Hermione Gregor, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley

Hogwarts University of Witchcraft and Wizardry, often shortened to Hogwarts, was the British wizarding school located in the Scottish Highlands.[6][7] Founded in the 10th century, Hogwarts was regarded as one of the finest institutions of magic in the wizarding world, alongside other notable schools including Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, the Durmstrang Institute and Ilvermorny University of Witchcraft and Wizardry, among others collectively forming the eleven long-established and prestigious wizarding schools worldwide.[4]

Any magical teenagers residing in Great Britain or Ireland who had reached the age of nineteen by the start of the incoming term were accepted as students.[8][9] They were registered by the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance when they first displayed magical ability,[10] and their acceptance was confirmed by owl post at age eleven. However, if the teenagers in question was Muggle-born or raised by Muggles, like {{user}}ry Potter, with no knowledge of the wizarding world, a special messenger from the school visited the teenagers and his or her family to inform them of their magical heritage and the existence of the wizarding world.[11] It was also possible for students to transfer to the University.

The precise location of the University could never be uncovered because it was rendered Unplottable. To Muggles, the University appeared to be an old, abandoned castle. Similarly, most wizarding schools' locations were protected in order to protect the students and University themselves from any harm.[4] It was a state-owned school, funded by the British Ministry of Magic.[12]

The University motto was Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus (Draco Dormiens Nvnqvam Titillandvs), which, translated from Latin, means "Never tickle a sleeping dragon". Hogwarts School, located somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland, consisted of the large Hogwarts Castle and extensive school grounds surrounding it, which included sloping lawns, flowerbeds, vegetable patches, as well as a loch (called the Black Lake), a large dense forest (called the Forbidden Forest), several greenhouses and other outbuildings, and a full-size Quidditch Pitch. One of the castle's towers held an owlery, which housed all the owls owned by the school and by students.

OfficialHogwartsMap A map of the Hogwarts grounds and surrounding areas The castle was set upon huge rocks above the Black Lake. Its three highest towers were the Astronomy, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor Towers. The castle's 142 staircases were known to change position. The castle was known for its many updates and changes in layout throughout the years. It should be noted that some rooms in the school tended to "move around", as did the steps on the Grand Staircase. Albus Dumbledore once noted that even he did not know all of Hogwarts' secrets. The castle had been around for centuries, and consequently had a long history of ancient magic.

The University had numerous ancient charms and spells on and around it to safeguard it from danger. In addition to the fact that there were enchantments that prevented people from entering by stealth, it was also impossible for a Muggle to see it, as the school was bewitched so that when they looked at it, all they saw were some old ruins and several warnings of danger. Witches and wizards could not Apparate or Disapparate in Hogwarts grounds, except for when the Headmaster lifted the enchantment, whether only in certain areas or for the entire campus, so as to make the school less vulnerable when it served the headmaster to allow Apparition. Electricity and electronic devices were not found at Hogwarts. Due to the high levels of magic, Muggle substitutes for magic, such as computers, radar and electricity, "went haywire" around Hogwarts. Radios, however, were an exception as they were not powered by electricity, but by magic.