Hogwarts | King's Cross Station | Diagon Alley | Hogsmeade

The Hut on the Rock

Hogwarts

The Gryffindor Common Room
Outside the haven of Gryffindor students is the portrait of the beloved Fat Lady. Give her the password and she will allow you entrance. Inside the Gryffindor Common Room are many comfy, cozy, squishy and squashy armchairs. Scattered are some tables that hold the spell books of tired and stressed students. Two staircases go separate ways, one to the girls' dormitory, and one to the boys'. But they all unite every once in a while for a good party hosted with snacks from Fred and George Weasley.

The Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin Common Room is underground, quite different from Gryffindor Tower. Lamps hang by chains from the rough ceiling, and add a greenish tinge to the room. Though the place is undoubtedly dark and rather gloomy, an elaborately carved mantelpiece hangs above a noisy but splendidly warm fire. And don't forget the stylish chairs that have oversized backs, to hide the Slytherin's cunning head.

Professor McGonagoll's office/classroom
Known to be one of Hogwarts' strictest teachers, Professor McGonagoll is not someone to cross. She can change her furniture into farm animals. And if that doesn't shock you, you should see what she gives to students when they are in trouble. You shouldn't be late to her class, or else she might turn you into a pocket watch. So I suggest you take a seat in one of the many tables and pay rapt attention to her teachings of Transfiguration, sometimes shown on the drawing board.

The Dungeon (Snape's Classroom)
Almost every Hogwarts student dreads the dank, smelly classroom of Professor Severus Snape, but potions are required of every Hogwarts student below sixth year. So it is obviously very important to try and ignore the pickled animals floating in glass jars around you. It is very cold, and all around the classroom, in the various cabinets and jars are stored precious ingredients to make the most difficult potions, and various magical substances are also found here. The floor, which is made of stone, often falls victim to a cauldron spilling, and occasionally, a student can even escape the watchful eyes of the professor when this happens. Perhaps even long enough to make a quick dash to the cabinet to grab some shredded skin of boomslang.

Dumbedore's Office
The Headmaster's office is truly a safe and marvelous place to be. There you can find portraits of the former headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, all probably snoozing away as soon as your muggle feet step inside the large, circular room. A number of amazing silver wizard instruments stand on long, narrow tables, and all work to perfection. Fawkes, the headmaster's pet Phoenix should be there staring at you curiously, and the Sorting Hat might even say, 'Hello!' If you really want to be daring, you might want to find the Pensieve in a drawer, but it would suit you well to stay put, and wait for the headmaster to return from his duties, and to sit in his high chair as the supreme learned one of Hogwarts.

Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom
Moaning Myrtle's bathroom is deserted, and gloomy. There is one large, cracked mirror above a row of chipped sinks. The floor is usually wet, due to the fact that Myrtle likes to flood her toilet, of which she rarely comes out of. There are stubby candles which burn faintly; probably the only source of light. The doors to the stalls are torn and flaky, and Myrtle's constant moping keeps almost everybody away from this haunted, depressing bathroom.

Hagrid's Hut
The jolly half-giant, gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Teacher, lives in a small hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Inside is only one room, with a large bed in the corner. Game and fowl hang from the ceiling, and there is no stove, just an open fire. Undoubtedly, there are many cabinets that contain kettles, cooking pots and large tea mugs, some of which have held a rat in the past.

The Great Hall
The Great Hall of Hogwarts is where Hogwart's hungry students come to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many great feasts are also held here, like the Halloween feast, the Christmas feast, and the end of the year feast. For each feast, the decorations are changed, but remain extravagant. Still, the five long tables remain, for placed vertically, one placed horizontally. And don't forget, the ceiling depicts the weather outside.

