======Hogwarts House======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Social, residential, and academic division
  * **Location:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts]] students, [[Head of House]], [[House Ghost]]
  * **Key Features:** Founder-based values, distinct common rooms, House points system, Inter-House rivalries, [[House Cup]] competition
=====Description and History=====
A [[Hogwarts House]] is one of the four fundamental divisions of the student body at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. Shortly after the school's founding //circa// 993 A.D., the four founders—[[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]]—agreed to divide the students into four "Houses," each named after one of them. Students were selected for each [[House]] based on the specific qualities and personality traits that each founder prized. This system was designed to create smaller, family-like communities for students within the larger school.
The founders personally selected students during the school's early years. However, foreseeing a time when they would no longer be able to perform this duty, [[Godric Gryffindor]] bewitched his own hat, infusing it with the collective intelligence of all four founders. This magical artifact became the [[Sorting Hat]], which continues to sort new students into the appropriate Houses to this day by using [[Legilimency]] to assess their minds and character.
A significant rift eventually formed between [[Salazar Slytherin]] and the other three founders. Slytherin believed that magical education should be restricted to pure-blood witches and wizards only, a view the others did not share. This disagreement led to his departure from the school, but not before he secretly constructed the [[Chamber of Secrets]] beneath it.
Each [[House]] has its own [[Common Room]] and dormitories, a [[Head of House]] who acts as a mentor and disciplinarian, a resident [[House Ghost]], and its own [[Quidditch]] team. The Houses compete throughout the school year for the [[House Cup]] by earning and losing [[House Points]], which are tallied in four giant, jewel-filled hourglasses located in the [[Entrance Hall]].
=====Role in the Story=====
The [[Hogwarts House]] system is central to the structure of the series and to [[Harry Potter]]'s personal journey. His Sorting is a moment of profound significance, where he actively chooses [[Gryffindor]] over [[Slytherin]], thereby defining his own path and rejecting the one predestined by his connection to [[Lord Voldemort]].
The intense rivalry between [[Gryffindor]] and [[Slytherin]] serves as a primary source of conflict throughout the books, mirroring the larger battle between good and evil in the wizarding world. This is most evident in the annual competitions for the [[House Cup]] and the [[Quidditch Cup]], which often pit [[Harry Potter]] directly against [[Draco Malfoy]].
While the House system often fosters division, the story also emphasizes the importance of inter-House unity. The formation of [[Dumbledore's Army]] sees students from [[Gryffindor]], [[Hufflepuff]], and [[Ravenclaw]] band together against the tyranny of [[Dolores Umbridge]]. This theme of unity culminates in the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], where the three Houses stand together to defend the school. As [[Albus Dumbledore]] stated, "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."
=====The Four Houses=====
The [[Hogwarts]] student body is divided into the following four Houses, each with its own history, values, and associated quarters within the castle:
  * **[[Gryffindor]]**
    * //Values:// Courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry.
    * //Founder:// [[Godric Gryffindor]]
    * //Mascot:// Lion
    * //Colours:// Scarlet and Gold
    * //Head of House:// [[Professor McGonagall]]
    * //House Ghost:// [[Nearly Headless Nick]]
    * //Common Room:// Located in [[Gryffindor Tower]] on the seventh floor, guarded by the portrait of the [[Fat Lady]].
  * **[[Hufflepuff]]**
    * //Values:// Hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.
    * //Founder:// [[Helga Hufflepuff]]
    * //Mascot:// Badger
    * //Colours:// Yellow and Black
    * //Head of House:// [[Professor Sprout]]
    * //House Ghost:// The [[Fat Friar]]
    * //Common Room:// Located in the basement, near the kitchens.
  * **[[Ravenclaw]]**
    * //Values:// Intelligence, creativity, learning, and wit.
    * //Founder:// [[Rowena Ravenclaw]]
    * //Mascot:// Eagle
    * //Colours:// Blue and Bronze
    * //Head of House:// [[Professor Flitwick]]
    * //House Ghost:// The [[Grey Lady]] ([[Helena Ravenclaw]])
    * //Common Room:// Located in [[Ravenclaw Tower]] on the west side of the castle, guarded by an enchanted eagle knocker that requires a riddle to be solved for entry.
  * **[[Slytherin]]**
    * //Values:// Ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness.
    * //Founder:// [[Salazar Slytherin]]
    * //Mascot:// Serpent
    * //Colours:// Green and Silver
    * //Head of House:// [[Professor Snape]], later [[Professor Slughorn]]
    * //House Ghost:// The [[Bloody Baron]]
    * //Common Room:// Located in the [[Dungeons]] beneath the [[Great Lake]], accessed through a bare stretch of stone wall.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptations, the [[Ravenclaw]] House colours were changed from blue and bronze to blue and silver, and its mascot was changed from an eagle to a raven.
  * Information about the specific locations and entrance methods for the [[Hufflepuff]] and [[Slytherin]] common rooms was first revealed on the Pottermore website. (Pottermore)
  * J.K. Rowling revealed that the famously benevolent wizard [[Merlin]] was sorted into [[Slytherin]] House, challenging the notion that the House exclusively produces Dark witches and wizards. (Pottermore)
  * According to J.K. Rowling, the four Houses correspond to the four classical elements: [[Gryffindor]] is fire, [[Slytherin]] is water, [[Hufflepuff]] is earth, and [[Ravenclaw]] is air. (J.K. Rowling interview)