======Shell Cottage======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Residence]], [[Safe House]]
  * **Location:** On the coast of [[Cornwall]], [[England]], overlooking the sea near the village of [[Tinworth]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]]. It also served as a temporary residence for [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Luna Lovegood]], [[Dean Thomas]], [[Mr. Ollivander]], and the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]].
  * **Key Features:** A small, isolated cottage whose walls are encrusted with seashells. It is protected by powerful enchantments, including the [[Fidelius Charm]].
=====Description and History=====
Shell Cottage is the home established by [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]] after their marriage in the summer of 1997. Located on a cliff overlooking the sea, the cottage is described as lonely but beautiful. Its most distinctive feature is its exterior, which is whitewashed and embedded with a variety of seashells, giving the cottage its name. The property includes a small, walled garden.
The interior is small and cozy, with a light-filled sitting room offering a view of the sea, a tiny kitchen, and several small bedrooms on the upper floor.
Following the fall of the [[Ministry of Magic]] and the increased danger to members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and their families, Bill cast the [[Fidelius Charm]] upon the cottage, making himself the [[Secret-Keeper]]. This turned Shell Cottage into a highly secure [[safe house]] for those opposing [[Lord Voldemort]].
=====Role in the Story=====
Shell Cottage becomes a pivotal location in //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. It serves as a refuge and a planning headquarters for [[Harry Potter]] and his friends following their harrowing escape from [[Malfoy Manor]].
  * **A Sanctuary:** After [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]] rescues the prisoners from the cellars of [[Malfoy Manor]], he uses [[Apparition]] to bring them to the shores outside Shell Cottage. Tragically, [[Dobby]] is fatally wounded by a knife thrown by [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and dies in Harry's arms on the beach. Harry, wanting to honor him properly, digs his grave by hand in the cottage's garden, a significant act of grief and respect. He marks the grave with a white stone, upon which he carves the epitaph: "//HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF.//"
  * **Planning the [[Gringotts]] Heist:** The cottage provides a safe haven for the trio to recover and plan their next move. It is here that Harry formulates the plan to break into the [[Lestrange Vault]] at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]] to retrieve a suspected [[Horcrux]]. He negotiates with the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]], who agrees to help them in exchange for the [[Sword of Gryffindor]].
  * **Gathering Information:** While at the cottage, Harry has crucial conversations with the other refugees. He questions the [[wandmaker]] [[Mr. Ollivander]] about the [[Deathly Hallows]], specifically the [[Elder Wand]], and learns vital details about [[wandlore]] and the connection between his and Voldemort's wands.
  * **A Moment of Joy:** The grim atmosphere is briefly lifted when [[Remus Lupin]] arrives via the [[Floo Network]] to announce the birth of his son, [[Teddy Lupin]], and asks Harry to be the godfather. This event provides a moment of hope amidst the war.
The group, including [[Luna Lovegood]] and [[Dean Thomas]], remains at Shell Cottage until Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook depart for their raid on [[Gringotts]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * **Sitting Room:** A small, light room with a fireplace and a window that provides a clear view of the sea and the sky.
  * **Kitchen:** A tiny kitchen adjoining the sitting room.
  * **Bedrooms:** The cottage contains at least three small bedrooms on the upper floor, which housed Bill and Fleur, Harry and Ron, and Hermione and Luna respectively during their stay.
  * **Garden:** A small, windswept garden surrounded by a low wall. It is the burial site of [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptations //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]// and //[[Part 2]]//, the Shell Cottage set was constructed on-location at Freshwater West, a beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The physical set was built directly on the dunes and was dismantled after filming concluded. (film)
  * The filming location has since become a popular destination for fans, many of whom visit to pay tribute at the site chosen for Dobby's grave. (film)