Marble Staircase Tower

The Marble Staircase Tower is a tower of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is probably the most prominent and recognisable feature of Hogwarts Castle. The tower is a circular shape and has a cone shaped roof.

The Marble Staircase
The tower gets its name from the large staircase which connects the Entrance Hall to the Grand Staircase.

The Grand Staircase


These large moving staircases run through the centre of the tower. Many portraits are hung on the walls of this tower which freely talk to students walking past.

The Headmaster's Tower


At the top of this tower are three smaller towers which make up the Headmaster's tower and serve as the Headmaster's office and residence. Prior to 1995, the entrance was located on the second floor. However, this changed to the Seventh Floor sometime before the 1996-1997 school year. To gain entrance, a password must be given to a stone gargoyle, which will move aside at the correct password to reveal a spiral staircase with moving steps.

Behind the scenes

 * The Grand Staircase is a feature that appears only in the films and is not mentioned in any of the books, although because moving staircases are frequently referred to in the book series, it is possible that a Grand Staircase Tower did exist. Also, the Grand Staircase Tower replaces the Astronomy Tower as the highest tower in Hogwarts for the film series, as the Astronomy Tower did not make its first appearance until the sixth film.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Fat Lady was located somewhere else in the castle.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the entrance to Dumbledore's office is located in the Transfiguration Courtyard, but in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the entrance is located next to the Entrance Courtyard. In both locations, the gargoyle must have to move quite a way to get to the tower or possibly there could be some kind of magical short-cut.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7