Harry Potter is, undoubtedly, one of the most well-known series across the world. Even if you’ve never seen a film or read a book, it’s highly likely that you’ve come across something related to it at some point, be it from groups of fans talking about the different Houses and which ones they fit in (You can try finding it out yourself with the Hogwarts House Quiz!), or even from other people who have never even seen the show or read the books, yet make references. Kind of like teasing people who wear glasses as someone who looks like Harry himself. It’s just that big.
And you know what else is big? The lore. Everything from the mysteries and history of Hogwarts to the expanding world of the wizards, there is just so much content to talk about, which is also part of why the fans can’t stop talking about it. There is still so much left to discover and theorize too, because let’s face it, even with so many books, there are still a lot of unconfirmed things, ranging from conspiracy theories to the downright absurd ones (Ron = Dumbledore?).
However, what we want to focus on this article are the facts. No theories, no hidden cryptic messages that leads to who knows what, just some straight facts that you can say confidently to someone else without a shred of doubt to clear any sense of misinformation or doubts that may have been spread to you by people don’t know any better.
And what better place t
o start it with than the most prominent wizarding school in the franchise, Hogwarts?
There are no wizarding schools in the world other than Hogwarts
Sorry, wizards of the world. Hogwarts is not as special as you may think. Yes, the truth is that Hogwarts is simply one of many wizarding schools across the world.
It might be easy to think that it is, considering that it is practically the only wizarding school ever featured in the series, but that is more of a result of circumstance on who and where our protagonists are, and not because it is the only one that exists.
For instance, there is even an American wizarding school, called Ilvermorny, and it even has its own four Houses. If you live in the United States, then it is far more likely that you will be invited to this school, and not Hogwarts.
House Slytherin is evil
I can hear the angry crowd now. How could this house be defended with all the people that come from it? You know, like Voldemort? Murderer of Harry’s parents?
Well, I can, and I will. Despite House Slytherin’s not so good reputation in the fanbase and the story, the House itself is not to blame here.
It is more of an association fallacy people have. Because a lot of the villains come from House Slytherin, it’s only natural to assume that the house is evil, right?
Well, no. Not really. Because the only thing that is true is that House Slytherin has wizards that are cleverer and goal oriented. Whether or not they use their own intellect and methods for good or for their own advantage is still up to the individual, but the House does not require someone to have a murderous mindset to join them.
Hogwarts does not allow the usage of Muggle technology
While it is true that most wizards have a distaste for muggle technology, that does not mean that that the technology itself is banned in Hogwarts. Disapproval and outright removal are both different things, after all.
The reason why many wizards are stuck in their old-school ways, like a bunch of old newspaper reading grandpas that can’t accept the fact that phones are more convenient, is because of their reliance on magic. If you can already wash your own dishes with magic, why use technology?
Yet, there are some exceptions. Some muggle radios have been massively modified to broadcast wizard programs, because really, there isn’t any usable alternative.
Let’s not forget the cars either, especially when it became clear to the wizards that horse-drawn carriages are practically snails compared to the automobiles of the twentieth century. Even the Ministry of Magic bought a fleet of them!
The Sorting Hat always sorted the students into their respective houses
As iconic as this singing headwear is to Hogwarts, it turns out that the sorting hat is not the original sorter of the wizard students.
To understand why that is, we need to trace back all the way to the roots of Hogwarts.
That is, when the four founders were still alive. Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff actually went and sorted the students themselves.
It was not until they were presented with a dilemma: Who will sort the students when they die?
The sorting hat, which was just a regular hat atop Godric Gryffindor at that point in time, was their answer.
Godric Gryffindor pulled off his hat and, with alongside the other founders, enchanted it with their combined intelligence, allowing the hat to sort students to their respective houses in accordance with a founder’s particular preferences.
And that is just what it did, as the hat was now animated. It is then passed on to the new headmaster or headmistress of the school.
All Houses require a password for entry
Passwords have been used in Hogwarts to restrict entries to certain areas, like house common rooms, and teacher offices.
However, not all places in Hogwarts share this method of entry. Hufflepuff, for instance requires that you tap barrel two from the bottom in the middle of the second row, and you must do it to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. Fail and you will be doused with vinegar.
Ravenclaws, on the other hand, test one’s intelligence and wit through riddles. One such example is when the Ravenclaw doorknocker asks Professor McGonagall: “Where do Vanished objects go?” to which he responds with “Into non-being, which is to say, everything.”
Wrapping Up
It is easy to get lost in the world and lore of Harry Potter, when you consider just how much there is to learn, and sometimes we just outright forget how things may have actually happened.
However, you should always remember the facts. They are the best things to come back to as a good reference point, especially. Theories can be fun, but not misinformation, especially with a series as vast as this.