PA4: The Leaky Cauldron – Harry Potter Lexicon

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?"
-- Harry Potter

Harry enjoys his new-found freedom in Diagon Alley, purchases his school supplies, and meets with Hermione and Ron. Hermione buys Crookshanks after the cat goes after Ron’s pet Scabbers. Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry overhears Mr and Mrs Weasley talking about the danger he is in.

Calendar and Dates

Using the actual calendar for 1993 as a guide, we can date the events of this chapter as happening between August 7, when Harry arrives in Diagon Alley, and August 31st, when Harry meets Ron and Hermione there and Hermione buys Crookshanks.

Friday 6 August - Harry blows up his Aunt and runs away

Saturday 7 August - just after midnight, Harry arrives at the Leaky Cauldron

Week of August 15 - The new Firebolt goes on display in Quality Quidditch Supplies

Wednesday 25 August - The Weasleys return from their trip to Egypt

Tuesday 31 August - Harry meets Hermione and Ron in Diagon Alley. Hermione buys Crookshanks.

Wednesday 1 September - Hogwarts Express leaves King's Cross Station at 11 am.

Interesting facts and notes

Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he liked, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.

Harry's life takes an abrupt change here. From the horrible oppression of the Dursleys and Aunt Marge to almost complete freedom in one go. These are perhaps the happiest days of Harry's life. He doesn't have the understanding of the horrors of his past or the awareness of the darkness of his future to bother him. He will learn so much of this in the coming months. This is the last time we will see Harry as a carefree little boy.

He had never wanted anything so much in his whole life – but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already?

According to the sign describing the Firebolt, this broom "incorporates an unbreakable braking charm." Too bad the same charm was not on Harry's Nimbus 2000 (PA9).

The Irish International Quidditch Team ordered seven Firebolts for the up-coming Quidditch World Cup. The Irish are favourites for the 1994 World Cup tournament with these brooms, and they later win (GF8).

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand."

Ron's new wand is 14 inches long, willow, containing one tail-hair from a unicorn. The same as Cedric Diggory's wand (GF18). Could this be foreshadowing Ron's untimely death - only time will tell? (Note: This was written before the end of the series, when fans were latching on to any possible detail to figure out who might die before the end of the story. --SVA)

"An ordinary, common or garden rat like this can’t be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch.

Knowing the secret of Scabbers, how and when did Percy first receive Scabbers as his pet before Ron acquired him?

"He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?" said Hermione, glowing.

According to Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Crookshanks is part Kneazle. A Kneazle is "a small catlike creature with flecked speckled, or spotted fur, outsize ears, and a tail like a lion's, the Kneazle is intelligent, independent, and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they are lost." Does this suggest that in the future Crookshanks will save someone who is lost? (Another note written before the end of the series! --SVA)

"You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves – they’ve ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice!"

This is a mistake. Harry overhears Mr and Mrs Weasley discussing Sirius Black, and worrying about him and Ron. However, it was Harry, Hermione, Draco and Neville who had a detention in the Forbidden Forest (PS15). Ron did not go into the Forbidden Forest until his second year at Hogwarts when Harry and he went looking for Aragog (CS15). So, Ron has only been in the Forbidden Forest once at this point in the books. [In later editions the sentence was corrected to: "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves – they’ve even ended up in the Forbidden Forest!"]

Exceptional character moments

Ron, who is so happy to receive something brand-new for once (a wand) as, since money is tight in the Weasley household, everything he gets as the sixth son is usually hand-me-down or secondhand.

A wry comment coming from the Talking Mirror in the Leaky Cauldron, which tells Harry not to bother trying to keep his hair in order.

Florean Fortescue giving Harry free sundaes while doing his schoolwork outside the Ice-Cream Parlour - Fortescue likely knows the advertising value of having a celebrity sitting in front of his business.

Hermione, a Muggle-born, taking Muggle Studies because it would be "fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view".

Percy's pompous manner greeting Harry - and Fred & George going over the top imitating it.

Fred and George putting their impressive talent for magic into bewitching Percy's badge, so that instead of "Head Boy" it reads "Bighead Boy".