Hey everyone,
Welcome to another instalment of Harry Potter Theory. Today,
we’ll be discussing ALL of the hidden rooms, unknown chambers,
and secret passageways within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogwarts Castle is known for the fact that its location is…well…UNKNOWN. Unplottable
on a map and basically invisible to Muggles, the school and its surrounding grounds have quite the
reputation for harbouring many magical secrets. This, of course, includes an absolutely INSANE
number of hidden areas within the castle…In today’s video, I’ll be taking you through all
the ones that we know about…starting with… Secret Passageways, Doors and Shortcuts
Let’s begin with all of the hidden ways that one can manoeuvre themselves in, out and around the
castle and surrounding grounds. Through a many number of secret passageways, hidden doors and
shortcuts, students and professors alike—not to mention Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris—have
been able to move undetected through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts for centuries.
Whether these hidden passageways were built alongside the foundation of the castle back
in the 10th century or later on, I suppose we’ll never truly know. What we do know
is that the majority of the following secret ways through Hogwarts still exist to this day…
The Tunnel Beneath the One-Eyed Witch Statue Near the stairs that take you to the Defence
Against the Dark Arts classroom, there is a secret tunnel that leads you to the cellar of Honeydukes,
a sweets shop in the neighbouring wizarding village of Hogsmeade. One can only access the
hidden passageway by tapping the hump of the one-eyed witch statue that stands there and
uttering the word “dissendium”, which makes the witch’s hump open up to reveal the secret tunnel.
The Passage Behind a Fourth-Floor Mirror This passageway was once accessible by
locating a mirror on the fourth floor of the castle. It’s said that the tunnel,
which also led to the village of Hogsmeade and was apparently
large enough to hold a meeting in, had caved in on itself by the year 1992.
The Passageway Beneath the Whomping Willow This passageway was rumoured to have been
created for Remus Lupin, who was both a wizard and a werewolf, when he was a student at Hogwarts,
with the intention that he would use it to isolate himself each month when he transformed. The tunnel
led to the abandoned house in Hogsmeade village known as the Shrieking Shack. To access it,
one needed to press a specific knot in the wood of the Whomping Willow’s trunk, immobilising its
deadly branches and allowing the traveller to access the opening into the passageway.
The Tunnel Behind the Statue of Gregory the Smarmy A passageway hidden behind a statue of Gregory the
Smarmy, a mediaeval British wizard and potioneer, this tunnel was evidently not too difficult to
find, as multiple students have been rumoured to know about it, including Gryffindor Lee Jordan.
Fred and George Weasley also claimed to have found this particular tunnel within their very first
week as students at Hogwarts, as described in the following passage from The Philosopher’s Stone:
‘Anyway, we’ve got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he’s found a new secret passageway out of the school.’
‘Bet it’s that one behind the statue of Gregory the
Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you.’
The Passage Within the West Well There is a water well located on
the ground floor of the castle’s West Tower, which also doubles as a secret passage which leads—once
again—into Hogsmeade. The shaft of the well goes all the way to a fountain in the village,
connecting the two locations. Of course, this passageway is completely submerged in water,
making it one of the more difficult tunnels to use.
The Passageway by Hieroglyphic Hall In the basement floor of Hogwarts is an
area called Hieroglyphic Hall. While we don’t know much about this hall, we do know that it’s present
on the magical Marauder’s Map—which also shows this little known passage right off the corridor.
The Stairway Behind a Tapestry There’s a hidden stairwell connecting the
ground floor to the second floor behind a tapestry but, despite how little detail we have about it,
apparently most Hogwarts students know about its existence. It’s also common
knowledge that the stairway features a trick step half-way up the steps.
The Shortcut Between the Trophy Room and Charms Classroom
Yet another tapestry hides a different type of passage—this time a magical shortcut—between
the room that keeps the school’s trophies and the Charms classroom, two locations which are indeed
very far apart. In The Philosopher’s Stone, we see Harry experience this shortcut firsthand:
“They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled
along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.”
The Shortcut Between the First and Third Floor Another secret passage that we don’t have all
that much detail about, this shortcut is known to be quite spacious and connected the first and
third floor. One can access it on the first floor by going behind a statue—the exact one
unknown—and on the third floor by finding precisely the right wooden panels to open.
The Stairway Between the Fourth Floor and the Fat Lady’s Corridor
Concealed behind a bookshelf, there’s a stairwell that connects the corridor on the fourth floor
of the castle to the hall of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor in Gryffindor Tower.
The Magical Passage Between the Vanishing Cabinets
With one cabinet at Hogwarts and the other in the shop Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley,
the Vanishing Cabinets have a magical link which can transport you from one location to the other
undetected. According to rumours, the original link had been operational until 1992 when Peeves
the Poltergeist destroyed the Hogwarts cabinet. Draco Malfoy managed to fix this cabinet in 1997,
re-establishing the link and using it to ferry Death Eaters into the castle undetected.
