Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry discussion

Rules

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry does not tolerate rule breaking. Just so you know, here are the rules so you don't end up being punished.

•Students shall not leave Hogwarts grounds.

◦On the first and third weekends of each month, Third Years and above may attend Hogsmeade weekends with a permission slip from a parent or guardian. Students are free to travel to Hogsmeade from after breakfast on Saturday until curfew (10:00 p.m.) on Sunday. They may not leave Hogsmeade, except to return to Hogwarts.

•Students shall be in uniform at all times while on Hogwarts grounds. This includes robes, jumper, shirt, tie, slacks/skirt, shoes and socks, and gloves and scarf when necessary. All articles must be kept neat and tidy (i.e. shirt tucked in, tie worn properly, clothing washed and without excessive wrinkles).

◦Pointed hats are also part of the uniform, but are ceremonial in nature, and not required except at special assemblies.
◦Robes (but not the rest of the uniform) may be removed during non-class times (e.g. meals, after classes, weekends, etc.)
◦Additions to the uniform are unacceptable without special permission. Hair adornments, eyewear, and moderate jewelry are exempt from this.
◦Students may dress casually during Hogsmeade weekends, if they have permission to visit Hogsmeade.

•Magic by students is strictly controlled, and should only be used in relation to school work, or approved extracurricular activities.

◦Students may cast spells appropriate to their studies in classrooms and other study areas. Study areas include common rooms, and the Great Hall (when not being used for meals).
◦Magic that is not related to studies may only be cast with the permission and supervision of a faculty member, Prefect, or Head Boy/Girl.
◦Dueling may only be performed on the dueling stage (in the club room), under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
◦Students always have the right to use magic to defend themselves, or to respond to an emergency.

•Students are forbidden from faculty areas, including the kitchen, faculty lounge, and offices, unless with the permission and escort of a member of faculty. This also includes classrooms when a class is not in session. (Note that class scenes don't necessarily have to be run by staff. There is plenty of opportunity in classes for RP that doesn't involve someone actively playing a professor.)

◦Prefects may enter faculty areas if investigating another student violating this rule.
◦Students must be in their dormitories and in bed no later than the 10:00 p.m. curfew.
◦Prefects may be out of bed after hours if they are scheduled for patrol duty.

•Students shall maintain decorum at all times.
◦Swearing, anything more than kissing, shouting in the halls, vandalism, fighting, provoking Peeves, and releasing puffskeins in any professor's office during mating season are strictly forbidden.
•Alcohol and tobacco are strictly prohibited on campus.

◦Butterbeer may be consumed in Hogsmeade, but may not be brought back to the school.

Credit for the rules to http://wandw.wikidot.com/hogwarts-rules

Discipline

●Any rule-breaking can result in house point deduction. This is the most common discipline in Hogwarts, and it causes your house to lose points. The House Cup is quite important to the students, so house point deduction sets them back from it. Peer pressure can stop rule breaking because one student's actions can bring the entire house down. Prefects, teachers, other staff and the Head Boy and Girl can dock points from other students, although prefects do not have the authority to take from other prefects or the Head Boy and Girl.
●Detention is also quite common. This is also the most varying form of punishment, because it all depends on the teacher, from the length of the detention to what the students do while serving it. For example, a punishment given by the school caretaker could involve cleaning trophies or helping with his jobs without using magic. Prefects can also give students detention. There are two illegal ways of detention - using things that could harm the students such as a blood quill or using illegal curses such as the Unforgivable Curses. The former was used by Dolores Umbridge in the 1995-96 school year and the latter was used by the Carrows in the 1997-98 school year.
●Teachers also have the power to remove privileges from students, such as Hogsmeade visits and Quidditch. However, this isn't a usual punishment, only for serious wrongdoing.
●Only very serious wrongdoing can get students suspended. This has never happened in the books, but several teachers have suggested the punishment, such as Severus Snape after the Shrieking Shack incident near the end of the 1993-94 school year.
●The final and worst punishment is expulsion from the school. Only things such as breaking the law and not just the school rules can justify this. After expulsion the Ministry destroys the student's wand. However, only the Headmaster or Headmistress has the power to expel students - the Ministry do not have this right. Breaking the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery can also result in expulsion. This has only happened once in the books, to Rubeus Hagrid, though Harry Potter faced expulsion prior to the 1995-96 school year.