Full View of UK HBP cover. SPOILER...

[Constance Vigilance]

No: HPFGUIDX 130524

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Regarding the boat. I feel quite confident that this is a First 
Year's boat.

There is a literary device, commonly known as Chekov's rifle, that 
says, if you bring a rifle on stage, someone must eventually fire it.

We were set up with these small boats early in the series and 
haven't heard from them since. Furthermore, there seems to be very 
little reason for having the boats in the first place. Unless they 
were to become critical in a future book.

As many who have read my Quirrell To The Rescue theory know, these 
boats are an important part to the theory. For a quick rundown of 
the important bits, I believe Quirrell survived the showdown in the 
Mirror room and escaped, with Dumbledore's help, out through the 
Hogwarts plumbing into the lake where he took a First Year's boat to 
Durmstrang. There are good and logical reasons for all these points. 
My point is not to debate my theory here, but to give a reason for 
there being 1) a small boat and 2) ready access to water beneath 
Hogwarts.

I think there is quite a network of catecombs beneath Hogwarts, and 
I think these are watery. Reasons?

1 - There was surely a backdoor into the Sorceror's Stone maze. How 
else could Quirrell have gotten the gigantic Mountain Troll into the 
5th room of the maze? Up to the 3rd floor and then down through the 
trapdoor? Not likely. There must have been a backdoor. I'm 
hypothesizing that the entrance is through the Hogwarts plumbing and 
into the room that would hold the Mirror of Erised and then through 
the room that would hold Snape's challenge. It is just the most 
likely explanation of how Quirrell got the troll into position, and 
it jibes well with watery access below Hogwarts.

2 - The plural of Chamber of Secrets. This room is wet and far below 
Hogwarts. How did the small animals get in there for the basilisk to 
feed upon? Down Myrtle's pipe? Or through another access? I think 
there must be a way to get from the Basilisk chamber to the outside. 
I have no proof that the way must be wet, but it just seems logical, 
and I'll leave it at that.

I think there is much yet to be discovered below Hogwarts that 
having a small boat would be quite handy.

So that is why I think it is a First Year boat, taken by someone, 
presumeably Harry, to another Secret in the chamber.

~Constance Vigilance