Broom Cupboard

• Type: Storage Room
• Location: Various locations in the Wizarding World, most notably Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• Owner/Residents: The proprietors of the buildings in which they are located.
• Key Features: A small, often cramped and windowless closet used for storing broomsticks and other cleaning equipment.

A broom cupboard is a common and mundane type of storage closet found throughout the wizarding world. These small, utilitarian spaces are not inherently magical but are essential for the upkeep of large magical establishments like Hogwarts. They are typically used to store cleaning supplies such as broomsticks (both for flying and sweeping), mops, buckets, and various polishes or cleaning potions. Due to their nature as small, out-of-the-way, and often unlocked rooms, they frequently serve as convenient, albeit temporary, hiding places or makeshift holding cells for students and others seeking to either evade detection or incapacitate a foe. Their contents, such as buckets, can also be used for pranks, a common practice by Peeves the poltergeist.

While a common feature, broom cupboards play a direct role in the plot on two notable occasions, serving as crucial locations for concealment and subterfuge.

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: During their second year, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley needed to impersonate Slytherin students to discover if Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. They used cakes enchanted with a Sleeping Draught to incapacitate Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. To keep them hidden while the Polyjuice Potion was in effect, Harry and Ron dragged their unconscious bodies into a dark broom cupboard in the dungeons. This act allowed them to successfully obtain the hairs needed for the potion and proceed with their investigation.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: After an illegal visit to Hogsmeade, Harry was nearly caught by Severus Snape in a third-floor corridor. While trying to hide, he dropped the Marauder's Map. To escape immediate discovery, Harry threw himself into a nearby broom cupboard that was standing ajar. From within this hiding place, he watched as Snape discovered the map and tried, unsuccessfully, to force it to reveal its secrets. The situation escalated when Remus Lupin arrived, ultimately saving Harry from being exposed by claiming the map was his. The cupboard provided Harry with the critical concealment needed to avoid Snape's immediate wrath.

The significant events involving broom cupboards in the novels are visually represented in their respective film adaptations. Both the scene where Harry and Ron hide Crabbe and Goyle in `Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)` and Harry's concealment from Snape in `Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)` are included, highlighting the cupboard's recurring role as a convenient hiding spot.