10. Helga Hufflepuff is still the key to her house

To enter the Hufflepuff common room, students face an unassuming pile of barrels. If they tap the correct one to the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff,’ it opens, granting access to their cosy sanctuary. While the common room passwords for the other three houses change frequently (much to Neville’s despair) Hufflepuff students can rest in the knowledge that theirs is comfortingly consistent; all thanks to Helga.

The punishment for those who pick the wrong barrel, or tap incorrectly? The offending cask will drench them in vinegar. That smell will stay on your robes all term.

9. Godric Gryffindor’s home town has gone down in history

‘Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor’ was born in a typical English village in the West Country, which only increased in fame as the centuries passed. In the years since the Hogwarts founder lived there, Godric’s Hollow has been home to a host of legendary witches and wizards: the Dumbledore family, A History of Magic author Bathilda Bagshot, Golden Snitch creator Bowman Wright, and of course the Potters. The village church is said to be heavily haunted by the ancient magical families buried there.

8. Did Rowena Ravenclaw dream up Hogwarts?

It’s a popular wizarding theory that the name ‘Hogwarts’ was the brainchild of Rowena Ravenclaw. Despite her impressive wisdom, it was a simple vision that sealed the school’s name. Legend has it that she dreamt one night of a warty hog that led her to a cliff by a lake. The rest is history... or should we say legend.

7. Salazar Slytherin left a deadly parting gift in the school

The Hogwarts founders were great friends… Until a fundamental conflict of viewpoints broke them apart. Salazar Slytherin distrusted Muggle-born wizards and insisted that only ‘pure-blood’ students should be admitted to the school. This caused a major rift between Slytherin and the other founders, causing him to leave Hogwarts for good.

However, he left a lethal legacy behind. The story goes that Slytherin built a hidden chamber below the school, unbeknownst to the other founders. The Chamber of Secrets would remain sealed until his ‘true heir’ arrived and opened it, unleashing a gigantic Basilisk that would purge the school of all the Muggle-born students. And we thought Hogwarts was a safe place!

6. Godric’s sword is a sore subject for some

As Godric Gryffindor was a gifted duellist, both with a wand and a sword, it makes sense that he commissioned his own signature blade to represent his house. The famous Sword of Gryffindor was made by prolific goblin silversmith Ragnuk the First. Made of pure silver and inset with rubies, the sword turned out even better than even the maker imagined.

In fact, it was so glorious that Ragnuk changed his mind about giving it away at all. He pretended that Gryffindor had stolen it from him and attempted to take it back. Even though he failed, the myth of Gryffindor’s ‘theft’ is still popular among goblins, who think the rare artefact rightfully belongs to them. However, seeing as the sword presents itself specifically to worthy Gryffindors in their time of need, its allegiance is pretty clear.

5. Helga was the founder of the feast

With its common room next to the kitchens, you could argue that Hufflepuff is the ‘foodie’ house; and we’re sure their founder would condone this. Helga Hufflepuff was particularly gifted at Charms, particularly food-related spells, and some of her tried-and-tested recipes still frequent the Hogwarts feasts. Her influence on the school kitchens doesn’t stop there. The Hufflepuff founder was also responsible for bringing house-elves into the castle as cooks, giving them fair working conditions and a refuge within Hogwarts, at a time when they would have been very poorly treated elsewhere.

4. Rowena’s daughter became a Hogwarts ghost

Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter, Helena, was jealous of her mother’s incredible intelligence. Convinced that her famous diadem was the source of her wisdom, Helena stole it from Rowena and ran away to the forests of Albania. It wasn’t until Rowena was on her deathbed that she sent a man she believed to love her daughter, to bring her home.

Big mistake. When Helena refused to return with the man, he murdered her; and so she became Ravenclaw’s ghost, the Grey Lady. Rowena is said to have died of a broken heart, all thanks to the brutality of a familiar haunting figure…

3. The Bloody Baron killed Helena Ravenclaw

You read that right: the man who murdered Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter in a fit of rage went on to become Slytherin’s house ghost, the Bloody Baron! As soon as he committed his heinous crime, he felt so much remorse that he took his own life. The brooding ghost’s chains are said to be an ‘act of penitence’ for killing Helena.

2. Godric Gryffindor gifted more than his sword to Hogwarts

When they initially set up the houses, the Hogwarts founders personally decided which students belonged in which. As they approached old age, they realised they would need a longer-term solution for when they were gone. Enter… Godric Gryffindor’s hat! Yes, the Sorting Hat was taken from Gryffindor’s very own head, enchanted with the intelligence of all four founders, and continued sorting students for centuries to come.

1. Slytherin’s descendant founded another magical school

Irish witch Isolt Sayre, a distant descendant of Salazar, put a completely different spin on the Slytherin legacy in the 1600s. After her fanatical pure-blood aunt murdered her liberal parents, Isolt fled to America. She soon started a family and set up her own wizarding school in Massachusetts: Ilvermorny.

Co-founded with her ‘No-Maj’ husband, it is one of the most democratic, least elitist of all the great wizarding schools. Remarkably, she also owned Salazar Slytherin’s wand... And put it to good use. Isolt buried the inactive wand outside the grounds of Ilvermorny, where it grew into a mysterious snakewood tree with powerful medicinal properties.

Creating a truly inclusive school AND putting Slytherin’s wand in the ground? Salazar would not have seen eye-to-eye with this witch!