the Battle of Hogwarts

There are many secret passages within Hogwarts that connect the castle with other places like Hogsmeade. The Marauders discovered most of these passages during their time at Hogwarts and then added them to their map. Fred and George Weasley knew of the passages as well, in part due to their pranks and escapades but mostly thanks to the Marauder's Map. After Fred and George gave Harry the map, Harry used one of the secret passages to sneak into Hogsmeade in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

There's a total of seven known secret passages in and out of Hogwarts. Six of these passages are located within the castle, while the other is located within Hogwarts Grounds. However, the Room of Requirements might also create another passage out of the school if asked. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Room of Requirement created a passage between Hogwarts and Hog's Head so that students were able to get food as they hid from the Death Eaters that had taken over the school.

The seven secret passages are:

1. The passage beneath a one-eyed witch statue leading to the cellar of Honeydukes.
2. The passage behind a mirror on the fourth floor that led to Hogsmeade but was caved in.
3. The passage beneath the Whomping Willow leads to the Shrieking Shack.
4. The passage behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy leads to Hogsmeade, though it's unknown where in the village.
5. The passage is located within the West Well, which leads to a fountain in Hogsmeade.
6. The passage located off of the Hieroglyphic Hall under a rug near the jeweled Fire Crab shell, which also leads to somewhere in Hogsmeade.
7. There's also a passage down a toilet, though there isn't much detail about which toilet and where it leads.

Room of Requirement Served as a Safe Space For Any Who Needed It

The Room of Requirement is located on the seventh floor in the left corridor of Hogwarts Castle. It was first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as Dumbledore talks about a bathroom within the castle that appeared when he needed it the most but wasn't there later. The entrance to the Room of Requirement is opposite the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. However, it isn't easy to access it.

The key to accessing the Room of Requirement is to ask the room exactly what's needed. The room can transform itself into almost anything as long as the person asking is specific enough. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,Dumbledore's Army used the Room of Requirement to learn and practice defensive charms. The room provided with everything needed, from books to training equipment. And once the Death Eaters took over the school in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Neville used the room to help students who needed to hide out. The room gave the students a safe place to sleep and even created a passage to Hog's Head when students realized they had no food. While the Room of Requirements can produce almost anything, food isn't one of them, as it is one of the exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.

The Chamber of Secrets Was a Dangerous Place For Centuries

The Chamber of Secrets is located below the ground floor and was created by Salazar Slytherin deep under the dungeons. It was home to an ancient Basilisk, which Voldemort used twice to attack Muggle-born students at Hogwarts. The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where a sink would open if someone said "open" in Parseltongue.

Harry Potter found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets during his second year at Hogwarts and went in to save Ginny Weasley from Voldemort and the Basilisk. Voldemort also used the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets during his time as a Hogwarts student to release the Basilisk and attack Muggle-born students, even killing Myrtle in the bathroom. Hagrid was unfortunately expelled as he took the blame for Voldemort's crimes during this time, but it was eventually revealed that Hagrid was innocent all along. The Chamber of Secrets is also where Ron and Hermione got a Basilisk fang to destroy the Horcruxes and where they shared their first kiss.

Other Known Locations Within the Castle

Hogwarts Castle consists of seven floors, dungeons and basements, making it a never-ending maze of rooms and corridors for anyone unfamiliar with the school. The Potions classroom, as well as Slytherin's common room, is in the dungeons. The basement houses Hufflepuff's common room and the kitchens, where house-elves such as Dobby work. On the ground floor, students can find the Great Hall and the Transfiguration classroom. The classrooms for Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Muggle Studies are on the first floor, as well as the Hospital Wing. There are no known classrooms on the second floor of the castle, though Moaning Myrtle's bathroom is located there. The third floor includes the Charms classroom and the library, as well as the one-eyed witch passage to Hogsmeade.

The fourth and fifth floors of Hogwarts include different study areas and bathrooms, as well as the art and music classrooms and the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. The sixth floor is where the Study of Ancient Runes classroom is located. The seventh floor includes the Room of Requirement, the Divination classroom, and the Fat Lady's corridor that leads to Gryffindor Tower.

The Hogwarts Grounds Are Vast and Full of Mysteries

As the Gamekeeper, Hagrid Was Tasked With Looking After Everything Within the Hogwarts Grounds

• The Hogwarts grounds are slightly more dangerous than the rest of the castle, as any magical creature could venture in if they wanted to.

The Hogwarts grounds include many locations that are key to Harry Potter's story. Even though most of the time Harry, Ron and Hermione were inside the castle, they did spend a lot of time outside within Hogwarts Grounds during different activities and even serving detention. They also attended some of their classes within the grounds, like Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Just like the castle, the grounds at Hogwarts also have hidden secrets and dangerous places. Students are mostly encouraged to stay within the castle during their time off, but many choose to sit by the Great Lake during sunny days and after the end-of-year exams. Rubeus Hagrid is the Gamekeeper, and later Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, and takes care of the school grounds and magical creatures that live there. However, not even Hagrid knows everything there is to know about the Hogwarts grounds. These are some of the most important places within the Hogwarts grounds:

Greenhouses House the Most Helpful and Dangerous Plantlife Imaginable

There are three main greenhouses mentioned in the Harry Potter books within Hogwarts grounds, where Professor Sprout taught her Herbology lessons. The Herbology Professor's office was also located within one of the greenhouses. Greenhouse Three was the most dangerous since it held plants such as Mandrakes and Venomous Tentaculas. By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione were sending their own children to Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom had taken on the post of Herbology Professor.

