Hogwarts School Supplies

Hogwarts school supplies are the required equipment, uniforms, and textbooks that students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry must purchase before the start of each school year. The list of necessary items is sent to each student via owl post during the summer holidays. The primary shopping destination for these supplies is Diagon Alley in London. The specific requirements vary by year group, with new textbooks and sometimes specialized equipment being added as students advance in their magical education.

The initial list sent to first-year students is comprehensive, covering all core subjects. The list Harry Potter received in 1991 is the canonical example of these requirements.

• Three sets of plain work robes (black)
• One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
• One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
• One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

All students require one copy of each of the following:

• The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
• A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
• Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
• A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
• The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

• 1 wand
• 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
• 1 set of glass or crystal phials
• 1 telescope
• 1 set of brass scales

The letter also notes that students may bring either an owl, a cat, or a toad. It explicitly states that first-years are not permitted to have their own broomsticks.

For each subsequent year at Hogwarts, students receive a new list of required textbooks. This often includes the next volume in a series, such as The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2, and new books for any new classes or teachers.

• Second Year: The main additions are the seven books by Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, such as Year with the Yeti and Gadding with Ghouls.
• Third Year: With the start of elective subjects, students must purchase books for their chosen classes. Notable examples include Unfogging the Future for Divination and the notoriously aggressive The Monster Book of Monsters for Care of Magical Creatures.
• Fourth Year: In addition to new textbooks, students were required to have dress robes for the Yule Ball as part of the Triwizard Tournament events.
• Fifth Year: For their O.W.L. year, students had a particularly long and expensive booklist. The Ministry of Magic-approved textbook for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard, was notably devoid of practical spell-casting information.
• Sixth Year: For N.E.W.T. level study, students require advanced textbooks like Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage.

Most students and their families purchase their school supplies in Diagon Alley. Key shops include:

• Flourish and Blotts: For all required course books.
• Ollivanders: The primary provider of wands.
• Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions: For school robes, hats, and gloves.
• Potage's Cauldron Shop: For cauldrons of various materials and sizes.
• Apothecary: For basic potion ingredients and equipment like phials and scales.

Students without the financial means, like the young Tom Riddle, could receive funding from Hogwarts to purchase their supplies. The Weasley family often struggled with the expense, frequently purchasing second-hand books and equipment.

The acquisition and use of school supplies are recurring and significant plot points throughout the series.

• Introduction to the Magical World: Harry Potter's first trip to Diagon Alley to buy his supplies serves as his, and the reader's, primary introduction to the wider wizarding world.
• Tom Riddle's Diary: In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lucius Malfoy slips Tom Riddle's diary, a future Horcrux, into Ginny Weasley's second-hand Transfiguration textbook at Flourish and Blotts.
• The Monster Book of Monsters: This aggressive textbook required for third-year Care of Magical Creatures provides both comic relief and a first glimpse into Rubeus Hagrid's unconventional teaching style.
• The Half-Blood Prince's Textbook: In his sixth year, Harry comes into possession of a second-hand copy of Advanced Potion-Making that once belonged to the Half-Blood Prince. The handwritten notes and spells within the book give Harry a significant advantage in Potions and introduce him to dangerous Dark Arts spells like Sectumsempra.
• Financial Strain: The annual cost of school supplies highlights the financial difficulties of the Weasley family and the socio-economic disparities within the wizarding world.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Monster Book of Monsters is depicted as a highly aggressive, sentient book with fur and teeth that actively tries to bite anyone who attempts to open it improperly. This visual gag became one of the most memorable elements of the film. (film)