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| dungeons [2025/08/04 10:08] – created xiaoer | dungeons [2025/08/10 23:39] (current) – xiaoer |
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| ======The Hogwarts Dungeons====== | ======The Dungeons of Hogwarts Castle====== |
| =====Location Information===== | =====Location Information===== |
| * **Type:** Subterranean level of a [[School]] | * **Type:** Sub-level of a [[school]] |
| * **Location:** Beneath the ground floor of [[Hogwarts Castle]], [[Scotland]] | * **Location:** Lower levels of [[Hogwarts Castle]], [[Scotland]], situated beneath the [[Entrance Hall]] and [[Great Hall]]. |
| * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]; primarily associated with [[Slytherin]] house, [[Severus Snape]], and [[Horace Slughorn]]. | * **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, dimly lit by [[torch|torches]], location of several classrooms and the [[Slytherin Common Room]]. | * **Key Features:** Cold, stone-walled corridors; lit by [[torch]]light; lacking windows except for the [[Slytherin Common Room]], which is located beneath the [[Great Lake]]. |
| =====Description and History===== | =====Description and History===== |
| The dungeons of [[Hogwarts Castle]] are a network of cold, stone passages located beneath the main floors of the castle. The atmosphere is consistently described as chilly and somewhat grim compared to the upper levels. The corridors are lit by flaming [[torch|torches]] that cast flickering shadows on the damp walls. The dungeons house several key locations, most notably the [[Potions]] classroom and the [[Slytherin]] quarters. | 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. |
| As part of the original castle structure built by the [[Hogwarts Founders]], the dungeons have served multiple purposes throughout history. They are a primary location for classes that require isolation or specific environmental conditions, such as [[Potions]]. The dungeons also contain numerous spare rooms and unused chambers, some of which were utilized for the protections surrounding the [[Philosopher's Stone]]. The corridor leading to the [[Kitchens]] is also located on this level, situated directly beneath the [[Great Hall]]. | 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. |
| =====Role in the Story===== | =====Role in the Story===== |
| The dungeons are a significant and recurring setting throughout the series, serving as the backdrop for many important events. | 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. |
| * **Classroom Setting:** The [[Potions]] classroom in the dungeons is the primary setting for [[Harry Potter]]'s lessons with both [[Professor Snape]] and [[Professor Slughorn]]. It is a place of high tension, particularly during [[Snape]]'s tenure, but also a place where Harry excelled in his sixth year with the help of the [[Half-Blood Prince]]'s textbook. [[Snape's Office]], adjacent to the classroom, served as the location for Harry's [[Occlumency]] lessons. | * 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. |
| * **[[Slytherin]] Stronghold:** The dungeons are home to the [[Slytherin Common Room]] and dormitories. In their second year, [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] use [[Polyjuice Potion]] to disguise themselves as [[Crabbe]] and [[Goyle]] and infiltrate the common room to question [[Draco Malfoy]]. | * 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]]. |
| * **Site of Peril:** In //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, [[Professor Quirrell]] announces that a [[troll]] is loose in the dungeons as a diversion. The dungeons also housed [[Professor Snape]]'s contribution to the [[Philosopher's Stone]]'s defenses: a complex potions riddle. | * In //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, [[Harry]] serves detention with [[Snape]] in his dungeon office, pickling rat brains. |
| * **Prison during the [[Second Wizarding War]]:** When [[Voldemort]]'s forces, led by the [[Carrows]], controlled [[Hogwarts]], the dungeons were used to imprison disobedient students. [[Neville Longbottom]] notes that students were chained up in the dungeons for punishment, and [[Luna Lovegood]] was held there before being moved to [[Malfoy Manor]]. | * 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. |
| * **Final Memories:** The final confrontation between [[Voldemort]] and [[Snape]] occurs in the [[Shrieking Shack]], but [[Snape's Office]] in the dungeons is where Harry uses the [[Pensieve]] to view [[Snape]]'s memories, revealing his true allegiance and motivations. | * 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. |
| =====Known Areas Within===== | =====Known Areas Within===== |
| * **[[Potions]] Classroom:** A large, cold room filled with the fumes of brewing [[potion|potions]]. The walls are lined with shelves of glass jars containing pickled animals, herbs, and potion ingredients. | * **[[Potions]] Classroom:** The primary classroom for the subject of [[Potions]]. The room is large enough to hold at least twenty [[cauldron]]s 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. |
| * **[[Snape's Office]]:** A dimly lit office connected to the [[Potions]] classroom. It contains [[Snape]]'s private stores of potion ingredients, many of which are kept in jars along the walls. This is where [[Snape]] conducted [[Occlumency]] lessons with Harry and where Harry later viewed his memories. | * **[[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]]:** A long, low, underground room with rough stone walls and a greenish glow emanating from enchanted windows that look out into the depths of the [[Great Lake]]. It is accessed by speaking a [[password]] to a bare, damp stretch of stone wall. | * **[[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. |
| * **Corridor to the [[Kitchens]]:** A specific corridor in the dungeons, decorated with a large painting of a bowl of fruit, serves as the secret entrance to the [[Hogwarts Kitchens]]. Tickling the pear in the painting causes it to giggle and transform into a doorknob. | * **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. |
| * **Miscellaneous Corridors and Chambers:** The dungeons contain many other passages and empty rooms. One such chamber was used to house the potions riddle protecting the [[Philosopher's Stone]]. A different corridor was the initial reported location of the mountain [[troll]] in Harry's first year. | * **Abandoned Classrooms and Corridors:** The dungeons contain numerous unused rooms and twisting passages, which are often used by students for secret meetings or practice. |
| =====Behind the Scenes===== | =====Behind the Scenes===== |
| * In the film adaptations, the dungeons are often depicted as more vast and architecturally complex than described in the books, with large, cavernous spaces and vaulted ceilings (film). | * 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 [[cauldron]]s, enhancing the magical atmosphere beyond the descriptions in the novels (film). |
| * The entrance to the [[Chamber of Secrets]] is located in [[Moaning Myrtle]]'s bathroom on the second floor of the castle, not in the dungeons. However, the chamber itself is located deep beneath the castle, thematically and geographically aligning it with the subterranean nature of the dungeons (film). | * The location of the [[Slytherin Common Room]] under the lake is symbolic, connecting the house to water imagery and the serpentine [[creature]]s that might inhabit such depths, aligning with its mascot and reputation. |
| * The first meeting of the [[Dueling Club]] takes place in the [[Great Hall]] in the novel, but is staged in a large dungeon chamber in the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets// (film). | |
