Pits Passage

The **Pits Passage** is a secret passageway located on the third floor of the Hogwarts Castle. It was first discovered by James Potter in Chapter 75 of Book One. The passage's fourth floor entrance is guarded by a portrait of Gilbert Ward while the third floor entrance is hidden by the painting of Brutus Scrimgeour.

The Marauders use the passage for hanging out and preparing pranks. They also like to explore the pits. Especially Remus is interested in why the passage is sealed off and why the pits are there, and without telling the other Marauders he's also involved Lily and Aegis in the research. Sometimes Remus also comes to the passage to hide or calm down.

Near the fourth floor entrance there is a winding staircase that goes down. On the third floor there are multiple deep pits. Their walls are rough, as if they had been blasted into the floor. The reason there isn't a sign of the pits on the lower floors is that the part of the third floor the passage is in is built into the mountain Hogwarts stands on.

The first pit from the fourth floor entrance is about a story deep. The second one is a little deeper. The first pit doesn't take up the whole width of the floor, so if one is careful, they can get past it without a broom. Remus is capable of jumping over the second one.

One of the pits, close to the third floor entrance, goes at least two and a half, three stories deep. At the bottom there is more blasted-through rock, as if a tunnel going straight ahead. The tunnel twists and turns in various directions, getting smaller and smaller as it goes on. Eventually there is a cave-in. Near the cave-in the Marauders found a copy of *Hogwarts: A History* from 1922. Two pages have been torn out, the ones covering the Chamber of Secrets.

On the walls of the passage there are sconces, paintings and tapestries. The only painting with a living creature is a painting of a sleeping dragon. There is also pottery in the passage, including heavy pots. After the second pit there is a small recess, in which there stands a big pot. There's a crack in the stone wall from when Remus punched it, and some blood which also originates from Remus.

At one point the passage branches off. One of the small side corridors has a very old, dusty rug on the floor and a pit at the end. The other is where the dragon painting is located. Near where the wall and ceiling meet, there is a seam Remus is too short to see on his own. Remus thinks it might be a door.

The passageway was inspired by the Trophy Secret Passage in the *Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone* video game – it was one of the levels Tobi had a lot of interest in back when he played the game.

1. ↑ Book Two, Chapter 53: Remus And Aegis's Adventure
2. ↑ Book Two, Chapter 94: Soggy Scone
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Book One, Chapter 89: Dedenne's Detonation
4. ↑ Book Two, Chapter 88: What A Coincidence
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Book Two, Chapter 87: Remus Is Supposed To Be The Smart One
6. ↑ Book Two, Chapter 67: Don't Be Absurd
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Book Two, Chapter 104: It's The Pits
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Book Two, Chapter 28: Yeehaw!
9. ↑ The message in which Tobi talks about this is pinned on the *wiki-stuff* channel of the Shifting Lines Discord server.