Shrieking Shack

The Shrieking Shack is an abandoned house in Hogsmeade. For many years, villagers thought it was haunted because they often heard screams coming from inside, and Albus Dumbledore encouraged the rumour, as he was the one who commissioned it, due to Remus Lupin's Lycanthropy. According to Nearly Headless Nick, not even the Hogwarts ghosts will enter it.

The Shrieking Shack's entrance from the Hogwarts Grounds is the base of the Whomping Willow. The trick is to poke the knot in the trunk, which paralyses the tree. The secret passageway can be seen on the Marauder's map.

In reality, the Shrieking Shack was only used so that Remus Lupin would have a place for his monthly transformations into a werewolf in secret and in safety, during the time he was a student attending Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey used to escort Lupin into The Shrieking Shack before his transformation. The yells and shouts heard by the villagers were really Lupin biting and scratching himself due to lack of humans to infect.



In 1994, Harry and Hermione were led there when Sirius Black, as a dog, dragged Ron off into it. Harry then found out who had really betrayed his parents in there, and Scabbers's true identity was revealed.

The "shack" actually has no working doors or windows that allow entry or exit of the premises. The entrance is through a tunnel under the Whomping Willow on Hogwarts's school grounds. This allowed Remus Lupin (and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black) to pass between the two locations unnoticed (as Animagi or Werewolf).

The Shrieking Shack was later used by Lord Voldemort and several of his Death Eaters as a hideout during the Battle of Hogwarts. The death of Severus Snape occurred in this building. It is unknown whether they knew that if they went down the stairs and through a passage they would be in the Castle Grounds next to the Whomping Willow.

Behind the scenes

 * Severus Snape had a terrible past with the Shack. In 1975, Sirius Black told Severus that if he went under the Whomping Willow, he would find out what was wrong with Remus. This would have lead to his death, as Remus was in werewolf form. On 6 June, 1994, Severus was disarmed, and knocked unconscious. On 2 May, 1998, Severus was ultimately killed in the Shrieking Shack by Nagini under Voldemort's orders.
 * In the film adaptation Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Snape will instead die in the Crystal House.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets