Slytherin Dungeon

Slytherin Dungeon
Location information
Location	Down a staircase from the Dungeon Corridor, Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
Owner(s)	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Permanent residents	Slytherin students (as long as in school)
Affiliation	Slytherin

"Our emblem is the serpent, the wisest of creatures; our house colours are emerald green and silver, and our common room lies behind a concealed entrance down in the dungeons. As you’ll see, its windows look out into the depths of the Hogwarts lake. We often see the giant squid swooshing by — and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to feel that our hangout has the aura of a mysterious, underwater shipwreck."

— Description of the dungeons

The Slytherin Dungeon, also known as the Slytherin Common Room, served as the common room for students in Slytherin house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In general, it sported several shades of green and the mantle was adorned with a portrait of a serpent (all associated with the house).

History

Draco Malfoy unknowingly being interrogated by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley

In Harry Potter's second year, he and Ron Weasley went into the Slytherin common room disguised as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle with the aid of Polyjuice Potion to attempt to discover the identity of the Heir of Slytherin. The entry password was "Pure-blood" when Draco Malfoy let them in. The Polyjuice Potion's wearing off prompted Harry and Ron to leave after staying nearly an hour, still not finding out the identity of the Heir of Slytherin, but they did learn that Malfoy was not the heir, as they originally thought.

In 1998, Harry, operating under the alias "Vernon Dudley", attempted to defend his false claim that he was a member of the Slytherin house by describing the location of the Dungeon to the Snatchers.

In 2020, after Albus Potter's catastrophic adventures with the "true" Time-Turner, his father went to his dormitory to speak with him about the events.

Entrance

There is a door on the right side of the Entrance Hall (if coming down the marble staircase facing the front doors of the castle) that is most frequently used by Slytherin students to get to their common room. Behind the door is a set of stone steps which descend deep into the dungeons.

Note that this door is different from the entrance to the narrow staircase that leads down to Snape's office.

The entrance to the common room is located behind a bare stretch of stone wall in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle. A password is required to enter it; whereupon a passage is revealed leading to the common room.

Common Room

"The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs."

— Description

The common room is a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. This dungeon extends partway under the lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge. The common room has lots of low backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas; skulls; and dark wood cupboards. It is decorated with tapestries featuring the adventures of famous Medieval Slytherins. It has quite a grand atmosphere, but also quite a cold one.

Interior of the common room

The password to the common room changes every fortnight, and it is posted on the noticeboard. Slytherin students are warned never to bring students from other houses into the common room, or to reveal the password. Supposedly, no outsider has entered the common room for more than seven centuries, until Harry and Ron entered Slytherin common room, disguised as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle with the use of Polyjuice Potion.

As of 2016, a portrait of Horace Slughorn has a place in the common room due to his bravery at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Known Passwords

• Pure-Blood (1992-1993 school year)

Behind the scenes

• In the video game version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there is another way to the common room, where there are several enemies such as Gnomes and Cornish Pixies. There is also a bridge between the Dungeons and the common room, held up by Ectoplasm. A male Slytherin student uses the Skurge Charm on the Ectoplasm to spitefully remove it, so you have to find a way to restore the bridge.
• Revealed in Pottermore: It was revealed that often the Giant Squid appears at the windows, and sometimes more interesting creatures, and that the sound of swishing water is relaxing at night.
• In its entry for the Bloody Baron, the glossary on the Scholastic official website mistakenly refers to the Slytherin common room as Slytherin Tower. A similar error is made with the Hufflepuff Basement.
• If no non-Slytherins have entered the Common Room for seven centuries as of 1991, this means that the last time a non-Slytherin entered it was in the late 13th century.
• In Hogwarts Mystery, if the player character is a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, they sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and get caught by Severus Snape and Felix Rosier. As the game is set in the 1980s, this seems to contradict Gemma Farley's statement that no non-Slytherin had entered the room for centuries.
• It is unknown who changes the password for the Common Room.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Entrance only in GBC version only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Entrance only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (Entrance only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears in deleted scenes)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

See also

• Gryffindor Tower
• Hufflepuff Basement
• Ravenclaw Tower