Places in Harry Potter

The Harry Potter universe contains numerous settings for the events in the novels, films and other media. These locations are divided into four categories: Residences, Education, Commerce, and Government.

Residences

The Burrow

Scale model of The Burrow in The Making of Harry Potter exhibition.

The home of the Weasley family is known as the Burrow. It is located outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England, near the homes of the Lovegoods, the Diggorys and the Fawcetts. The Burrow is used as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix in Deathly Hallows. The dilapidated house has seven floors and remains standing only through the use of magic.

Godric's Hollow

Godric's Hollow is a fictional West Country wizarding village where Lily and James Potter lived with their infant son Harry. It has been a home to Albus Dumbledore, Bathilda Bagshot and Godric Gryffindor, for whom it was named. At the centre of the village square is a war memorial that magically transforms into a monument to the Potter family. At the end of the main street are the remains of Harry's old home. In Deathly Hallows, Harry discovers that the Godric's Hollow cemetery where his parents are buried also contains the grave of Ignotus Peverell.

Little Hangleton

Little Hangleton is a fictional Muggle village. It contains the graveyard where Voldemort is restored to bodily form in Goblet of Fire. On a hill above the village is the former estate of the Riddle family, where Voldemort killed his father, his grandparents and the Muggle gardener Frank Bryce. Also nearby is the former home of the Gaunt family.

Malfoy Manor

Malfoy Manor is the home of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and their son Draco. The novel Order of the Phoenix states that the manor is located in Wiltshire. In Deathly Hallows, Voldemort uses Malfoy Manor as his headquarters and imprisons Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Mr. Ollivander and Griphook in the basement. When Snatchers capture Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they are also imprisoned in the manor. Some scenes set at Malfoy Manor in the Harry Potter films were shot at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.

Number 4, Privet Drive

The constructed set used for the Dursley residence in the Harry Potter films

Harry is raised from infancy by his aunt Petunia Dursley and his uncle Vernon Dursley at Number 4, Privet Drive. The house is located in the fictional town of Little Whinging, which is south of London in the county of Surrey. Albus Dumbledore explains to Harry that when his mother sacrificed herself to save him, an "ancient magic" was created that protects Harry while he lives with her sister Petunia. Unbeknownst to Harry, his neighbour Arabella Figg is a Squib who was placed in Little Whinging by Dumbledore to keep an eye on Harry.

Scenes set at the Dursley residence in the film adaptation of Philosopher's Stone were filmed at 12 Picket Post Close in the city of Bracknell. Filming for subsequent films took place on a constructed set at Leavesden Film Studios, which proved to be cheaper than filming on location.

Number 12, Grimmauld Place

Number 12, Grimmauld Place is the London home of the Black family. In the fifth novel, it is selected as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. A house-elf named Kreacher inhabits the house. In Half-Blood Prince, Harry learns that he has inherited the property from his deceased godfather Sirius Black, and he donates it to the Order. In Deathly Hallows, Grimmauld Place becomes a sanctuary for Harry, Ron, and Hermione while they are hiding from Voldemort.

Shell Cottage

Shell Cottage as depicted in the Harry Potter films

Shell Cottage is the home of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour after they get married. It overlooks a beach outside the village of Tinworth in Cornwall county. The cottage serves as a hiding place for Harry and his companions after they escape from Malfoy Manor. After Dobby dies, Harry buries him in the garden. The scenes set at Shell Cottage in the film adaptations of Deathly Hallows were shot on Freshwater West beach in Wales.

Spinner's End

The house of Severus Snape is located on a fictional Muggle street called Spinner's End. The street first appears in Half-Blood Prince when Snape is visited by Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. In Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that Snape lived on Spinner's End as a child, and that Lily Potter and Petunia Dursley lived in the same town.

