This secret passageway is behind a statue of a one-eyed, hump-backed witch in a third-floor corridor of Hogwarts Castle.[1] It appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The passageway is opened by tapping the statue using a wand and giving the password, "Dissendium". The statue's hump will open into a thin, stone slide which goes under the school.[1] To get back into the school, the inside of the witch's hump has to be tapped using a wand and it will open.[2] The statue is to the left of a classroom in a third-floor corridor.[1]
The passageway is cold, has an uneven ground and the path twists and turns. It leads to hundreds of stone steps going up to a trapdoor which opens up into the cellar of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade It takes a while to get to it.[1]
History[]
In 1971 to 1978, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew foundthe passageway and put it in the Marauder's Map.[1] In 1989, during their first-year, Fred and George Weasley found the Marauder's Map and began sneaking into Hogsmeade to get supplies using this passageway.[1]
In December 1993, Fred and George gave the Map to Harry Potter and advised he use this passage to get into Hogsmeade because it was one of three secret passageways Argus Filch hadn't found yet. Harry snuck in under the Cloak of Invisibility because he didn't have permission to go to Hogsmeade.[1]
In February 1994, Harry tried to get into the passage for the second time but he was interrupted by Neville Longbottom when the statue was opening. He had to throw a bag down and distract Neville. Professor Snape passed by and found it strange they were hanging around in that corridor. Harry had to leave the corridor and stay in the school to cover it up, and saw Snape looking at the statue when he was leaving. Snape didn't appear to find anything and had gone when Harry went back.[2]
Harry spent a few hours in Hogsmeade but when he got back into the school, Snape was waiting to try and catch Harry in the act. Harry didn't get caught but he decided he wouldn't use the passageway again. However, he dropped the Cloak of Invisibility in the passage and had to abandon it. He didn't try and get it back in case he was caught.[2] In June, Hermione Granger went and got it instead.[3]
Notes and sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 10
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 14
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 16