Is anyone at Hogwarts married?

Question

Is anybody at Hogwarts married? Professors, groundskeepers, lunch ladies? (Joking about the lunch ladies.)

For however well we got to know the faculty of Hogwarts, I don't remember spouses or children being mentioned once.

I've never been to a school of witchcraft and wizardry, but in the schools I have been to, married professors are by far the norm, and it often comes up one way or another (especially if you know them for 7 or so years).

In contrast, Hogwarts faculty seem to have a Jedi Order vibe going on.

Does Hogwarts have any restrictions on marriage, or it is just coincidental?

Answer 1

1. From Red Nose Day Chat, BBC Online, March 12, 2001

   Have any of the Hogwarts professors had spouses?
   JKR: Good question - yes, a few of them, but that information is sort of restricted - you'll find out why...

2. Book canon never elaborates on any spouses (see the last bullet point for my guesses on "why").

3. Pottermore has at least one example of a married professor:

   Professor McGonagall was married (to her former boss at the MoM, Elphinstone Urquart) while already a Professor at Hogwarts. But she is widowed by the time of the events of the books.

4. There can be married professors in the future as well - Neville Longbottom was a Profesor as per DH; and married Hannah Abbott as per Carnegie Hall interview. I can try and find out if the dates match up.

5. Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw had kids. Not proof of having been married (nor that they were married during teaching at Hogwarts post-founding), yet, the times being what they were - medieval England - that is likely.

6. Phineas Nigellus Black was a Headmaster at Hogwarts; and therefore likely a Professor (no definite proof of that, however). He also was married to Ursula Flint according to Black Family Tree tapestry and had kids. But here's no definite proof that he was married while being at Hogwarts.

7. As far as other professors, some we simply don't know, some are definite "NO":

   • Dumbledore, as we found out, is homosexual and, presumably, never married (not sure if gay marriage is forbidden in Wizarding world outside of slashfics, but given that it seems to be socially based on middle-ages Britain, probably not).

   • Hagrid never got married

   • Professor Binns was a ghost.

   • According to Pottermore, Quirrel wasn't married.

8. As far as "coincidental", I don't think so.

   There are a couple of reasons why we don't know about Professors' spouses?

   • The books are written from the point of view of young kids. They generally wouldn't know or care if the boring old people teaching them are married, and with the exception of Hagrid and the Trio, aren't very buddy-buddy or close to the kids.

     Good storytelling only adds information that is important to establish setting, develop a character, or progress the plot. Teachers' spouses likely wouldn't do either of the 3, and the books are already pretty big and long as they are.

   • Hogwarts was clearly and largely modeled on British boarding schools. I have heard many references that much of the staff at such schools wasn't married due to them frequently NOT being co-ed, and those that were married, the spouses didn't live on campus.

Answer 2

Yes, they apparently have (or have had) spouses. Presumably the spouses live in Hogsmeade?

From Red Nose Day Chat, BBC Online, March 12, 2001

Have any of the Hogwarts professors had spouses? JKR: Good question - yes, a few of them, but that information is sort of restricted - you'll find out why..