======The Secret Passages of Hogwarts Castle======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Network of concealed tunnels and shortcuts
  * **Location:** Primarily within the grounds of [[Hogwarts Castle]], with several connecting to the nearby village of [[Hogsmeade]].
  * **Owner/Residents:** The passages have no formal owners. They are known and used by a select few, most notably [[The Marauders]], [[Fred Weasley]], [[George Weasley]], [[Harry Potter]], and [[Argus Filch]], who is aware of some of them.
  * **Key Features:** Entrances are magically concealed behind objects like statues, mirrors, or trees. Access often requires a specific [[spell]] or physical action. The most comprehensive guide to these passages is the [[Marauder's Map]].
=====Description and History=====
The secret passages of [[Hogwarts Castle]] are a series of seven hidden routes that allow for clandestine travel within the castle and to and from [[Hogsmeade]]. Their existence is a closely guarded secret, unknown to the general student body and most of the faculty. The castle's caretaker, [[Argus Filch]], knows of four of them but lacks the means to use them all.
The definitive map of these passages was created by [[The Marauders]]—[[James Potter]], [[Sirius Black]], [[Remus Lupin]], and [[Peter Pettigrew]]—during their time at [[Hogwarts]]. Their creation, the [[Marauder's Map]], shows the location of every passage and the people moving within them. The map was later confiscated by [[Argus Filch]] and subsequently stolen by [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]], who memorised its secrets. In their third year at [[Hogwarts]], they gifted the map to [[Harry Potter]], believing he had greater need of it.
Over the years, some passages have become unusable. One was sealed by [[Argus Filch]], and another caved in. During the [[Second Wizarding War]], new passages were also created, such as the one connecting the [[Room of Requirement]] to the [[Hog's Head Inn]], which was not documented on the original [[Marauder's Map]].
=====Role in the Story=====
The secret passages are instrumental throughout the series, providing crucial, unobserved access for main characters at key moments.
  * In //[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]//, [[Harry Potter]] uses the passage behind the one-eyed witch statue to sneak into [[Hogsmeade]] after being denied permission. The passage beneath the [[Whomping Willow]] is central to the book's climax, serving as the route for [[Remus Lupin]]'s transformations and later used by [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Sirius Black]].
  * In //[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]//, a unique form of passage is created by [[Draco Malfoy]] using a pair of [[Vanishing Cabinet|Vanishing Cabinets]]. This allows him to bypass [[Hogwarts]]'s formidable security and smuggle [[Death Eaters]] into the castle, leading directly to the death of [[Albus Dumbledore]].
  * In //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//, a new passage connecting the [[Room of Requirement]] to the [[Hog's Head Inn]] becomes a vital lifeline for [[Dumbledore's Army]]. It is used to bring in food and supplies for the students hiding in the school and serves as the primary route for members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] to enter the castle for the [[Battle of Hogwarts]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
The [[Marauder's Map]] reveals seven secret passages, though not all are described in detail or remain usable.
  - **The One-Eyed Witch Passage:**
    * **Entrance:** The stone statue of a hump-backed, one-eyed witch on the third floor. It is opened by tapping the statue with a [[wand]] and speaking the [[incantation]] `//Dissendium//`.
    * **Exit:** The cellar of the [[Honeydukes]] sweetshop in [[Hogsmeade]].
    * **Notes:** This is the passage [[Harry Potter]] used to visit [[Hogsmeade]] in his third year.
  - **The [[Whomping Willow]] Passage:**
    * **Entrance:** A small opening amongst the roots of the [[Whomping Willow]] on the [[Hogwarts]] grounds.
    * **Activation:** The tree must be temporarily paralysed by pressing a specific knot on its trunk.
    * **Exit:** The [[Shrieking Shack]] in [[Hogsmeade]].
    * **Notes:** This passage was created to allow [[Remus Lupin]] to leave the castle grounds for his monthly transformations into a [[werewolf]].
  - **Passage Behind the Fourth-Floor Mirror:**
    * **Entrance:** A large mirror on the fourth floor.
    * **Exit:** The passage supposedly led out of the school.
    * **Notes:** According to [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]], this passage had caved in and was completely blocked.
  - **Passage Behind the Statue of Gregory the Smarmy:**
    * **Entrance:** A statue of Gregory the Smarmy, located in a corridor forbidden to students in their first year.
    * **Exit:** Unknown, but it provides a shortcut to another part of the castle.
    * **Notes:** This was one of the passages frequently used by the Weasley twins for quick travel within [[Hogwarts]].
  - **The [[Vanishing Cabinet]] Passage:**
    * **Entrance:** The [[Vanishing Cabinet]] located in the [[Room of Requirement]].
    * **Exit:** Its twin cabinet, located in [[Borgin and Burkes]] in [[Knockturn Alley]].
    * **Notes:** Not a true architectural passage, this route was established by [[Draco Malfoy]] in his sixth year. It is a magical transport link rather than a physical tunnel.
  - **The [[Hog's Head Inn]] Passage:**
    * **Entrance:** The [[Room of Requirement]]. The entrance changes location within the room as the room itself changes.
    * **Exit:** Behind the portrait of [[Ariana Dumbledore]] in the public room of the [[Hog's Head Inn]].
    * **Notes:** This passage was seemingly created during the 1997-1998 school year. Because it did not exist when [[The Marauders]] created their map, it does not appear on it. It was revealed to [[Harry Potter]] by [[Neville Longbottom]] and [[Aberforth Dumbledore]].
  - **An Unspecified Blocked Passage:**
    * **Entrance:** Unknown.
    * **Exit:** Unknown.
    * **Notes:** [[The Marauders]] noted on their map that this passage was blocked and had been sealed by [[Argus Filch]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]//, the one-eyed witch statue is shown to physically slide aside to reveal the passage, rather than requiring an incantation.
  * In the video game version of //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//, a secret passage is found behind a statue of [[gunhilda of gorsemoor|Gunhilda of Gorsemoor]], which is a non-canon detail exclusive to the game (video game).
  * J.K. Rowling has confirmed on Pottermore that there are seven secret passages at [[Hogwarts]], consistent with the number shown on the [[Marauder's Map]] in the books (Pottermore).