The Leaky Cauldron

• Type: Pub, Inn
• Location: Charing Cross Road, London, England
• Owner/Residents: Tom (Innkeeper, c. 1991-1997), Hannah Abbott (Landlady, post-1998) (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Key Features: Serves as the primary public entrance to Diagon Alley from the Muggle world. It is protected by powerful enchantments, including Muggle-Repelling Charms, rendering it invisible to non-magical people.

The Leaky Cauldron is a dark and shabby-looking pub and inn for witches and wizards, situated on Charing Cross Road in London. To Muggle passersby, it appears as a derelict and boarded-up old shop, completely unremarkable. Witches and wizards, however, can see the wooden sign and enter freely. The interior of the pub is typically dark and shadowy, containing a long bar, numerous tables, and a large fireplace connected to the Floo Network. It serves as a popular social hub for members of the wizarding community visiting London or Diagon Alley. The pub also offers rooms for rent on its upper floors; Harry Potter notably stayed in Room 11 for two weeks prior to his third year at Hogwarts. The pub's most significant feature is its rear courtyard, which contains the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. By tapping a specific brick in the wall three times with a wand, an archway opens, revealing the bustling magical street. According to wizarding history, The Leaky Cauldron was established in the early 1500s by a witch named Daisy Dodderidge to serve as a welcoming gateway between the non-magical world and Diagon Alley. When the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was enacted in 1692, the Ministry of Magic granted The Leaky Cauldron a special exemption, allowing it to continue its function under the protection of powerful memory and concealment charms. (Pottermore)

The Leaky Cauldron serves as a recurring and pivotal location throughout the series, often acting as a bridge between Harry's two worlds.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is the first magical establishment Harry Potter ever enters. Rubeus Hagrid escorts him through the pub to access Diagon Alley, and it is here that Harry first meets Professor Quirrell.
• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the pub becomes a temporary home for Harry after he flees the Dursley residence. He spends two weeks there, enjoying a period of freedom, and overhears Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley discussing the threat Sirius Black supposedly poses to him.
• The pub is used as a meeting point for the Weasley family, Hermione Granger, and Harry before they travel to the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• The Advance Guard of the Order of the Phoenix brings Harry to The Leaky Cauldron briefly before escorting him to their headquarters in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the trio passes through a tense and guarded Leaky Cauldron on their way to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. They overhear patrons like Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell discussing the Voldemort-controlled Ministry's persecution of Muggle-borns.

• Main Pub Area: The ground-floor public house where patrons gather. It contains the bar, numerous wooden tables and chairs, and a large fireplace.
• Private Parlour: A small side-room off the main bar. Hagrid and Harry speak with Professor Quirrell in this room during their first visit.
• Courtyard: A small, walled yard at the rear of the pub. It is notable for containing the enchanted brick wall that serves as the magical gateway to Diagon Alley.
• Guest Rooms: Several rooms are available for rent on the upper floors. Harry stayed in Room 11, which featured a comfortable bed, furniture, and a talkative mirror.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the pub's entrance is a simple, unassuming black storefront. For the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the exterior was redesigned to be more distinct and located on a busy street near a bridge. The method for opening the entrance to Diagon Alley also became more dynamic, with the bricks mechanically rearranging themselves. (film)
• J.K. Rowling revealed in an interview that after the Second Wizarding War, Hannah Abbott became the new landlady of The Leaky Cauldron, and she and her husband, Neville Longbottom, lived in the rooms above the pub. (J.K. Rowling interview)