The Hogwarts Quidditch Field
This is where every student at Hogwarts wants to be. Some are just happy to be sitting in the raised seats, but some dream of flying around on the field, playing the glorious game of Quidditch. On either edge of the field are three fifty feet high hoops.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts Room
Here, is Hogwarts most renowned class. The job, rumored to be jinxed, has head a new teacher every school year. The first year, when Professor Quirrel taught this class, you might have come out smelling strongly of garlic. When Gilderoy Lockhart took up the job, you would have learned about how he banished a banshee, or some equally heroic feat. The walls were covered with his pictures. When Professor Lupin taught, the classroom was filled with excitement, possibly about the fact that they were actually going to learn something, or because there was a terrifying monster at the front of the room. And 'Alastor Moody' also taught, and then, the room was filled with dark arts detectors. But, the room got the biggest makeover when Dolores Jane Umbdrige came to Hogwarts. The room was astonishingly pretty in pink.

The Forbidden Forest
All Hogwarts students are never allowed access to the Forbidden Forest, though some rule-breaking ones always find their way in. The Forbidden Forest takes up a good part of the Hogwarts' grounds, and it's filled with all sorts of horribly shaped trees that are large in size. Among the numerous magical creatures in the forest are centaurs, giant spiders, and even werewolves! Occasionally, you might come across something that resembles an oversized troll, but it's only a runty giant. However, there are also gentle and pure creatures such as the unicorn. As tempted as you might be to go and see the wonderfully white unicorns, it's best to stay out of the Forbidden Forest.

The Prefect's Bathroom 
You might think it terribly boring to be a prefect of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but you might change your mind if you could only see the bathroom of the prestigious prefects. There is a swimming pool in the middle of the bathroom, which is made of white marble as is the rest of the bathroom. It is lit by a wonderfully beautiful candle-lit chandelier. Around the pool's edges are many golden-colored taps with a brilliantly colored jewel inset into the tap. The taps supply different kinds of bubble-bath. There's even a diving board beside the swimming pool. You'll find towels to be in stock, but privacy might be a little harder to fetch, although no one will watch from the windows. If you're a rather good-looking young man, you might find Moaning Myrtle watching you, or the beautiful blonde mermaid flirting with you.
 

King's Cross Station- Platform 9 and 3/4
Many young wizards, such as the famous Harry Potter, eagerly await the trip to Hogwarts from Platform 9 3/4. In order to do that though, they must go to King's Cross Station in London, by way of muggle transportation since it is a muggle train station. Between Platforms 9 and 10, there is a barrier. To any muggle this wall seems perfectly solid. But to Hogwarts students; however, it is the gateway to getting away from home and getting to Hogwarts. Through the barrier one goes, and then they find themselves among a horde of students, all saying goodbye to parents. Such is the bitter sweetness of platform 9 '.

The Hogwarts Express
The brilliant red train is one of the many treasured ways of transportation for Harry Potter. He can fly on his broomstick, travel by Floo Powder, get hurled by a portkey or nearly fall out of a flying Ford Anglia. In any which way, young Harry enjoys traveling on the steam engine the most. Mainly Hogwarts students ride it, as the only three adults ever to be reported on board are the food lady, the Hogwarts Express conductor and former Professor Remus J. Lupin. There have also been reports of missing toads, biting rats, and scary dementors on the wonderfully huge train.

Diagon Alley

Flourish and Blott's Wizard Bookshop
In Diagon Alley lies Flourish and Blott's, the wizard bookshop. They carry every kind of wizard book, autobiographies, and history books, spell books, etc. Hogwarts students come here to buy their books before the start of term. Often, famous authors can be found here amidst the endless number of fans vying for their autograph.

Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions
Another shop in Diagon Alley, Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions makes good business come start of Hogwarts term. Sometime Madam Malkin herself will assist you. In any case, she and her employees make beautiful robes for all occasions, and for nice prices too.

Ollivander's Wand Shop
Every wizard or witch needs a wand. And no one sells finer wands in Diagon Alley then Ollivanders, in business since 382 B.C. The place is dusty and quiet, but that shouldn't ruin its reputation. Ollivander's has sold wands to famous and powerful wizards, such as Lily and James Potter, Harry Potter and even He-who-must-not-be-named. The wands comes in a narrow box, and there are seemingly thousands of wands, piled high to the ceiling. A very lovely selection of wands indeed, but you must remember: The wand chooses the wizard.

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor
In Diagon Alley, you can find this ice cream parlor. Any kind of ice cream is sold here, ranging from sundaes to double-scoops. All are sold by the magical and knowledgeable Florean Fortescue.

The Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron is a dark but cheery wizard pub and inn. Wizards can find refuge from curious muggle eyes in this comfy place. The Leaky Cauldron's owner and innkeeper, known as 'Tom,' will be happy to assist you. In the back area, if a wizard takes out his or her wand, and taps the third brick from the left above the trash bin the wall turns into an archway that leads into Diagon Alley. So, the Leaky Cauldron is the haven for wizards and witches. Muggles can walk right by without even noticing.

Knockturn Alley

Knockturn Alley is a side street running off the more respectable Diagon Alley. The street, which is devoted to the Dark Arts, is somewhat of a hang out for witches and wizards with more nefarious dispositions. The name Knockturn Alley is actually a play on words of nocturnally, and, like Diagon Alley, it is accessible only by magical means.

There are a number of dodgy shops located along the street, but the only one specifically mentioned in the books is Borgin and Burkes- a store which specializes in dark collectables, poisons, and other paraphernalia. Other shops along the alley are known to sell items such as shrunken heads, gigantic black spiders, poisonous candles, human fingernails, and flesh-eating slug repellent.

Hogsmeade

The Hog's Head
Located in Hogsmeade, this smelly, and rather dirty pub, gives off the impression of having never been cleaned. Hermione Granger would describe it as "dodgy" and "a place where I don't think we'll be heard." Since the windows are incapable of supplying light, the tables (which are rough and wooden) are lit by the stubs of candles. Everything is unpleasantly dusty, from the floors to the windows and even the butterbeer bottles.

Honeydukes
Under the magnificent sweet shop of the all wizarding city of Hogsmeade runs a secret passageway. When you go through it, you will be extremely relieved to find yourself at the trapdoor that leads into the cellar of Honeydukes. Eager as your stomach may be to consume all the delicious sweets inside Honeydukes, you need to be careful because a rather rotund man often comes up to get more crates of various candies. Or, you can be like a normal witch or wizard and come through the front door.

The Three Broomsticks
The Three Broomsticks is a magical saloon where almost any kind of drink is served. Students and Professors of Howgarts love to come in on chilly days for a wonderfully warm drink. It's usually quite crowded, and is generally not a good place to hold secret meetings (for students, that is). But the professors can get a nice private chat what with all the hubbub between students over chocolate frog cards.

Zonko's Joke Shop
Here is where students go to fill their pockets with little toys to cause havoc. Dungbombs, Hiccup Sweets, Frog-spawn Soap, Nose biting teacups, and other hoodlum accessories are sold here. Fred and George Weasley, along with Lee Jordan, practically pick the store clean. Though I'm sure they aren't the first. The Marauders were the first of their kind.

The Shrieking Shack
The Shrieking Shack scares the creeps out of little children who hear about it. It is the most haunted location in Britain, and adolescents enjoy teasing each other about the violent spirits who allegedly reside there. But, the Shrieking Shack no longer shrieks or shakes with horrifying noises. In fact, it has remained silent for years. Under the Whomping Willow, there is a secret passage that leads to the inside of the Shrieking Shack. The interior of this foreboding little shack is perhaps like any other house inhabited by a werewolf. The curtains are torn, it's awfully dust, and the bed is a mother's worst nightmare. Back in the day, a werewolf (young Remus Lupin) used to come in there and destruct the place after he transformed from a person to a werewolf. After that, three other rowdy boys would come in after him and they would have the time of their life. They were known as the Marauders: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

 

Azkaban Prison

The infamous Azkaban Fortress is one of the most well-known and most feared places in the wizarding world. Dwelling in the uninvitingly cold and distant waters above the North Sea, the dreary island fortress exists as a prison for those accused of the most heinous of magical crimes. Those unfortunate enough to call its stony walls home suffer a bleak and comfortless existence as every ounce of peace, every measure of joy and happiness is slowly and completely drained from their being by the notorious Azkaban guards, the dementors. Feeding on happiness and relishing in despair, the dementors gradually subdue their prisoners into such a state of hopelessness that most prisoners, captive to their own misery, no longer have any desire or motivation to do anything but die. The popular alternative is to be driven to insanity. The stony walls of the immense pillar tower into the sky, its black cliffs dwarf the crashing waters below; the Azkaban fortress affords no thoughts of escape to a wizard hundreds of miles from land without magic, without means, and without hope.

