- "You know the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor? It's not a bad place for a bath."
- — Cedric to Harry Potter on the Prefects Bathroom[src]
The Prefects' bathroom is a special bathroom on the fifth floor of Hogwarts restricted to use by school Prefects, Head Boys, Head Girls and Quidditch captains. It is located on the fifth floor behind the fourth door to the left of a statue of Boris the Bewildered, which only opens when given the correct password.
Description
In one side of the room there are the stalls with toilets inside. [1] Opposite the toilets there is a large, swimming pool-like tub with faucets surrounding it. The faucets all run differently-coloured water, bubbles, and foam. Looking at the tub, one would imagine it would take quite some time to fill, but it actually fills remarkably fast, considering its size. [2] Under the bathroom there are sewers that can be entered by blasting one section of the wall. These sewers may or may be not part of the series of plumbings and tunnels of the Chamber of Secrets. [3]
History
- "That gives you equal status with Prefects! You can use our special bathroom now and everything!"
- — Hermione Granger to Harry Potter[src]
Harry Potter in the bathroom.
After the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, tells Cedric Diggory to open the golden egg that contains the clue for the second task under water. Cedric takes the egg to the prefects' bathroom and follows Crouch's advice. Underwater, he can hear the merpeople's song, but it takes him some time to deduce that it is sung by merpeople, despite the fact that the mermaid in a nearby painting is wide awake. Moaning Myrtle, who visits this bathroom sometimes to spy on the prefects, witnesses the scene.
After the Yule Ball, Cedric Diggory tells Harry Potter to try to solve the riddle of the golden egg while taking a bath in the prefects' bathroom. He also gives him the current password, which is "pine fresh". Harry follows his advice in the night of January 21, 1995. Awed as he is by the bathroom, he has no idea at first how a bath is going to help him solve the egg's clue. He fills the pool with water and bubble bath from several tabs, takes a short swim and opens the egg. As usual, it emits a loud, wailing noise and he closes it quickly. Moaning Myrtle reveals her presence and tells him to open the egg under water, like Cedric did. To Myrtle's delight, Harry solves the clue much faster than Cedric.
One of the first things Hermione Granger mentions when she congratulates Harry Potter for becoming Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in 1996, is that he can now use the prefects' bathroom. Ron also mentions it too while congratulating Harry. It is unknown whether Harry ever used the bathroom at all in his sixth year, although it is presumed that Ron and Hermione did. It has pictures of mermaids on stained glass windows.
Known Passwords
The mermaid in the Prefect's Bathroom
- Pine Fresh
Behind the scenes
- In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a very long level in which Harry, Ron, and Hermione trek through the bathroom in search of the golden egg, which Ron has dropped into the plumbing.
- Thhere is a short level in Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, where Harry must find the entrance to it (which is now in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom) and then persuade the mermaid on the window to throw the egg to him.
See also
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (Entrance only)
- Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4