What magical object reveals the Hogwarts house points total in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series?
Answer
House hourglasses
House hourglasses reveal the Hogwarts house points total in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
The hourglasses stand in the Great Hall and display the points earned or lost by Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. They are large jeweled devices filled with colored stones, with each color representing one Hogwarts house. Teachers award points for achievements and deduct them for rule-breaking.
The house-point competition runs throughout the school year and ends with the House Cup ceremony. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Dumbledore awards additional points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, allowing Gryffindor to win the cup.
The hourglasses are different from the Sorting Hat, which assigns new students to houses, and from the Marauder’s Map, which shows people’s locations inside Hogwarts. Their specific role is to display the changing numerical totals.