Harry Potter Steps

Secret Passageways

One of the most enthralling things about Hogwarts castle is its multitude of mysteries. Even Dumbledore does not assume to know all of Hogwarts’ secrets. However, often with the help of Fred and George, Harry encounters quite a few of Hogwarts’ secret locations during his time there...
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Filch’s extensive knowledge of Hogwarts’ secret passageways is first referred to
Fred and George reference the secret passageway behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy, which they claim to have found during their first week at Hogwarts
Harry and Ron discover a hidden passage behind a tapestry, which comes out near the Charms classroom
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville discover Fluffy in the forbidden third-floor corridor
Harry, Ron and Hermione navigate the secret underground passages beyond the trapdoor, between the various obstacles guarding the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Harry hears the voice of the Basilisk from within Hogwarts’ walls, as it moves in secret via the pipes
Harry, Ron and Lockhart use the hidden entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, via the pipe tunnel
A secret passageway which Filch knows about
The passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor, which Fred and George tell Harry is caved in and blocked
The passageway leading from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack
The passage from behind the one-eyed witch statue, into Honeydukes’ cellar, which Harry uses many times to get into Hogsmeade without permission
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: It is mentioned that Filch’s knowledge of Hogwarts’ secret passageways is ‘second only to that of the Weasley twins’
Sirius suggests the passageway behind the mirror on the fourth floor as a place to hold DA lessons. Harry informs him that it has caved in
Umbridge states that Filch is observing all secret passages in and out of the castle
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Malfoy describes how he used the ‘invisible passage’ between the two Vanishing Cabinets, to transport Death Eaters from Knockturn Alley into Hogwarts castle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Aberforth Dumbledore reveals the passage behind Ariana’s portrait, leading into the Room of Requirement, which DA and Order members use during the Battle of Hogwarts
Ron and Hermione use the passage to the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve Basilisk fangs, which they present to Harry in the Room of Requirement
Room of Requirement
So called because it only appears to someone ‘when they have real need of it’, the Room of Requirement ended up being a very useful hiding place for Harry and many others before him. From just observing the clutter, we can paint a very strange picture of what previous occupants used it for. From bloody axes to actual, intact Horcruxes, this secret room has many stories to tell.

‘Thousands and thousands of books’
‘Chipped bottles of congealed potions’
‘A tarnished tiara’
‘A dusty old wig’
‘The chipped bust of an ugly old warlock’
Harry’s (and the Half-Blood Prince’s) copy of Advanced Potion Making
‘A large cupboard which seemed to have had acid thrown at its blistered surface’ which ‘had already been used as a hiding place for something in a cage that had long-since died; its skeleton had five legs.’
‘Fanged Frisbees’
‘Corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly’
‘Dragon-egg shells’
‘Cloaks’
‘Jewels’
‘Hats’
Weapons
‘Teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture’
‘Several rusting swords’
‘An enormous stuffed troll’
Bottles
Crates
Junk
‘Winged catapults’
Bats
‘A heavy, blood-stained axe’
‘The broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had got lost’
Professor Trelawney’s sherry bottles
Broomsticks