Brrr, Freeze COLD - how to heat a castle

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Have you ever been in a castle, a real live castle? Even if you haven't, it's easy to imagine just how cozy and warm they are. Not!

Generally speaking, depending on their location, they are just plain cold! Lots of stone, open (or leaky) casements, breezy hallways, you name it, a castle has a lot of reasons to be cold. If you have watched movies set in 'historical' times, and the locales are castles, you might notice that, if it is at all historically accurate, the people are bundled up in layers of clothes. This is for warmth!

How does Hogwarts get away with being warm? Why do I ask? Ah, well, for one thing you don't see the breath of folks as they are talking to each other. It's not mentioned very often in the books and rarely seen in the movies. For another, the people aren't usually mentioned as standing, or sitting there, shivering.

So - how does the castle of Hogwarts be kept warm? Is it done with magic? Do the Professors each take turns with heating spells? Yes, there are fireplaces in many of the rooms, but the rooms are often large! How is the rest of the room heated? Do house-elves somehow take care of it?

What do you imagine might be a way, or ways, that the castle is kept warm?

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

I'm about to post another topic of 'being cold' in the castle, and things that people can do about staying warm.

But, no one wrote any brilliant ideas in here of what they would do, to keep the castle warm? Are you a witch (or wizard) or not?!

One idea that I had was the notion of invisible barriers at all the open windows along the outer walls and those hallways they go through from one part of the castle to another. Something that would keep the cold blasts of air out -- but if a student wanted to lean out, to see what was below, they could. Exclusive to humans and birds and all, but keeping out the cold air and wind.

Also, the actual windows which are on the outer walls - and throughout the castle - are treated with heat spells to sort of radiate heat into the room, while blocking the cold air from outside.