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The Map of Hogwarts and Surrounding Areas: journeys around the grounds
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone The first years cross the lake to the castle Malfoy takes Neville's Remembrall during broom-training Snape goes to meet Quirrel in the woods Detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The descent of the flying Ford Anglia Harry and Ron follow the spiders into the Forest
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Hippogriff paddock To the Shrieking Shack, doubled in time
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Hagrid, Maxime and Harry visit the Dragons The Second Task Barty Snr is found in the woods The Third Task
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hagrid takes his students to see the Thestrals Snape's worst memory Hagrid takes the Trio to visit Grawp The gang find Thestrals to ride to the Ministry
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry and Tonks walk from the station to Hogwarts Flight from Hogsmeade to the Astronomy Tower Snape and the Death Eaters flee the castle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry goes to Voldemort in the Forest
This section shows the likely routes around the grounds which the characters take in specific scenes, such as when Harry and Hermione rescue Buckbeak.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way towards the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, [PS ch. #06; p. 83]
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. 'Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' Hagrid called over his shoulder, 'jus' round this bend here.' [PS ch. #06; p. 83]
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. 'No more'n four to a boat!' Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. [PS ch. #06; p. 83]
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. 'Heads down!' yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. [PS ch. #06; p. 83/84]
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. [PS ch. #06; p. 84]
When the students first arrive at the station they disembark onto the platform (0) and then the first years go along to the end of the platform and onto a path down a sleep slope thickly covered with pine trees (1). Near the bottom of the slope they round a bend (2) and are now facing the castle. They go down to a small beach (3) where they embark on a fleet of small boats and are carried across the lake to a tunnel under the castle (4). They disembark at an underground harbour and climb up inside the castle mound, emerging into an area of enclosed ground near the broomshed (5), where they are in the shadow of the castle's westernmost walls. They go through a gate out onto the lawn in front of the castle and up to the front steps (6).
For reasons explained below, we know that the broomshed is in such an area of enclosed ground, but close to a passage leading out onto the front lawn. That the exit from the harbour passage is near the broomshed is implied by the statement that the exit is in the castle's shadow. It's possible that a shadow cast by the moon is implied, in which case the exit could be anywhere - but if the shadow is being cast by the setting sun, or by the castle's own lights, the exit cannot be on open ground in front of the front face of the castle, which faces the sunset very directly at that time of year, and whose windows must cast light, not shadow onto the front lawn.
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[cut] Malfoy had leapt on to his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well – hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak [PS ch. #09; p. 110]
When the students go to their first broom-riding lesson, they leave by the front entrance of the castle (0) and come down the steps onto the carriage track. They soon leave the track and go onto the grass. They are heading away from the Forbidden Forest from the outset, so they go around the lake side of the Quidditch Pitch - we can assume this because if they went around the Forest side of the pitch and then turned left, heading away from the Forest only at that point, they would almost certainly stay on the carriage track until they had passed the pitch. At the same time we know they veer away from the lake, rather than walking along the edge of it, because the edge of the lake must be fairly level (there's no mention of the banks being much higher at one end than the other) and we know that as they walk across the grass they are trending donwslope.
They reach an area of lawn a long way from the Forest (1) where they begin broom-training. Following Neville's fall from his broom and his being taken off to the hospital wing to get his broken arm fixed, Draco seizes Neville's Remembrall and takes it to a nearby oak tree (2) where he and Harry tussle for possession of it.
Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the Forest at a run. He followed. [PS ch. #13; p. 165]
The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided towards them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. [PS ch. #13; p. 165]
When Harry sees Snape leave the castle and then go to the Forest to meet Quirrell, Harry is initially standing by the broomshed and he can see Snape come down the front steps, so we know that the broomshed commands a view of the front steps of the castle. Yet, when Harry follows Snape by broom he has to fly up over part of the castle - which wouldn't be the case if the broomshed was simply in front of the castle, in between it and the Forest. Nor would it work if the broomshed were somewhere down near the Quidditch pitch, because again Harry would have to make a wide detour in order to fly over the castle en route from the Quidditch pitch to the Forest.
I surmise therefore that the broomshed is in an area enclosed by the castle walls, so that Harry has to fly up over them to get clear, but there is a passage/gate through those walls through which Harry can see the entrance. He could have chosen to exit through this passage, but simply going straight up and then crossing the wall from above was simpler and quicker. A wall with a window in it is also possible, but that would probably mean that the area was fully enclosed and that brooms had to be carried there through the inside of the building, which is unlikely.
Snape (white dots) comes down the front steps (0) and crosses the lawn to the path leading into the Forest (1). He takes the right-hand path (2) and comes to a clearing (3) where he meets Quirrel.
Meanwhile Harry (gold dots) starts from the broomshed (4) and then flies up over the castle wall and takes a fairly direct route towards the same area of forest, then circles (5) (6) (7) until he hears voices.
The Forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville and Fang took the right. [PS ch. #15; p. 183]
They walked past a mossy tree-stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path. [PS ch. #15; p. 183]
Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: [PS ch. #15; p. 184]
Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved. [cut] And into the clearing came – was it a man, or a horse? [PS ch. #15; p. 184]
They walked on through the dense, dark trees. [PS ch. #15; p. 185]
They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. 'Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!' 'You two wait here!' Hagrid shouted. 'Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!' They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them. [PS ch. #15; p. 186]
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville and Fang were with him. [PS ch. #15; p. 186]
'Right, we're changin' groups -- Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. [cut] So Harry set off into the heart of the Forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the Forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. [cut] Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak. 'Look --' he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly white on the dark leaves. Harry had taken one step towards it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered ... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. [PS ch. #15; p. 186/187]
When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; [cut] 'My name is Firenze,' he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber on to his back. There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, [cut] And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. [cut] Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, [cut] They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. [cut] Hermione was running towards them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her. [PS ch. #15; p. 187-189
When Harry and Hermione, Draco and Neville are sent on a nighttime detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, Filch meets them at the door (0) and walks them across the grounds towards Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid meets them somewhere midway (1) and takes them to the start of the path into the woods (2), where they see unicorn blood. They proceed to a fork in the path (3) at which Hagrid, Harry and Hermione (white dots) bear left and Draco, Neville and the dog Fang (gold dots) go right.
Following the winding path, Harry and co. come first to a mossy stump within earshot of a burbling stream (4). A little way further on they hide behind a towering oak at the side of the path (5) as Voldie slithers past. They come to a clearing (6) where they meet the centaurs Ronan and Bane. Internal evidence suggests that this is the same very small clearing where Hagrid later shows them the Thestrals in fifth year.
Beyond the clearing they pass through an area of dense trees and then go round a bend in the path (7). This bend probably turns right so that they are facing towards the right-hand path where Draco, Neville and Fang went, because shortly after rounding the bend (8) Hermione sees sparks from Neville's wand. I have assumed that at this point much of the land between the two paths is fairly open, both because it features heavy undergrowth, which wouldn't grow if the tree cover was very dense, but also because Hermione, who is short and so has a much lower vantage point than Hagrid, is nevertheless able to see Neville's flare.
Hagrid (mint-green dots) now leaves the path, wades through the undergrowth to the point on the right-hand path (9) where Draco and co. are, collects them and returns by the same route to point (8). Hagrid, Hermione and Neville now traverse the same route back to (9) and continue walking along the right-hand path, while Harry, Draco and Fang continue along the left path.
Harry, Draco and Fang then walk for nearly half an hour. In daylight on level ground that would be just over a mile, but in the dark on what we're told is a narrow, difficult path it's probably half that. They then come to a clearing (10) guarded by a tangled oak. In that clearing they see first a dead unicorn, then Quirrelmort. Draco and Fang bolt back down the path, while Harry stays and meets the centaurs Firenze and Bane. Firenze carries Harry through an area of dense trees and onto the right-hand path (11), close to where Hagrid and Hermione are. Hagrid then presumably leads them back to the exit from the Forest.
Note that we know that the right-hand path must turn right at some point. We can I think assume that the fork in the path at (3) is more Y than T-shaped, because if it was T-shaped the paths would soon emerge from the edge of the Forest, which is heavily curved and scalloped where it meets the castle grounds. So initially both paths head at least roughly towards the deeper Forest, yet the right-hand path must turn off somewhere, because when Harry and Ron follow the spiders they have to leave the path fairly soon in order to head towards the centre of the Forest. At this point, therefore, the path itself no longer points towards the centre. We also know that somewhere along this path there is a clearing where Harry and co. meet up with the Thestrals whom they are going to ride to the Ministry, and this clearing is north of the castle, which again indicates that the path veers to the right.
Ron gasped, staring through the windscreen, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummelling every inch of the car it could reach. 'Aaargh!' said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving [CoS ch. #05; p. 59/60]
He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly. [CoS ch. #05; p. 60]
It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, towards the great oak front doors. 'I think the feast's already started,' said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. 'Hey, Harry, come and look -- it's the Sorting!' [CoS ch. #05; p. 60/61]
When the flying Ford Anglia approaches the castle, it is probably not coming in directly following the railway line, otherwise it would tend to be heading for the end of the lake with the castle to one side, not across the lake with the castle ahead. It must have gone round the other side of the mountain from the railway line. For reasons explained in the section on the setting of Hogwarts, the fact that Harry and Ron see the castle silhouetted against the sky suggests that at that point the car is flying north or slightly west of north (0), since that is probably the only direction in which there would not be mountains rearing behind the castle. Despite the fact that the lake is described as "a mile" below them, they must also be coming in comparatively low for the castle to be silhouetted against the sky.
They must cross over a fairly wide bit of the lake (or they are going very slowly) to have time to react as they do. If they are coming in from sou' sou' east they will fly more or less the length of the lake. After losing altitude the car nearly hits the castle wall (1) before veering off in a curve (which has to be more of an 'S' than an arc, with at least a small curve to the right before they swing round to the left again) over the greenhouses (2) and vegetable patch (3), before colliding with the Whomping Willow (4).
From the Willow, Harry and Ron drag their trunks up the castle mound, dropping them by the steps up to the main doors and finishing off by a window to the side of the Astronomy Tower, looking into the Great Hall (5) underneath the projecting Charms section.
