======The Head of Hogwarts======
=====Position Information=====
  * **Type:** Leadership Position, Academic Title
  * **Location:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
  * **Appointing Body:** [[Hogwarts Board of Governors]]
  * **Key Features:** Ultimate authority over the school's administration, staff, and students; access to the secure [[Head's office]]; counsel from the portraits of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses.
=====Description and Responsibilities=====
The **Head of Hogwarts**, a title held by either a Headmaster or Headmistress, is the chief administrator of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. This position holds immense power and responsibility within the school and carries significant influence in the wider [[wizarding community]].
The Head is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school. Their authority includes:
  * **Staff Management:** Hiring and, if necessary, dismissing teachers. For example, [[Albus Dumbledore]] hired [[Remus Lupin]] and later fired [[Sybill Trelawney]], though he allowed her to remain at the castle.
  * **Student Discipline:** The Head has the final say in all matters of student punishment, including the authority to expel students, as [[Armando Dippet]] did to [[Rubeus Hagrid]].
  * **Curriculum and Policy:** Overseeing the educational direction and internal policies of [[Hogwarts]].
  * **School Security:** The Head is responsible for the safety of the students and the castle itself, often employing powerful protective enchantments.
Traditionally, the Head of Hogwarts is appointed by the twelve-member [[Hogwarts Board of Governors]]. The Governors also possess the power to suspend or dismiss the Head, as they did to [[Albus Dumbledore]] in //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//. However, the [[Ministry of Magic]] has shown it can usurp this power through legislation, as seen when it installed [[Dolores Umbridge]] as Headmistress via //Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight//.
Upon their death, a portrait of the Headmaster or Headmistress is magically created and hung in the [[Head's office]]. These portraits retain the personality and memories of their subjects, serving as an advisory council to the current Head.
=====Role in the Story=====
The position of Head of Hogwarts is central to the narrative of the series, primarily through its most notable occupant, [[Albus Dumbledore]]. Dumbledore used his authority to protect [[Harry Potter]], guide the fight against [[Lord Voldemort]], and maintain [[Hogwarts]] as a bastion of safety and tolerance. The instances where he is removed from his post—in //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]// and //[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]//—directly precede periods of great danger for the students.
The corruption and subversion of the role serve as powerful symbols for the state of the wizarding world. The appointment of [[Dolores Umbridge]] marks the Ministry's tyrannical overreach and the transformation of [[Hogwarts]] into a place of oppression. Similarly, [[Severus Snape]]'s installation as Headmaster signifies [[Lord Voldemort]]'s complete control over the magical community following the fall of the [[Ministry of Magic]]. The reclaiming of the Headship by [[Minerva McGonagall]] after the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] symbolizes the restoration of order and light.
=====Known Heads of Hogwarts=====
While the complete line of succession is unknown, several Headmasters and Headmistresses are mentioned in the novels or supplementary materials.
  * **Everard:** A former, celebrated Headmaster whose portrait hangs in the [[Head's office]] and at the [[Ministry of Magic]].
  * **Dilys Derwent:** A former Headmistress who served from 1741 to 1768. Her portrait also hangs in the [[Head's office]] and at [[St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries]], where she was a Healer.
  * **Phyllida Spore:** A former Headmistress, known for her book //One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi//. (Chocolate Frog Card)
  * **Dexter Fortescue:** A former Headmaster whose portrait advises [[Albus Dumbledore]] and later [[Severus Snape]]. (Pottermore)
  * **[[Armando Dippet]]:** The Headmaster immediately preceding [[Albus Dumbledore]]. He was the Head during [[Tom Riddle]]'s time as a student and was in charge when the [[Chamber of Secrets]] was first opened.
  * **[[Albus Dumbledore]]:** The Headmaster for the majority of the series and considered one of the greatest wizards of all time. He held the position for several decades until his death.
  * **[[Dolores Umbridge]]:** Illegitimately installed as Headmistress by the [[Ministry of Magic]] during the 1995-1996 school year. She was the first and only "Hogwarts High Inquisitor."
  * **[[Severus Snape]]:** Appointed Headmaster in 1997 by a decree from the Voldemort-controlled [[Ministry of Magic]]. He used his position to secretly protect the students, following Dumbledore's final orders.
  * **[[Minerva McGonagall]]:** Served as Acting Headmistress on three separate occasions: after Dumbledore's suspension in 1993, after his death in 1997, and during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] in 1998 after ousting [[Severus Snape]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * [[J.K. Rowling]] has confirmed that [[Minerva McGonagall]] became the official and permanent Headmistress of [[Hogwarts]] after the events of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the portraits in the [[Head's office]] are shown to applaud [[Severus Snape]] when he enters the room after Dumbledore's death, a detail not present in the book.