Secret Passage

The Secret Passage was a passageway linking the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade to the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts Castle. It was concealed behind a portrait of Ariana Dumbledore. It was magically created by the Room itself in early 1997, and served as a vital way for members of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix to enter the castle to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts.

History
The Secret Passage was created in early 1997, when Neville Longbottom, who had been hiding from Amycus and Alecto Carrow in the Room of Requirement, held a strong desire for food. As the conjuration of food is one of the Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, the Room fufilled this wish by creating a passage to the Hog's Head. Neville thus met Aberforth Dumbledore, who was able to provide him and other such refugees with food during their period of hiding.

On 1 May, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley entered Hogsmeade, knowing that one of Voldemort's Horcruxs was somewhere within Hogwarts Castle and seeking to destroy it. After being saved from a Death Eater patrol by Aberforth and convincing him to help them, Aberforth sent Ariana down this passage to obtain an escort for the three. They were thus led down this passage by Neville Longbottom, who used the journey to explain the current state of affairs in the castle. Later that night, as preperations for battle began, members of Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, and their allies Apparated to the Hog's Head and entered the castle via this passage. Conversely, underage members of the student body and all those otherwise unwilling to fight left the castle using this same passage.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7