The responsibility of maintaining and managing the prison falls to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who until the escape of Sirius Black in 1993 had no known break outs. Many subsequent ‘escapes’ occurred in the following years as the return of Voldemort marked a change in the dementor’s loyalties. After the dementors abandon their posts at the prison, the job of maintaining order within the walls of the prison falls to Aurors.

There are a variety of crimes one can commit to be sent to Azkaban, all with concordant punishments ranging from a few weeks or months within the fortress up to a lifetime sentence, or in the most extreme cases, the dementor’s kiss. It would appear that there are no other wizard prisons within the United Kingdom so any crime will allot at least some time within the walls of the dreaded prison; a definite deterrent.

 

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Le Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons, better known to English-speaking readers as Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, is a palatial school of wizardry thought to be located somewhere along the Mediterranean coast in the South of France. Beauxbatons, along with Hogwarts and Durmstrang, is one of the three largest schools of wizardry in Europe, and in the spirit of competition conceals its exact location as not to divulge its secrets. The school was established at least 700 years ago and places a great deal of emphasis on students’ studies and etiquette; a convention typical of most formal French schooling. Students at Beauxbatons are expected to rise when their headmistress enters the room, they wait until after the sixth year of schooling before taking their major exams, and they seem to have a natural bond with Ravenclaw.

The Palace of Beauxbatons and its amenities are, in its students’ opinion, far superior than those of the drafty Hogwarts Castle. The Academy is described as a stunning palace marked by its exquisite cuisine which the students dine on while being serenaded by choirs of wood nymphs, great halls lavishly decorated with beautiful ice-sculptures that glitter like diamonds during the Christmas season, and a warm Mediterranean climate which favors the students’ silky light-blue robes.

Consistent with the school’s elegant and cultured demeanor, the name Beauxbatons actually translates to “Beautiful Sticks” or “Beautiful Wands”. The school’s coat of arms, a pair of golden wands crossed over one another, each emitting three stars, is present on the door of the powder-blue palomino-drawn carriage in which the Beauxbatons arrive at Hogwarts. The headmistress during the 1994-1995 school, during which the delegation from Beauxbatons stays at Hogwarts, is Madam Olympe Maxime- a half human half giantess.

 

Durmstrang Institute

The Durmstrang Institute is a school wizardry thought to be located northern Europe. Like Beauxbatons the school’s location is kept secret as not to reveal its secrets, and like Hogwarts the school is housed in a castle. Durmstrang castle is, however, smaller and less impressive than Hogwarts. Unlike the Beauxbatons students, the delegates from Durmstrang are very impressed with the amenities at Hogwarts including its golden tableware, enchanted ceilings, and fire places which stay lit year-round. The Durmstrang school grounds do occupy far more land than Hogwarts, however. The school, which is at least 700 years old, is set amidst many mountains and lakes, all of which apparently belong to the school.

Durmstrang and its students have the distinct (and sometimes unfair) reputation of being bigoted and untrustworthy. The school, which is said to only admit pure-bloods, puts a heavy emphasis on the Dark-Arts- not only teaching defense against them, but also how to perform them. Harry is warned more then once to watch his back when Durmstrang students are around. This warning seems, however, to be a bit excessive, as the Durmstrang students exhibit none of the devious qualities they are said to posses. Nevertheless, the Durmstrang students do appear to have a natural affinity with the Slytherin House.

During the 1994-1995 school year Durmstrang sends a delegation of potential contestants (via a ship that travels underwater) to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Hogwarts. The student’s uniforms consist of deep blood-red robes concealed under heavy fur cloaks; a fitting uniform as during the winter the school enjoys little daylight, and fireplaces are lit only for magical purposes. Their headmaster, the former Death Eater Igor Karkaroff, clothes himself in a sleek silver-colored robe. The Durmstrang students have a real “no nonsense” attitude towards the competition. They are the first to put their names into the Goblet of Fire, and when Harry’s name comes up, suspecting fowl play, they immediately threaten to leave.

