(A first-year’s guide to sweets, shopping, common sense and avoiding places that literally scream “BAD IDEA.”)
By Violette Twiggs | 6th year Ravenclaw | Investigative Journalist | Reluctant Voice of Reason
So. You’re super excited about Sunday ‘cause you’re going to Hogsmeade ?
For some of you, this will be your first time leaving Hogwarts without a professor holding your hand, which is exciting. It is also mildly terrifying for everyone who has ever watched a group of first-years discover that they have money, free time, and access to an entire wizarding village at the same time. Hogsmeade is one of the few completely wizarding settlements in Britain, and it is close enough to Hogwarts that students can visit during approved weekends. It has shops, food, sweets, magical supplies, clothes, books, sporting equipment, tea, owls, suspiciously interesting objects and approximately seventeen opportunities to spend all your money before lunch. This guide exists to prevent that last one. Or try to. Probably.
First things first: stay with your friends
I know. Revolutionary advice. Before you leave Hogwarts, decide who you’re actually spending the day with. Not “I’ll probably see you around.” Not “we’ll meet somewhere.” And definitely not “I remember the way.” Hogsmeade is not Hogwarts. If you get lost in the castle, there is a reasonable chance you will eventually find a staircase, a portrait, a professor, or someone who knows where you are. If you get lost in Hogsmeade, you are simply a first-year standing in the middle of a village looking increasingly concerned while pretending you absolutely meant to walk down that street. Pick a meeting point. Keep an eye on your friends. If someone says, “Let’s just see what’s down here,” ask where ‘here’ is first. This is called survival.
Not every place in the village is necessarily aimed at first-years. If you’re unsure whether somewhere is appropriate for you, ask a professor, prefect or another responsible older student. There is no shame in asking.
Violette’s advice : Your wand, despite how exciting being left unsupervised in a wizarding village, should stay in your pocket at all times. Unless you want to stir up troubles with the professors, the prefects, or the Ministry or all at once.
The village square
The village square is a central part of Hogsmeade and is also used for official announcements and village events, which makes it a much better meeting point than “somewhere near that shop that had the funny window.” If you become separated from your group, head somewhere obvious and populated rather than wandering off to investigate increasingly suspicious corners of the village. You are not a detective. You are a first-year.
1. The Three Broomsticks
You will probably hear about the Three Broomsticks. It is a well-known inn and pub and it is also somewhere visitors can stay. It is a must see part of Hogsmeade’s social life. The 3B’s is a place welcoming young students as long as you keep your hands off the bartender’s special brews.
Violette’s advice : Stick to the pumpkin juice or the butterbeer. This also makes an excellent meeting point in case you get lost.
2. St. Mungo’s Outreach
Hopefully you won’t need this one. But it is worth knowing that Hogsmeade has a St. Mungo’s outreach facility designed to handle minor magical illnesses and injuries. If something genuinely goes wrong, tell an adult, professor, prefect or another responsible person.
Violette’s advice : Do not attempt to become your own medical professional because you once read half a book about healing spells.
3. The Owl Post Office
Need to send something? Don’t have your own owl? Excellent. Hogsmeade has an Owl Post Office. The only downside is that it apparently has a faint smell of owl dung. So. Maybe don’t stand around inhaling deeply. There is a difference.
The high street : Where your money transfigures into sugar
Most of Hogsmeade’s main shops are along High Street, which is convenient because you can walk past approximately twelve places you desperately want to enter without having to trek across the Scottish wilderness. Here is what you need to know.
1. Honeydukes Sweet Shop
Let’s begin with the most important one. Honeydukes is famous for its enormous selection of sweets, chocolates and fudge, and it has been tempting Hogwarts students since 1641. You will probably want to buy everything. You should not buy everything. Unless you brought an unreasonable amount of money, in which case I am not your financial adviser.
Violette’s advice: decide what you actually want before entering. Honeydukes is exactly the sort of place where you walk in thinking, “I’ll just get one thing,” and walk out wondering why your pockets contain enough sugar to power a small village. Also: snacks are excellent gifts for friends. This is not an excuse to eat all of them before getting back to Hogwarts.
