Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley is a cobblestoned wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Inside the alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights. All items on the Hogwarts supply list can be bought at Diagon Alley.
The alley is completely hidden from the Muggle world, which is right outside of its boundaries. It was very large in area and essentially the centre of wizarding London. Consequently, the demand for space here is steep, and rent costed “loads of Galleons”.
==Location==
Diagon Alley is accessible from Muggle London through the Leaky Cauldron, which is on Charing Cross Road, set between a bookshop and a record shop. The Muggles who pass by the inn seem to be "quite unconscious" of its existence. Knockturn Alley is an off shoot of Diagon Alley, as the areas of Horizont Alley and Carkitt Market.
The entrance is behind the Leaky Cauldron in a small, walled courtyard with a dustbin. Diagon Alley can be accessed by tapping the correct brick in the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron (from the rubbish bin, three up and two across). The wall goes in a small hole first but form a large archway. It can also be accessed by Floo Powder and Apparition. There might be other entrances as well.
Diagon Alley connected to a second, less reputable shopping district, Knockturn Alley. This alley is completely devoted to the Dark Arts and is considered disreputable and "dodgy" by the wizarding community at large. A wizard seen visiting the alley is considered to be up to no good.
===Community===
:"Best thing about the shopkeepers here is that they're all honest."
:— A female patron expresses her opinion of Diagon Alley
Inside the Alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights; some even has tables out front with coloured umbrellas. Particularly during the days or weeks before school starts at Hogwarts, the location is packed with witches and wizards, though shops are open year-round as witches and wizards travel to the location for various goods.
While the shops include many school-supply locations, there are also many locations important to the wizarding world, such as Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Ollivanders. Diagon Alley is also the location of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, established by Fred and George Weasley shortly after leaving Hogwarts.
==History==
===Early history===
The Leaky Cauldron was present long before Charing Cross Road was even planned in the nineteenth century; its true address was number one, Diagon Alley, and it was believed to have been built some time in the early 1500s, along with the rest of the wizarding street.
It was a popular historical theory that the second oldest building in Diagon Alley was Gringotts Wizarding Bank and that the other shops grew up around it. However, there is a possibility that Ollivanders was the oldest building, records dating back to the early fourth century B.C.
When the Statute of Secrecy was imposed Diagon Alley was hidden by the use of many powerful spells of concealment. The then Minister for Magic, Ulick Gamp, agreed to give the landlord of the day present at the Leaky Cauldron responsibility for letting people into Diagon Alley from his back yard.
In 1926, one of the shops in Diagon Alley was burgled with the help of a Four-Headed Bird.
===Jacob's sibling visits===
Before the start of the 1984–1985 school year, Jacob's sibling met and befriended Rowan Khanna in Diagon Alley, where they went to purchase their school supplies before the start of their first year, including their first wand from Ollivanders and required textbooks from Flourish and Blotts.
In February 1988, around Valentine's Day, Gilderoy Lockhart held a book signing event in Flourish and Blotts for his book Voyages with Vampires, in which Jacob's sibling and several of their friends were invited to attend.
During the 1988–1989 school year, Jacob's sibling and a friend ventured into Diagon Alley to enter Knockturn Alley. They also visited Flourish and Blotts were they met Madam Villanelle, in order to learn clues about their then missing brother. The two also had a skirmish in Knockturn Alley outside Borgin and Burkes with a Dark Witch and other Dark Wizards, whom Patricia Rakepick saved them from. They also visited Ollivanders later that school year to purchase a second wand with Rakepick after it was broken. They also visited Knockturn Alley to duel a Dark Wizard for Mundungus Fletcher.
During the 1989–1990 school year, Jacob Flourish and Blotts again to research Mahoutokoro. Shortly after, their sibling entered the shop and asked Villanelle about their brother's visit. During this year, they entered Knockturn Alley several times for various matters. They visited Flourish and Blotts again with Chiara Lobosca and Talbott Winger to research Grindylows. they infiltrated a meeting of 'R' disguised as Rakepick with Polyjuice Potion, resulting in a skirmish. They also visited the shop again with Mundungus Fletcher to inquire information about a Dark Witch who had been investigating Jacob's sibling wand. The two later witnessed Merula Snyde being initiated into 'R' in Knockturn Alley by the same Dark Witch under invisibility cloaks.
