Hogwarts: A History
The young Slytherin student had been studying a book, Hogwarts: A History, for a few days now. According to other students, and a few paintings he had spoken to, this book had everything he had to know about secret passages in Hogwarts. But it was tricky—most of these passages had passwords, with no information about cracking them. The only way he could find this out was by asking the paintings in the castle, and maybe some of the ghosts, unsure if he would get himself into trouble by asking them. Nonetheless, he studied the book, already finding a few secret passages on other pages, eager to find one more—preferably one that would get him outside the castle during curfew, as he wanted to explore in the dark, as dangerous as that seemed.
He came across some text in the book, speaking of ghosts being the best informants in Hogwarts, making his eyebrow raise. Maybe one of them would be able to help—the Bloody Baron, perhaps?
His hazel-brown eyes studied the pages, skimming through the words until he found something useful, and yet again, he did. “The One-Eyed Witch Passage,” he read. A smirk appeared on his lips as he saw that it led outside of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade, but once again, it did not state any way to access the secret passage. Another question to ask the ghosts, knowing he couldn’t ask too many questions, he tried to think of the most important ones.
He came across a few more passages, but apparently they had caved in and were completely unusable. Still, they struck his interest, and he wanted to see them regardless. This, however, was no secret passage he wanted to explore: “The Chamber of Secrets,” a chamber created by Salazar Slytherin in the 10th century, apparent home to a gigantic snake, with the sole intent of purging Muggle-borns from Hogwarts.
He was amazed at how much this castle had hidden in plain view, only filling Barry with even more excitement and giving him a stronger urge to explore—even places he shouldn’t be going. He was a boy who explored further than what was allowed for his age; he attracted trouble. But he had the perfect disguise: studious, eager to learn more, using it all to his advantage in his own mischief. This book gave him knowledge, and that knowledge would turn into ways he could explore the castle. He was not brave enough for the Forbidden Forest—so what better place to start than the castle’s depths, its nooks and crannies?
He came across some text in the book, speaking of ghosts being the best informants in Hogwarts, making his eyebrow raise. Maybe one of them would be able to help—the Bloody Baron, perhaps?
His hazel-brown eyes studied the pages, skimming through the words until he found something useful, and yet again, he did. “The One-Eyed Witch Passage,” he read. A smirk appeared on his lips as he saw that it led outside of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade, but once again, it did not state any way to access the secret passage. Another question to ask the ghosts, knowing he couldn’t ask too many questions, he tried to think of the most important ones.
He came across a few more passages, but apparently they had caved in and were completely unusable. Still, they struck his interest, and he wanted to see them regardless. This, however, was no secret passage he wanted to explore: “The Chamber of Secrets,” a chamber created by Salazar Slytherin in the 10th century, apparent home to a gigantic snake, with the sole intent of purging Muggle-borns from Hogwarts.
He was amazed at how much this castle had hidden in plain view, only filling Barry with even more excitement and giving him a stronger urge to explore—even places he shouldn’t be going. He was a boy who explored further than what was allowed for his age; he attracted trouble. But he had the perfect disguise: studious, eager to learn more, using it all to his advantage in his own mischief. This book gave him knowledge, and that knowledge would turn into ways he could explore the castle. He was not brave enough for the Forbidden Forest—so what better place to start than the castle’s depths, its nooks and crannies?