Diagon Alley
*This post contains spoilers for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Harry Potter Series.
Chapter Summary:
Harry awoke the next day thinking that the events last night were just a dream. He was shocked to see an owl tapping on the window holding a newspaper. Hagrid instructed Harry to pay the owl for the delivery using the strange coins in Hagrid’s jacket pocket.
Seeing the coins made Harry realize that he didn’t have any money and was certainly not getting anything from the Dursely’s. Hagrid lets him know that his parents left him money in a place called Gringotts Wizards’ bank and that they would be heading there later that day. He also learns that the bank is run by goblins.
“Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe- ‘cept maybe Hogwarts.”
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
In fact, Dumbledore has asked Hagrid to gather something from Gringotts for him while they are there.
The two decide to head out and Harry notices that the only boat on shore is the one the Dursley’s took over. Hagrid admits that he flew onto the island but they better take the boat to avoid using any more magic than they have to.
Harry steers the conversation back to Gringotts.
“Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Hagrid explains that the bank has spells, enchantments and even dragons guarding the vaults.
They then get on the topic of the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid explains that Cornelius Fudge is the Minister of Magic but only because Dumbledore didn’t want the job. Apparently, Fudge frequently sends Dumbledore owls asking for advice. Still confused about what the Ministry actually does Hagrid explains that their main job is to keep magic a secret from Muggles. If the Muggles knew about magic then they would want to use their magic to solve all of their problems.
The topic of dragons is brought up again and Hagrid admits that he has always wanted a dragon.
Hagrid changes the subject to what Harry will need for school. Harry’s letter states that he will need:
UNIFORM
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloack (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
The two enter a pub called “The Leaky Cauldron” and immediately all eyes turned to them. The bar patrons all introduced themselves to Harry including Dedalus Diggle who Harry recognized from an earlier chapter. A pale young man came forward and introduced himself as Professor Quirrell who will be Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He stuttered a friendly hello to Harry. Hagrid explains once they are alone that Quirrell is always nervous.
“He was fine while he was studyin’ outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag- never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Hagrid led Harry to a back courtyard and taught Harry the pattern to tap on the wall creating an opening to Diagon Alley. Before him stood shops selling things he had never seen before and people dressed in unfamiliar clothing. He was overwhelmed by all the new sights to take in. He even hears someone talking about a broomstick called the Nimbus Two Thousand- saying it is the fastest one yet.
Finally, they reach their first stop, Gringotts. A large white building towering over the other shops and goblins guarding the door. They approach the desk and Hagrid produces the key to Harry’s vault. He also passes along a letter from Dumbledore saying they will also need to visit vault seven hundred and thirteen. The goblin at the desk summons another goblin named Griphook to escort them to their vaults.
Griphook took Hagrid and Harry to a small cart on a series of tracks and instructed the two to get in. The cart twisted and turned through the passageways seemingly on its own without steering. They stopped in front of Harry’s vault and he was shocked to see piles of coins. Hagrid went over the different coins and how many of each equalled one another.
“The gold ones are Galleons…Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
They then proceeded to vault seven hundred and thirteen. This vault had a different enchantment on it requiring Griphook to touch the door so it melted away. He explained to Harry that if anyone else touched it they would be sucked inside and they only check the vaults only about every decade. Inside the vault was a single small package that Hagrid picked up and put into his coat.
Once out of the depths of Gingotts, Hagrid leaves Harry to get his robes alone at Madam Malkin’s. There, another Hogwart’s student is already in the process of getting his robes fitted. The boy strikes up a conversation with Harry asking him questions that Harry can’t answer. Such as, if he plays Quidditch and what house he thinks he will be in at Hogwarts. The boy says that he will be in Slytherin and would be embarrassed to be in Hufflepuff. The boy then sees Hagrid outside holding ice cream for him and Harry. He immediately starts making fun of Hagrid’s appearance and position at Hogwarts. Harry tells him that Hagrid is with him as his parents are dead. The boy then asked if they were magical as he doesn’t believe that people with non magical parents should be let into the school. Before the conversation could go any further Harry was finished with his robes and headed out of the shop.
