We have always imagined what it would be like to study at Hogwarts instead of the normal schools we all went to but there are things about Hogwarts that you should know in case you get your acceptance letter soon. These are some of the strict rules that the students at Hogwarts need to follow and take care of because even though it is a school of magic, it is still a school after all:
Butterbeer is not allowed on school grounds:
The delicious butterbeer was a drink that almost all Hogwarts students enjoyed in Hogsmeade from time to time. The drink is a common beverage for the youth in the wizarding world but is not allowed inside Hogwarts. So it is safe to assume that Hogwarts doesn’t serve butterbeer in its meals to students and the reason is simply the light alcohol content in it.
The restricted section:
Remember the time when Harry had to use his invisibility cloak to get into the restricted section in order to find information? Well, students are not allowed to read the books that are kept in the restricted section because those books often contain information on forbidden subjects and dark magic. A student will need the permission of a teacher to get into the restricted section.
The curfews:
Hogwarts had pretty strict rules when it came to the after-hours wandering of students as it is shown in the first movie clearly. The students have to be in their dormitories by 10 pm at night and cannot be seen wandering anywhere in the corridors or outside the castle. The only exceptions are prefects who have to do their patrolling at night before they go to bed. Harry and friends sneaked out all the time in the books.
The Whomping Willow:
The deadly Whomping Willow tree had a huge significance at Hogwarts and students were not allowed to go near it for obvious reasons. In the second book, Harry and Ron, unfortunately, mess with the tree and are saved by their luck and in the third book we find out the secret of the tree and the reason for its existence on the Hogwarts grounds.
The third-floor corridor:
In the first book, Albus Dumbledore warns the first year students that the third floor corridor is out of bound for students and for totally valid reasons. The third-floor corridor inhabited the three-headed watchdog Fluffy that was protecting the philosopher’s stone. It was standing on the trap door that led to the various enchanted chambers in the dungeons that led to the stone.
The dress code:
The movies made us believe that Hogwarts was cool with its rules about appropriate wardrobe and uniforms but it wasn’t exactly like that. The students are supposed to wear their proper uniforms that are custom made for each of the four houses and the pointy wizard hats had to be worn on special occasions such as the sorting ceremony. However, they could dress casually when they went out and when they were inside their dormitories.
The Trace:
This rule applies to all underage wizards in the wizarding world and not just Hogwarts students. All underage wizards are restricted from using magic outside their schools and a spell called the trace keeps track of them to the government. This is to ensure that young wizards and witches don’t risk their lives and the secrecy of the wizarding world in front of muggles unless it is a life-threatening situation and magic is used to defend themselves.
Students cannot enter other dormitories:
A house dormitory is like a home for Hogwarts students and according to the rules, students cannot enter the dormitories of other houses in any case. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, different houses use different techniques such as passwords and riddles to keep the other students out. Harry has entered the dormitories of both Slytherin and Ravenclaw in the books for different purposes.
Violence is only tolerated in duels:
Hogwarts like any other school does not tolerate violence and students can be expelled for being violent to each other. However, there is a loophole in this rule as students are taught how to duel in Hogwarts and they can use different spells on each other during these duels. So basically you can hurt your enemy in front of the whole class and teachers during a duel.
The Forbidden forest:
As the name suggests the woods outside the castle are out of bounds for the students of Hogwarts as they are home to many dangerous and deadly creatures. In the first book, however, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco were sent to the forbidden forest as a punishment for being out after dark and that was a weird and harsh form of punishment for first years to be honest. Harry and Ron also went to the forest to find Aragog in ‘chamber of secrets’ so we can see how they broke this rule multiple times.
