Head of House is the title for a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is responsible for the one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. It is possible for a Head of House to serve concurrently as Deputy Head but not as Headmaster.
A Head of House must have been a member of that House while a student at Hogwarts. It is possible that a shortage of teachers who had been in Slytherin after the First Wizarding War paved the way for Severus Snape to become Head of that House at a remarkably young age for such a position. On the return to the Hogwarts Faculty of Horace Slughorn, who had been Head of House when Snape was a student, Snape jealously guarded the prerogatives of the Headship.
A Head of House is also in charge of discipline over its students as well as making decisions regarding the House's Quidditch team.
A Head of House also gives the fifth years of their House advice for the student's future career.
The precise mechanism by which a Head of House is chosen is not known.
Known Heads of Houses
Gryffindor
- Godric Gryffindor (Medieval times)
- Minerva McGonagall (1970s - 1998)
Hufflepuff
- Helga Hufflepuff (Medieval times)
- Pomona Sprout (? - ?)
Ravenclaw
- Rowena Ravenclaw (Medieval times)
- Filius Flitwick (? - ?)
Slytherin
- Salazar Slytherin (Medieval times)
- Horace Slughorn (? - 1981)
- Severus Snape (1981 - 1997)
- Horace Slughorn (1997 - ?)