Back with Hagrid, Harry asks him about Quidditch
“It’s our sport. Wizard sport. It’s like-like soccer in the Muggle world… played up in the air on broomsticks and there’s four balls-sorta hard ter explain the rules.”
Harry Potter and the Socerer’s Stone
He then asks about Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Hagrid explains they are two of the four Hogwarts houses. People tend to think Hufflepuffs are a little soft but Slytherins have a bad reputation as most of the bad witches and wizards have come from that house. Even Voldemort was a member of Slytherin house.
Hagrid spent the rest of the day discouraging Harry from buying everything he sees including a solid gold cauldron. Harry was able to collect most of the things off his list. The last few things he needed was a wand and Hagrid wanted to buy him an owl as a birthday present. Harry picked out a snowy owl and could not stop thanking Hagrid. All that was left was his wand.
The place that everyone gets their wands from is Ollivanders. The shop was small with thousands of small boxes lining the walls.
“An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Ollivander comments on Harry’s eyes being his mothers and says he thought he’d be seeing him soon. He discusses his mother’s, father’s and even Voldemorte’s wand as he remembers every wand he ever sold. Turning to Hagrid, Ollivander talks about his wand but the unfortunate fact that they snapped it in half. Hagrid says he has the pieces still but assures Ollivander that he does not use them.
Oliivander measures Harry and explains that wand cores are made of various powerful magical items; unicorn hair, Phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two wands are the same and wizards won’t get the same results using someone elses wand. Harry tried a few wands but nothing seemed to fit. Ollivander gave Harry one last wand that produced the desired results.
“Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Ollivander then reveals that the phoenix whose feather is in the wand gave a feather to one other wand. That wand belonged to Voldemort. He expects great things from Harry as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did terrible but great things.
Harry and Hagrid finish up and head out of Diagon Alley. Harry expresses his concern as he doesn’t know anything about the magical world. He also knows that everyone will have questions about the night his parents died and he can’t give them any answers. Hagrid told him not to worry and that he will get the hang of everything in no time. He gives Harry his train ticket for September 1st and sends him back to the Dursleys.
*Spoiler reminder. If you do not want aspects of the Harry Potter series ruined for you, do not read below. Discussions about future stories and characters take place.
This is one of the longer chapters of the book. This is the first chapter where Harry is experiencing the magical world so a lot is revealed. Comparing this new information to the rest of the series is extensive. The following is not all encompassing but does go over quite a bit.
Wizard Money & Gringotts
Wizards use money made up entirely of coins without any paper money. There are Galleons, Sickles and Knuts.
Most witches and wizards store their money in the bank Gringotts as it is highly secure and very hard to break into. However, it is not impossible as Harry finds out later the vault Hagrid visited was broken into the same day they emptied it. Harry also will break into the bank himself in Deathly Hallows and survive to tell the tale. He will also find out that the dragons who are rumored to be guarding certain vaults are 100% real.
This whole system of banking seems very inefficient. As this does take place in the 90s it is understandable that most money is physical. However, this is one of the instances where the Muggle world seems more advanced than the magical world. By this time the Muggles have checks and credit cards. They are moving more towards a cashless system where the wizards seem to be set in this system. There are times where characters mention having something taken out of their account but it is not explained that well. It is possible that we only see how money is handled on a frequent basis with children and they have less resources on how to take out money or pay for items.
Dragons
One of the things that Harry is shocked to find out to be real is Dragons exist. Hagrid mentions that Dragons are rumored to be guarding the more ancient families vaults at the bank (and Harry will see these for himself in Deathly Hallows).
Harry will see a surprising amount of dragons over the series. Later, in Sorcerer’s Stone, Hagrid will fulfill his wish of having a dragon for a short time with Norbert. Harry will also have to get past the Hungarian Horntail in the first tast of the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire. And then of course using the dragon in Gringotts to escape in Deathly Hallows.
