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Ravenclaw crest
name
House information
Founder

Rowena Ravenclaw

House colours

Blue and Bronze

Animal

Eagle

Traits

Intelligence
Wit
Wisdom
Creativity
Originality
Individuality
Acceptance
Sharpness

Head

Filius Flitwick

Ghost

The Grey Lady

Common room

Ravenclaw Tower

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind.

The Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Ravenclaw is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The House was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws are known for their wisdom, cleverness, and wit. According to J.K. Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds to the element of air.

Traits[]

Ravenclaws possess the traits of cleverness, wisdom, wit, intellectual ability and creativity. According to Slytherin prefect Gemma Farley, Ravenclaws are so competitive when it comes to academic success that they are known to back stab each other, and likely other students, in order to get top marks. But as it's stated by a Slytherin, the validity of this statement is highly questionable. Many well-known inventors and innovators have come from Ravenclaw.

Students in Ravenclaw are noted for their individuality and acceptance of people and things that others would consider weird, as well as their outstanding intelligence. They can also be quirky and possess unusual intellectual interests. While others may be inclined to shun and ridicule such people, Ravenclaws generally accept and celebrate these eccentrics, such as Luna Lovegood. Though they are often called stuck up, that is not the case.

Notable Alumni[]

Founder[]

Rowena Ravenclaw founded Ravenclaw House. She was known as a beautiful and intelligent witch, and her chocolate frog card calls her "the most brilliant witch of her time." Rowena valued learning, so she chose students who demonstrated cleverness and wisdom.

Head of House[]

Filius Flitwick is the Head of Ravenclaw House. He is the Charms professor at Hogwarts and the most knowledgeable Charms master alive today. According to the original Pottermore welcome letter, when Ravenclaws are extremely upset he makes little cupcakes do a dance to cheer them up.

Ghost[]

The Grey Lady also known as Helena Ravenclaw, is the Ravenclaw ghost. She rarely speaks to anyone outside Ravenclaw, but is a great resource for Ravenclaws who are lost or have lost something.

Notable Members[]

  • Perpetua Fancourt, inventor of the lunascope
  • Laverne de Montmorency, pioneer of love potions
  • Ignatia Wildsmith, inventor of Floo powder
  • Garrick Ollivander, wandmaker
  • Lorcan McLaird, former Minister for Magic
  • Millicent Bagnold, former Minister for Magic
  • Uric the Oddball
  • Sybill Trelawney, Divination professor at Hogwarts who prophesized the birth of the Chosen One, Harry Potter
  • Quirinus Quirrell, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts
  • Gilderoy Lockhart, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts

1987-1994[]

1989-1996[]

1990-1997[]

1991-1992 school year[]

1992-1993 school year[]

Ravenclaw Tower[]

Ravenclaw common room lrg

The Ravenclaw common room and dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the castle. Students enter through a door with an bronze eagle-shaped knocker. The knocker asks a question of anyone who knocks on it and opens the door when the question is answered correctly. If the riddle is especially difficult, large groups of students may congregate outside the door as they try to figure it out.

The common room is circular, with arched windows that provide incredible views of the Hogwarts grounds, and a domed ceiling painted with stars like the night sky. It has a white marble statue of founder Rowena Ravenclaw, and behind it lies the door leading to the dormitories.

The dormitories are in turrets off the main tower, where students can hear the wind whistling around the windows. The bedsheets on the four-poster beds are made of sky blue silk.

Welcome Message[]

"You probably know that some of Ravenclaw’s most renowned members include Gilderoy Lockhart and Luna Lovegood. But did you know Ravenclaw’s Grey Lady is the least talkative Hogwarts ghost, or that Ravenclaw’s common room boasts the most stunning views of the castle grounds?”

Old Pottermore[]

Welcome Message[]

"I'm Prefect Robert Hilliard, and I'm delighted to welcome you to RAVENCLAW HOUSE. Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb; our house colors are blue and bronze, and our common room is found at the top of Ravenclaw Tower, behind a door with an enchanted knocker. The arched windows set into the walls of our circular common room look down at the school grounds: the lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch and the Herbology gardens. No other house in the school has such stunning views.

"Without wishing to boast, this is the house where the cleverest witches and wizards live. Our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, prized learning above all else – and so do we. Unlike the other houses, who all have concealed entrances to their common rooms, we don't need one. The door to our common room lies at the top of a tall, winding staircase. It has no handle, but an enchanted bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. When you rap on the door, this knocker will ask you a question, and if you can answer it correctly, you are allowed in. This simple barrier has kept out everyone but Ravenclaws for nearly a thousand years.