Education

Beauxbatons

Main article: Beauxbatons

The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is a French magic school. It is first introduced in Goblet of Fire when a delegation of students from Beauxbatons arrives at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. Beauxbatons is described as a boarding school located in the Pyrenees mountains. The school has a preponderance of French students, although students from Spain, Portugal, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium also attend in large numbers. The headmistress of Beauxbatons is Olympe Maxime, and the school's champion in the Triwizard Tournament is Fleur Delacour. In the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire, all Beauxbatons students are female, while in the novel the school is co-educational. Beauxbatons translates from French as "beautiful sticks".

The depiction of French students in the Harry Potter series has been described as stereotypical by several scholars. Marek Oziewicz has called the Beauxbatons delegation "homogeneous" and lacking the cultural diversity of Hogwarts. Christina Flotmann claimed that the contrast depicted between Beauxbatons and Hogwarts functions as an allusion to a historical competition between the "sober and proper" England and the "immoral and decadent" France.

Castelobruxo

Castelobruxo ( /kæstɛloʊbruːʃuː/) is a Brazilian school of magic that specialises in Magizoology and Herbology. The exact location of the school is unknown, but it is said to appear to wizards as a golden temple, and to Muggles as nothing more than ruins. Castelobruxo is guarded by magical creatures called Caipora.

Durmstrang

The Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning is a school that makes its first appearance in Goblet of Fire. Like Beauxbatons, Durmstrang sends a delegation of students to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. According to the Wizarding World website, Durmstrang is located in the "far Northern reaches of Europe". The school's headmaster is the former Death Eater Igor Karkaroff, and the novel reveals that Durmstrang students are instructed in the Dark Arts. Durmstrang is portrayed as an all-boys school in the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire, but is depicted as co-educational in the novel. In Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald attended Durmstrang.

Several writers have commented on the depiction of the Durmstrang students. The British journalist Julia Eccleshare has claimed that the Durmstrang delegation is depicted as dishonest and untrustworthy. Marek Oziewicz called Durmstrang a "medley of scary stereotypes" of Eastern Europe. Christina Flotmann wrote that the first appearance of the Durmstrang delegation links the school with "sinister literary tropes such as the Flying Dutchman." She also suggested that the name Durmstrang sounds dark and threatening. The name of the school is likely a play on the German phrase Sturm und Drang, meaning storm and stress.

Hogwarts

Main article: Hogwarts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a British school of magic. It is the primary setting for the first six Harry Potter novels.

Ilvermorny

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is an American school of magic. It first appeared in a short story by J. K. Rowling in 2016, and was subsequently depicted in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The school was founded in the seventeenth century by Isolt Sayre in Adams, Massachusetts. It is located on Mount Greylock and is concealed from Muggles with enchantments. Like Hogwarts, Ilvermorny is divided into four houses. The Ilvermorny houses are Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, Thunderbird and Wampus, each said to represent a different aspect of the ideal wizard.

Mahoutokoro

Mahoutokoro is the smallest wizarding school, and is located in Japan. Students wear enchanted robes which grow in size with the wearer. The robes change colour, from faint pink to gold, as the wearer increases their knowledge of magic. The students of Mahoutokoro are known for their academic prowess and skill at Quidditch.

Uagadou

According to the Wizarding World website, Uagadou is the oldest of several African wizarding schools, and the largest wizarding school in the world. Its precise location is unknown.

Commerce

The Leaky Cauldron

The Leaky Cauldron is described as a dark and shabby pub and inn, located on the Muggle street Charing Cross Road in London. The Leaky Cauldron is a way of entering Diagon Alley from the Muggle world. The rear of the pub opens onto a courtyard, in which a particular brick must be tapped three times to open a path to Diagon Alley. When we first see The Leaky Cauldron in the first film and book (depending on which one, as there are slight differences between the two) when Harry and Hagrid are setting off to gather school supplies.

Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley is a London high street that is accessible to wizards but hidden from Muggles. It contains Gringotts Wizarding Bank and various types of shops.

