Harry Potter fans grossed out by Hogwarts potty history
More like a Chamber Pot of Secrets.
Tweetus Deletus! Harry Potter fans are trying to magic away a tweet from official site Pottermore, "the digital heart of the wizarding world." Turns out Pottermore is also well-versed in some less appealing parts of the body.
Pottermore posted a bit of trivia on Friday, saying, "Hogwarts didn't always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the 18th century, witches and wizards simply relieved themselves wherever they stood, and vanished the evidence."
Hogwarts didn't always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the eighteenth century, witches and wizards simply relieved themselves wherever they stood, and vanished the evidence. #NationalTriviaDay
— Pottermore (@pottermore) January 4, 2019
The tweet brought up the chilling specter of wizards all over Hogwarts urinating and defecating on themselves and then muttering magic spells to make the mess go away. "Vanish me poopum" is a leading candidate, since there doesn't seem to be an official incantation.
This little tidbit of information comes straight from J.K. Rowling's Pottermore missive on the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden spot in Hogwarts created by Salazar Slytherin. She writes about how Hogwarts' plumbing became more elaborate in the 18th century and that "the entrance to the Chamber was threatened, being located on the site of a proposed bathroom."
Potty-minded Potter fans are now asking the important questions, like whether this explains the long robes. And how was this handled for young wizards before they could talk? Did adults have to magic their number ones and twos away?
Despite the mainly grossed-out reactions, I have to admit being free from ever needing to find a bathroom would be a pretty magical ability to have.
