The Magical Menagerie

• Type: Shop
• Location: North Side, Diagon Alley, London, England (Pottermore)
• Owner/Residents: An unnamed Witch (owner); numerous magical creatures for sale.
• Key Features: Cramped, noisy, and pungent atmosphere; cages stacked from floor to ceiling.

The Magical Menagerie is a shop in Diagon Alley that sells a wide variety of magical creatures and provides advice on their care. The interior of the shop is described as very cramped, with every inch of wall space covered by cages. This results in a cacophony of sounds, including squeaking, squawking, and hissing, as well as a powerful and unpleasant smell. The shop is run by a Witch who wears heavy, black spectacles. She is knowledgeable about the creatures she sells and offers products and advice to customers, such as providing Ron Weasley with Rat Tonic for his pet rat, Scabbers. Creatures observed in the shop include:

• Enormous purple toads.
• A giant tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell.
• Poisonous orange snails, possibly Streelers.
• A fat white rabbit that could magically transform into a silk top hat and back.
• Cats of every colour.
• A cage of sleek black rats that engaged in skipping games with their tails.
• Crookshanks, a large, ginger, part-Kneazle cat who had been in the shop for a long time.

The Magical Menagerie plays a significant role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In August 1993, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger visit the shop while purchasing their school supplies for Hogwarts. During this visit, two pivotal events occur:

1. Ron's Concern for Scabbers: Ron takes his ailing pet rat, Scabbers, into the shop for advice. The owner suggests the rat is simply old and sells Ron a bottle of Rat Tonic. This interaction establishes Scabbers's poor condition, which is a subtle clue to his true identity as an Animagus, Peter Pettigrew, who has been in his rat form for twelve years.
2. Hermione's Purchase of Crookshanks: While Ron is at the counter, a large ginger cat, Crookshanks, leaps onto Ron's head and attacks Scabbers. Despite Ron's protests, Hermione Granger is charmed by the intelligent but unwanted cat and decides to purchase him. The shop's owner notes that Crookshanks had been there for ages and was either very clever or a Kneazle-cross. This purchase is crucial to the plot, as Crookshanks's Kneazle heritage allows him to immediately recognize Scabbers as a fraud. His animosity toward Scabbers throughout the school year fuels the conflict between Ron and Hermione and is instrumental in eventually exposing Peter Pettigrew.

The only described area is the main shop floor. It is a single, cramped room dominated by floor-to-ceiling cages containing various creatures. A counter is situated within this space, where the owner assists customers.

• The exterior of the Magical Menagerie is shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where it is situated next to the Leaky Cauldron's Diagon Alley entrance.
• The shop is a visitable and purchasable location in the LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 video game. (video game)
• The Pottermore website confirmed the shop's location as being on the North Side of Diagon Alley. (Pottermore)