Places in Diagon Alley

• Eeylops Owl Emporium sells owls, which deliver wizard mail. It is here that Rubeus Hagrid purchases the snowy owl Hedwig as a birthday gift for Harry.

• Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour sells ice cream and other treats. In Half-Blood Prince, the parlour is boarded up and Mr Fortescue has gone missing.
• Flourish & Blotts sells a variety of magical books including Hogwarts textbooks.
• Gambol and Japes is a wizarding joke shop.
• Gringotts Wizarding Bank is the only wizarding bank mentioned in the novels. It is operated primarily by goblins and contains vaults that are protected by very strong and complex security measures.

• Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions sells robes and other clothing.
• The Magical Menagerie sells magical creatures and offers advice on animal care. It is here that Hermione purchases her cat Crookshanks.
• Ollivanders is a wand shop owned by the wandmaker Mr. Ollivander. His shop closes in Half-Blood Prince after he is kidnapped by Death Eaters. He is rescued by Harry and his friends in Deathly Hallows.
• Potage's Cauldron Shop sells various types of cauldrons.
• Quality Quidditch Supplies sells broomsticks and Quidditch-related items.
• Slug and Jiggers Apothecary sells scales, potions and potion ingredients.
• Twilfitt and Tatting's is a clothing shop.
• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is a popular joke shop founded by Fred and George Weasley. It sells joke and trick items, useful novelties, sweets, and items for use in defence against the Dark Arts. The shop is temporarily closed in Deathly Hallows, but Fred and George continue to run an owl-order service. In the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, George and his brother Ron manage the business.
• Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment sells various types of equipment used in the wizarding world.
• Stalls – Diagon Alley contains a variety of stalls which sell magical objects, sweets and trinkets. After Voldemort returns, some wizards illegally peddle amulets and other objects which they claim can protect against Dementors, Inferi and werewolves.

Knockturn Alley

Knockturn Alley is described in the novels as a dark and seedy alleyway diagonal to Diagon Alley. Many of the shops in Knockturn Alley, such as Borgin and Burkes, are devoted to the Dark Arts. Objects that have appeared in Borgin and Burkes include a cursed opal necklace, a Hand of Glory, and a Vanishing Cabinet which is used by Draco Malfoy to infiltrate Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince. Voldemort worked at Borgin and Burkes briefly during the 1940s. The shop is owned by Caractacus Burke and Mr. Borgin, though Mr. Borgin is the only owner to appear in the novels and films.

Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade Village, or simply Hogsmeade, is a wizarding village located near Hogwarts. It primarily consists of a single thoroughfare called High Street, which is home to shops, cafés and pubs. Hogwarts students who are in their third year or above are permitted to visit Hogsmeade during scheduled weekends.

Places in Hogsmeade

• Dervish & Banges sells and repairs magical equipment.
• Gladrags Wizardwear is a clothing shop full of quirky merchandise, including a selection of strange and unusual socks.
• Honeydukes is a popular sweets shop. There is a secret passageway in the cellar that leads into Hogwarts.
• Hogsmeade Station is a train station where the Hogwarts Express stops. Scenes depicting Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films were filmed at Goathland railway station.
• The Hog's Head is a filthy pub owned by Aberforth Dumbledore. A few months before Harry was born, Sybill Trelawney uttered a prophecy in The Hog's Head which connected Voldemort and Harry. In Order of the Phoenix, the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army is held at The Hog's Head. During Deathly Hallows, Aberforth reveals a secret passage in the pub that leads into Hogwarts.
• Madam Puddifoot's is a small teashop located on a side street. On Valentine's Day, floating cherubs throw pink confetti on visiting couples. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry and Cho Chang visit Madam Puddifoot's on Valentine's Day.
• Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop sells stationery items such as quills, ink, parchment and envelopes.
• The Shrieking Shack stands on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, with boarded-up windows and an overgrown garden. It was built as a hiding place for the werewolf Remus Lupin, then a Hogwarts student. He accessed the shack from a secret tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow on the Hogwarts grounds, and would stay there during his monthly transformations to avoid harming fellow students. Nearby villagers heard Lupin's howling and a rumour started that the shack was haunted by spirits.
• The Three Broomsticks is an inn and pub known for its delicious butterbeer.
• Zonko's Joke Shop sells joke and trick items.