So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Harry's wand, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Harry's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path. [CoS ch. #15; p. 202]
So they followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. [cut] They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever. [CoS ch. #15; p. 202]
Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder. [cut] Harry blundered after Ron towards the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. Mr Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, [CoS ch. #15; p. 203]
There was a loud clicking nopise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground [cut] next moment, he was being swept away into the dark trees. Head hanging, Harry saw that what had hold of him was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching him tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. [CoS ch. #15; p. 204]
They were moving into the very heart of the forest. [cut] [cut] Craning his neck sideways, he realised that they had reached the rim of a vast hollow, a hollow which had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene he had ever clapped eyes on. Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope, toward a misty domed web in the very centre of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load. [CoS ch. #15; p. 204]
They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew. [CoS ch. #15; p. 207]
They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and Harry saw the wing mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky. [CoS ch. #15; p. 207]
Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. When Harry got outside again, he found Ron being violently sick in the pumpkin patch. [CoS ch. #15; p. 208]
When Harry and Ron follow the spiders (white dots) they set out from the Entrance Hall (0) and go first to Hagrid's hut (1) and collect Fang. From there they go to the entrance to the Forest, passing by a sycamore tree (2), and then take the right-hand path (3). We know that they go right because later when they go to find Thestrals to take them to the Ministry, we're told that they take the same path they took when they followed the spiders (and that this is not the path they took to visit Grawp). We know that that path goes to the right because we know it quite soon passes through a point north of the castle (the Thestrals head south and pass directly over the castle).
Still following the spiders, they leave the path at an area of dense tree-cover (4), where there are many protruding tree-roots and stumps. They then pass through an area of low branches and brambles (5) which must be more open, otherwise the brambles wouldn't grow. Eventually they come to an area (6) which is thickly wooded but where the ground underfoot slopes noticeably downwards.
They pass through an area of thorns (7) which again must be more open, otherwise the thorns wouldn't grow, and then come to a tiny clearing (8). We know it's tiny because it's roofed with branches, so it's not wider than the length of two long branches. Here they meet the flying Ford Anglia again, and are kidnapped by Acromantulas.
The Acromantulas carry them down a continuing slope (9) to a "vast hollow" (10), stripped of trees and containing Aragog's domed nest. Because the hollow has a "very centre" I've made it round, like a crater, but it might not be. Or it might be round, and be a sink-hole.
The flying car (gold dots) then rescues them and drives through the Forest, weaving about in order to pass between the trees. It goes through an area of undergrowth (11) which is probably fairly open, and narrowly misses a large oak tree (12).
I have assumed that the car then joins the path for part of its journey, because it seems to emerge near Hagrid's house so it must be travelling close to the path at this point, and it would make sense to use it. It comes into more open ground (13) before emerging close to Hagrid's place (14) .
'Oooooooh!' squealed Lavender Brown, pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock. Trotting towards them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures. [PoA ch. #06; p. 87]
Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto his back. [cut] Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Harry; he had just time to seize the Hippogriff around the neck before he was soaring upwards. [PoA ch. #06; p. 89]
'Good work, Harry!' roared Hagrid, as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle cheered. 'OK, who else wants a go?' Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. [PoA ch. #06; p. 90]
'I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?' he said to the Hippogriff. 'Are you, you ugly great brute?' It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream [PoA ch. #06; p. 90]
Hermione ran to open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, Harry saw that there was a long, deep gash in Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope towards the castle. [PoA ch. #06; p. 90]
Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. [cut] They climbed the stone steps into the deserted Entrance Hall. [PoA ch. #06; p. 91]
When the third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins (white dots) go to the Care of Magical Creatures class in which we first meet Buckbeak, they start from the Entrance Hall (0) and walk to Hagrid's hut (1). They are specified as walking downslope the whole way, so they go around, not over the mounds or swells of land which obscure the view of the main gates from the carriage track. Hagrid then walks them "around", not along the edge of the trees, so we can assume that the Forest bells out in a curve at this point.
Rounding the edge of the curve, they come to a fenced paddock (2). Hagrid (gold dots) then goes into the Forest, collects twelve Hippogriffs and brings them into the paddock from the far side (3) to join the students at (2). The paddock is probably fairly large, as these horse-like creatures seem to be still trotting across it as Hagrid jogs in behind them - there is room for them to move across it at trotting speed for at least a few seconds.
Harry then successfully rides Buckbeak, and Draco cheeks Buckbeak and is slashed. Hagrid grabs Draco and runs with him to the castle. Because Hagrid is in a hurry and strong enough to overcome all obstacles, I've assumed both that he runs through the small protruding clump of trees which we find out is there when Harry goes to look at dragons in the same paddock in fourth year, and that he runs straight up the grounds, up and over any bushes and mounds he encounters en route.
I have surmised that there is a ground-level emergency entrance to the hospital wing (4), both because that makes practical sense (especially given that the internal route to the hospital wing seems to be long and winding) and because it would explain why there is an open gate into an enclosed area of lawn where the broomshed is also situated, as explained above. Hagrid runs in through this gate and takes Draco up to the hospital using some sort of lift.
