Y Ddraig Goch

• Type: Pub
• Location: Unspecified, though its name strongly implies it is in Wales.
• Owner/Residents: Unknown.
• Key Features: A venue where patrons can engage in gambling, seemingly for high-stakes and illicit goods such as dragon eggs.

Y Ddraig Goch is a pub mentioned as the location where Rubeus Hagrid won a dragon egg in a game of cards. The name of the pub itself is not mentioned in the primary novels, but was revealed in a handwritten annotation by Ron Weasley in the 2001 supplementary textbook edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In 1992, Hagrid visited the pub and met a “hooded stranger” who was later revealed to be Professor Quirrell acting on behalf of Lord Voldemort. The stranger engaged Hagrid in a card game, betting a Norwegian Ridgeback egg against him. Hagrid, who had always wanted a dragon, eagerly played and won the egg. During their interaction, Hagrid, likely under the influence of a few drinks, was manipulated by Quirrell into revealing the secret to calming Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the Philosopher's Stone: playing music. This crucial piece of information was the key Quirrell needed to bypass one of the major enchantments protecting the Stone.

Although never visited directly by Harry Potter in the narrative, the off-page events at Y Ddraig Goch are a pivotal plot point in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The information Hagrid carelessly divulged to Professor Quirrell at this pub directly enabled the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Furthermore, Hagrid's acquisition of the dragon egg, which he named Norbert, set in motion a chain of events for Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Their efforts to help Hagrid illegally raise and then transport the baby dragon led to them being caught out of bed late at night by Professor McGonagall, earning them a detention in the Forbidden Forest where Harry would have his first close encounter with the spectral form of Lord Voldemort.

The interior of the pub is not described in any detail in the books. It is only known as the setting for Hagrid's fateful card game.

• Etymology: “Y Ddraig Goch” is Welsh for “The Red Dragon,” which is the national symbol of Wales.
• The pub's name is exclusively sourced from the 2001 Comic Relief edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where it appears as a handwritten note by Ron Weasley next to the entry for the Norwegian Ridgeback. The original novel only refers to the location as “the pub in the village.”
• Film Adaptation: In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, this scene is relocated. Instead of occurring at a separate pub, Hagrid is shown winning the egg from Professor Quirrell at the Leaky Cauldron. The name Y Ddraig Goch is not used. (film)