During the 1990–1991 school year, Zenith Xeep held a meet-and-greet event to market her hair care potion Xeep's Luscious Locks Solution in the Leaky Cauldron. However, the potion induced potent memory loss in several Diagon Alley residents who drank it, including Garrick Ollivander and Villanelle. Xeep, a Dark Witch working for 'R', stole a wand from Ollivanders and placed a fake wand in its place. Xeep was confronted in Knockturn Alley by Jacob's sibling and duelled, where she drank the potion in response, erasing her memories. Jacob's sibling later supplied the counter-serum to Xeep's potion to several Diagon Alley wizards and witches in Ollivanders, which prevented further memory loss for them.
Jacob's sibling and Jacob returned to Diagon Alley later this school year for an awkward dinner with their estranged father Peregrine in the Leaky Cauldron. Afterwards, the two siblings discussed the honesty of their father (who was the leader of 'R') and Jacob's past relationship with Olivia Green, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, whom Jacob's sibling was curious about. Jacob's sibling later encountered Ben Copper in Flourish and Blotts, who was there to study for his upcoming N.E.W.T.s and to remember his deceased friend Rowan Khanna, who loved going to the bookshop.
===Harry Potter's early visits===
:"There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon..."
:— Harry Potter visits Diagon Alley for the first time[src]
:
Harry Potter's first visit to Diagon Alley with Rubeus Hagrid marked his re-introduction to the wizarding world on 31 July 1991, his eleventh birthday. Harry's first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where he encountered Goblins for the first time. After entering the huge, grand bank and explaining what they wanted to a goblin, Hagrid and Harry were taken by Griphook down to the vaults on a speeding cart, which made Hagrid sick. First they stopped at the Potter vault, then continued to the higher security Vault 713, where Hagrid got the Philosopher's Stone.
After obtaining money from the bank Hagrid helped Harry shop for his school supplies and purchased Harry's eleventh birthday present, the snowy owl Hedwig, from Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry later named her Hedwig, a name he found in A History of Magic.
Harry also purchased his wand from Ollivanders. After trying out a large number of wands, none of which seemed quite right, Harry was handed a holly and phoenix feather wand. Harry pays seven Galleons for the wand and leaves the shop. Also when visiting Diagon Alley, Harry remarked that he wished he had more than one pair of eyes to be able to take in all the sights the alley had to offer.
Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys visited Flourish and Blotts to buy school books for their second year at Hogwarts. They discovered that Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his new book, Magical Me. When Lockhart spotted Harry, he dragged him up in front of the camera with him and announced to the crowd that he would be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts for the up coming year. After Harry escaped from the spotlight, Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley got into a fight. Lucius used that moment to sneak the Diary into Ginny Weasley’s cauldron.
During the summer before his third year, Harry spent several weeks in Diagon Alley, staying in a room at the Leaky Cauldron by night and roaming the street by day, marvelling at the incredible shops and the witches and wizards, in from all over the country, who came by to do their shopping. He did his homework out in the open, ate free ice creams, picked up his books, and repeatedly stoped by Quality Quidditch Supplies to admire the Firebolt.
Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys were also staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione brought (despite Ron's protests) Crookshanks from the Magical Menagerie. That night, Harry overheard Mr and Mrs Weasley in conversation — and learned that Sirius Black was after him.
===Return of the Dark Lord===
:"The colourful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them... A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street."
:— Description of Diagon Alley's gloominess[src]
:
Following Voldemort's return to power in 1996, wizards and witches no longer felt safe wandering out in public, and Diagon Alley changed dramatically. The once-crowded streets stood virtually empty, faces of Death Eaters plastered the fronts of once-bright shops, and street vendors popped up, hawking anti-Dark devices.
