The Dungeons of Hogwarts Castle

• Type: Sub-level of a school
• Location: Lower levels of Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, situated beneath the Entrance Hall and Great Hall.
• Owner/Residents: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The dungeons are most closely associated with Slytherin House and the Potions Master.
• Key Features: Cold, stone-walled corridors; lit by torchlight; lacking windows except for the Slytherin Common Room, which is located beneath the Great Lake.

The dungeons are an integral part of Hogwarts Castle's ancient architecture, forming the labyrinthine cellars of the fortress. Reached by a flight of stone steps leading down from the Entrance Hall, they are known for their perpetually cold and somewhat oppressive atmosphere. The network consists of numerous corridors, some of which lead to classrooms and offices, while others remain unused or lead to dead ends. Historically, the dungeons have housed the Potions classroom and the private office of the Potions Master. For most of Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, this was Severus Snape, whose personality was well-suited to the grim environment. The dungeons are also home to the Slytherin Common Room, reinforcing the House's association with the mysterious and the subterranean, much like its serpentine emblem.

The dungeons serve as a recurring and significant setting throughout the series, often associated with secrecy, conflict, and the darker aspects of the magical world.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the dungeons are the site of Professor Quirrell's diversion on Hallowe'en, where he falsely reports a Troll in the dungeons to create a panic. Later, Harry overhears a threatening conversation between Snape and Quirrell in a dungeon corridor.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron Weasley use a deserted dungeon corridor to ambush Crabbe and Goyle, incapacitating them to acquire their hair for the Polyjuice Potion.
• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry serves detention with Snape in his dungeon office, pickling rat brains.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, an abandoned dungeon classroom becomes a practice space for Harry, Ron, and Hermione Granger as they work on the Summoning Charm for the Triwizard Tournament. It is also where Dobby the house-elf brings Harry the Gillyweed for the Second Task.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape's Office in the dungeons is the tense setting for Harry's private Occlumency lessons.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Professor Horace Slughorn takes over the Potions classroom, and its atmosphere is noted to be significantly warmer and more cheerful than under Snape's tenure.

• Potions Classroom: The primary classroom for the subject of Potions. The room is large enough to hold at least twenty cauldrons and is described as being uncomfortably cold. Under Snape, its walls were lined with shelves of glass jars containing pickled animals and slimy potion ingredients.
• Severus Snape's Office: A dim, private office adjacent to the Potions classroom where Snape kept his private stores of rare ingredients. It was the location of Harry Potter's Occlumency lessons.
• Slytherin Common Room: The common room for Slytherin House, located behind a bare, damp stretch of stone wall and accessed with a password. It is a long, low, dungeon-like room with a greenish glow from the waters of the Great Lake pressing against its windows. It is furnished with low-backed, carved chairs and decorated with tapestries and skulls.
• Kitchens Entrance: The entrance to the Hogwarts Kitchens is located in a corridor near the main staircase to the dungeons, in the same hallway as the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It is concealed by a magical painting of a bowl of fruit, which becomes a door when the pear is tickled.
• Abandoned Classrooms and Corridors: The dungeons contain numerous unused rooms and twisting passages, which are often used by students for secret meetings or practice.

• In the film adaptations, the dungeons are often given a more dramatic and Gothic aesthetic. The Potions classroom, for example, is depicted with a vast array of complex glassware and self-stirring cauldrons, enhancing the magical atmosphere beyond the descriptions in the novels (film).
• The location of the Slytherin Common Room under the lake is symbolic, connecting the house to water imagery and the serpentine creatures that might inhabit such depths, aligning with its mascot and reputation.