2. Gladrags Wizardwear
Need clothes? Want clothes? Accidentally grew out of your robes? Decided that looking like you slept inside your trunk is no longer fashionable? Gladrags has been around since 1750 and is Hogsmeade’s wizarding clothing shop. You don’t need to buy something just because it looks interesting. Yes, this applies to the hat. Especially the hat.
Violette’s advice : If you skipped the opportunity to grab a pair of mittens and scarves in your house colors before school, now is the time to do so before October’s weather reaches us.
3. Tomes and Scrolls – Specialist Bookshop
For anyone who has ever looked at a bookshelf and thought, I wonder what all of these do, this is your warning. The bookshop stocks everything from spellbooks to fiction, which means there is something for students who want to improve their grades and students who want to spend their money reading a thrilling story about a wizard who probably has even worse decision-making skills than we do.
Violette’s advice: Remember: Buying a book does not automatically mean you will read it. I know this because I have met students. Unless you’re a Ravenclaw, that is.
4. Goode’s Potions Supplies
Cauldrons, scales, phials and potions. If you are a Potions fan, this is the sort of shop where you might find things you actually need. If you are not a Potions student, this is the sort of shop where you should resist the urge to pick up every bottle and ask, “What does this do?” The answer may be educational. It may also involve cleaning.
Violette’s advice : Read the labels and, if in doubt, ask the shop keeper. You don’t want to come back to school with the wrong ingredients for your next potion brewing. Let’s avoid putting the castle on fire because you have mistaken one for another.
5. Dervish and Banges
Magical instruments, repairs and various devices including things such as Sneakoscopes, Probity Probes and Secrecy Sensors. This is a particularly dangerous shop for curious people. Not because the shop is dangerous. Because you will see something mysterious and immediately want to know what it does. That is how curiosity works. Try not to test every object on your friends.
Violette’s advice : Keep your hands in your pockets, unless you know exactly what you’re doing, anything in this shop can lead to serious troubles if you try to be adventurous.
6. Spintwitches Sporting Goods Needs
If you like Quidditch, flying, brooms or generally owning things that make you look like you know what you’re doing on a broomstick, you will probably like Spintwitches. It sells brooms, uniforms and sporting accessories for both amateur and professional players. You do not need to be on the Quidditch team to look around. You also do not need to buy a broom just because you saw one and immediately imagined yourself winning the Quidditch Cup.
Violette’s advice : Go to try-outs first at least.
7. Bishop Wands
Yes, Hogsmeade has a wand shop. No, that does not mean you should lose your wand on purpose so you can go shopping. Bishop Wands sells replacement wands for witches and wizards who have broken or lost theirs.
Violette’s advice : If you are a first-year and your wand is working perfectly well, congratulations. Keep it that way.
8. Dogweed and Deathcap
Plants! Flowers! Herbology! Groceries! And, according to the shop’s own description, some plants that are very much not interested in becoming your friends. A lot of ingredients are available for your potions or cooking needs too !
Violette’s advice : if you’re thinking, Oh, what a lovely place to buy a little plant for my dormitory… Maybe ask what the plant eats first.
10. Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop
A charming tea shop in the centre of the village. Also famously popular with couples. Which means this may be the place to visit if you enjoy tea, tiny tables, awkward romance, or watching someone turn the colour of a tomato because another person smiled at them.
Violette’s advice : First-years, you have my permission to simply enjoy the tea. You do not need to arrive with a romantic subplot. You have seven more years for that. Probably.
11. Snitches Get Stitches
Despite having the most threatening shop name in the village, this is actually a metalwork shop with a variety of useful things, including art supplies and potion goods. This is where you can have your cauldron repaired if things go wrong when brewing. Be careful sometimes, the shop cannot take last minute repairs, you have to make appointments.
Violette’s advice : Do not assume that because the name contains the word Snitches, someone inside is going to report you to the professors. Although if you’re planning something particularly stupid, perhaps don’t say it outloud.
And then there are the places you don’t need to be
Hogsmeade is a village, not a giant magical playground designed specifically for unsupervised first-years. There are residences. There are private buildings. There are places intended for adults. There are businesses you have no reason to enter. And then there are a couple of places that deserve their own special warning.
1. The shrieking shack
You will probably hear about it. You will probably hear stories about it. Someone will tell you it is haunted. Someone else will tell you they’ve heard screaming. Someone else will swear their cousin’s friend’s brother saw something moving in a window. Some may say they saw a ghost singing in it. And then someone will inevitably say : “We should go have a look.” No. You should not. The Shrieking Shack has a reputation for being one of the most haunted buildings in Britain, and whether you believe the stories or not, it is not a first-year sightseeing attraction. You do not need to prove you’re brave. You do not need to investigate the noises. You especially do not need to break into an abandoned building because your friends dared you to.
Violette’s advice : There are much safer ways to spend your afternoon in Hogsmeade. Honeydukes has chocolate. Choose chocolate.
2. The forbidden forest (Yes, again.)
Now, this one is particularly important because the Forest is right behind the village Fair Grounds. (The Fair Grounds should only be entered if there is a Fair running.) Yes, that means you can physically walk towards it. No, that does not mean you’re supposed to. I can already hear someone saying, “But technically nobody said I couldn’t walk over there.” If it is called the Forbidden Forest, I feel like the name is doing a considerable amount of the explaining for us. The Forest is home to magical creatures, some of which are perfectly harmless and some of which would very much prefer that you did not wander into their territory. The fact that you can see trees from the fair grounds does not make the Forest an extension of the fair grounds.
Violette’s advice : Stay on the village side. Do not follow paths leading into the Forest. Do not climb over fences, barriers or other boundaries. Do not decide that you are going to “just have a quick look.” And absolutely do not go in because you heard a strange noise and decided to investigate.
3. The Crimson fang
Contrarily to the Three Broomsticks, this bar is for adults. Don’t even try to sneak in.
Violette’s advice : If you’re a first-year and your immediate reaction to a place called The Crimson Fang is “ooh, let’s go inside,” please take a moment to reconsider your decision-making skills. If a place has a name that sounds like a vampire wrote it while sharpening their teeth, maybe don’t make it your first stop in Hogsmeade.
The biggest threat to your first hogsmeade visit
It is not the Forbidden Forest. It is not a mysterious magical creature. It is not a cursed object. It is your own spending habits. You will see sweets. You will see books. You will see clothes. You will see magical gadgets. You will see something you didn’t know existed five minutes ago and immediately decide that your life will be incomplete without it. Before you leave Hogwarts, decide how much money you actually have. Then decide how much you are willing to spend. Then keep some of it.
Because there is nothing sadder than reaching the end of Hogsmeade and discovering that you have exactly three Knuts left and absolutely no idea how you managed it.
The first-year’s Hogsmeade 10 golden rules
1. Stay with your friends.
2. Know where and when you are supposed to meet.
3. Keep track of your money.
4. Don’t wander into private or restricted places.
5. Don’t touch mysterious magical objects without permission.
6. If you get lost, ask for help.
7. If something seems dangerous, don’t investigate it for the sake of a good story.
8. Don’t buy something just because your friend bought it.
9. Keep an eye on your belongings.
10. Buy snacks.
Violette’s advice : That last one is not optional. You’ll thank me later.
Finally: enjoy yourself
Yes, I’m aware this entire article has mostly consisted of me telling you what not to do. That’s because Hogsmeade is supposed to be fun. If an alley looks suspicious, you do not need to investigate it. If the Shrieking Shack looks haunted, congratulations, you have successfully identified the Shrieking Shack. If the Forbidden Forest looks interesting, congratulations, you have successfully identified the Forbidden Forest. You can admire both from a sensible distance. If your friend whispers, “I bet there’s something interesting down there,” you are allowed to say: “No.” This is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Learn it early. So if you see something suspicious, don’t immediately poke it with a stick. If you get lost, don’t pretend you meant to. If your friend says, “I have an idea,” ask what the idea is before agreeing to it.
Explore the shops. Try something new. Buy something ridiculous if you have the money. Find your favourite place. Sit somewhere with your friends. Send an owl home. Get something sweet from Honeydukes. Look around. Just remember that you are still representing Hogwarts.
And if you somehow make it through your first Hogsmeade visit without losing your money, your friends, your homework, or your dignity…
Congratulations. You’re already doing better than some of us.
- Violette Twiggs
Owl Post Reporter, Hogsmeade Correspondent, Honeydukes &Three Broomsticks enthusiast, Professional Snack Investigator