i'm not sure if i'm starting this thread in the right place. if i'm not, let me know.

i'm a little confused about the exact geography within the castle. do any of you know? or are we just not given enough information? are there any diagrams or maps (besides the mauraders' map) floating around the net that we can see? here are a few questions...

-what floor is the griffindor portrait hole on?
-what floor is dumbledore's office on?
-how many towers are there in the castle and what's in each tower?
-how many floors are in the castle (i think it's 7, but i'm not sure)
and i'm just wondering where everything else is in general- offices, classrooms, etc, and also where the ravenclaw and hufflepuff common room/dorms are. i'm also curious as to where the other secret passages are that we know exist but aren't mentioned. i know we know about the one under the willow, the one in the witch's hump and the one behind the mirror on the 4th (?) floor. even though filch knows about some of the others and some of them are caved in and stuff, i'm still curious.
that's a lot of questions. sorry. basically i'd just like to see a diagram of the whole castle *laughs*

Well, there are sketches of the overall geography of the castle on the main VTM site that came from the brief flash on the PoA DVD extras of a sketch that JKR did.

As to the internal layout though, I'm not sure. I know that Dumbledore's office is on the third floor, obviously the potions classrooms are in the dungeon....there are guest quarters in the west wing, I think (possibly the east...can't quite remember that, but I once researched that when I was writing my fanfic), the Gryffindor portrait hole myust be on the seventh floor, where the common room and dormitories are....as for the rest, I think an amalgamation of the layouts seen in the films and videogames is probably pretty accurate because JKR had so much input to the creation of both.

I actually have the thought about the geography of the castle.

Firstly, it occurs to me that the secret Passage Way that is caved in could easily be uncaved in and will in fact, be an entrace way for the Death eaters to ultimately enter Hogwarts. think about it; how hard would it be for a trained death Eater to just magically move some rocks. PLus Filch doesn't know about it, which means that VERY few people know about it.

Also I think the Marauder's map will ultimately play a HUGE roll in the "Battle for Hogwarts" as people are calling it. I mean its already exposed Barty Crouch Jr and Peter Pettigrew (and gotten Harry out of trouble countless times )

All right, I'm out like a fat kid in dodge ball. Peace

you know, i've actually thought that about the 4th floor passageway- why couldn't they just un-cave it? like you said, there must be an easy way to magically remove objects that are in the way. i wonder where that passage leads to.
i love the maurader's map. i hope it plays a big role in the next 2 books too.

**chuckles** I know you guys are not going to believe this, but I actually typed out a couple of comments about the caved in tunnel in my last post, but then I though...nah, I've had enough crazy ideas for the time being...I didn't think my ego could take any more bashing....

But seeing as how you've brought it up, I don't feel so crazy anymore.... But yeah, I think that caved-in tunnel might be making an appearance again too. I just couldn't think how, but yeah, it could be a way that the DE's could gain access to Hogwarts. I don't think we know where it leads, do we? Plus you've got to wonder what made it cave in...

yeah... there are too many unanswered things involving the marauders' map for it not to come up again. there would be no point in telling us there are 7 secret passages if only 2 of them are actually useable. there is definitely something sketchy about the caved in one, and i'm just plain curious as to what the others are.... and you know, does it really matter that much if they use a passageway flich knows about? they have the map, don't they? they'll know if filch is nearby when they're planning to use the passageway.

i found out about another one of the secret passages... i'm reading book 1 again, because i haven't read it in like 3 1/2 years, and in it there's a part where fred and george are talking to harry and then fred says "anyway, we've got to go, lee jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school. bet it's that one behind the statue of gregory the smarmy that we found in our first week. see you." (pg 189, american edition) i don't remember any mention of that passageway after that, though...

this is the only way that i can help u with ur problems about the castle. cause i do not know by heart of the castles geography, i say rent the game harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, i have rented it and it will probally help u out with ur questions about the castle. in the game u have to go to all sorts of places so i hope this helps u.


swirlctw

-what floor is the griffindor portrait hole on?

I think i read somewhere that it's on the 7th.

-what floor is dumbledore's office on?

Uh ... i'd have to say that i don't know, but i'd guess in a tower, on a high floor. That's just where i imagine it.

-how many towers are there in the castle and what's in each tower?

well, so far, we know:
Gryffindor tower
Ravenclaw tower
owlerly (Sp?)
astromany tower

I think thats all.

-how many floors are in the castle (i think it's 7, but i'm not sure)

I think it's 7 plus the dungeons under floor 1. But i'm not sure.

And the Hufflepuff dorms are around the kitchens. But yeah i was always wishing that we could find out the exact map of the castle-it'd be a whole heap easier, wouldn't it?

I'm glad that I read your post as it motivated me to try and find out, it really is interesting

The best thing that I have found so far is: (has a few interesting pictures and articles )
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/atlas/hogwarts/atlas-h.html

I especially loved this, it is really enlightening - it lists the levels and rooms found within of Hogwarts
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/castle/...rts_inside.html

I don't know why but the quote about Flitwicks room " stood out to me, not sure if it might be linked to what Trelawny said about tghe 13th person - it just seemed like an odd fact to me



I totally agree about the caved in pathway, according to the above link, it is on the fourth level - I think that it is very very intriguing that it is behind a mirror, given the importance of previous (and forthcoming, ahem sirius' mirror) encounters with them


I also like the one that is behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy because the ingredients to his potion are primarily made up of unicorn parts (just thinking of LV using the blood and what Firenze said about it)


ingrediants to the potion: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/magic/potions/po...nction_gregorys
Maybe there is a reason for this secret passage to be connected with "best friends" and unicorns (which were connected with L) (I sound insane now don't I)

I was just looking at the Hogwarts map as drawn by JKR and the refined version of the same as here

A couple of things caught my eye.

1. If we look at the Hogwarts boundary wall, it cuts off a portion of the dark lake beyond the Hogwarts grounds. Then howcome, Harry and many students are able to go around the lake, unless it's only a portion they cover

2. Assuming that Lupin transformed near the shrieking shack, It is in Hogsmeade. the only way to get to it from Hogwarts is to disable the whomping Willow and then follow the underground passage. It's a fair distance away from the lake and to go there one must go past the greenhouses or take a long circuitous route to avoid the castle. How did Sirius even in his animagus form, make it to the lake so fast and the dementors posted at the gate,almost on the opposite end of the grounds reach the lake so fast?

3. Any ideas where the graveyard is? I assume it should on the western banks of the lake as that area seems to be safely tucked out of the view from the castle

Here is a link to a map of a castle This includes everything, I'm almost positive! It may need to be edited, I'm not sure, but this includes lots of stuff.

~Luna♥Lover

I didn't see the link until I quoted.. And that was my question; where the link was. But in that new book of her, will there be a map of Hogwarts? cause it's an encyclopedia [NOTE: I've only worked once with an encyclopedia, so there's a big chance that I'm so totally wrong.. ]