179
votes
Accepted
Why would Snape set his office password to 'Dumbledore'?
I don't think he chose "Dumbledore" as his password. He was an accomplished double agent, and would have chosen a suitable password that would avoid arousing suspicion from either side.
...
- 42.5k
127
votes
Why do less-bright students end up in Slytherin?
Your House can represent traits you value, not necessarily have.
This is a good explanation for all the Sortings that that don't seem to match up with the student's traits. Peter Pettigrew could have ...
- 106k
115
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't Hogwarts have more teachers?
Out of universe, the answer is - as it usually is - that JKR is bad at maths. She likely didn't consider the kind of workload or number of lessons that would be required for there to only be a single ...
- 42.5k
113
votes
Why didn't any parents complain about what was going on at Hogwarts?
They do complain
"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his ...
- 42.5k
108
votes
What happens if you don't fit in any of the Hogwarts houses and still have to go to Hogwarts?
You can always fit in a Hogwart House.
The houses don't put you where you have your best traits, but what traits you value more. That's why Hermione and Neville were put in Griffindor, for example: ...
- 1,724
106
votes
Why didn't Hogwarts shut down after these type of events?
The writer of this Muggle article is ascribing Muggle values to the wizarding world.
The Wizarding world generally seems to accept danger far more readily then the muggle world does, a tournament is ...
- 19.6k
97
votes
Accepted
Why is Hogwarts Library so badly organized?
There's no evidence that the library was badly organised. In every instance when students need information on a specific, known subject, they're able to easily find the book(s) they need on that topic....
- 42.5k
89
votes
Accepted
Are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest consistent with later explanations on werewolves?
The "Werewolves" in the Forest are Actually Highly Intelligent Regular Wolves
This is from the Pottermore entry on werewolves:
One curious feature of the condition is that if two werewolves meet
...
- 1,691
87
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Draco Malfoy like Hogwarts?
I doubt there's any single reason, but if pressed for a one-sentence summary I'd say that, on the balance, Malfoy's Hogwarts experience wasn't actually very positive. At the very least, it wouldn't ...
- 164k
84
votes
Why didn't the Death Eaters use a house-elf to get into Hogwarts?
A house-elf?
Those inferior beings that do your laundry?
It is beneath the dignity of a Dark Wizard to make an attack that depends on such a lowly being. It's as if your own magic were not enough, ...
- 4,629
82
votes
Accepted
How could Harry and Ron bypass Hogwarts' security in a flying Ford Anglia?
The evidence points that there were no restrictions or preventative spells keeping people from flying into and out of Hogwarts till year 6.
Addition -
‘There are all sorts of enchantments on it, ...
- 66.4k
81
votes
Accepted
Are Hogwarts teachers allowed to hit students?
In general it is not allowed but finally it comes down to who is running the school.
Dumbledore was against it:
Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her round to face her and began shaking her ...
- 17.2k
75
votes
Accepted
Why did Harry get his letter by owl instead of from someone from Hogwarts?
Since Harry was from a wizard family, the Ministry would presume his guardians, knowing about the magical world, would have told him.
Hogwarts sends officials to notify wizards born to Muggles, who ...
- 106k
75
votes
Why did Hagrid live in a hut?
Hagrid was employed as Gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts (even when he became a professor, he retained these jobs).
If you are a non-British guy, you might have trouble ...
- 116k
74
votes
Accepted
Why is it considered admirable that Neville stood up to his friends?
Dumbledore was known to have failed to stand up to his friend.
We don't really know about that when Dumbledore makes his speech, but hind sight makes this quote resonate all the more.
Dumbledore ...
- 61.2k
69
votes
Why didn't any parents complain about what was going on at Hogwarts?
Parents do indeed complain to Hogwarts.
Parents do complain to Hogwarts about particular issues they wish to see them address. In fact, Lupin resigned when it was mentioned over breakfast that he was ...
- 106k
67
votes
Are Hogwarts teachers allowed to hit students?
No. As ever, the movies suck.
First and foremost, Dumbledore would never allow this. Observe his reaction in Book 5, when Umbridge touches a student.
Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her ...
- 16.3k
67
votes
Why is Hogwarts allowed to house such dangerous creatures?
Hogwarts is their home. The kids are (mostly) protected by being told to keep away from the animals.
Many of the creatures in question considered Hogwarts to be their home, just as much as any of the ...
- 62k
67
votes
Accepted
Does Hogwarts have its own anthem?
As seen in the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hogwarts has a school song.
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or ...
- 709k
65
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Hogwarts ghosts know about the Chamber of Secrets?
The Chamber of Secrets was described as being far below the school. Likely deeper than the dungeons:
It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in ...
- 77.6k
64
votes
Accepted
What stops a teacher from giving unlimited points to their House?
Short answer: Nothing stops the teachers from exploiting the point system as they wish.
The purpose of the point system is to introduce a sense of community between students and evoke motivation to ...
- 2,167
62
votes
Why doesn't Hogwarts have more teachers?
This is not that unreasonable.
I assume JKR was modelling this on a typical British school and so I'm going to use my experience of being in one to describe a possible lesson plan for a Hogwarts ...
- 965
60
votes
Accepted
Can students willingly drop out of Hogwarts?
Can students drop out of Hogwarts?
Yes. At least up until HP and the Deathly Hallows, when going to Hogwarts is made compulsory by Voldemort's regime. As Lupin tells us:
“Attendance is now compulsory ...
- 135k
59
votes
Accepted
Are toilets renovated at Hogwarts?
Modern-style toilets were only added to Hogwarts during the 18th century:
When first created, the Chamber was accessed through a concealed trapdoor and a series of magical tunnels. However, when ...
- 2,943
59
votes
How did the Hogwarts founders sort students?
When they were still alive, they each chose their house members.
When the Founders were still alive, they had all chosen the students who’d be in their house themselves - the Sorting Hat was created ...
- 106k
58
votes
Accepted
How is the winner of the Hogwarts Quidditch cup determined?
Point difference
This is made clear in Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry has to defer catching the Snitch until Gryffindor has accumulated enough of a lead, otherwise Slytherin wins the cup:
Slytherin ...
- 164k
58
votes
Accepted
Can a Hogwarts student refuse the Sorting Hat's decision?
No, it doesn't look like it.
From Pottermore, we see that the Sorting Hat is very stubborn about sticking to the decisions it arrives at. It seems that it's impossible to protest that the Sorting Hat ...
- 62k
57
votes
Accepted
Who wins the House Cup in books 4, 5, 6, and 7?
The answer is, unfortunately, we don't know.
Rowling hasn't said, and it isn't present in any of the books. Having said that:
Years 1, 2 & 3
It is known that Gryffindor won all 3 of these years....
- 20.3k
56
votes
Accepted
Why does Hogwarts have dungeons?
The dungeons might have been in use as dungeons when Hogwarts first opened.
While it does seem odd that a school is built with dungeons, The dungeons may have been used to lock away dangerous things, ...
- 106k
54
votes
Accepted
Who did Hermione share a dorm with?
First of all, it's heavily implied that a dormitory is occupied only by the boys or girls of a single year, and that all boys or girls of a single year share the same dormitory:
Percy directed the ...
- 11.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible