Harry Potter is a series widely beloved for the amazing magical universe it has created. This stellar series is still fresh in the minds of fans to this day. The franchise has mainly been strengthened by a lineup of excellent movies and books. If Hogwarts Legacy lives up to the hype, then the video game industry is another aspect that Harry Potter has absolutely excelled in.
There are several mainstays in the series that have become quite legendary in their own right. The magical location of Diagon Alley is one such area that fans absolutely adore. This alley has been featured several times in the movies, although this medium has taken some liberties with the area when compared to its book counterpart. Keeping this in mind, here are some unique facts about Diagon Alley that movie fans might not be aware of.
7 Harry Went Through A Massive Lineup Of Wands At Ollivanders
In the movies, Harry messed up Ollivanders by selecting only two wands, before getting a third one made of holly and phoenix feather. The film moves on to other events... but the sequence in Ollivanders was actually pretty long in the book.
Harry went through boxes of wands before Ollivander finally handed him the wand that would become associated with the legend of The Boy Who Lived. The effects of each wand that rejected him varied greatly, and made for a fun time to read through in the books.
6 Harry Actually Went To Diagon Alley In His Third Year To Stock Up For Hogwarts
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Cornelius Fudge makes a big show of accommodating Harry and buying his books for him as well. The audience finds out later that the Ministry of Magic's generosity was actually meant to serve as a way of protecting Harry and keeping an eye on him, in case Sirius ever tried to contact him.
However, in the books, Harry never got his books from Fudge. He actually shopped for everything he needed himself... although the movie's change makes a lot of sense since it would protect Harry from having to expose himself to buy his textbooks.
5 He Stayed Near The Alley For Many Weeks
The Leaky Cauldron is a popular pub near Diagon Alley. In the third book, Harry actually stayed here for a few weeks along with Hermione and the Weasleys. Again, this accommodation was made by the Ministry of Magic to keep a tab on The Boy Who Lived and his renegade godfather.
He spent a large amount of time doing his homework out in the open, looking at the wealth of magicians who made their way to the alley, and eating a ton of ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour — a store that was completely omitted in the films. It was a pretty fun time for a boy who was still in awe of the wizarding world and all its caveats.
4 He Saw The Firebolt For The First Time In This Location
The Firebolt is one of the fastest broomsticks in the world of Harry Potter. The movie showed this broom for the first time when Sirius gifted it to him at the finale. However, in the book, the Firebolt makes its appearance way before that.
During his stay in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry actually passed by the store Quality Quidditch Supplies — a place that is barely shown in the movies — to admire the Firebolt several times. As a side note, Harry also receives this broom in the middle of the book instead, after his old Nimbus 2000 breaks. This allows him to play the rest of the season with a better broomstick that lets him catch the Snitch with ease over and over again.
3 Hermione Bought Crookshanks From A Store In Diagon Alley
In the third movie, Crookshanks is introduced in the train ride where the dynamic trio is seen together for the first time. However, as discussed before, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already been together since their extended stay at the Leaky Cauldron.
It's during this time that the reader finds out about Hermione going to the Magical Menagerie to buy Crookshanks. Interestingly enough, Ron opposed this purchase from the very beginning, setting the tone for the many arguments that these two would have about their pets.
2 Diagon Alley Lost All Its Charm After Voldemort Came Back
The return of the Dark Lord was a terrifying time in the world of Harry Potter. Wizards and witches were afraid of roaming around in public places, leading to Diagon Alley having little to no footfall during this dark time.
The once-vibrant area had also undergone a radical transformation, with the faces of wanted Death Eaters being plastered all over Diagon Alley. To hit the nail in this coffin, a lot of great stores had also shut down during this time, leading to the alley being a shell of its former self.
1 Stores Devoted To The Dark Arts Popped Up During This Time
After Voldemort and the Death Eaters took over the Ministry, Diagon Alley went through a radical change. New stores cropped up in this location with vendors dealing in the Dark Arts.
These moments of sheer and utter chaos are what almost destroyed the allure of Diagon Alley. Thankfully, Harry Potter managed to defeat the Dark Lord, and everything was back to normal once again.