The Shortcut Behind Timothy the Timid’s Portrait This painting of Timothy the Timid hides a
shortcut between the fifth-floor hallway and the Herbology Corridor. Like the
majority of secret passages hidden behind portraits and paintings within the castle,
access to this shortcut requires a password, which in this case happens to be "flaming earwigs".
The Shortcut Behind a Giffard Abbot Portrait
Hiding a secret passageway between the castle’s Grand Staircase and the Transfiguration Courtyard,
also known as the Middle Courtyard, is one of the several paintings of Giffard Abbot that hang
upon the walls within Hogwarts. The password to access this shortcut is "dragon's egg".
The Passage Behind a Basil Fronsac Portrait As a former Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor
Basil Fronsac has multiple portraits of himself hung within the castle,
including the Headmaster’s Office. One of the paintings depicting him as a younger version
of himself hides a shortcut between the Grand Staircase and the corridor on the second floor
close to the Library. To gain access to this passageway, one must say "studious success".
The Shortcut Behind Damara Dodderidge’s Portrait This painting of Damara Dodderidge is located on
the walls of the Grand Staircase and hides a passageway from the steps to the entrance of
the castle’s Clock Tower. To use the shortcut, one must provide the password "chops and gravy".
The Passageway Behind an Edward Rabnott Portrait Hiding a shortcut between the corridor on the
seventh floor and the fourth-floor hallway, this portrait is one of several of Edward Rabnott hung
up at Hogwarts. Edward’s portraits are known to have at least three different personalities, which
likely accounts for the password to his passageway being "three heads are better than one".
The Shortcut Behind a George von Rheticus Portrait
A wizard astronomer, George von Rheticus has several portraits within Hogwarts,
including one which hides a passage between the Grand Staircase and the hallway on the seventh
floor. To get access, one must provide George with the following password: "scurrilous scoundrel".
The Passageway Behind a Temeritus Shanks Portrait One of the paintings of the wizard Temeritus
Shanks hides a shortcut between the school Library and the hall on the castle’s fourth
floor corridor. Through interactions with Harry Potter, we learn that Temeritus enjoys
reading the papers, which is probably why his password is "no news is good news".
The Shortcut Behind a Google Stump Portrait Google Stump was a shy wizard whose
portrait is not fond of being around other paintings or people. Unfortunately for him,
he has multiple paintings of himself around the castle, one of which hides a secret passageway
between the Viaduct Entrance and the corridor on the first floor. The first time Google’s
portrait shared his password of "volo futurus unus" was with Harry Potter.
The Passage Behind Percival Pratt’s Portrait A shortcut is hidden behind the painting
of Percival Pratt, which hangs in the Grand Staircase and leads to the school’s Boathouse.
As a former poet, Percival can often be heard rhyming to himself and passerbys,
making his password of "this password is absurd" quite amusing.
The Shortcut Behind an Elizabeth Burke Portrait This portrait of Elizabeth Burke, former
Headmistress and pure-blood supremacist, is not a particularly nice painting. Hiding a
shortcut between the entrance to the Dungeons and a location near the Potions Classroom,
there’s little surprise that the password to her passageway is "Slytherins are supreme".
The Passageway Behind Boris the Bewildered’s Portrait
Not much is known about Boris the Bewildered other than the fact that he has both a statue
and a portrait of himself in Hogwarts. This is rather ironic considering the fact that
his portrait hides a shortcut between the corridors on the second and third
floor, with the password of "forget-me-never".
Magical Exits from the Room of Requirement Within The Room of Requirement, Dumbledore’s
Army was provided with an exit that would change every day in order to keep their meetings from
being discovered. The main entrance to the Room is located on the seventh floor, which we’ll cover in
just a moment, but it’s unknown if the magical ways to leave the chamber are always there or
if they only appeared to meet the needs of Dumbledore’s Army. The Room of Requirement
also has a passageway that leads directly to the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore that hangs
in the Hog’s Head in Hogsmeade. This passage only opens if someone within the Room of Requirement
is hungry and has a need of food. Hidden Rooms, Chambers and Areas
In addition to all of the secret passageways and shortcuts hidden throughout the castle,
there are, of course, also plenty of mysterious rooms and areas that are unknown to the majority
of Hogwarts’ students and professors alike. Fortunately, for us, Harry and his friends were
rather adept at uncovering these places, meaning that we know about several of them…such as…
The Room of Requirement Although The Room of Requirement
is unplottable and cannot be found on any map—including the Marauder's Map—it is known to be
located in the left hallway on the seventh floor of the castle. The hidden entrance can be found
across the corridor from the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls the
ballet. In order to enter the room, one only needs to stand outside of it and think about what they
need—a door appears and the room provides a space that is exactly whatever you need at that time.
The Chamber of Secrets With an entire novel in
the Harry Potter series named after it, The Chamber of Secrets is…well…not so secret! But,
although the rumour of its existence was widely known, very few had the knowledge of where the
entrance to the Chamber was or how to open it. Of course, that all changed in Harry’s
second year at Hogwarts. He discovered that The Chamber of Secrets could be accessed by
speaking Parseltongue in the bathroom in which Moaning Myrtle resides, which opened
up a secret passageway down to the entrance of the Chamber under the dungeons of the castle.