Within another year and Voldemort's taking over of the Ministry of Magic, a large number of shops had closed, replaced by others devoted to the Dark Arts, and the street was filled with Muggle-borns who had been cast aside by the new system. Ollivanders and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour were closed.
Presumably, after Voldemort's eventual downfall and the installation of Kingsley Shacklebolt as Minister for Magic Diagon Alley eventually returned to its splendour of old.
==Known businesses==
:"Even worse, the dark, narrow street Harry could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley."
Shop(s) 	Notes 	Store front
2nd Hand Brooms 	A shop that sold used broomsticks. 	
Amanuensis Quills 	A shop in Diagon Alley that sold quills. It was next to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. 	
Apothecary 	A store located at North Side, Diagon Alley which supplied merchants with ingredients for potion-making. 	
Broomstix 	A shop that sold broomsticks. 	
Eeylops Owl Emporium 	A pet shop located in Diagon Alley that sold owls and various other things needed for the care of owls, like Owl Treats. It sold a variety of breeds, including screech, barn, tawny, brown, and snowy. 	
Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour 	It was a shop selling ice cream and was owned and operated by Florean Fortescue, and was located at Diagon Alley. 	
Flourish and Blotts 	A popular bookshop in Diagon Alley where most Hogwarts students purchased their schoolbooks. 	
Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop 	Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop was located in Diagon Alley. Fred and George, and Lee Jordan stocked up on Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. 	
Gringotts Wizarding Bank 	Gringotts was the only known bank of the wizarding world. It was created by the goblin Gringott. It was located in Diagon Alley and owned and run by goblins. In addition to storing money and valuables for wizards, one could go there to exchange Muggle money for wizarding money. 	
Healer Shop 	The Healer of this shop altruistically offered free treatment at her healing station, seeing it as her duty. 	
The Junk Shop 	A shop that sold secondhand items such as broken wands, lopsided scales, etc. 	
Leaky Cauldron 	A popular wizarding pub in London. It was the entrance to Diagon Alley. 	
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions 	Sometimes simply referred to as Madam Malkin's, it was a shop in Diagon Alley where students got their Hogwarts school uniforms, and also dress robes, travelling cloaks, and the like. 	
Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions	Located at 275 Diagon Alley, this shop helped witches getting rid of "warts and worse". 	
Magical Menagerie 	One of the shops where students bought their pets and supplies. 	
Obscurus Books 	Located at 18a Diagon Alley, Obscurus was a wizarding book publisher. Its range of titles included the popular Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 	
Ollivanders 	Ollivanders was the sole wand shop of Diagon Alley. Peeling gold letters over the door of the shop read: "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.". The shop's display consisted of a solitary wand laying on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. The shop was tiny, empty except for a single, spindly chair in the corner. Thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it.	
Potage's Cauldron Shop 	A shop that sold cauldrons. 	
Quality Quidditch Supplies 	A shop in Diagon Alley. Its main products were things having to do with Quidditch such as Quaffles, Bludgers and broomsticks. 	
Rosa Lee Teabag 	A teashop located in Diagon Alley as well as in Hogsmeade. 	
Scribbulus Writing Instruments 	A shop that sold ink and presumably other stationary items (quills, parchment). 	
Second-Hand Bookshop 	A shop that sold second-hand books. 	
Second-Hand Robes 	A shop that sold second-hand robes. 	
Slug & Jiggers Apothecary 	This was where students bought their potion ingredients. 	
Sugarplum's Sweets Shop 	A shop that sold confections. 	
TerrorTours 	Located at 59 Diagon Alley, TerrorTours was presumably a travel agency for wizards and witches. 	
The Ministry Press 	A publishing house affiliated to the British Ministry of Magic. 	
The Daily Prophet's main office 	Presumably where the Daily Prophet newspapers were printed. 	