The Sorcerer’s Stone
The first time you read this chapter, you have no idea as to what was being kept in vault seven hundred and thirteen. It is of course the Sorcerer’s Stone, which Dumbledore has asked Hagrid to pick up while he is in Diagon Alley. I think it would be crazy for Hagrid to continue to carry around something so valuable for the rest of the day. Once, it is out of the vault anyone could easily steal it from him. We can only assume that when Hagrid stepped away from Harry saying he wasn’t feeling well from the cart ride, he was actually passing off the stone to Dumbledore or another trustworthy person. I don’t think he held onto it for much time at all.
Meeting Malfoy at Madam Malkin’s
This interaction with Draco Malfoy is meant to be a mirror image of the one that is had between the two in Half Blood Prince. Here Harry doesn’t even know his name but knows it is not someone he wants to be friends with. Their interaction during the sixth book is much more confrontational as they know who each other is and the history that has been built over the years is not good. Also, the power dynamic in this interaction lies with Draco as he is the one with all the information and therefore Harry sees him in that moment as a superior. Harry has no idea what he is even talking about when discussing the magical world. In book six, the power shifts to Harry as Draco’s father has just been arrested and his family name no longer holds any water.
Ministry of Magic
Hagrid over simplifies the job of the Ministry of Magic. He says that the majority of their job is to make sure Muggles don’t know about magic. While that is true, it does not fully encompass what they do. They are the government so they control laws and regulations. They do everything from regulating cauldron thicknesses to holding trials of Voldemort’s supporters for their war crimes.
The Ministry at times overreaches their power especially when it comes to attempting to punish Harry in the beginning of Order of the Phoenix.
There are also different governing bodies for different regions/countries. We get a small glimpse of this in Goblet of Fire when the different countries come together for the Quidditch World Cup as well as the Triwizard tournament. This is also explored more outside of the books but we will stick to what is strictly in the series.
The Leaky Cauldron & Diagon Alley
The Leaky Cauldron is an important place as it serves as the portal to Diagon Alley. We also learn that the bar has rooms for travelers in The Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry stays during the last weeks of the summer.
The bar is the first instance of something magical that Muggles cannot see. They walk by as if the building isn’t even there. Witches and Wizards can move freely between London shopping and the magical village without issue. I can only assume that Harry has run into other magical locations during his childhood that only he could see but he had no idea what he was looking at.
Harry seeing Diagon Alley for the first probably felt so strange but also familiar. He is finally seeing the world that he is meant to be a part of but was ripped away from at an early ago. Also, with the exception of the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry is able to navigate the streets with Hagrid without being recognized. This is the one and only time that Harry will not be constantly stared at by strangers. The entire magical world has been speculating about him for years but won’t know he is back in the fold until he goes to Hogwarts and students report back to their parents.
Character Introductions
I did leave Draco Malfoy off of this list as he and Harry never actually learn each other’s names. Also, an honorable mention to Newt Scamander for being mentioned but he is never introduced as a character in the book series.
Bathilda Bagshot
While only mentioned as the author of A History of Magic, Bathilda Bagshot ends up being a very important part of The Deathly Hallows. Harry will technically never meet her but the information she gives Rita Skeeter for her book and the events that take place in her house are pivotal to Harry’s journey.
Professor Quirrell
The first of many Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors that Harry will be taught by. Quirrell appears to be a soft spoken person who is afraid of his own shadow. Turns out he should be afraid of his own shadow because it is also the shadow of Voldemort.
There’s no way that this run in with Harry was coincidence. Somehow, Quirrell knew he would be shopping that day and set up a way to introduce himself. Voldemort must have been elated watching all this knowing that he would be able to face him soon.
Griphook
Griphook is another instance of someone that Harry won’t really interact with again until they become very important in the last book. Harry doesn’t know it yet but Griphook is going to help and betray Harry greatly. On the flip side, Griphook is meeting not only the boy who lived but one of the people that is going to save him from Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Hedwig
The owl that Hagrid buys Harry for his birthday will be named Hedwig shortly after this chapter. Hedwig will be Harry’s companion throughout the books until her tragic end. She is also important because she serves as Harry’s way of communicating with the magical world.
Ollivander
Ollivander is this mythical man who understands the bond between wands and wizards more than anyone else. Almost all the characters in the series remember when they were eleven and Ollivander helped them find their wand. This makes him extremely valuable to some very bad people later in the series.
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