Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Dorset====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** County * **Location:** South West [[England]] * **Owner/Residents:** Primarily [[Muggle]]s * **Key Features:** A real-world [[Muggle]]-inhabited county on the English Channel coast, containing the wizarding-related village of [[Budleigh Babberton]]. =====Description and History===== Dorset is a county in South West [[England]], located on the coast of the English Channel. In the wizarding world, it is known to be a predominantly [[Muggle]] area, making it an unremarkable and therefore effective hiding place for a wizard wishing to avoid detection. Its landscape consists of rolling hills and a famous coastline, providing a quiet, rural setting far from major wizarding centres. The primary wizarding significance of Dorset stems from it being the location of [[Budleigh Babberton]], the village where [[Horace Slughorn]] sought refuge before the start of [[Harry Potter]]'s sixth year at [[Hogwarts]]. =====Role in the Story===== Dorset serves as the setting for a crucial early chapter in //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//. [[Albus Dumbledore]] brings [[Harry Potter]] to the Dorset village of [[Budleigh Babberton]] with the mission of persuading [[Horace Slughorn]] to return to his teaching post at [[Hogwarts]]. [[Slughorn]], fearing recruitment or attack by [[Voldemort]] and his [[Death Eater]]s, was hiding in a house belonging to a [[Muggle]] family on holiday. To throw off potential pursuers, he had ransacked the living room to mimic the signs of a struggle and magically disguised himself as an armchair. [[Dumbledore]] immediately saw through the crude deception, restored the room to its proper state, and, with [[Harry Potter|Harry]]'s help as an enticement, successfully convinced [[Slughorn]] to accept the [[Potions]] master position. This event, which takes place in Dorset, is the catalyst for uncovering the secret of [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux]]es, as [[Slughorn]] possesses the critical, unaltered memory that [[Dumbledore]] needs to confirm his theory. =====Known Areas Within===== * **[[Budleigh Babberton]]**: A small, quiet [[Muggle]] village. It was here that [[Horace Slughorn]] hid in a borrowed [[Muggle]] house during the summer of 1996. =====Behind the Scenes===== The name of the fictional village, [[Budleigh Babberton]], is likely a playful homage to the real town of Budleigh Salterton, which is located in the neighboring county of Devon, very close to the Dorset border. This use of a similar-sounding, slightly altered place name is a common feature in J.K. Rowling's world-building.
