Subjects
There are thirteen subjects taught at Howarts. Students have the
same curriculum during their first two years at Hogwarts. For their third year,
they are allowed to choose a set number of optional classes in addition to a
core curriculum. Most lessons are taught in Hogwarts classrooms, except for
Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, flying lessons, and part of
the Apparition lessons. In their sixth and seventh years, the students' OWL
grades determine which classes the students can take. In addition, sixth-year
students can pay to take a Ministry-approved Apparition course at Hogwarts.
Ancient Runes - a class taught by Professor Batusheda Babbling
in an unknown classroom. Students study the letters of an ancient alphabet that
have secret or magic meanings. The textbooks include Ancient Runes Made Easy,
Advanced Rune Translations, Advanced Rune Translation and various rune dictionaries.
The OWL has a theory part to the test that involves translating something written
in runes into English [COS14; POA4, 16; GOF20; OOTP31; HPB5, 7, 9].
Apparition lessons [for sixth-year students] - a twelve-week
course taught by a Ministry of Magic instructor for students turning 17 years
old in the next year; the cost was 12 Galleons [HBP17, 20].
Arithmancy - Professor Septima Vector taught Arithmancy,
which is a study of the magical properties of numbers (in Muggle terms, this
is also called numerology). The textbook is Numerology and Gramatica. For homework,
students fill out complicated charts. The OWL has a theory part to the test
[COS14; POA4, 12, 15, 16; GOF20, OOTP31; HPB9].
Astronomy - Professor Aurora Sinistra taught Astronomy.
Harry's class was taught at midnight in the highest tower at Hogwarts. Students
study the night sky to chart the stars, moons, and planets. For homework, students
make models of the planets, moons, and stars. The OWL has a theory and a practical
part to the test [PS/SS8, 15; COS7, 11; POA16; OOTP26, 31; HBP5, 23, 27, 29].
Care of Magical Creatures - Professor Rubeus Hagrid taught
this class on the Hogwarts grounds or in the Forbidden Forest. The textbooks
are Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Monster Book of Monsters.
Students learn about magical creatures. The OWL has a theory and a practical
part to the test. No student in Harry's sixth-year class wanted to continue
taking this class. Before Hagrid took over, the class had been taught by Professor
Kettleburn [COS8; POA4, 5, 6, 15, 16; GOF13, 18, 21, 24, 26, 28; OOTP13, 15, 25,
31; HBP5, 8, 9].
Charms - Professor Filius Flitwick taught this class in
a third-floor classroom. Students learn spells and charms, many of which are
difficult to master so they often have to practice the charms for homework.
The textbooks are the Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), Standard Book of Spells,
Grade 2, Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three, Standard Book of Spells, Grade
4, and the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade
6. The sixth-year NEWT students also had to read Quintessence: A Quest. The
OWL has a theory and a practical part to the test. Sixth-year students begin
to learn nonverbal spells [PS/SS8, 10; COS14; POA15; GOF20, 26; OOTP13, 18, 26, 29,
30, 31; HBP5, 9, 11, 15].
Defence Against the Dark Arts - This class has been taught
by a different professor each year, since Voldemort put a jinx on the job after
being refused the position by Dumbledore [HBP20]; the first was Professor
Quirinus Quirrell, the second was Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, the third was
Professor Remus J. Lupin, the fourth was Professor Alastor Moody [aka Bartemius
Crouch Jr.], the fifth was Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, the sixth was
Professor Severus Snape, and the seventh was Amycus Carrow, who actually taught
Dark Arts instead of defense against them. This class is in a first-floor
classroom; according to Gilderoy Lockhart, the aim of the class is "to arm
you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind." The textbooks were
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, all the Lockhart books, Wilbert
Slinkhard's Defensive Magical Theory, and Confronting the Faceless. The OWL has
a theory and a practical part to the test. Sixth-year students need to learn
nonverbal spells [PS/SS8, 10; POA15; GOF26; OOTP12, 15, 29, 31; HBP5, 9, 18; DH29].
Divination - This class is now taught by two teachers:
the centaur Firenze and Professor Sybill Trelawney; Firenze teaches in a ground-floor
classroom that has been magically transformed to look like the outside, while
Trelawney teaches in the North Tower on the seventh floor. The textbooks are
Unfogging the Future and The Dream Oracle. Students learn how to predict the
future by many different methods. The OWL has a theory and a practical part
to the test [COS14; POA4, 6, 15, 16; GOF13, 29; OOTP12, 115, 17, 25, 26, 27, 31,
37; HBP5, 9].
Flying lessons [for first-year students] - Madam
Rolanda Hooch teaches students how to fly properly; this class is taught on
the grounds at Hogwarts. There is no mention of any tests [PS/SS9].
Herbology - Professor Pomona Sprout teaches students about
magical plants, their properties, and how to care for them. This class is taught
in the greenhouses behind Hogwarts. The textbook is One Thousand Magical Herbs
and Fungi and Flesh-Eating Trees of the World. The OWL has a theory and a practical
part to the test [PS/SS8; COS6, 15; POA8, 16; GOF13, 18; OOTP13, 31; HBP5, 9, 14, 24].
History of Magic - Professor Cuthbert Binns, the only ghost
teacher, teaches students about the history of witches, wizards, magical creatures,
and events in the magical world. This class is taught in a first-floor classroom.
The textbook is A History of Magic. For homework, the students often have to
write long essays. The OWL has a theory part to the test [PS/SS6, 8, 16; COS9, 14;
POA1, 12, 16; GOF20; OOTP12, 17, 31; HBP5].
Muggle Studies - This class was taught by Charity Burbage until
her murder in the summer of 1997; the following year, it was taught by Alecto Carrow;
students study Muggle culture, customs, and habits, except when it was taught by Alecto,
who told the students how stupid and useless Muggles were. This class is taught in a
first-floor classroom. The textbook is the Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles.
Presumably the OWL has only a theory part to the test [PS/SS10; COS14; POA4, 12, 13, 16;
OOTP29; DH29].
Potions - During Harry's first five years, Professor Severus
Snape taught the students; Professor Horace Slughorn taught in Harry's sixth
year. The students learn how to create potions. This classroom is in one of
the dungeons. The students often write essays on the properties of potion ingredients
or what they have done wrong in preparing a potion. The textbooks are Magical
Drafts and Potions, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, and Advanced Potion-Making
by Libatius Borage. The OWL has a theory and a practical part to the test. Sixth-year
students need to learn nonverbal spells. It is unknown who taught the subject during the 1997-1998 school year [PS/SS8, 9; COS5, 8, 9, 11, 14; POA7, 8, 10, 16, OOTP12, 15, 17, 29, 31; HBP5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 24].
Transfiguration - Professor Minerva McGonagall teaches
students how to transform one object into another. The location of the classroom
is unknown. The textbooks are A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Intermediate
Transfiguration, and Advanced Transfiguration, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch, and Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. The students often
have a lot of homework and have to practice their transfiguration skills. The
OWL has a theory and a practical part to the test. Sixth-year students need
to learn nonverbal spells [PS/SS5, 8, 16; COS4, 6, 9, 14; POA4, 6, 8, 16; GOF20, 26,
31; OOTP13, 15, 16, 29, 31; HBP5, 9, 11].
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