The Owlery was a room on the top of Hogwarts Castle’s West Tower, where the school owls and the owls belonging to students lived during the school year. The Owlery was a circular stone room, rather cold and drafty, because none of the windows had glass in them. The lack of glass in the windows allowed the owls to come and go freely. The floor was entirely covered in straw, owl droppings, and the regurgitated skeletons of mice and voles. Many owls nestled here on perches that rose right up to the top of the tower. During the winter months, the room was very cold, to the point that one had to be careful with ice on the higher landings.

In 1995, Harry encountered Cho Chang in the Owlery at the beginning of his fifth year. She was sending a letter to her mother, and defended him against the suspicions of Argus Filch the caretaker at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Second Wizarding War
During the Second Wizarding War, students and staff stopped using the Owlery for sending post to other people inside the Castle, because any letters that were sent using the Owlery were checked by Argus Filch. Thus, letters were passed via other students to protect privacy.

In 1998, Mrs. Norris was seen chasing owls in the Owlery, during the Battle of Hogwarts, rather than fighting, like the rest of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry front.