The rest of the students (white dots again) trail back slowly to the Entrance Hall (0). Because they are in no hurry and feeling shocked, and they do not need to pass close to Hagrid's hut again, I have surmised that they join the carriage track (5) part way along, rather than ascending and descending the intervening mounds.
A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, Macnair. [cut] 'I'll let yeh out the back way,' said Hagrid. They followed him to the door into his back garden. Harry felt strangely unreal, and even more so when he saw Buckbeak a few yards away, tethered to a tree behind Hagrid's Pumpkin patch. [PoA ch. #16; p. 242]
Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, Harry, Ron and Hermione set off silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the front door closed with a sharp snap. [cut] They started up the sloping lawn towards the castle. [PoA ch. #16; p. 242]
They set off back towards the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the Cloak. Light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them. [PoA ch. #17; p. 244]
Too late – the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness. 'Ron!' Hermione moaned. She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the Cloak; they pulled it off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks. [PoA ch. #17; p. 245]
The wand-light showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backwards and forwards to stop them going nearer. And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots [PoA ch. #17; p. 246]
They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottle-brush tail. Harry went next; [cut] Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him. [PoA ch. #17; p. 247]
Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry and Hermione to pass. At last, all of them were out. The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. [cut] Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Sirius, his chin bumping on his chest. And then - A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight. [PoA ch. #20; p. 278]
As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bear-like dog bounded forwards. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backwards, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other -- [PoA ch. #20; p. 279]
Too late. Pettigrew had transformed. Harry saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm, and heard a scurrying through the grass. There was a howl and a rumbling growl; Harry turned to see the werewolf taking flight; it was galloping into the forest – 'Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!' Harry yelled. Sirius was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back, but at Harry's words he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the grounds. [PoA ch. #20; p. 279]
But then, out of the darkness, they heard a yelping, a whining; a dog in pain ... 'Sirius,' Harry muttered, staring into the darkness. He had a moment's indecision, but there was nothing they could do for Ron at the moment, and by the sound of it, Black was in trouble – Harry set off at a run, Hermione right behind him. The yelping seemed to be coming from near the lake. They pelted towards it, and Harry, running flat out, felt the cold without realising what it must mean – The yelping stopped abruptly. As they reached the lakeshore, they saw why – Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head. 'Nooo,' he moaned. 'Nooo ... please ...' And then Harry saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them, gliding in a black mass around the lake towards them. He spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating his insides, fog starting to obscure his vision; more were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling them ... [PoA ch. #20; p. 280]
And then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light, growing brighter aned brighter [cut] With every ounce of strength he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an animal amidst the light, galloping away across the lake. Eyes blurred with sweat, Harry tried to make out what it was ... it was bright as a unicorn. Fighting to stay conscious, Harry watched it canter to a halt as it reached the opposite shore. For a moment, Harry saw, by its brightness, somebody welcoming it back ... raising his hand to pat it ... someone who looked strangely familiar ... but it couldn't be ... [PoA ch. #20; p. 281/282]
He was standing next to Hermione in the deserted Entrance Hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. [PoA ch. #21; p. 289]
'We'll run for it,' said Harry determinedly. 'Straight into the Forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout –' 'OK, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!' said Hermione breathlessly. 'We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!' Still working out what she meant, Harry set off at a sprint, Hermione behind him. They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing towards the shelter of the Forest ... Safe in the shadows of the trees, Harry turned around; seconds later, Hermione arrived beside him, panting. 'Right,' she gasped. 'We need to sneak over to Hagrid's. Keep out of sight, Harry ...' They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the Forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk [cut] [PoA ch. #21; p. 290/291]
They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous Hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch. [PoA ch. #21; p. 291]
But Hermione nudged him, and pointed towards the castle. Harry moved his head a few inches to get a clear view of the distant front doors. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps. 'We're about to come out!' Hermione breathed. And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Harry saw himself, Ron and Hermione walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, without a doubt, the strangest sensation of his life, standing behind the tree, and watching himself in the pumpkin patch. [PoA ch. #21; p. 292]
There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. [PoA ch. #21; p. 292]
As Fudge's voice started again, Harry darted out from behind his tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch and approached Buckbeak. [PoA ch. #21; p. 293]
Careful not to blink, Harry stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eye once more, and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Harry began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence. [PoA ch. #21; p. 293]
Harry tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The Hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the Forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door. [PoA ch. #21; p. 293]
Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees ... [PoA ch. #21; p. 294]
'We're going to have to move,' said Harry, thinking hard. 'We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on.' 'OK,' said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. 'But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember ...' They moved around the edge of the Forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow. 'There's Ron!' said Harry suddenly. A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn and its shout echoed through the still night air. [cut] And then they saw two more figures materialise out of nowhere. Harry watched himself and Hermione chasing after Ron. [PoA ch. #21; p. 294/295]