Twilfitt and Tattings 	Twilfitt and Tattings was a wizarding clothing shop located in Diagon Alley. Given that it was favoured by elitist pure-blood witch Narcissa Malfoy, it was probably an upmarket shop. 	
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes 	Located at 93 Diagon Alley, it was a joke shop owned by Fred and George Weasley. It sold practical joke objects, such as Extendable Ears, a Reusable Hangman, and Fred and George's special WonderWitch products, such as love potions and ten-second pimple remover. There was also a section of Muggle magic tricks in honour of their father Arthur. They were not big sellers, but they did fairly well. 	
Whizz Hard Books 	Located at 129B Diagon Alley. Whizz Hard Books was a wizarding book publisher. Its range of titles included the popular Quidditch Through the Ages and Hairy Snout, Human Heart. 	
Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment 	A miscellaneous equipment shop. 	
Various Stalls and Peddlers 	There were a variety of street peddlers who took up space in between shops out on the main thoroughfare of Diagon Alley. Included were a flower vendor, a vendor who was selling roasted chestnuts, and a jewellery vendor. 	
==Other wizarding shopping areas==
*Place Cachée was the French equivalent to Diagon Alley.
*The High Street in Hogsmeade had many shops frequented by Hogwarts students.
==Etymology==
The words "Diagon" and "Alley" when pronounced together, produce the word "diagonally" which is most probably the origin of the name "Diagon Alley". When Harry mispronounced the name due to inhaling a mouthful of ash, he landed in a fireplace in nearby Knockturn Alley.
==Behind the scenes==
*In the United States, there is a shop which is a remake of Diagon Alley in Los Angeles, California called Whimsic Alley (which is a play on the word "whimsically"). The store features false store fronts inside the shop which mimic those of the "real" Diagon Alley, where many Harry Potter and wizard themed items can be purchased.
*In the film Eat, Pray, Love there is a set that looks very much like the set used for Diagon Alley.
*In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid taps a series of bricks to enter Diagon Alley instead of one brick (three up two across).
*The 2-disc DVD edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets includes an interactive tour of Diagon Alley, including non-interactive interior views of several shops, and an interactive exploration of Flourish and Blotts.
*As depicted in the films, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are strictly pedestrian precincts, as the streets are too narrow to accommodate either vehicular or carriage traffic. Presumably magical means are exercised for stocking the shops, eliminating the need for standard transportation corridors.
*As depicted in the films, Diagon Alley was inspired by the look of London in the early 1800s, but with fantastical touches, such as buildlings leaning at such sharp angles that they would surely fall if not supported by magic.
*There is a LEGO set based on Diagon Alley, released on 1 January, 2011. It has three main buildings: Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Ollivanders, and Borgin and Burkes. It includes minifigures which have appeared in several of the Harry Potter films.
*Though Muggles are unable to view the Leaky Cauldron and thus reach the entrance to Diagon Alley, Hermione Granger's parents accompanied her on her trip in her second year. It is possible special arrangements are available for such cases, such as a temporary connection to the Floo Network, or family members being charmed to allow them to see the pub.
*There is a Diagon Alley in the Universal Studios theme park, joined with Knockturn Alley. It includes a lot of the same shops and buildings where one can purchase Harry Potter merchandise, such as Harry Potter-themed clothing in Madame Malkin's and wand replicas in Ollivander's and Gregorovitch's.
*Some have proposed that Diagon Alley is based on Victoria St in Edinburgh, which is located a few blocks from the Elephant House café. Victoria St is a narrow, winding road with high shops on either side, including a book shop, a clothing shop, a joke shop at one end, and a shop that sells wands. However, Rowling has never mentioned Victoria St.
*In order to fill all the Shops in Diagon Alley, set director Stephenie McMillan and her team went to antique shops, auctions and flea markets in the city and the countryside.
*Crew members who went to purchase the items were asked not to say why they needed so many jars, books, or owl cages. One of the crew members told a shopkeeper the reason she was buying so many broomsticks was because she had to do a lot of sweeping!
*Pottermore had a feature on designing Diagon Alley.
Category:Places