======Shaftesbury Avenue======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Muggle]] Street / Entertainment District
  * **Location:** West End of [[London]], [[England]], [[Great Britain]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** N/A (Public thoroughfare)
  * **Key Features:** Numerous theatres, bustling nightlife, significant [[Muggle]] population
=====Description and History=====
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major, real-world street in the West End of [[London]], famous for being the heart of the city's theatre district. In the wizarding context, it is known primarily as a location familiar to [[Hermione Granger]] from her [[Muggle]] upbringing. Her dentist parents used to take her to see plays there, making it a place of personal significance and a memory tied to her life outside the magical world.
Because of its strong association with [[Muggle]] culture and its lack of any known magical significance, Hermione considered it a safe and unlikely place for [[Death Eater]]s to search for them, leading her to choose it as an emergency escape destination.
=====Role in the Story=====
Shaftesbury Avenue serves as the first refuge for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] after they are forced to flee the wedding of [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]] in //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//. When the [[Ministry of Magic]] falls and [[Death Eater]]s attack [[The Burrow]], Hermione's quick thinking leads her to [[Side-Along Apparition|Side-Along Apparate]] with Harry and Ron to this busy [[London]] street.
Upon their chaotic arrival in the middle of the night, still in their dress robes, they startle several [[Muggle]]s. They quickly duck into a dark side street where they change into normal [[Muggle]] clothing that Hermione had stored in her handbag, which was enchanted with an [[Undetectable Extension Charm]]. Seeking a place to collect their thoughts, they enter a small, dingy, all-night café.
This location becomes the site of the trio's first battle as fugitives. Two [[Death Eater]]s, [[Antonin Dolohov]] and [[Thorfinn Rowle]], who were searching for [[Harry Potter]] in the area, track them to the café. A short, violent duel erupts, which ends with Harry stunning Dolohov with a [[Full Body-Bind Curse]] and Hermione wiping both of the Death Eaters' memories of the encounter. This incident underscores that nowhere is truly safe for them and introduces the danger of the [[Taboo]] placed on [[Lord Voldemort|Voldemort's]] name, which they later deduce is how they were found. After the fight, the trio flees the area and takes refuge at [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * **All-night café:** A small, "dingy" café located just off the main avenue where the trio stopped to rest. It was here that they were ambushed by [[Antonin Dolohov]] and [[Thorfinn Rowle]].
  * **Side-street:** An unnamed, dark side-street or alley where the trio changed from their wedding robes into [[Muggle]] clothes immediately after their [[Apparition]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]//, the trio's arrival is depicted more dramatically. They [[Apparate]] directly into the path of a double-decker bus at Piccadilly Circus, which is adjacent to Shaftesbury Avenue, rather than onto the avenue itself. The subsequent café scene, known as "The Tottenham Court Road Café" in the film's production, is also portrayed differently. (film)