“…at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second,
the sink began to move. The sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed,
a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.” Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Within the Chamber lived a Basilisk, which had been placed there by Hogwarts’ founding member,
Salazar Slytherin, in the hopes that it would one day purge the school of students not of
pure blood. It was said that only the Heir of Slytherin could open The Chamber of Secrets,
as prior to Harry, only descendents of Slytherin had the ability to speak
Parseltongue and this was the language required to unlock the entrance.
The Room with the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance
Ever wonder how students are selected for admittance into Hogwarts? While you
may have assumed that this was the decision of the school’s Headmaster or Headmistress,
evidently the choices are made entirely by an enchanted quill and book known as
the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance. These two magical
items are kept in a secret small locked tower close to the Headmaster's Office.
The Hufflepuff Hidden Sweets Room Founding member of Hogwarts,
Helga Hufflepuff, was known for her love of good food, so it should come as no surprise that the
Hufflepuff Common Room has a few secret spaces dedicated to refreshments. It’s said that there’s
a bookcase in the Common Room that is actually a hidden door, hiding a secret room full of sweets!
The Room Under the Viaduct Courtyard Bridge Underneath a bridge in the Viaduct Courtyard
there’s a secret room that can only be accessed by solving a puzzle. Close
to the castle’s Central Hall, one must find the bridge with braziers,
light them and complete the puzzle in order to open the entrance to the room.
The Secret Werewolf Tapestry Room This room is accessible by a door
shaped like a shield with a “K” on it that’s imprinted on a tapestry hung
within the castle’s tapestry gallery. It is home to a werewolf statue and
several tapestries depicting a story of a witch who was once bitten by a werewolf.
The Hogwarts Kitchen While not a secret per say, the Hogwarts
Kitchen is actually quite hidden from students and professors alike. Located below the Great Hall,
one can only gain access to the magical kitchen by finding a painting of a bowl of fruit that’s
located in one of the castle’s underground corridors and tickling the pear in the bowl.
Once tickled, the pear transforms into a door handle, allowing the witch or wizard to enter.
Each and Every Classroom While certainly not a secret,
finding the location of each and every classroom within Hogwarts is
not necessarily easy. With seven core subjects and several other electives,
there are more than a few classrooms for students to memorise within the castle. They are…
The Transfiguration Classrooms Transfiguration may be only one subject
but there are actually many classrooms within the school dedicated to this particular area of study,
including Class 1 on the castle’s first floor, Class 34 on the third floor,
Class 99 in the South Tower, and Classroom 1B on the ground floor.
Classroom 1B is near the Middle Courtyard and is quite large with many high windows.
The Charms Classroom Designated formally as Classroom 2E, the Charms
Classroom is on the third floor of the school in the hallway known as the Charms Corridor.
The Potions Classroom One of the most well-known
classrooms within the series, the Potions Classroom is located in
one of Hogwarts’ dungeon areas and is said to be quite cold during the winter months.
The History of Magic Classroom This classroom is also known
officially as Classroom 4F. It can be found on the first floor of the castle.
Defence Against the Dark Arts Classrooms Similar to Transfiguration, Defence Against
the Dark Arts has multiple classrooms in which this particular subject is taught.
The two classrooms for Defence Against the Dark Arts are located on the first
floor in the North Tower’s Class 104 and on the third floor in Classroom 3C.
The Astronomy Tower Astronomy classes were
conducted on the highest level of the Astronomy Tower—which happens to be the tallest tower
in the castle. This location is used so that students may observe the night sky unobstructed.
The Herbology Classroom Hogwarts’ Greenhouse 3
is home to the Herbology Classroom. This area is used to teach second-years and older as it
contains some dangerous plants that first-year students do not have the skills to handle.
The Arithmancy Classroom As an elective subject offered
to third-year students, Arithmancy is held in Classroom 7A on the seventh floor of the castle.
The Muggle Studies Classroom Yet another elective, Muggle
Studies classes are taught in a classroom on the school’s first floor. The room can
be accessed through a showroom that has Muggle items and artefacts on display.
The Divination Classroom The classroom for the study
of Divination is located in the North Tower of the castle. The entrance to
the room is through a circular trapdoor at the top of the Divination Stairwell.
The Study of Ancient Runes Classroom The Study of Ancient Runes—often
referred to as simply Ancient Runes—is held in Classroom 6A on the sixth floor of the castle.
The Alchemy Rooms Taught only in years
in which enough students expressed interest, it’s likely that the subject
of Alchemy is offered in the two Alchemy Rooms on the fourth floor of the castle.
And, with that, we’ve come to the end of another video! What did you think? Did I miss any secret
rooms, passageways, shortcuts or chambers? Please share your thoughts in the comments below! And,
as always, if you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to like it and subscribe to the channel!
Until next time…remember
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."