One of the biggest differences about Hogwarts between the book and the film adaptations is where the greenhouses are located. In the Harry Potter books, they are located on Hogwarts grounds, across from the castle. In the movies, however, the greenhouses appear to be located within an open-roofed wing of the castle, making it part of Hogwarts Castle.

The Quidditch Pitch and Training Grounds Were Home to Many Iconic Wizards and Witches

Quidditch is a big part of the Wizarding community, and it makes sense that a school such as Hogwarts would have its own Quidditch pitch and teams. Each Hogwarts house had its own team, and they practiced and played against each other on the Quidditch pitch. The teams could also hold their tryouts within the pitch. The Quidditch pitch is surrounded by stands that were decorated with the colors of the playing teams during Quidditch matches.

Another place for students to do different activities is the training grounds, located near the greenhouses. In the Harry Potter movies, the training grounds were the place where Madam Hooch taught her flying lessons and where Oliver Wood explained to Harry the rules of Quidditch. In the books, flying lessons took place near the Forbidden Forest, while Oliver Wood's first lesson about Quidditch happened on the Quidditch pitch.

Forbidden Forest is Off Limits For a Reason

The Forbidden Forest borders the edges of the Hogwarts grounds and houses numerous magical creatures. It is off-limits for all students, yet there are some exceptions. For example, some Care of Magical Creatures lessons took place in the Forbidden Forest. And during Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry, Hermione, Neville and Draco had to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest as well. It was during this detention that Harry came face to face with Voldemort for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts and met Firenze, one of the centaurs that live in the forest.

The Forbidden Forest houses many magical creatures, from unicorns to acromantulas. Harry and Ron had to venture into the forest as they followed the spiders, looking for answers about the dangers lurking at the school in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia is in the forest as well after Harry and Ron crashed into the Whomping Willow. And during Harry's fifth year, Hagrid hid his giant half-brother Grawp in the forest. The Forbidden Forest is one of the most intriguing places within Hogwarts, and most of its secrets are probably still unknown.

Other Known Locations Within Hogwarts Grounds

The Gamekeeper's hut is located near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and is where Rubeus Hagrid lived during his time as Gamekeeper and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. After Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, Dumbledore allowed him to stay and live on the grounds and gave him the job of Gamekeeper. Hagrid is probably the one who knows the most about the Forbidden Forest, as part of his job is taking care of the magical creatures that live within. Dumbledore's white tomb is also within Hogwarts grounds, located on the shores of the Great Lake.

There's also a secret passage into Hogsmeade within Hogwarts grounds. The entrance is right at the base of the Whomping Willow, which was planted when Remus Lupin began studying at Hogwarts. The tree served to keep students away from the secret passage, which was, in turn, used to hide Lupin whenever he underwent his werewolf transformations. James, Sirius and Peter eventually realized that Lupin was a werewolf and, instead of being scared, they decided to become Animagi and accompany Lupin through the passage under the Whomping Willow. This led to the Shrieking Shack at Hogsmeade, an abandoned house many believed to be haunted due to the screams the villagers heard. Yet in fact, it was Lupin's screams that most people heard, and Dumbledore encouraged the rumors to keep the people away from the Shack.

Hogwarts Still Keeps Many Secrets That Future Generations Can Unearth

The Castle and Grounds Are So Extensive That No Student or Faculty Has Revealed All of Its Secrets

• Hogwarts Legacy revealed many deeper underground caverns that connect to the larger surrounding lands in the area.

The Hogwarts grounds and the main castle feature several unique places and rooms, as well as secrets that are probably still unknown today. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were probably the only ones who came close to knowing all the hidden rooms and passages within Hogwarts. The Marauder's Map is, without a doubt, one of the most detailed maps of Hogwarts. However, not even the Marauders seemed to know of the Room of Requirement, as it was not added to their map. This may be because the room is unplottable, yet it's also possible the Marauders never had the need for such a room as they already had several other secret hideouts to use. They also probably didn't know about the Chamber of Secrets, a place that was believed to be only a legend.

Voldemort could be the only one person who came closer to discovering most of the secrets hidden within Hogwarts, as he was the one who found the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, Ron and Hermione had Moaning Myrtle to assist them, yet Voldemort found the entrance alone. The Golden Trio, however, discovered new Hogwarts secrets as well during their time there. They also explored the Forbidden Forest and even went into another house's common room. Not even Argus Filch, the caretaker, knew of all the secret passages out of Hogwarts. Yet, with all the information available, there are probably still a lot of rooms and passages ready to be discovered in such a formidable place like Hogwarts.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Latest Film

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Upcoming TV Shows

Harry Potter

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Maggie Smith , Alan Rickman , Helena Bonham Carter , Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon

Where to watch

HBO Max

Spin-offs (Movies)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Voldemort

Video Game(s)

Hogwarts Legacy , LEGO Harry Potter Collection , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells , Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets , Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2