Government

Azkaban

Azkaban is a prison for criminals of the British and Irish wizarding world. According to Half-Blood Prince, Azkaban is located somewhere in the North Sea. It is guarded by Dementors, which render the inmates incapable of happiness. According to Sirius Black, many inmates simply stop eating and eventually die of starvation. It was considered impossible to escape from Azkaban until Sirius managed to do it. Performing any of the Unforgivable Curses on a human is punishable by a life sentence in the prison, although there are occasions when Aurors are allowed to perform those curses. Following Voldemort's demise, Kingsley Shacklebolt becomes Minister of Magic and ends the use of Dementors at Azkaban.

Magical Congress of the United States of America

The Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) is the magical body in charge of governing the wizarding population of the United States. The MACUSA is led by a President and is located in the Woolworth Building in downtown New York City.

Ministry of Magic

Main article: Ministry of Magic

The Ministry of Magic is the government of the wizarding community of Britain and Ireland.

St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

St Mungo's Hospital is a wizarding hospital in the Harry Potter universe. It is located in London.

Nurmengard

Nurmengard is a prison that the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald built to incarcerate Muggles and foes. After Albus Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, the prisoners were released and Grindelwald himself was imprisoned in the top-most cell. In Deathly Hallows, Voldemort arrives at Nurmengard seeking information about the Elder Wand. When Grindelwald refuses to tell him anything, Voldemort kills him.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Following the success of Harry Potter, a sign reading "Platform 9¾ " was installed at London's King's Cross railway station.

The Hogwarts Express train departs from the fictional Platform 9¾ at King's Cross railway station. The platform is accessed by magically walking through a solid barrier between platforms 9 and 10. After the Harry Potter novels were published, Rowling found that she had confused the layout of King's Cross with that of Euston station. During production of the Harry Potter films, the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, which is part of St Pancras station, was used for King's Cross station.

A plaque depicting the supposed location Platform 9¾ was placed on a wall at King's Cross, along with a luggage trolley "stuck" halfway through the wall. A wrought-iron "Platform 9¾" gate used in the film set is preserved at the National Railway Museum. After Alan Rickman's death in 2016, Harry Potter fans created a memorial to the actor at Platform 9¾. A Harry Potter–themed store is also located in the station near the plaque.

There is a replica of King's Cross at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed area at Universal Orlando Resort. It features a wall between Platforms 9 and 10, which visitors can "walk through" to access Platform 9¾.

References

Works cited

• Eccleshare, Julia (2002). Guide to the Harry Potter Novels. A&C Black. pp. 81–82. ISBN 9780826453174.
• Flotmann, Christina (2014). Ambiguity in "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter": A (Post)Structuralist Reading of Two Popular Myths. Verlag. pp. 328–331. ISBN 9783839421482.
• Moore, Miranda (2000). "Translatability of "Harry Potter"". The Linguist. 39 (6): 176–177.
• Oziewicz, Marek (2010). "Representations of Eastern Europe in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Jonathan Stroud's The Bartimaeus Trilogy, and JK Rowling's Harry Potter Series". International Research in Children's Literature. 3 (1) (International Research in Children's Literature ed.): 1–14. doi:10.3366/ircl.2010.0002.

Further reading

• "JK interview Part 4 – questions and queries". CBBC Newsround. BBC. 23 October 2002. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
• Rana, Marion (2009). Creating Magical Worlds: Otherness and Othering in Harry Potter. Peter Lang. ISBN 9783631580714.