======Second-Floor Girls' Lavatory======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Lavatory]], [[School]]
  * **Location:** Second Floor, [[Hogwarts Castle]], [[Scotland]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], [[Moaning Myrtle]] (ghost)
  * **Key Features:** Out of order, gloomy and damp, haunted, entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]]
=====Description and History=====
The **Second-Floor Girls' Lavatory** is a disused bathroom located on the second floor of [[Hogwarts Castle]]. It is perpetually gloomy, damp, and poorly maintained, with cracked mirrors, chipped stone sinks, and plumbing that frequently leaks. The lavatory fell into disuse primarily because it is haunted by the miserable ghost of a former student, Myrtle Warren, now known as **[[Moaning Myrtle]]**.
On 13 June 1943, Myrtle was hiding in one of the lavatory's cubicles to cry after being teased by [[Olive Hornby]]. She heard a boy's voice speaking a strange language, and upon emerging, she saw a pair of large, yellow eyes in the reflection of the sinks. She died instantly from the gaze of the [[Basilisk]], which had been released from the [[Chamber of Secrets]] by a young [[Tom Riddle]]. After her death, Myrtle chose to return as a ghost to haunt the site of her demise. Her constant wailing, moaning, and tendency to flood the bathroom made the location highly unpopular, leading to its general abandonment by students and staff.
One of the copper taps on a sink is unique; it has a tiny snake scratched onto its side. This tap conceals the entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]]. When the word "Open" is spoken in [[Parseltongue]], the sink and the wall behind it retract, revealing a large, dark pipe wide enough for a person to slide down into the passages beneath the castle.
=====Role in the Story=====
The lavatory serves as a pivotal location in several key events throughout the series.
In //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, its deserted nature makes it the ideal, secret location for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] to brew the complex [[Polyjuice Potion]]. They use the lavatory as their base of operations for several weeks. It is here that they interrogate [[Moaning Myrtle]] for information about the Chamber's last opening. Later, after an accident with cat hair in her potion, Hermione is taken from this lavatory to the [[Hospital Wing]]. Most significantly, Harry deduces from Myrtle's account of her death that the entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]] lies within the bathroom. He successfully opens the entrance using [[Parseltongue]] and descends through it with Ron to rescue [[Ginny Weasley]].
In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the lavatory is the site of a violent confrontation between Harry and [[Draco Malfoy]]. A distressed Malfoy, struggling with the task assigned to him by [[Lord Voldemort]], seeks refuge in the bathroom and confides in [[Moaning Myrtle]]. Harry discovers him there, and their argument quickly escalates into a duel. Harry, in a moment of panic, uses an unknown spell he learned from the [[Half-Blood Prince]]'s [[Advanced Potion-Making]] textbook—//[[Sectumsempra]]//—which inflicts deep, life-threatening gashes on Malfoy. [[Severus Snape]] arrives moments later, healing Malfoy with a counter-curse and issuing Harry a severe punishment.
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * **[[Chamber of Secrets]] Entrance:** A specific sink tap marked with a snake engraving. It functions as a magical lock that opens only to a [[Parselmouth]], revealing a slide that leads down into the Chamber's tunnels.
  * **Sinks and Mirrors:** A row of chipped stone sinks with copper taps stands opposite the cubicles. The mirrors above them are noted to be cracked and stained.
  * **Cubicles:** The lavatory contains several toilet cubicles, one of which was the site of Myrtle Warren's death and which her ghost continues to occupy.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
In the film adaptation of ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'', the lavatory is depicted as a much larger, circular room with a more ornate design than described in the novel. The sinks are arranged in a circle around a central, carved stone pillar. The entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]] is located within this central structure, rather than on a single, unremarkable tap. (film)