Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Shrieking Shack====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** [[Building]] * **Location:** On a hill on the outskirts of [[Hogsmeade]], [[Scotland]] * **Owner/Residents:** Ostensibly abandoned; historically used by [[Remus Lupin]] * **Key Features:** Reputedly the most haunted building in [[Britain]]; connected to the [[Hogwarts]] grounds via a secret passage under the [[Whomping Willow]] =====Description and History===== The [[Shrieking Shack]] is a derelict and isolated two-story house located just outside the village of [[Hogsmeade]]. It has a famously sinister reputation, with boarded-up windows, an overgrown and wild garden, and peeling paint, all contributing to its forbidding appearance. The interior is equally dilapidated, filled with dust, cobwebs, and broken, battered furniture. Many surfaces, including the wallpaper and furniture, bear deep scratch and claw marks. Despite its reputation, the [[Shrieking Shack]] is not actually haunted. It was constructed around 1971, the year [[Remus Lupin]], a werewolf, began his education at [[Hogwarts]]. [[Albus Dumbledore]] commissioned its construction to provide a secure and remote location for [[Lupin]] to undergo his dangerous monthly transformations. A secret tunnel, with its entrance concealed at the roots of the violent [[Whomping Willow]] on the [[Hogwarts]] grounds, was created to allow [[Lupin]] to travel to the shack unseen. The terrifying screams and howls that emanated from the building during [[Lupin]]'s transformations were overheard by [[Hogsmeade]] residents. This gave rise to the legend that the shack was inhabited by violent spirits, earning it the name "Shrieking Shack." [[Dumbledore]] encouraged this rumour as it effectively kept curious visitors away, ensuring [[Lupin]]'s secret and safety. =====Role in the Story===== The [[Shrieking Shack]] is a pivotal location in the [[Harry Potter]] series, serving as the setting for major revelations and events. In //[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]//, the shack is the destination where [[Sirius Black]], in his dog [[Animagus]] form, drags [[Ron Weasley]]. [[Harry Potter]] and [[Hermione Granger]] follow them through the secret passage. The climactic confrontation of the book takes place within its walls, where [[Harry]] learns the truth about [[Sirius Black]]'s innocence and the betrayal of [[Peter Pettigrew]], who had been hiding for twelve years as [[Ron]]'s pet rat, [[Scabbers]]. It is also revealed that [[Remus Lupin]] is a werewolf and that he, [[Sirius]], [[James Potter]], and [[Pettigrew]]—the [[Marauders]]—used the shack as their secret headquarters during their [[Hogwarts]] years. In //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//, the [[Shrieking Shack]] is used by [[Lord Voldemort]] as a temporary headquarters during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. It is here that [[Voldemort]], mistakenly believing [[Severus Snape]] to be the master of the [[Elder Wand]], commands his snake [[Nagini]] to kill him. [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]], hidden under the [[Invisibility Cloak]], witness the murder from the secret passage and are able to retrieve [[Snape]]'s crucial memories just before he dies. =====Known Areas Within===== * **Downstairs Room:** The main room upon entering through the secret passage's trapdoor. It is described as dusty and disorderly, with peeling wallpaper and destroyed furniture, including a wrecked grand piano. * **Upstairs Bedroom:** A room at the top of a rickety staircase, containing a large four-poster bed with moth-eaten hangings. The furniture here is heavily scratched and broken from [[Lupin]]'s werewolf transformations. * **Secret Passage Entrance:** A trapdoor in the floor of the downstairs room, which opens into a long, earthy tunnel leading directly to the base of the [[Whomping Willow]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling has stated in a web chat that while she considers the [[Shrieking Shack]] to be "slightly creepy," she finds locations like the [[Chamber of Secrets]] to be far more frightening. (J.K. Rowling interview) * In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, the interior of the shack is depicted as a much larger, more cavernous, and structurally precarious space than the book describes. (film) * A significant change was made in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*, where [[Severus Snape]]'s death is moved from the [[Shrieking Shack]] to the [[Hogwarts]] [[Boathouse]] for cinematic purposes. (film)
