The Fourth Floor WAS (Dumbledore in CoS was Re: The Keeper of the Keys.

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 113531

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "M.Clifford" <Aisbelmon at h...> 
wrote:
> > > Valky:
> > > At the very least he created a secret entrance 
> > > to Hogwarts of his own via the fourth floor secret passage to 
> > > Hogsmeade. 
> > > 
> > 
> > Geoff:
> > Can you enlarge on your source material for suggesting that?
> > 
> 
> Valky:
> Why, certainly Geoff.
> In POA when Harry is introduced to the Marauders map by Fred and 
> George they inform him that the secret passage on the Fourth Floor 
> that leads to Hogsmeade suddenly and by no reason apparent to them 
> became caved in and blocked during the winter of the previous year.
> The Winter of the previous year was of course Christmas of the year 
> COS a time when "Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys had the run of 
> Gryffindor Tower....." because noone else stayed.
> 
> Between Gryff Tower and the Fourth floor are the Sixth which we 
know 
> nothing about and quite possibly is passed over by the staircases 
> because no canon ever places Harry there in five years, and the 
> Fifth which is the prefects bathroom floor that Harry discovers, to 
> his surprise, exists after he is told about it. 
> 
> Suffice to say, it appears somewhat that the Gryffindor common room 
> might lead out to a staircase usually facilitating the lower 
> grade/Non prefect students direct access from the GT entrance to 
the 
> Fourth Floor and bypassing the two between floors. 
> 
> So to say that if Tom!Ginny was having the run of Gryff Tower with 
> her unsuspecting brothers in the winter of COS, the opportunity for 
> Tom to become easily acquainted with the relative immediate 
> surrounds of Gryff Tower is likely to have been _in the Winter of 
> COS_. 
> 
> So it flows like this: 
> 
> Before Christmas, Ginny gets private tour of GT from F and G they 
> tell her, and so likeise Tom, about the secret passage, later 
> dismissing it from their minds. 
> 
> After Christmas, while HRH are busy with their polyjuice potion and 
> the ensuing events, Tom!Ginny find themselves some bit more alone 
> than usual and Tom takes advantage of the quiet moment to slip down 
> to the mirror and use the knowledge he has gained. Or even during 
> the Christmas feast where I simply cannot find Ginny anywhere.
> 
> Either way the unexplained collapse of the fourth floor passage in 
> winter of COS and the lack of Tom!Ginny having anything satisfying 
> to do at that particular time leads well into suspicion dont you 
> agree? And this is my theory.

Geoff:
Now my view. The following is a repost of message 90496 which was my 
reply on the question of the passageways:

90496 From:  "Geoff Bannister" <gbannister10 at a...> 
Date:  Sun Feb 8, 2004  10:03 pm
Subject:  Re: Entering the Chamber

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Susan Miller" 
<constancevigilance at y...> wrote:

Constance Vigilance:
> I think this fact was demonstrated when Ron's wand malfunction in 
> the Chamber tunnel FAR below Hogwarts was able to cause a cave-in 
> and block the roomy passageway way up on the 4th floor. This is the 
> secret passageway that the twins and Sirius mention. I think this 
> is good evidence that at least those two passageways are related. I 
> think most or all of them are related - and many of them lead out.

Geoff:
I must be being a bit thick but where did that idea come from?

According to canon, Fred speaking....

"'Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We
used it until last winter but it's caved in - completely blocked.'"

(POA "The Marauder's Map" p.144 UK edition)

This is in the November of 1993. So the cave-in was in the winter of
1992. but Harry's confrontation with the basilisk was in the summer
of '93 at the end of his second year.

"Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that
their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today."

(COS "The Chamber of Secrets" p.210 UK edition)

And Ginny was taken into the chamber three days before this date
(i.e. 29th May).

"Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made
another announcement at breakfast."

(p.211 same chapter)

Geoff
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heritage West Somerset Railway at:
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