The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. Seconds later, they heard footsteps quite close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle. [cut] They watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then – 'Here comes Lupin!' said Harry, as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and haring toward the Willow. Harry looked up at the sky. Clouds were obscuring the moon completely. They watched Lupin seize a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Lupin, too, disappeared into the gap in its roots. [cut] [cut]Just then, they heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands. [cut] [cut]They watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. [cut] Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running towards the Willow. Harry's fists clenched as they watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the Cloak and held it up. [PoA ch. #21; p. 295/296]
The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Hermione sat with her face turned towards the Willow, waiting. And then, at last, after over an hour ... 'Here we come!' Hermione whispered. [PoA ch. #21; p. 298]
The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement – 'There goes Lupin,' Hermione whispered. 'He's transforming –' 'Hermione!' said Harry suddenly. 'We've got to move!' 'We mustn't, I keep telling you –' 'Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the Forest, right at us!' [cut] 'Back to Hagrid's!' Harry said. ''It's empty now – come on!' They ran, fast as they could. [PoA ch. #21; p. 298/299]
The cabin was in sight; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Hermione and Buckbeak flashed past him; Harry threw himself in after them and bolted the door. Fang the boarhound barked loudly. [PoA ch. #21; p. 299]
Harry stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. He could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the Dementors were closing in on Sirius ... he and Hermione would be running to him any moment ... Harry stared out towards the lake, his heart doing a kind of drum-roll in his chest. Whoever had sent that Patronus would be appearing at any moment. For a fraction of a second he stood, irresolute, in front of Hagrid's door. You must not be seen. But he didn't want to be seen. He wanted to do the seeing ... he had to know ... And there were the Dementors. They were emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake ... they were moving away from where Harry stood, to the opposite bank ... he wouldn't have to get near them ... Harry began to run. [cut] On the opposite bank, he could see tiny glimmers of silver – his own attempts at a Patronus – There was a bush at the very edge of the water. Harry threw himself behind it, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. [cut] Harry flung himself out from behind the bush and pulled out his wand. 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' he yelled. [PoA ch. #21; p. 299/300]
Together they peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry, Hermione and Black onto them. A fourth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away towards the castle. [PoA ch. #21; p. 301]
'D' you reckon he's up there yet?' said Harry, checking his watch. He looked up at the castle, and began counting the windows to the right of the West Tower. [PoA ch. #21; p. 301/302]
'Look!' Hermione whispered. 'Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!' Harry stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt. 'Macnair!' said Harry. 'The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione –' [PoA ch. #21; p. 302]
Harry urged Buckbeak forwards. They were gliding quietly towards the upper floors of the castle ... Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Harry was trying to count the windows flashing past – [PoA ch. #21; p. 302]
The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upwards again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements and Harry and Hermione slid off him at once. [cut] [Sirius] squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Harry and Hermione jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more ... the Hippogriff took off into the air ... he and his rider became smaller and smaller as Harry gazed after them ... then a cloud drifted across the moon ... they were gone. [PoA ch. #21; p. 303]
This particular scenario is extremely complex, with multiple groups and individuals criss-crossing each other in time and space. To save some typing-time, therefore, for present purposes R+HH1 means Ron plus Harry and Hermione the first time around, and HH2 means the two and a half hours older Harry and Hermione who have re-inserted themselves into the earlier timeline using the Time Turner.
R+HH1 (white dots) set out from the Entrance Hall (0) at dusk and walk slowly to the front door of Hagrid's cabin (1).
Immediately behind them HH2 then also leave the Entrance Hall (0) and go around the northern end of the castle, dashing across part of the vegetable patch (2) until the end of the castle cuts them off from the line of sight from Hagrid's cabin (1). They then cut round behind the greenhouses (3). Coming to the end of the greenhouses, they sprint across open ground past the Whomping Willow (4) to the edge of the Forest, in order to get out of Hagrid's line of sight again. Gold dots delineated with red rather than black mark the parts of their route during which they could potentially have been seen from Hagrid's cabin,
They then follow it round (silently, so no longer sprinting) to a point near Hagrid's hut (5), keeping within the tree-line the whole way. They must be going very fast, and R+HH1 very slowly, because they arrive at Hagrid's place at the same time even though HH2 have gone by a route which is four times longer.
R+HH1 then spend some time talking to Hagrid, and collect Scabbers/Pettigrew, while HH2 lurk nearby. Both groups, R+HH1 and HH2, then see a party containing Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge and a Committee member (blue dots) walking down from the Entrance Hall (0) to Hagrid's hut (1). R+HH1 leave by the back door (6), passing Buckbeak who is tied to a tree forming part of a hedge behind Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Immediately after they leave, HH2 dart out, untie Buckbeak and walk him into the trees at (5). His reluctance to come with them may be the result of having just seen two iterations of them, and suspecting that this lot may be fake,
R+HH1 walk slowly back towards the castle, passing through some sort of scrub or bushes before coming into open land. Partway across the grounds (7) Scabbers breaks loose and runs towards the Willow (4), and R+HH1 run after him. Meanwhile HH2 walk Buckbeak back round the edge of the Forest to a clump of trees (8) overlooking the Willow but fairly close to the castle. They arrive in time to see R+HH1 reach the tree. Ron is seized by Padfoot-Sirius and dragged off into the tunnel under the Willow, and HH1 follow. Immediately afterwards HH2 hear the footsteps of Dumbledore, Macnair and co. pass quite nearby (which is how we know the clump HH2 are hiding in isn't very far from the route between Hagrid's cabin and the main doors) (9) en route back to the castle. It may be muddy, which would make the party's footsteps more audible, and perhaps Dumbledore has bells on his shoes - even so, the scale of the grounds is such that if this party is close enough to HH2 for them to hear their footsteps, they must have come round in a wide curve rather than going direct from Hagrid's place to the main doors.
