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"The Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain."
Hermione Granger discussing the Shrieking Shack[src]

The Shrieking Shack was 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.[1]

According to Nearly Headless Nick, not even the Hogwarts ghosts would enter it.[2] The Shrieking Shack's entrance from the Hogwarts grounds was the base of the Whomping Willow. The trick was to poke the knot in the trunk, which paralysed the tree.[3] The secret passageway could be seen on the Marauder's Map.

History[]

Creation[]

"This house, the tunnel that leads to it-they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."
— Lupin reveals the Shack's history[src]
The Shrieking Shack (Concept Artwork for the HP3 movie 01)

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley visiting the Shack

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.[1]

The "shack" actually had no working doors or windows that allowed entry or exit of the premises. The entrance was 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).[3][1]

One year Sirius thought it would be funny to lure his arch-nemesis Severus Snape to the Shack where Lupin was due for his monthly transformation, in order to eliminate Snape from spying on them. James saved Severus in time, but not before Snape witnessed what Lupin was, though he was forbidden from telling anyone else.[2]

1990s[]

1990–1991 school year[]

Jacob's sibling with an unconscious Corey in the Shrieking Shack

Jacob's sibling and Merula finding an unconscious Corey in the Shrieking Shack

During the 1990–1991 school year, Corey Hayden was kidnapped by Merula Snyde because they and Jacob's sibling "wouldn't stop poking around about 'R' and the Director", so she took Corey unconscious to the Shrieking Shack. Shortly after, Jacob's sibling was teleported by a Portkey to the Whomping Willow, where Merula was waiting, who guided them at wand point towards the Shrieking Shack, where the Director formally introduced herself to Jacob's sibling and revealed her true name as Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde, as well revealing to be Merula's aunt.[4]

Verucca explained to Jacob's sibling that 'R' planned everything to get them to that point, including using Patricia Rakepick, Eustace Burke, and Kazuhiro Shiratori as pawns to get to them and make contact, while having Merula Snyde make Jacob's sibling willingly join 'R' and eventually lead them.[4]

Verucca stated that it was the destiny of Jacob's sibling to become their leader, who however stated that they would never join 'R' after all they had done, but at that very moment, Peregrine, the father of Jacob's sibling, came out from the shadows, revealing himself to be the leader of 'R', much to the surprise of Jacob's sibling.[4]

Downstairs in the Shrieking Shack, Peregrine had a private conversation with their child, in which he told them about his occupation and time with 'R', and that 'R' was not an evil organisation as they believed, but were benevolent who opposed the corrupt British Ministry of Magic, and sought knowledge, truth and justice. Upstairs, Corey Hayden awoke after having been unconscious, and he and Jacob's sibling departed after bidding farewell to Peregrine.[5]

Jacob drinking the mind enhancing potion HM751

Jacob drinking the mind-enhancing potion in the Shrieking Shack for his father

Later, Peregrine and Verucca had Jacob wear the Crown of Mneme and take Dai Ryusaki's mind-enhancing potion to demonstrate mind control in the Shrieking Shack. Before the demonstration, their younger child, Merula, and either Penny Haywood, Barnaby Lee or Talbott Winger attempted to distract him and take his amulet, but he outsmarted them and paralysed his younger child's friend with the Full Body-Bind Curse, deciding he would be the test subject. Jacob wearing the Crown and having taken the potion was able to control their mind, but he was pained with his worse memories due to the Crown's curse. Peregrine demanded they continue to take down the Ministry and avenge Ryusaki's death. A surge of power from Jacob's head hit Barnaby. After Jacob removed it, Peregrine insisted that his younger child wear the Crown, they instead knocked it under a piano, allowing them to escape with Jacob and their friend via Apparition.[6]

1993-1994 school year[]

Encounter in the Shrieking Shack POAF

The trio, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack

On 6 June 1994, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were led into the shack when Sirius Black, as a dog, dragged Ron off into the underground passage, located underneath the Whomping Willow.[3] While inside the shack Harry then found out who had really betrayed his parents and Scabbers' true identity was revealed.[1] During the confrontation, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape also entered the shack. Remus entered to assist his friend in exposing the true betrayer, and Snape attempted to capture Sirius.[7]

Battle of Hogwarts[]

B7C32M1 Nagini's attack on Snape

Voldemort ordering Nagini to kill Snape within the Shack during the Battle of Hogwarts

The Shrieking Shack was later used by Lord Voldemort and several of his Death Eaters on 2 May 1998 as a hideout during the Battle of Hogwarts. Severus Snape was killed by Nagini in this very building, while Harry, Hermione and Ron watched helplessly from their hiding spot. They watched as Nagini bit into his neck on Voldemort's orders (as he incorrectly believed Snape to be the master of the Elder Wand), poisoning him with her venom. When Voldemort left, they approached dying Snape, who allowed them to take his memories before his death.[8]

2010[]

By December 2010, the werewolf Abigail Grey was using the Shrieking Shack to hide whenever she transformed. One night, she was followed there by her friend, who was worried a werewolf had attacked her. When they realised she was the werewolf, they found her sleeping in a room in the shack. They decided to leave her there without disturbing her and left her a note.[9]

