Hats in the Wizarding World

• Type: Apparel, Magical Device, Status Symbol
• Owners: Widely owned and worn by witches and wizards across all sectors of society.
• Maker: Varies, from individual makers like Hermione Granger to the legendary founders of Hogwarts.

Hats are a common and often distinctive form of apparel in the wizarding world. The most stereotypical style is the traditional pointed hat, which is a required part of the Hogwarts school uniform, specified as “one plain pointed hat (black) for day wear.” This style is frequently worn by adult wizards as well and is often seen as a key identifier of wizarding kind by Muggles. However, wizarding hats come in a wide variety of other styles that often reflect the wearer's personality, profession, or status.

• Pointed Hats: Besides the Hogwarts uniform, Albus Dumbledore was known for his long, pointed hats, such as a midnight-blue one decorated with silver stars and moons.
• Bowler Hats: Cornelius Fudge, as Minister for Magic, was almost never seen without his lime-green bowler hat, which conveyed a sense of formal, bureaucratic authority.
• Top Hats: Dedalus Diggle, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, was notable for wearing a violet top hat.
• Bonnets: Albus Dumbledore once humorously wore a flowered bonnet he received from a Wizard Cracker at Christmas dinner.
• Eccentric Styles: Augusta Longbottom wore a distinctive tall hat topped with a large, stuffed vulture. This hat became famous during a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson where Neville Longbottom faced a Boggart that had taken the form of Professor Snape.

While many hats are mundane articles of clothing, some possess powerful magical properties or are created for specific magical purposes.

• The Sorting Hat: By far the most famous magical hat, the Sorting Hat is a sapient artifact that uses a form of Legilimency to determine which of the four Hogwarts houses new students belong to. It is also capable of speech and song, often composing a new song at the start of each school year to warn or advise the student body. Furthermore, it is a conduit for the Sword of Gryffindor, which can be presented to any worthy Gryffindor who pulls it from within the hat in a moment of need.
• Headless Hats: A product developed and sold by Fred and George Weasley at their shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. When worn, the Headless Hat uses a Charm to make the wearer's head, and the hat itself, invisible, creating a startling and amusing effect.
• Talking Hats: In a Ministry of Magic inter-departmental memo, an employee expressed hope that their report would not be damaged by various magical hazards, including a “talking hat.” This suggests that other sapient or enchanted hats, besides the Sorting Hat, may exist within the Ministry.
• S.P.E.W. Hats: As part of her campaign for house-elf rights, Hermione Granger knitted dozens of hats and socks and hid them around the Gryffindor Tower. She intended for house-elves to inadvertently pick them up while cleaning, which, according to her understanding, would set them free. While most house-elves found this insulting, Dobby was delighted to collect them all.

The most significant history of any hat in the wizarding world belongs to the Sorting Hat. It was originally the personal property of Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. To ensure that students would be sorted into their houses long after the founders were gone, Godric Gryffindor took off his hat, and all four founders enchanted it with their combined intelligence. This act gave the hat its sapience and the ability to carry out the sorting ceremony for centuries. Throughout its long history, the hat has served not only as a sorter but as a guide and a last resort. It has delivered warnings of internal division and external threats through its annual songs. Critically, it provided the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets and to Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts, proving instrumental in the destruction of two of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.

Hats play several important roles throughout the series, from character development to major plot points.

• Characterization: The style of hat a character wears often serves as a form of visual shorthand for their personality. Albus Dumbledore's whimsical hats underscore his eccentricity and wisdom, while Cornelius Fudge's bowler reflects his stuffy and image-conscious nature.
• Plot Advancement: The Sorting Hat is central to the plot. Its decision to place Harry Potter in Gryffindor (respecting his choice over its initial inclination for Slytherin) is a recurring theme about choice versus predetermined destiny. Its ability to produce the Sword of Gryffindor is crucial for Harry's victory over the Basilisk and Neville Longbottom's destruction of Nagini.
• Subplots: Hermione's mission to free house-elves via knitted hats forms a significant part of her character arc, highlighting her activism and compassion, while also strengthening the bond between Harry Potter and Dobby. The Weasley twins' Headless Hats are an early indicator of their magical talent and business acumen.

• On the Pottermore website, J.K. Rowling revealed that the Sorting Hat is notorious for refusing to admit it has ever made a mistake in sorting a student. She also explained the term Hatstall, which refers to an occasion when the Hat takes more than five minutes to decide on a student's house, a rare event that happened with both Minerva McGonagall and Peter Pettigrew. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptations of the series, pointed hats are a prominent part of the wizarding aesthetic, used frequently in crowd scenes like those in Diagon Alley or at the Quidditch World Cup to visually distinguish wizards from Muggles. (film)