Villages in the wizarding world serve as crucial settings for both everyday life and significant historical events. They range from entirely magical settlements to mixed communities where wizards live secretly alongside Muggles. These locations are often steeped in history, providing shelter, community, and sometimes grave danger to the characters of the series. The most prominent villages are located in Great Britain and play pivotal roles in the lives of Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and Lord Voldemort.
Godric's Hollow is a historic village named after its most famous resident, Godric Gryffindor. It became a popular settlement for wizarding families seeking refuge after the International Statute of Secrecy was enacted. The village is the birthplace of Harry Potter and the site where his parents, James Potter and Lily Potter, were murdered by Lord Voldemort on 31 October 1981. This event marked Voldemort's first downfall. Years later, Harry and Hermione Granger visit the village in search of Gryffindor's Sword. They explore the graveyard, finding the graves of Harry's parents and Kendra and Ariana Dumbledore, as well as the headstone of Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers from The Tale of the Three Brothers. Their visit ends in a violent confrontation with Nagini, who was magically disguised as the historian Bathilda Bagshot.
Hogsmeade is a picturesque village that serves as a popular destination for older Hogwarts students on designated weekends. It was founded around the same time as Hogwarts by the wizard Hengist of Woodcroft. On the outskirts of the village lies the Shrieking Shack, reputed to be the most haunted building in Britain, which was historically used for Remus Lupin's transformations into a werewolf. The Hog's Head Inn, run by Aberforth Dumbledore, served as a clandestine meeting place for the original Dumbledore's Army and later became the entry point into Hogwarts via a secret passage during the final battle.
Little Hangleton is the ancestral home of Lord Voldemort's maternal and paternal families. It was the site of the murders of the Riddle family by a young Tom Riddle, for which he framed his uncle, Morfin Gaunt. The village's graveyard became the setting for Voldemort's corporeal rebirth, where Peter Pettigrew used Harry Potter's blood, Tom Riddle Sr.'s bone, and his own flesh to restore the Dark Lord. The event culminated in a duel between Harry and Voldemort, where the phenomenon of Priori Incantatem occurred.
Little Whinging is the epitome of a non-magical, suburban community and is the childhood home of Harry Potter. He was left on the doorstep of his relatives, the Dursley family, and lived there for sixteen years. The powerful protective enchantment created by Lily Potter's sacrifice was sealed by Petunia Dursley's acceptance of Harry, making Number Four, Privet Drive a safe haven from Lord Voldemort until Harry came of age. The village is also the location of the Dementor attack on Harry and his cousin Dudley Dursley, which led to Harry's disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
Ottery St Catchpole is a small village that is home to several notable wizarding families. The area is best known for containing The Burrow, which became a second home to Harry Potter and served as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix for a time. The village and its surroundings were the site of the Quidditch World Cup in 1994, held on nearby moorland. It was also the location for the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, which was interrupted by an attack from Death Eaters following the fall of the Ministry of Magic.
Budleigh Babberton is the village where Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter track down Horace Slughorn to persuade him to return to teaching at Hogwarts. They find him hiding in a Muggle house, magically disguised as an armchair to evade Death Eaters. Slughorn had ransacked the house to make it appear as if there had been a struggle and he had been abducted. It is here that Dumbledore demonstrates his impressive magical ability to restore the damaged house with a wave of his wand.