The Eighth Secret Passage

"Hannah?" Neville was immediately taken aback. He asked nervously, "I almost forgot. What happened to her?"

"You probably know she went to Hog's Head Pub to study, right?" Ginny said with a smug smile.

"I know," Neville nodded. "Her dream is to be a bar owner."

So I studied there.

There shouldn't be any problem, the shop owner is Dumbledore's brother.

Hannah told me he was a good person; for example, he never used his brother's name to swindle or cheat, and he wouldn't allow anyone in the shop to mention him.

The only downside was that Hannah always got back to Hogwarts very late—around seven or eight o'clock.

"Every time?" Harry, a frequent visitor to Hogsmeade, expressed his doubt. "The passage between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, well, the iron gate we use to get there normally, is already closed by the time you mentioned."

If you return to Hogwarts late, Filch, who is guarding the iron gate, will deduct points from your record.

How did Hannah return to Hogwarts?

She has never had any points deducted.

"Oh no!" Neville exclaimed, as if his secret had been discovered.

But then he shook his head. "Since I can't hide it anymore, I'll just say it. She came back through a secret passage."

"Oh, which one? The one under the floorboards of Honeydukes' storeroom? Or the Shrieking Shack?"

Let me think... There are seven secret passages on the map, and Filch knows four of them.

Besides the two I just mentioned, there's only one more.

"But it's collapsed, and no one can come in through that passage." Harry asked with great interest.

"No?" Neville shook his head.

"What? Is there an eighth secret passage?" Harry was so curious that his neck seemed to stretch out.

Harry knew that his father was not as innocent and pure as he had initially thought, a true hero.

But when it comes to causing trouble and violating school rules and uniforms, Harry is confident that his father is definitely number one.

No one knows the castle's secret passages better than his father!

Even Filch is the same.

But now, it seems that the castle has another, unknown passage to the outside world.

His father doesn't know yet!

He now desperately wants to know the location so he can understand where his father lost.

"Its entrance is on the Seventh Floor, opposite the Tapestry of a Troll Clubbing Barnabas the Barmy." Neville hadn't finished speaking.

He was interrupted by the impatient Ron, "No! It's just an empty wall. There's nothing there!"

"Maybe Barnabas the Barmy has to defeat the Troll before the entrance will open," Harry casually remarked, then looked at Neville. "Go on. Ignore Ron."

"Well, Harry, you're pretty much right."

However, the conditions for entering that entrance have nothing to do with the tapestry.

You need to imagine that there is a place where people can hide inside the wall.

I walked back and forth in that corridor three times.

A door will appear from the wall, leading to an empty room.

As long as you stay inside and don't go out, when you get unbearably hungry, the passage to the Hog's Head Pub will open—in that room.

"Does it have to be an empty stomach?" Ron rubbed his stomach.

A string of delicious foods flashed through my mind: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, and steak.

Pfft

Neville was clearly trying not to laugh. "Of course not. That's the entrance."

Firstly, you can return to Hogwarts through the exit of the Hog's Head Pub, just like Hannah did.

Secondly, as long as you know that room leads to the Hog's Head Pub.

That passage will open whenever you want to go to the bar.

Well, but that requires the consent of Aberforth himself and his sister.

"That's good." Ron breathed a sigh of relief, then rolled his eyes at Neville. "Going in from the Hog's Head Pub still requires Aberforth's permission."

Harry questioned, "You mean Ariana's sister? She's dead, many years ago."

"Yes, she's dead. I was referring to Ariana's portrait."

That portrait was peculiar, a rare one, a magical painting that did not rely on the infusion of thoughts and memories into the portrait itself to take shape.

At the same time, it can also form a passageway to Hogwarts.

"As long as Ariana agrees," Neville replied.

"What about that room? What's so special about it?" Ron keenly sensed that the topic was about to shift to the realm of advanced magic, which he wasn't interested in, so he quickly changed the subject.

Surprisingly, Neville was easily swayed.

It seems he wanted to talk about the room from the very beginning.

"Its shape is that of a very elaborate treehouse, or the cabin of a ship."

It also seems to be able to record the number of people and specific colleges, and then expand accordingly.

It was small at first; when only Hannah entered, there was only a pink hammock hanging from the ceiling in the room.

Hufflepuff curtains hung on the wall.

It expanded after I entered.

It also incorporates elements from Ravenclaw —a bronze eagle set against a blue background.

There's an extra purple hammock.

It hangs in the dark, wood-paneled hallway where there are no windows.

This is outrageous; I don't understand why my bed is so far from Hannah's.

"My bed?" Ginny repeated with a mocking smile, "It sounds to me like you guys spent the night there?"

"What? I won't allow it!"

"Does that mean I'm the most backward one among us (referring to him, Harry, Neville, Draco)?" Ron roared.

"Come on! Didn't you also consider bringing Lavender to the Rose Garden for the night?"

"You just didn't succeed!" Harry added immediately.

However, Harry wasn't being sarcastic.

Ron has never been tactless when it comes to his words.

Harry said that to cover for Ron, fearing that Ron words might damage his friendship with Neville.

But Neville didn't pay attention to Ron's words.

In fact, after Ginny finished speaking, he could no longer hear anything.

At the same time, his face turned bright red.

The index fingers of both hands are touching and poking each other repeatedly.

He appeared extremely reserved.

"I... I've only thought about it. I haven't had the chance to do it yet."

"Really?" Ginny's words followed like a sharp blade pressed against her neck.

Neville had no choice but to close his eyes and say in despair, "Fine! I'll tell you the truth."

We had originally planned to meet for the two weeks following Easter.

We spent the time in that room.

But don't get the wrong idea!

My hammock and hers were far apart.

This is no different from going camping together.

To be honest, it's even further away.

Camping at least involves being in a tent.

"That's not necessarily true!" Ron and Harry said in unison.

They exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

They all thought of Draco's tent.

That was the first time Harry and Draco visited the Burrow.

Spend the night in Ron's Room.

In order to earn the chance to sleep with Harry.

Ultimately, Ron and Draco, unable to win the argument, chose the tent.

That tent was very big.

It was much larger than the room Neville had described.