"Some first-years are scared by having to answer the eagle's questions, but don't worry. Ravenclaws learn quickly, and you'll soon enjoy the challenges the door sets. It's not unusual to find twenty people standing outside the common room door, all trying to work out the answer to the day's question together. This is a great way to meet fellow Ravenclaws from other years, and to learn from them – although it is a bit annoying if you've forgotten your Quidditch robes and need to get in and out in a hurry. In fact, I'd advise you to triple-check your bag for everything you need before leaving Ravenclaw Tower.

"Another cool thing about Ravenclaw is that our people are the most individual – some might even call them eccentrics. But geniuses are often out of step with ordinary folk, and unlike some other houses we could mention, we think you've got the right to wear what you like, believe what you want, and say what you feel. We aren’t put off by people who march to a different tune; on the contrary, we value them!

"Speaking of eccentrics, you'll like our Head of house, Professor Filius Flitwick. People often underestimate him, because he's really tiny (we think he's part elf, but we’ve never been rude enough to ask) and he's got a squeaky voice, but he's the best and most knowledgeable Charms master alive in the world today. His office door is always open to any Ravenclaw with a problem, and if you're in a real state he'll get out these delicious little cupcakes he keeps in a tin in his desk drawer and make them do a little dance for you. In fact, it's worth pretending you're in a real state just to see them jive.

"Ravenclaw house has an illustrious history. Most of the greatest wizarding inventors and innovators were in our house, including Perpetua Fancourt, the inventor of the lunascope, Laverne de Montmorency, a great pioneer of love potions, and Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of Floo powder. Famous Ravenclaw Ministers for Magic include Millicent Bagnold, who was in power on the night that Harry Potter survived the Dark Lord's curse, and defended the wizarding celebrations all over Britain with the words, ‘I assert our inalienable right to party.' There was also Minister Lorcan McLaird, who was a quite brilliant wizard, but preferred to communicate by puffing smoke out of the end of his wand. Well, I did say we produce eccentrics. In fact, we are also the house that gave the wizarding world Uric the Oddball, who used a jellyfish for a hat. He's the punch line of a lot of wizarding jokes.

"As for our relationship with the other three houses: well, you’ve probably heard about the Slytherins. They’re not all bad, but you’d do well to be on your guard until you know them well. They’ve got a long house tradition of doing whatever it takes to win – so watch out, especially in Quidditch matches and exams.

"The Gryffindors are OK. If I had a criticism, I’d say Gryffindors tend to be show-offs. They’re also much less tolerant than we are of people who are different; in fact, they’ve been known to make jokes about Ravenclaws who have developed an interest in levitation, or the possible magical uses of troll bogies, or ovomancy, which (as you probably know) is a method of divination using eggs. Gryffindors haven’t got our intellectual curiosity, whereas we’ve got no problem if you want to spend your days and nights cracking eggs in a corner of the common room and writing down your predictions according to the way the yolks fall. In fact, you’ll probably find a few people to help you.

"As for the Hufflepuffs, nobody could say they’re not nice people. In fact, they’re some of the nicest people in the school. Let’s just say you needn’t worry too much about them when it comes to competition at exam time.

"I think that’s nearly everything. Oh yes, our house ghost is the Grey Lady. The rest of the school thinks she never speaks, but she’ll talk to Ravenclaws. She’s particularly useful if you’re lost, or you’ve mislaid something.

"I’m sure you’ll have a good night. Our dormitories are in turrets off the main tower; our four-poster beds are covered in sky blue silk eiderdowns and the sound of the wind whistling around the windows is very relaxing.

"And once again: well done on becoming a member of the cleverest, quirkiest and most interesting house at Hogwarts."

House Cup[]

  • Ravenclaw came third for the first house cup with 71,815,917 house points.
  • Ravenclaw came fourth for the second house cup with 45,455,773 points.
  • Ravenclaw came second for the third house cup with 26,916,194 points.
  • Ravenclaw came fourth for the fourth house cup with 24,567,337 points.
  • Ravenclaw won the fifth house cup with 28,048,578 points.
  • Ravenclaw won the sixth house cup with 32,377,299 points, becoming the only House to win the House Cup consecutively.
  • Ravenclaw came third for the seventh and eighth house cups with 49,775,819 and 23,712,525 points.

Behind the Scenes[]

References[]


See Also[]

Houses
Rowena Ravenclaw
Godric Gryffindor
Salazar Slytherin
Helga Hufflepuff
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