Welcome to Gryffindor!

My name is Ruthie, and I am one of the Gryffindor Prefects.  The other prefect is Ethan. This year’s Head Girl, Maya, is in Gryffindor. We will be available for questions and guidance anytime you need anything. We have compiled some things that you need to know before you start your education here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All other first years will be receiving the same list from their prefects as well.

1) The curfew is at 10 pm. All students should be in their Common Rooms by this time, and if you are caught out of bed after 10 pm you will be punished by the teacher who found you. Prefects have no say in your punishment.

2) There is no specific bedtime. You may retire to the dormitories when you are ready, but you must live with the consequences if you oversleep or are tired the next day. It is not our fault that you didn’t get enough sleep.

3) No magic after 9:30 pm.

4) First Years are not allowed to attend Quidditch tryouts without a referral from Madame Hooch, the flying instructor, after your first flying lesson. The Captain of the Quidditch teams get many applicants every year, but the majority are First Years who can barely fly. This rule is to make it easier for the Quidditch Team Captains to create their teams.

5) First Years may not have brooms of their own. This was also noted with your school supplies. You will use school-provided brooms during flying lessons. If you have accidentally brought a broom with you, please give it to your head of house by Friday, September 5th. If it is turned in after this date, you will be penalized for underage broom ownership and be punished by your Head of House.

6) Pets are to remain in the dormitories at all times. Pets are prohibited in classrooms, as they are a distraction to the professor during their lessons. They are allowed in the Common Rooms if your peers are okay with it, but if they disrupt your peers they will be either confiscated, sent home, or permanently locked in your dormitory.

7) If you are sick or injured, you must see Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. NO EXCEPTIONS. Your lessons and education are our first priority at Hogwarts, and it is crucial that you receive as much schooling as possible before you come of age. Sickness and injury are not reasons to miss class, as they can be fixed or cured by Madame Pomfrey. To return to class after sickness or injury, you must have a signed form from Madame Pomfrey. She is aware of this precaution.

8) You may not visit the kitchens at any time. Most students do not know of the entrance to the kitchens, but if you come across it, you are not allowed in there. Your food is made and your common rooms are kept clean by over 100 House-Elves that live at Hogwarts. They are ordered to report any misbehavior or entrance to the kitchens by students. The kitchens can be dangerous, so we do not allow students in there.

9) NO STUDENTS OF ANY AGE ARE ALLOWED INTO THE FORBIDDEN FOREST (unless they are serving detention and/or are accompanied by Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor).

10) Students are not allowed to enter other houses' dormitories. That is their private space, and if you find a way to enter and we find out, you will be given detentions.

11) You may not leave articles of clothing in the Common Room on purpose for House-Elves to find. No matter how much you believe that House-Elves are slaves, they enjoy their work and they help keep the Common Rooms clean and serve you food. Freeing them using hidden clothing will result in dirty dorms and common rooms and no food. They could refuse to clean your dormitories because they are afraid of finding the clothing you are hiding. 

12) You must have a valid explanation and signed form by a professor to enter Headmistress McGonagall’s Office. Professor McGonagall is very busy and does not have the time to be dealing with silly First Year problems. If you have minor issues, please speak with a prefect or another trusted professor.

13) First Years and Second Years are not permitted to visit Hogsmeade, no exceptions. Third Years and older may not visit Hogsmeade without a signed form by a parent or guardian.

14) Food is not to be taken out of the Great Hall. Candies and other gifts containing food must be kept in the dormitories and locked in your school trunks. There are pets in the dormitories that may eat it. We do not want extra work for the House-Elves because there are crumbs or vomit from animals in the Common Rooms.

15) You may not summon materials to start a fire in your dormitory or common room wood-burning fireplaces. Contact your head of house so that the House-Elves can start a fire if you are cold or want to make s’mores.

16) Do not misuse any free periods. They should be used for homework, studies, and other academic-related activities. If you have nothing to do, you may read or play quiet games such as chess, exploding snap, or gobstones.

17) You may not rearrange the furniture in the Common Rooms. The chairs and sofas and other furniture can be heavy and we don’t want any injuries. This also applies to the beds in the dormitories.

18) You may not brew any potions or practice spells in the Common Rooms. If you have been assigned to practice a spell or brew a potion as homework, you may use the empty classroom by the Gryffindor Tower (Room 501).

19) No using magic in corridors in between classes.

20) If you have detention scheduled and you miss it without any explanation, you will have double detentions and they will be much worse.

21) Hagrid the Gamekeeper’s house is a private space and his teaching office. It is not for taking shelter from the weather or magical creatures during his classes, during Herbology, or while on the grounds. It should be treated like any other teacher’s office.

22) You may not leave school grounds without permission from Headmistress McGonagall.

23) You are not to sit at any other house table beside your own. You may stand and talk to classmates if it is important. This also applies to siblings in different houses.

24) Floo powder use without permission is prohibited. Your bags will be checked for floo powder upon arrival. Hogwarts has the right to check you for floo powder at any time. If you have permission to use floo powder, you will use it in the fireplace of a professor. Floo powder use is prohibited in Common Rooms and dormitories.

25) Hogwarts is not responsible for lost or stolen items. They are your responsibility now that you are here and it is not our fault that you lost them. If you cannot recover lost or stolen items, it is your responsibility to use the school owls and order the supplies needed for your lessons.

26) Books from the library may not leave the library without permission from the librarian. As always, books from the restricted section are not to be read without a signed form from another teacher.

27) Boys are not allowed in Girls dormitories. However, there are no rules against Girls entering Boys Dormitories. There are extra measures taken to keep boys out of girls dormitories, so don’t even try.

28) You may only enter the dormitory that belongs to your year. There are consequences for entering older students’ dormitories that are not your own.