Description[]

"It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up."
— A description of the shack[src]
B3C17M2

The interior of the Shrieking Shack

The Shrieking Shack was an abandoned house, with the windows and doors boarded up. The rooms and halls were all dirty, covered with dust, and the furniture was moth-eaten and broken. There was a chair in the foyer of the shack that had one of its legs ripped off.[3]

In the foyer, a staircase led to the second floor. In one of the rooms, there was a magnificent but dusty four-poster bed with rickety doors. This room was also where Peter Pettigrew was caught.[3]

Behind the scenes[]

ShriekingShack WB F3 ConceptIllustrationOfShriekinfShack Illus 080615 Port

Concept art of the shack on Pottermore

  • Severus Snape had a terrible history 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 instead dies in the Boathouse.
  • The Shrieking Shack is shown more as a large two-story house rather than a shack in the film adaptations. The shack interior in the film adaptations were also very different from the books.
  • The second moment of Chapter Fourteen on Pottermore, in which the Shack first appears, is titled "The Shrieking Shack".
  • Given a werewolf's superhuman strength when transformed, Dumbledore likely enchanted the shack's structure to be abnormally durable and possibly added enchantments to make it impossible for Lupin to exit during his transformations.
  • In the film adaptations, the walls of the shack are shown to slowly move.

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 18 (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 14 (Snape's Grudge)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 17 (Cat, Rat and Dog)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 39 (The Aftermath)
  5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 40 (Family Matters)
  6. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 51 (A Simple Demonstration)
  7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 19 (The Servant of Lord Voldemort)
  8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 32 (The Elder Wand)
  9. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Season 4: Where's Wolf, Chapter II: A Wolf in Witch's Robes

See also[]

Hogsmeade
Hogsmeade WW logo
Hogsmeade Valley, Scotland, Great Britain
Founder: Hengist of Woodcroft
Shops and other businesses
Baby Witch · Batworthy Junk · Bewildering Blooms · Bingle & Blatch · Brews and Stews Café · Brood and Peck · Ceridwen's Cauldrons · Dervish and Banges · Dogweed and Deathcap · Dominic Maestro's Music Shop · Fickle Fabrics · Flutes and Lutes · Gladrags Wizardwear · The Haunted Hogsmeade Shop · Hayden family shop · Hog's Head Inn · Hogsmeade Community Garden · Hogsmeade Post Office · Honeydukes · J. Pippin's Potions · Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop · Madam Snelling's Tress Emporium · The Magic Neep · McBloom & McMuck · McHavelock's Wizarding Headgear · The Old Fool · Ollivanders · Pedrus Pridgeon · Pets & Familiars · Renka Rabblehauser's shop · Rosa Lee Teabag · Scribbulus Writing Implements · Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop · Spintwitches Sporting Needs · Steepley and Sons · Three Broomsticks Inn · Tomes and Scrolls · Vladimir Plot Plumbing Supplies · Wizarding hairdressing salon · Zonko's Joke Shop
Other locations
Astronomy Tables · Cave near Hogsmeade · Dogweed and Deathcap Tree · Elphinstone Urquart and Minerva McGonagall's Hogsmeade cottage · Festival grounds · Foxglove Meadow · High Street · Hogsmeade Graveyard · Hogsmeade Station · Merge Publications · Office 323 · River by Hogsmeade · Rivers Edge · Road to Hogsmeade · Road to Hogwarts · Shrieking Shack · Silvanus Kettleburn's house · Spire Alley · Wizarding Wireless Network Headquarters
Known residents and shop employees
Alice · Garnuff · Gwendoline Babcocke · Gwendoline Babcocke's mother · Archibald Bennett · Bilton Bilmes · Thomas Brown · Otto Dibble · Aberforth Dumbledore · Andre Egwu · Employee of the Hogsmeade Post Office · Fastidio · Lottie Featherbottom · Mopsy Fleabert · Ambrosius Flume · Mrs Flume · Greebly · Beatrice Green · Corey Hayden's parents · Augustus Hill · Hogsmeade street sweeper · Hogsmeade town crier · Horace · Hrithvi · Betty Huxley · Richard Jackdaw · Kaliope · Silvanus Kettleburn · Lucy Lanyon · Dominic Maestro · Soleil le Marveillus · Cassandra Mason · Cassandra Mason's tenants · Minerva McGonagall · McHavelock · Agnes Nutt · Clarence Quillion · Penny · Agabus Philbert · Dulcibella Philbert · Gabbey · J. Pippin · Parry Pippin · Vladimir Plot · Puddifoot · Renka Rabblehauser · Olivia Redding · Patrick Redding · Rosmerta · Sirona Ryan · Scrivenshaft · Calliope Snelling · Perdita Strix · Timothy Teasdale · Yubert Thorne · Thaddeus Travers · Jasper Trout · Unidentified 19th-century Hogwarts student · Unidentified mallowsweet seller · Unidentified Ollivander's assistant · Unidentified Zonko's Joke Shop assistant · Elphinstone Urquart · Waiter at the Three Broomsticks · Ethel Wigley · Albie Weekes · Wally Wimbles · Zonko · Zonko's shopkeeper
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