A few minutes later they see Lupin (orange dots) sprint across the lawn from the Entrance Hall (0) to the Whomping Willow (4). Shortly afterwards Hagrid (puce dots) staggers drunkenly from his cabin (1) to the castle (0). Two minutes later Snape (mint-green dots) sprints after Lupin and also disappears under the Willow.
Over an hour passes, and then a party consisting of R-HH1, Sirius, Lupin, Pettigrew and unconscious!Snape emerges from the tunnel under the Willow and begins to walk towards the castle. They get partway across the grounds (10) when the moon comes out from behind a cloud and Lupin transforms. HH2 with Buckbeak run for Hagrid's cabin, knowing that after Lupin and Sirius have sparred Lupin will run into the Forest right past the clump (8) where they had been standing.
Ron is knocked out. Pettigrew then transforms into a rat and runs for it and Sirius (purple dots) follows as a dog, running around the far side of the lake and ending up at a point (11) far enough along to face, and be quite close to, the point on the opposite shore where the beach tree and bushes are (12).
HH2 in Hagrid's hut see Dementors (red dots) coming from many directions towards Sirius. Since we were told earlier in the book that the Dementors were guarding the entrances of Hogwarts, they have probably come from the main gates (13), the station (14) and various entrances around the side of the Forest. For the sake of clarity I have just shown the station and main gates groups, but there will be others coming in from other directions. Some of them head off around the southern end of the lake away from Hagrid's hut (15) (but not across the water, apparently): to see this HH2 may have to look through the Quidditch stadium but I picture it as quite a spidery, open structure, so it would be like looking through scaffolding..
Hearing Padfoot whine in distress, HH1 leave unconscious!Ron and unconscious!Snape and run after Sirius, whom they find beset by Dementors. They must swing quite wide of the water because they don't reach the lake-side until they reach Sirius himself, so I have assumed that there are thick bushes (16) along the edge of the lake before that point.
Meanwhile, HH2 and Buckbeak run to the bushes (12) and Harry 2 steps out into the open and sends his Patronus (grey dots) across the lake to (11). It drives off the Dementors and then returns to HH2, leaving HH1 and Sirius alive but unconscious. At the same time, Snape (mint-green dots) regains consciousness and follows the sounds of combat, arriving (with unconscious!Ron in tow) at (11) just after the Dementors leave. He retraces his steps and takes R+HH1 and Sirius back to the hospital wing (17).
HH2 and Buckbeak them remain in the bushes for 20 or 30 minutes until they see Macnair (blue dots) setting off from the castle (0) to fetch the Dementors (18), probably by going down the carriage track to the main gates (14). HH2 then fly on Buckbeak up to Flitwick's office (19), bearing left as they approach the wall it is set in, and Sirius then flies away on Buckbeak (not shown since we have no idea which direction he goes), while HH2 re-enter the castle via the West Tower (20).
'Bong-sewer,' said Hagrid, beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps. Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses, with Harry, totally bewildered, running to keep up with them. [GoF ch. #19; p. 285]
And still they walked, Harry getting more and more irritated as he jogged along in their wake, checking his watch every now and then. Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which might make him miss Sirius. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to turn around, go straight back to the castle and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime ... But then -- when they had walked so far around the perimeter of the Forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight -- Harry heard something. Men were shouting up ahead ... then came a deafening, ear-splitting roar ... Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Harry hurried up alongside them -- for a split second, he thought he was seeing bonfires and men darting around them -- and then his mouth fell open. Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, [GoF ch. #19; p. 285]
Harry sped up, skirting the edge of the Forest; [cut] when, without warning, he ran into something very solid. [cut] [cut] it was Karkaroff. [cut] he crept back under the cover of the trees, and started to edge forwards towards the place where the dragons were. Very slowly and very carefully, Harry got to his feet and set off again, as fast as he could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back towards Hogwarts. He had no doubt whatsoever what Karkaroff was up to. He had sneaked off his ship to try and find out what the first task was going to be. He might even have spotted Hagrid and Madame Maxime heading off around the Forest together -- they were hardly difficult to spot at a distance ... and now all Karkaroff had to do was follow the sound of voices [cut] Harry reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors and began to climb the marble stairs; [GoF ch. #19; p. 289/290]
Harry (white dots) walks down from the main doors (0) to Hagrid's cabin (1) in the dark. Harry and Hagrid then go to Beauxbatons' giant caravan (2), collect Madame Maxime and walk with her around the edge of the paddock (3) containing the giant flying horses. They then stroll around a belling curve of Forest edge until they reach a point (4) where both the castle and the lake are cut off from view. Almost immedately after that they round a clump of trees (5) and find themselves facing a padock containing dragons (6). Almost certainly this is a reinforced version of the paddock where they met the Hippogriffs, which was also reached by starting from Hagrid's cabin and walking around a curve in the edge of the Forest.
