AZKABAN, a prison in Great Britain exclusively for wizards and witches. Located on a tiny island out to sea, escapes are largely deterred by the guards of Azkaban, dark creatures called dementors. Though blind, they possess the ability to drain the peace, hope, and happiness from a victim, leaving only the worst and most painful memories. Most prisoners go mad within weeks and die in a few years. In the unlikely event of an escape, the dementors are sanctioned to use their "Kiss" on the convict. Beneath their black robes, dementors have blank faces with a large, gaping mouth. A dementor's Kiss drains the soul from their victim. Only two prisoners have ever escaped from the prison: Sirius Black and Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch was later apprehended and the Kiss administered; Black remains at large.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, London, 1999; J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)

BEAUXBATONS, an academy of magic, somewhere in France. The coat of arms portrays two crossed golden wands, each emitting three stars; the school uniforms are blue silk robes. The academy currently exists under the administration of Madame Maxime, a half-giantess. As one of the three largest European wizardry schools, Beauxbatons is a regular participant in the Triwizard Tournament.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)

the BURROW, a residence just outside the village of Ottery St. Catchpole in Great Britain. The building resembles a large stone pigpen with a red roof. Extra rooms and chimneys were added at various points, resulting in a crooked structure presumably held upright through magical means.

The Barrow is home to Arthur and Molly Weasley with five of their seven children. Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. The family does not have a great deal of money and hand-me-downs are common between siblings. The Weasleys are a friendly and genial lot, liked and respected by most in the wizarding community. Their three eldest sons have already graduated HOGWARTS and two of them currently live abroad. Of those still at school, Ronald Weasley lives in a small room at the very top of the house decorated in the bright colors of his favorite Quidditch team, while small explosions from the room of Fred and George Weasley are considered normal. Other inhabitants of the property include three owls, gnomes in the garden, and a ghoul in the attic who drools and howls when things get too quiet.

None of the clocks in the house actually tell time, a wall clock in the kitchen displaying phrases like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. The grandfather clock in the living room has nine hands, each engraved with the name of a family member. Instead of numbers the clock has brief descriptions of where each person might be, such as home, school, work, traveling, or mortal peril.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, London 1999; J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)

DIAGON ALLEY, a magical street in London. Diagon Alley is reached by entering the Leaky Cauldron, a small pub situated between a record shop and large bookshop. Its facade is invisible to muggles (non-wizarding people). The proprietor is known as Tom. The Leaky Cauldron serves food and drink to a wide variety of magical folk and can also accomodate a number of guests in its upstairs rooms. Toward the back of the ground floor is a small walled courtyard. Tapping a brick three up and two across on the opposite wall opens up an archway to Diagon Alley. The alley can also be accessed via apparation or Floo Powder.

Diagon Alley is home to a great number of wizarding establishments, including the Apothecary, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, bookseller Flourish and Blotts, fine wand shop Ollivanders, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Eeylops Owl Emporium, and the creature shop Magical Menagerie.

A visitor who takes a wrong turn may wander onto Knockturn Alley, a dingy alleyway made up of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. The largest of these is Borgin and Burkes.

A large white building towering over the main street houses the bank Gringotts, run by goblins. The front doors are burnished bronze, followed by a pair of silver doors bearing the inscription:

Beyond the doors is a vast marble hall, lined with long counters staffed by goblins seated on stools. Beyond them are countless doors leading into the vaults. The vaults are reached by small carts on railway tracks, traveling at high speed hundreds of miles beneath London. It is almost impossible to trace the path of each cart, which guides itself. A visitor may occasionally glance an underground lake or perhaps even the dragons who guard the high-security vaults.

Most vaults unlock with a key, though others can only be accessed by goblins. All others who try may find themselves locked inside the vault they were hoping to rob. The vaults are checked for unfortunate thieves once every ten years.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, London 1997; J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, London 1999; J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, London 1999)

DURMSTRANG, a school for wizardry, located somewhere in the far north. In winter the days are short, but during the summer the students enjoy flying over lakes and mountains. The school building itself has four floors, and fires are lit only for magical purposes, necessitating fur trim on the school's blood red uniforms. The current administrator is Professor Karkaroff, and the curriculum places a strong emphasis on the Dark Arts. As one of the three largest European wizardry schools, Durmstrang is a regular participant in the Triwizard Tournament.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)

HOGSMEADE, the only entirely all-wizard settlement in Britain. Located near the HOGWARTS School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the shops of Hogsmeade enjoy booming business on weekends when students in their third year are allowed free rein in the town. Popular locales include the Honeydukes sweetshop, where delicacies such as Pepper Imps, sugar quills, acid pops, and Cockroach Clusters can be bought; the wizarding equipment shop Dervish and Banges; Zonko's Joke Shop; and Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta runs this fine establishment, and visitors should be sure to sample the house specialty, butterbeer. Other locations of note are the inn, headquarters of the 1612 Goblin Rebellion; the Shrieking Shack, thought to be the most severely haunted building in Britain; and Hogsmeade Station, where every September 1 the Hogwarts Express arrives from London, marking the start of another school year for the students at Hogwarts.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, London 1999; J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)

RIDDLE HOUSE, a manor overlooking the village of Little Hangleton in England. The building was once the largest and grandest structure around, though it now stands as a run-down derelict. Some windows are boarded, the glass smashed by neighborhood children. Tiles are missing from the roof, and ivy runs across the entire front. A cottage on the edge of the property houses gardener Frank Bryce, but otherwise the property remains unoccupied.

The manor was once inhabited some fifty years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Riddle with their adult son Tom. A maid found the three of them dead in the drawing room, Frank Bryce named as the only suspect. The coroner declared the victims to be in perfect health, with no apparent cause of death. Bryce was released and continued on as the gardener. Two families later inhabited the house but did not stay long. A unknown wealthy man eventually bought the house but was never seen.

The murders were the responsibility of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the only son of Tom Riddle and a local witch. Riddle abandoned her after discovering what she was and returned home to his parents. She died in childbirth, and young Tom was placed in an orphanage. He returned as a teenager, killing the family using the Avada Kedavra curse. Tom later changed his name to Voldemort, though most wizards prefer to say "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Voldemort returned to the manor in 1994 to recuperate and plan his resurrection. He was accompanied by his servant Wormtail and his oversized snake Nagini. He killed Frank Bryce when the old gardener was found eavesdropping.

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, London, 2000)