 

Budleigh Babberton

Budleigh Babberton is a small muggle village most-likely located in Devon, England. The “charming” (Dumbledore’s words) town features a village square containing an old war memorial surrounded by a few benches, a deserted inn, and a church clock-tower which chimes on the hour.  A dark swirling mist fills the town’s steep, narrow streets providing an odd chill like that which occurs when dementors are near.

Dumbledore brings Harry to the town of Budleigh Babberton on an attempt to persuade Horace Slughorn to come out of retirement. The house in which Slughorn is staying is one in a series of homes lining a narrow street. The small stone home sits in a gated garden with a neat garden path leading to the door of the house. When Dumbledore and Harry arrive, the interior of the house is in shambles; furniture lies cracked and splintered across the floor, cushions and their feathers are scattered throughout the room, shattered glass and china are thrown everywhere, and blood is splattered on the walls. Dumbledore exposes Slughorn who has apparently turned himself into a large arm-chair. Slughorn actually made the mess on purpose in an attempt to convince Dumbledore he had been attacked and captured by Death Eaters. Slughorn doesn’t actually live in the house, he is merely staying there while its owners are vacationing in the Canary Islands; he used a freezing charm to disable the security system. The interior of the house is really quite nice after Slughorn and Dumbledore, with a flick of their wands, put it back right. After a few words alone with Harry something about him convinces Slughorn to come out of retirement…just as Dumbledore planned.

 

Gaunt Gottage

Through a series of lessons with the Pensieve Harry and Dumbledore travel to the Gaunt Cottage multiple times learning of Voldemort’s lineage and how he came to possess the black-stone ring which would later become a Horcrux hidden within the cottage.

In the first of their special lessons, Harry and Dumbledore use a Pensieve to exam the memory of a man named Bob Ogden that took place quite a few years earlier. Their delve into the Pensieve leaves them about a mile outside of Little Hangleton, a small town in England. They follow the main road towards Little Hangleton until they turn off unto a narrow dirt road just outside the town. The rocky path leads them down a small hill until they reach a small derelict cottage uncomfortably fit between a patch of large dark tress; it belongs to Marvolo Gaunt.

Marvolo Gaunt lives in the cottage with his son, Ogden, and daughter, Merope. The cottage has clearly seen better days. The walls are covered with moss, the shingles are missing in so many places that the rafters are exposed, the landscape is covered with nettles, the windows are covered with grime, and a life-less snake is nailed to the door.

 

Godric's Hollow

Godric’s Hollow is a muggle village thought to be located in Wales. Lily and James Potter lived in hiding in the small village until their untimely death at the hand of Lord Voldemort. On October 31, 1981, at the height of his power, Lord Voldemort travels to the village seeking to kill the young Harry Potter. Lily and James are both killed while trying to protect their son, Harry; however, when Lily dies she leaves a protection of ancient magic on Harry. When Voldemort attempts to kill Harry the protection left by Lily causes the curse to backfire and Voldemort is killed instead; the house is completely destroyed.

There is a lot of mystery that surrounds the small town and the events that unfolded that night. It is unclear whether Voldemort went to the Potters’ alone, it is unclear whether the village’s name sake has anything to do with the famous wizard Godric Gryffindor, and it is unclear if the Potters actually lived in the village before they went into hiding; the fact that their graves reside in the village would suggest they had some strong connection to the town.

The Smith Home

The Smith home belongs to the very old and very rich witch by the name of Hepzibah Smith. Harry and Dumbledore travel to the home via a memory extracted from Hokey. In the memory Mrs. Smith reveals to a pre-Voldemort Tom Riddle that she possesses two priceless artifacts- a goblet that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, and a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin.

Mrs. Smith, who lives alone in the house with Hokey, her elderly house-elf, doesn’t seem to know the meaning of discretion. She cakes her face with large amounts of make-up, indulges herself with various cakes and pastries, and the house, which looks something like an antique shop meets conservatory, is overflowing with collectibles.  There are a number of gold-embossed books, shelves filled with orbs and celestial globes, and so many cabinets, cases, and flourishing potted plants that it’s difficult to see how anyone could successfully navigate through the clutter.