Harry then sets off at speed back to the main doors of castle, but round about (4) he collides with Karkaroff (gold dots) who has walked down from the Durmstrang ship (7), probably following the carriage track for much of the way as it lay on his route.
Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze, and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said 'Sonorus!' and his voice boomed out across the dark water towards the stands. [GoF ch. #26; p. 428]
The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of Gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake. [GoF ch. #26; p. 428]
The lake was so cold he felt the skin on his legs searing as though this was fire, not icy water. His sodden robes weighed him down as he walked in deeper; now the water was over his knees, and his rapidly numbing feet were slipping over silt and flat, slimy stones. [GoF ch. #26; p. 428]
Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. He could only see ten feet around him, so that as he sped through the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the oncoming darkness: forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out towards the middle of the lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily grey-lit water around him to the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque. Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople, Ron – nor, thankfully, the giant squid. Light-green weed stretched ahead of him as far as he could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Harry was staring unblinkingly ahead of him, trying to discern shapes through the gloom ... and then, without warning, something grabbed hold of his ankle. Harry twisted his body around and saw a Grindylow [GoF ch. #26; p. 429/430]
He whipped around, and saw Moaning Myrtle floating hazily in front of him [cut] He swam on for what felt like at least twenty minutes. He was passing over vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the water. [GoF ch. #26; p. 431]
Harry swam faster, and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears, and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock, following the mer-song. [GoF ch. #26; p. 431]
A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw faces ... faces that bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the Prefects’ bathroom ... [GoF ch. #26; p. 432]
Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet Grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, talking behind their hands to each other. Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes. A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions towards them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson. [GoF ch. #26; p. 432]
There were rocks littering the lake bottom. He dived and snatched up a particularly jagged one, and returned to the statue. He began to hack at the ropes binding Ron, and after several minutes’ hard work, they broke apart. Ron floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom, drifting a little in the ebb of the water. [GoF ch. #26; p. 433]
The crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming [GoF ch. #26; p. 436]
They pulled Fleur's sister through the water, back towards the bank where the judges stood watching [GoF ch. #26; p. 437]
When Harry (white dots) goes to the second Triwizard Tournament task, he leaves the Entrance Hall (0) and sprints south along the western side of the lake, passing by the Durmstrang ship (1). He rounds the end of the lake (2) and reaches the judges' table (3). We can surmise that this is on a bit of the bank that sticks out, because it and the grandstands (4) are on the same side of the lake, and yet when Bagman magnifies his voice it "boom[s] out across the dark water towards the stands", rather than along the bank towards them.
After wading down what is evidently quite a gradual slope (5) into the water, over flat, slimy stones, Harry begins to swim towards the middle of the lake. Either the water is peaty or he goes quite deep almost immediately, as his surroundings are said to be dark and foggy. He comes first to a forest of tangled black weed (6) and then a plain of mud (7) "littered with dull, glimmering stones".
After this he comes to an area of grass-like light-green weed (8) which "stretched ahead of him as far as he could see" - although we've already been told that visibility is only about 10ft. Here he encounters a Grindylow - and Moaning Myrtle.
For reasons explained in detail in the section on the grounds we don't want to make the lake too huge, both because it has to seem reasonable for Harry and Hermione to stroll round it three times in one afternoon, and because Harry has to be able to sprint from the main castle doors to a point partway round the southern end of the lake in around five minutes. Nor do we really want to lengthen Harry's swim by moving the mer village right up by the castle, since that would put the mermen under the castle's sewage outfall (we know that Myrtle's toilet flushes into the lake). Therefore, I am assuming that when he meets the Grindylow Harry has only gone a bit under 200 yards. 200 yards could seem like a long way if you could only see 10ft ahead of you.
Harry then swims for around 400 yards over an expanse of black mud (9): probably the water is now too deep to allow enough light through to support much plant-life on the lake bottom.
Eventually he comes to a large rock (10) decorated with tribal paintings, which marks the start of the mer vollage (11). He swims along a sort of subaquatic street until he comes to a town square which houses a merman statue, a choir and the "prisoners" Harry has come to rescue. Once he has untied them Harry, Ron and Fleur's sister Gabrielle (gold dots) swim back to the judges (3) - probably by a more direct route (12) than Harry came out by, since they are now swimming at the surface and can see where they're going.
