======Forbidden Corridor======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Corridor]]
  * **Location:** Third floor, right-hand side, [[Hogwarts Castle]], [[Scotland]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]; temporarily guarded by [[Fluffy]]
  * **Key Features:** A locked and forbidden area designed to house a series of magical protections for the [[Philosopher's Stone]] during the 1991-1992 school year.
=====Description and History=====
The Forbidden Corridor was a specific corridor located on the third floor of [[Hogwarts Castle]]. For the duration of the 1991-1992 school year, it was declared strictly out of bounds by Headmaster [[Albus Dumbledore]]. At the start-of-term feast, he issued a warning that the corridor was forbidden to "everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
The corridor itself was unremarkable, but at its end was a locked door. Behind this door lay a series of seven chambers, each containing a complex magical obstacle or creature. These protections were established by various [[Hogwarts]] professors to guard the [[Philosopher's Stone]], which [[Dumbledore]] had moved from its vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]] to the castle for safekeeping from [[Lord Voldemort]].
After [[Harry Potter]] thwarted [[Professor Quirrell]]'s attempt to steal the Stone and [[Nicolas Flamel]] agreed to its destruction, the protections within the corridor were dismantled. The corridor was subsequently reopened and returned to normal use within the castle.
=====Role in the Story=====
The Forbidden Corridor is a central location and plot device in //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//. [[Dumbledore]]'s ominous warning immediately makes it a subject of intense curiosity for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]].
The trio first stumbles into the corridor by accident while fleeing from [[Argus Filch]] and his cat, [[Mrs Norris]], after a planned midnight duel with [[Draco Malfoy]] goes awry. They get past the locked door with an //[[Alohomora]]// [[charm]] cast by [[Hermione]] and come face-to-face with [[Fluffy]], a monstrous three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor. This encounter sparks their investigation into what the dog is guarding, a mystery that drives the narrative of the first book.
Their belief that [[Professor Snape]] is trying to steal the hidden object leads them to brave the corridor's challenges near the end of the school year. The journey through the various chambers serves as a critical test of their friendship, courage, and individual skills. The corridor is the setting for the book's climax, where [[Harry]] discovers the truth about [[Professor Quirrell]]'s allegiance to [[Lord Voldemort]] and ultimately protects the [[Philosopher's Stone]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
The corridor served as an entrance to a sequence of seven magical chambers, each with a unique challenge created by a different professor.
  - **The Three-Headed Dog:** A chamber containing [[Fluffy]], a giant three-headed dog belonging to [[Rubeus Hagrid]]. [[Fluffy]] stood guard over a trapdoor and could be lulled to sleep with music. [[Professor Quirrell]] used an enchanted harp, while the trio used a wooden flute [[Hagrid]] had given to [[Harry]].
  - **The Devil's Snare:** A dark, damp chamber filled with a large [[Devil's Snare]] plant, placed by [[Professor Sprout]]. The plant ensnares anyone who enters its space, but it is vulnerable to sunlight and fire. [[Hermione Granger]] defeated it by conjuring a jet of bluebell flames.
  - **The Chamber of Winged Keys:** A high-ceilinged chamber containing hundreds of flying keys, an enchantment by [[Professor Flitwick]]. To pass, one had to catch the specific key that would unlock the door to the next room. [[Harry]], a talented [[Seeker]], used a [[broomstick]] to catch the correct key, which was old, silver, and had a bent wing.
  - **The Wizard's Chessboard:** A chamber containing a life-sized [[Wizard's Chess]] set, transfigured by [[Professor McGonagall]]. To cross the room, one had to take the place of a piece and win the game. [[Ron Weasley]]'s strategic expertise allowed him to lead them to victory by sacrificing himself as the knight piece.
  - **The Mountain Troll:** A chamber containing a large [[Mountain Troll]]. This was [[Professor Quirrell]]'s contribution to the protections. However, when the trio arrived, the troll had already been knocked unconscious by [[Quirrell]] himself on his way to the final chamber.
  - **The Potions Riddle:** A room containing a table with seven bottles and a logic puzzle written on a scroll, a challenge devised by [[Professor Snape]]. The riddle required careful deduction to identify the single potion that allowed safe passage forward, while others contained poison or harmless [[nettle wine]]. [[Hermione]]'s intellect was crucial in solving it.
  - **The Mirror of Erised:** The final chamber, containing only the [[Mirror of Erised]]. This was [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s own powerful protection. He had enchanted the mirror so that only a person who wanted to find the [[Philosopher's Stone]], but not use it for personal gain, could retrieve it. This proved to be the perfect defense against [[Voldemort]]'s greed.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation, //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, several of the challenges within the corridor are altered or omitted for pacing. (film)
  * The Potions Riddle created by [[Professor Snape]] and the chamber containing the troll are both completely removed from the film's sequence of events. (film)
  * In the book, [[Hermione]] defeats the [[Devil's Snare]] with a portable, waterproof bluebell flame she conjures in a jar. In the film, she uses the //Lumos Solem// [[spell]], which is an incantation unique to the cinematic adaptation. (film)