Tom

**Tom**: "*Ah, Hagrid! The usual, I presume?*"
**Rubeus Hagrid**: "*No thanks, Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business today. Just helping young Harry here buy his school supplies.*"
**Tom**: "*Bless my soul. It's Harry Potter.*"
[The pub immediately goes silent and everyone notices. A man comes up and shakes Harry's hand.]
**Man**: "*Welcome back, Mr Potter, welcome back.*"
— Tom meeting Harry Potter in 1991[src]

**Tom** (fl. ***1938***—1990s) was a ***British*** wizard, who was the landlord, innkeeper, and barman of the ***Leaky Cauldron***. He was very friendly with many wizards and witches that passed through the pub to get to Diagon Alley. He had run the Leaky Cauldron for a long time, and had had the pleasure of meeting Harry Potter and former ***Minister for Magic*** Cornelius Fudge on more than one occasion. It is likely he had met other celebrities and political figures in the wizarding world, such as Albus Dumbledore, since his pub leads directly into Diagon Alley. He was very old by the time Harry Potter knew him, as he was mentioned by Dumbledore in the late 1930s to Tom Riddle.

## Biography

### Early life

Tom was likely a pupil at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and studied there from the age of eleven until he left, and eventually became barman/landlord of the ***Leaky Cauldron*** some time before ***1938***. It is possible that Tom encountered Tom Marvolo Riddle (later to be known as Lord Voldemort) on his way to Diagon Alley for the first time, as Albus Dumbledore had told Tom Riddle to ask for him to get there. Riddle's profound distaste for his given name was, in part, due to it being so common, and meeting the landlord would not have negated this opinion in any way.

### 1990s

During the ***1990–1991 school year***, a ***wizard*** went to the ***Leaky Cauldron*** to chat with Tom when the wizard saw the ***Muggle Artefact Smuggler***.

 File:Tom meets Harry for the first time.png
On 31 July 1991, when Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid passed through the Leaky Cauldron on their way to Diagon Alley, Tom greeted Hagrid like an old friend, or, at the very least, a regular. Other witches and wizards who were there at the time (including ***Doris Crockford***, ***Dedalus Diggle***, and Quirinus Quirrell) began introducing themselves to Harry, before Hagrid managed to get him away from all of them.

 File:POA Tom Harry Hedwig Leaky Cauldron.gif  In the summer of 1993, Cornelius Fudge (then ***Minister for Magic***) asked Tom to keep an eye on Harry Potter while Sirius Black was on the loose until he was due to return to Hogwarts.
In the summer of ***1996***, the Leaky Cauldron pub was almost completely empty, aside from Tom and Rubeus Hagrid, who greeted Harry Potter when he arrived there. Tom and Harry acknowledged each other, but did not have time to speak, as Harry was busy on Hogwarts business, with Tom gloomily returning to wipe glasses.

In early ***July*** ***1997***, Tom attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore and watched as his body was encased in the White Tomb.
On ***1 May*** ***1998***, Tom was greeted by ***Bellatrix Lestrange*** (who was really Hermione Granger using Polyjuice Potion) while on her way to Gringotts in Diagon Alley, and was surprised by how polite she was towards him.

### Post-Second Wizarding War

Tom passed away or retired during the next 19 years, since ***Hannah Abbott*** eventually took over as landlady and lived at the inn with her husband, Neville Longbottom.

## Physical appearance

Tom was described by Harry Potter upon sight as old, "quite bald" and that he resembled a toothless ***walnut***.

## Magical abilities and skills

> Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.
>
> Tom performing wandless magic, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

* **Nonverbal and wandless magic**: Tom was capable of casting simple wandless and nonverbal spells, such as lighting a fireplace, as well being able to turn off a ***car*** alarm both non-verbally and wandlessly on the ***7 August***, 1993.
* **Charms**: Tom was capable of producing a non-corporeal Patronus, a clear mark of superior magical ability as well as being able to cast simple charms like the Fire-Making Spell successfully.

## Etymology

Tom is Template:W of the name "Thomas" which means *infidel* or unfaithful. It was used as a formal male given name. It also means "twin".

## Behind the scenes

 File:TomLEGOHP1-4.png
* It is quite likely that ***J. K. Rowling*** intentionally gave him the same first name as Tom Riddle, as the fact was commented on by Albus Dumbledore. While it is unknown if Riddle ever met the Tom who managed the Leaky Cauldron, he was annoyed by being pointed out they had the same forename. Tom Riddle disliked the fact that "Tom" was a common men's name, being those of ***his father***, and ***his grandfather***, and desired to be known more independently.
* Tom was portrayed by ***Derek Deadman*** in Template:PS and by ***Jim Tavaré*** in Template:POA.
	+ The two known portrayals were quite different: In *Philosopher's Stone*, he is shown to work as the inn's barman and is straight-backed, but in *Prisoner of Azkaban*, he is clearly the innkeeper, as in the books, and appears to be a hunchback.
		- From the in-universe part of it, one can argue that they may simply be separate characters who happen to be namesakes.
	+ In Template:HBP, when the ***Death Eaters*** pass their way from the ***Leaky Cauldron*** to Diagon Alley to kidnap Garrick Ollivander, it is unknown if Tom or a different associate was at the Leaky Cauldron.
* ***Tom Wren***, the actor portraying Draco Malfoy in Template:CC, also portrayed Tom the barman of Leaky Cauldron, voicing him when the ***cast*** of Template:CC read aloud Template:PS together, organised by ***Bloomsbury Publishing*** for the ***2021*** ***Harry Potter Book Night***.
* Tom appears in the Game Boy and GBA versions of the video game adaptation of Template:COS. In the GBA version when Harry and Ron Weasley missed the train Harry asks him for any Floo Powder so he and Ron could get to the Burrow and take the car.
* In Template:LEGO:
	+ If one plays as Tom, and jumps while standing still, Tom will stumble upon landing and go forward several steps.
	+ Tom can be unlocked in the first level of Year 1. First, you have to have unlocked the Reductor Curse. Then, in Gringotts, after you unlock the doors in the mainroom, use *Reducto* on the chest on the right. The one on the left holds Mr Ollivander.

## Appearances

Template:Imagecat

* Template:PS Template:1st
* Template:POA
* Template:HBP Template:Possible
* Template:LEGO
* Template:LEGO
* Template:HPV Template:Mention
* Template:HM Template:Mention

Template:Leaky Cauldron Restaurant

## Notes and references

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Template:PS
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Template:HBP
3. ↑ Template:HBP
4. ↑ Template:HM
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:POA
6. ↑ Template:DH
7. ↑ DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY REUNITES AT QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP FINAL
8. ↑ Template:POA - Chapter 3 (*The Knight Bus*)
9. ↑ (see this video) Template:C
10. ↑ #HarryPotterBookNight has moved to 24th June (although if you have an event planned today then go for it, and have fun!). Ahead of that, here’s a sneak peek of the wonderful casts of the Cursed Child reading from the chapter ‘Diagon Alley’ (from Philosopher's Stone) - Template:Twitter