They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the pitch. [GoF ch. #28; p. 477/478]
Harry and Krum left the stadium together, but Krum did not set a course for the Durmstrang ship. Instead, he walked towards the forest. 'What're we going this way for?' said Harry, as they passed Hagrid's cabin, and the illuminated Beauxbatons carriage. 'Don't vont to be overheard,' said Krum shortly. When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground, a short way from the Beauxbatons' horses' paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry. [GoF ch. #28; p. 479]
Next moment a man had staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn't recognise him ... then he realised it was Mr Crouch. [GoF ch. #28; p. 480]
'Hurry, von't you?' Krum called after him, as Harry sprinted away from the Forest, and up through the dark grounds. They were deserted; Bagman, Cedric and Fleur had disappeared. Harry tore up the stone steps, through the oak front doors [GoF ch. #28; p. 483]
'Indeed,' said Dumbledore, and he quickened his pace as they hurried out into the pitch-darkness. [cut] 'Where are they?' said Dumbledore, as the Beauxbatons carriage emerged from the darkness. 'Over here,' said Harry, moving in front of Dumbledore, leading the way through the trees. He couldn't hear Crouch's voice any more, but he knew where he was going; it hadn't been much past the Beauxbatons carriage ... somewhere around here ... [GoF ch. #28; p. 485]
Harry and Dumbledore hurried forwards. Krum was sprawled on the Forest floor. He seemed to be unconscious. There was no sign at all of Mr Crouch. [cut] He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then Dumbledore bent over Krum again, pointed his wand at him and muttered, 'Enervate.' [GoF ch. #28; p. 486]
The sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. [cut] 'Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff,' [cut] [cut] [cut] Moody was limping towards them, leaning on his staff [GoF ch. #28; p. 486]
'Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!' said Dumbledore sharply. 'Oh yeah ... right y'are, Professor ...' said Hagrid, and he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him. 'I don't know where Barty Crouch is,' Dumbledore told Moody, 'but it is essential that we find him.' 'I'm onto it,' growled Moody, and he raised [originally 'pulled out'] his wand, and limped off into the Forest. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke again until they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. [GoF ch. #28; p. 487]
'I'll leave Fang with yeh, Headmaster,' Hagrid said, still staring menacingly at Karkaroff, who was still sprawled at the foot of the tree, tangled in furs and tree-roots. 'Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry.' They marched in silence past the Beauxbatons carriage and up towards the castle. 'How dare he,' Hagrid growled, as they strode past the lake. [GoF ch. #28; p. 488]
'For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak, and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the Forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. [cut] Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father.' [cut] 'You killed your father,' Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. 'What did you do with the body?' 'Carried it into the Forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. [cut] I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the Forest, doubled round behind them, went to meet them. [cut] 'Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone ... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin.' [GoF ch. #35; p. 599]
Harry (white dots) and Cedric leave from the Entrance Hall (0) and walk towards the Quidditch pitch (1), soon leaving the carriage track and continuing down the lawn. Coming along by the side of the lake they then veer right towards the pitch, walk along the side of it and then turn left into the stadium. There they meet up with the other Triwizard contestants and examine the budding Triwizard maze to be used for the third task.
While this is happening, Barty Crouch Snr (gold dots) enters the grounds and makes his way along the edge of the Forest. We are not told which direction he came from or how he entered the grounds. He might just have openly walked in through the main or station gates or he might have come over the wall in an out-of-the-way corner (2). Since wizards can conjure chairs and stretchers they can presumably conjure ladders. At any rate he blunders around the edge of the Forest until he reaches a secluded area (3) which is tucked in behind the Beauxbatons caravan.
Barty Crouch Jnr, in his guise as false!Moody (red dots), sees his father enter the grounds as indicated by the Marauder's Map. He puts on an Invisibility Cloak and also sets out from the castle (0), making his way towards a rendezvous with his father at (3).
At about the same time Harry, along with Viktor Krum, then leaves the stadium and heads in a direction which is noticeably away from the Durmstrang ship (4) and towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest (5). They pass Hagrid's cabin (6) and the Beauxbatons caravan (7) and arrive at (3) just after false!Moody, who watches them from beneath his Invisibility Cloak.
Harry and Viktor encounter Barty Snr, who emerges from behind a tall oak at the edge of the Forest, and is clearly unwell. Leaving Viktor to guard Barty, Harry sets off for the castle at speed. For reasons explained in the section on the grounds we know there is a sort of frond-like extension of trees here which partially hides the Beauxbatons caravan from the castle, and they are tucked in behind it. Heading for the castle, whose direction must be obvious even at night, Harry probably goes straight through this narrow neck of trees (8).
As soon as Harry has left, false!Moody emerges, stuns Viktor, kills his own father Barty Snr and carries the body a short way into the Forest (9) where he hides it under his Cloak. Harry returns with Dumbledore, going through the trees a bit closer to the Beauxbatons caravan (10) in order to be sure of finding the right place in the dark. They find Viktor, alone and unconscious. Dumbledore then sends his Patronus (grey dots), which takes a direct route through the clump of trees to summon Hagrid.
Hagrid (orange dots) comes running, and false!Moody circles round and appears behind him (11). Hagrid is then sent to fetch Karkaroff from the Durmstrang ship (4), passing through the trees (8) in order to do so and returning with Karkaroff by the same route. Meanwhile false!Moody has gone off into the Forest, apparently to search for Barty Snr but in fact to return to his body.
Hagrid quarrels with Karkaroff and he and Harry (white dots again) then walk past the Beauxbatons caravan and back up to the castle, going by way of the carriage track (12) which takes them along by the lake (13). Once Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Viktor have also left (mint-green dots), probably heading for the Durmstrang ship (4), false!Moody Transfigures his father's body into a bone, carries him to freshly-dug earth (14) in front of Hagrid's cabin (where Hagrid had earlier on been teaching the Care of Magical Creatures class about Nifflers) and buries him.