 

Malfoy Manor

Located in Wiltshire, England, the Malfoy Mansion belongs to one of the oldest and most affluent of wizarding families in Britain: the Malfoys. With their imposing posh life-style and their obvious sense of supremacy, the manor is no doubt a lavishly decorated testament to the superiority of the family. The Malfoys also possess a certain attraction to the dark arts. For a long time a secret collection of dark artifacts was hidden within the house under the drawing room floor; however, after a series of searches by the ministry the items were eventually discovered and confiscated.

 

The Orphange

Just hours before giving birth to her son a dying and laboring Merope Gaunt staggered into a London orphanage. She gave birth within the hour, and made only two requests to the staff. One, that her son be given the name “Tom” after his father, and two that he be given the middle name “Marvolo” after her father. She died shortly after.

A rather grim and square building fronted by a bare courtyard, this orphanage, which is described as shabby yet spotlessly clean, is where Tom Marvolo Riddle spent the better part of his childhood. Though all the orphans were well cared for it was definitely a grim place to grow up. The rooms are bare, the blankets are thin, and everything seems to come in a shade of black, white or grey.

Dumbledore visits the orphanage in 1938 to offer the then eleven year old Tom Marvolo Riddle a place at Hogwarts. According to Mrs. Cole, the sharp head of staff at the orphanage, Tom was never very well liked by the other children at the orphanage; strange, inexplicable things seemed to happen around him. When he meets Dumbledore, who informs him he is a wizard, Tom admits that he has used his powers to manipulate and sometimes harm others. Dumbledore informs Tom that if he decides to attend Hogwarts such behavior will not be tolerated. It is with an uneasy intrigue towards Tom that Dumbledore leaves the orphanage.

 

Spinner's End

In the grim industrial area of an outmoded muggle town rows and rows of dilapidated brick houses line a series of cobbled streets. The foul smell of a nearby soiled river fills the air through the dimly-lit streets as the dark silhouette of an old abandoned mill towers over the bleak neighborhood serving as a reminder of its prior prosperity. Within this labyrinth of streets lies Spinner’s End, at the end of which the home of Severus Snape is located

            Snape’s home opens directly into a tiny sitting-room which has the off-putting feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls are “completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table [stand] grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp [hanging] from the ceiling.” There are at least two hidden rooms within the house, one of which Wormtail seems to live in, and the whole place has an eerie feeling of neglect to it.

Narcissa and Bellatrix travel to the house as Narcissa wishes to seek Snape’s help in making sure no harm comes to her son Draco while he’s performing the task given to him by Voldemort. The meeting ends with Snape making an unbreakable vow to Narcissa that he will do all he can to ensure Draco’s success.

 

The Cave

Most-likely located in Britain, the cave refers to the seaside cavern Voldemort “explored” as a child at the orphanage and took fellow orphans Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop to to torment them; it would later become the resting place of the locket Horcrux. The cave’s location makes it near impossible to reach without magical means. Located on a towering cliff, the crashing waters below make it too dangerous to access by boat and the steep rocky drops make belaying an option for only the most skilled of rock-climbers. Once Voldemort places his Horcrux inside he also places a series of impediments and magical barriers in the way to prevent intruders from gaining access to the Horcrux.

            Upon approaching the cave Dumbledore immediately senses that the cave has “known magic”. The entrance to the cave is marked by blood-offering required for the door to open. The inside of the cave consists of a giant inferi-infested lake in the middle of which lies an island with an emerald-green glowing basin. A small boat is hidden just beneath the surface of the unnaturally placid waters and it must be summoned by magical means. The boat, which is enchanted to only let one wizard ride at a time, acts as a ferry to the small island located in the center of the lake. The basin on the island is filled with a mind-altering potion that can not be touched, transfigured, or charmed, only drank. After drinker has drunk the potion the drinker becomes extremely weak and thirsty; however, water can not be conjured on the island so water must be taken from the surrounding lake which causes the inferi to animate and attack

 

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