Flooing to Hogwarts

[OliveOil_Med]

We know that Hogwarts is supposed to be one of the most secure places on earth, and probably isn't the sort of place you can just Floo to, so how do the teachers get their to go to work? I've seen a few stories where the teachers actually have their own quarters at the school, but I'm not sure I'm really convinced of this.

So how do you think teachers are able to go to and from Hogwarts in spite of all the security wards?

[MissMeg]

It seems to me that they could just floo in and out of the castle. In The Order of the Phoenix and The Goblet of Fire Sirius floos in to the castle. Well, only his head is going in and out, but I think a ward that prevented people from flooing in and out would work heads as well as bodies. And, if Sirius (who is considered a serial killer) can floo in, the teachers would obviously be able to too. (and yes I know that Dumbledore trusts Sirius. But, I think that if he could floo in- it must be possible for everyone.

In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Snape calls Lupin through the floo- when he is interigating Harry about the Maurader's Map. Lupin comes fully through the floo, so it must be possible for at least inter-castle travel. I would say that the evidence points to the floo in and out of Hogwarts being unregulated and unrewarded.

I don't think they even monitor the floo network, because when Umbridge talked about how she was monitoring it she pointed it out especially, which is something she wouldn't do if it wasn't noteworthy or unusual.

Dispite the fact that they have all the anti-apperation/disapperation spells on the grounds and spells to stop people entering at speed, Hogwarts seems remarkably lax in other security measures. I mean how many times have Harry, Ron, and Hermione been wandering in the hallways after curfew? And Sirius can get into and out of the castle without detection. One would think that if invisibility cloaks and being an animagi cannot fool the Maurader's Map (a device designed by school age wizards), the teachers (especially Dumbledore) should be easily able to figure out a way to detect unauthorized personnel in the castle or in the hallways.

So I think it is very likely that teachers can just floo in and out of the castle to get to and from work. Since, I completely agree with you that it doesn't seem particularly likely that the castle is all of their permanent residence. (Snape gets annoyed enough at the students during normal school hours, I think he would go mental if he was required to live in the same building as them for nine months.)

Though there is also the point that in The Order of the Phoenix, when Professor Trelawney gets the boot she says that Hogwarts is her home. So maybe some of them live there permanently. But, I would say that teachers probably have quarters where they can stay the night. I would assume that they have to have a certain number of teachers at the castle at any given time, because it would be incredibly stupid and irresponsible to leave 600 teenagers in a castle alone (or pretty much alone) every night. There is also definite evidence that teachers are required to patrol the corridors at night.

To sum up, I would assume that most of them live there at minimum part time- and many live there permanently. Therefore, there must be a convent means of getting in and out (I think that floo powder is the most likely) or it would basically bar teachers of having a life and family of their own.

-Meg

[AidaLuthien]

I think at some point JK also said that Neville doesn't live at Hogwarts, he Floos from The Leaky Cauldron every day.

I also think it would make sense for the Heads of House to have quarters on the grounds in case their students need them.

[Karaley Dargen]

Since we do see quite a lot of teachers in pyjamas, nightgowns, or just at night time in general, I would assume that at least the HoHs live at Hogwarts and are required to do so.

It's such a gigantic place, it does make sense, too...

I agree that they would probably Floo to the school if they don't live there. However, when the Trio arrive via the Floo network after Christmas in OotP, doesn't it feel like that's something out of the ordinary? But perhaps that's just because they are children...


Maybe, if they can't floo to the school, they'd arrive at the Three Broomsticks or something, and walk the rest of the way.

[Equinox Chick]

Trelawney lives at Hogwarts and so does Firenze. The Heads of Houses and Dumbledore would have to live at Hogwarts because they have a responsibility towards all the students.

I think it would be a matter of choice. A teacher like Hooch would barely be needed so why would she live there? Remus, I imagine, lives at Hogwarts because it would save money. Also when Colin Creevy is brought into the Hospital at night, I think it's someone like Septima Vector or Aurora Sinistra who's helping to carry the body (sorry, I don't have a copy to hand). They'd have to live there as well. Fake Moody definitely lives there because he comes across Harry after having the bath with the egg.

They could Floo in everyday. Fire places can be easily connected, but I'm inclined to think most of them live on site. There's too many incidences of them being in their pyjamas.

~Carole~

[abovelevel]

Maybe they have it such that only that person's house's fireplace is connected to Hogwarts?

But, like others have stated, it seems like that teachers like there. At regular boarding schools, they have adults that stay on campus on watch out for the kids at night and keep things in line - Hogwarts doesn't have dorm mothers or anything, so I guess the teachers would need to do that. Free housing may be a stipulation of their contracts. The interesting thing it we never see of the teacher's spouses, if they have them. If they live on campus too, maybe they're the ones that Floo out for work in the mornings?

Wow, plot bunnies abound! There are definitely some different possibilities (:

[OliveOil_Med]

We do tend to think that requiring teachers to live at the school could be rather hard on family life. I would hate to think of what Hannah would find herself getting up to if her husband wasn't home for nine months out of the year.

Maybe teachers do have their own quarters at the school, but they work on sort of an 'on-call' basis where the professors take turns staying overnight at the school I don't see any headmaster being so cruel as to keep everyone under their employment away from their families.