We still can’t believe it’s been 17 years since we got our first glimpse of Diagon Alley, the magical high street where even the most bored of shoppers would find things to excite and thrill them. It is a now iconic location, one synonymous with the Harry Potter franchise, and it appears in the majority of the movies throughout the series.
But what are the best things you can buy? From wands to ice cream, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top 10 things you can purchase from Diagon Alley — providing you don’t end up at Knockturn Alley instead, of course.
Wands
Let’s start with the obvious. While there are other wandmakers across the globe, Ollivander’s is regarded as the best in the business. It’s he who is responsible for helping witches and wizards choose their weapon of choice and his customer service must be absolutely bang on - because he remembers every single wand he’s ever sold.
Harry gets his Holly and Phoenix Feather wand from Ollivander, who informs him his weapon shares the same feather that resides in Lord Voldemort’s. Ron Weasley ends up taking a trip there after breaking his object in year two while Neville, in the books, gets rewarded for the heroism he displays during the showdown at the Ministry of Magic in the Order of the Phoenix.
Ice Cream
Just because wizards are able to perform magic doesn’t mean they’re not partial to a nice bit of food once in a while. And, when it comes to Ice Cream, Florean Fortescue is the man to go to.
When Harry finds himself staying at the Leaky Cauldron shortly after blowing up Aunt Marge in the Prisoner of Azkaban, he makes regular trips there. He’d sit for hours in the boiling heat sipping on ice cream with Fortescue taking a liking to him and allowing him to try the newest flavours he has to offer. Lucky for some…
Drinks
On the subject of the Leaky Cauldron, it’s certainly the go-to place when it comes to having a drink in the evening (or during the day, if you’re that way inclined). Hagrid is established to be a regular at the beginning of the Sorcerer’s Stone when Tom the Barman offers him ’the usual’ - but they do more than just serve drinks and food.
You can also stay there, which Harry does on the orders of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge after his attack on his aunt. He enjoys it for the most part but, in the movies, has a rather tense showdown with the Magical Book of Monsters, which tries to attack him. It makes a bit of a mess and we can’t imagine the staff were best impressed.
Pets
Moving on from food and drink, Diagon Alley is also an ideal place to buy a new pet. There’s the Magical Managerie, where Hermione Granger acquires Crookshanks shortly after the cat had nearly chewed Ron’s fingers off (and is also the setting for one of the scariest video game levels from the Chamber of Secrets).
You can get more than just a cat, however. Hagrid gifts Harry an owl as a birthday present while you can also purchase toads and rats. An owl is the best one to buy, though, due to the fact they carry your post and, like Hedwig, have genuine personalities inside them.
Books
At the start of every year, students attending Hogwarts are given a list of small supplies and books that they’ll need for the upcoming term. So that usually means a trip to Flourish and Blots, the sublime book store where they’re stacked high up to the ceiling and cover a range of subjects that might be of interest.
It features in the Chamber of Secrets movie when Harry and Lucius Malfoy square up - with Mr Weasley getting involved as well. The store is also where we get our first glimpse of Gilderoy Lockhart, who introduces himself in an extremely pompous manner and takes great delight in bringing Harry up for a photograph - taking against the youngster’s will.
Broomsticks
One of the biggest talking points within the magical world is the game of Quidditch, the sport that involves players using their broomsticks to score goals using a Quaffel and end the game by capturing the jittery Golden Snitch. And that means that there’s an entire store on Diagon Alley devoted to the game.
It’s here where Harry gets his first-ever glimpse of the Nimbus 2000, which is eventually acquired for him once he makes the Gryffindor team. A couple of years later he spends every day visiting the store lusting after the Firebolt, which ends up being purchased for him by Sirius Black to make up for years without a birthday present. We wonder now, all these years on, what the newest model is…
Robes
For the most part, witches and wizards like to wear robes that draw confused and indifferent reactions from their Muggle counterparts. The Weasleys are the exception to this, with most of the children usually donning Muggle attire instead. But the majority of people within the wizarding community much prefer to dress up.
Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions is never seen in the mvoies - but it is in the core material. Harry meets Draco Malfoy for the first time and, years later, encounters Narcissa Malfoy in there too. Their conversation is so intense that the Malfoys are actually asked to leave shortly afterwards.
Cauldrons
Severus Snape believes not everybody can appreciate the subtle art of potion-making. But many people appear willing to try with Diagon Alley home to shops where you can buy any Cauldron you so fancy.
There’s copper, newt, gold and much, much more. Spare a thought for poor Neville Longbottom’s family, who often have to buy replacements for ones he destroys while at Hogwarts. Cauldrons are vital when it comes to brewing a potion and Harry, Ron and Hermione create many during their time at the castle - usually breaking rules in the process.
Skiving Snackboxes
After being tested during their time at Hogwarts - much to the annoyance of Hermione Granger - Fred and George Weasley decide to release their Skiving Snackboxes to the world once they start up their own shop, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.
These are the sweets that allow you to make yourself ill whilst in class. All you need to do is eat one end of the sweet - which will make you puke, come out in a fever or even a nasty rash - before eating the other to make yourself better. We can’t help but feel we needed this sort of thing during our own school days…
Funny Gifts
Unrelated to the Skiving Snackboxes, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes is also the home to many gag presents designed to draw a laugh or a reaction from your fellow human being.
Whether it be extendable ears (which actually come in pretty handy for eavesdropping), Muggle magic tricks or even Peruvian Darkness Powder, Fred and George have you sorted. And we like to think the business would still be going strong today, even in a day and age where technology (yes, even Muggle technology) would threaten their business.
