Shopping at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

While all the shops in Diagon Alley drew our attention, one shop that we had to explore was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was founded by two brothers who attended a school called Hogwarts. While one brother apparently died defending his school against evil forces threatening his school, the other runs the shop in his brother's honor, and serves new generations of Hogwarts students.

The building was packed with parents, and children and teens wearing robes and carrying wands. Perhaps they were buying all the supplies they needed before returning to Hogwarts for the second half of the school year. With products like Fainting Fancies, Exploding Bon Bons, Fizzing Whizzbees, and Nosebleed Nougat, whether or not their teachers and school administrators would have approved of all the items is another question entirely.

I'm guessing teachers would have appreciated one item though, a set of large, extendable ears. After all, students regularly claim that teachers never told them about subjects that end up on their final exams.

A staff member demonstrated this cute little toy on the counter. Being able to ride a unicycle, while balancing various objects, suggests this woman is a talented individual. But for some reason, I got the feeling that the counter attendants didn't like her.

In the end, we simply had to buy something to commemorate our trip to this colorful, fanciful store. My wife chose something called a chocolate frog. I don't know about you, but this is one time I hope that what we find inside differs from what is written on the label.

Dragon Dave

A Brush with the Yeti in Flourish & Blotts

Pushing my way into the crowded store, I perused the display of books by Gilderoy Lockhart. In addition to the titles previously mentioned, Travels With Trolls sounded dangerous and exciting. (Trolls, after all, have a reputation for capturing dwarves and hobbits with the intention of eating them, in addition to attacking the students at Hogwarts in the girls' restrooms). But a sad fact of life is I can't buy, let alone hope to read, every book that intrigues me. Eventually I settled on one title in particular. It was titled Year With The Yeti.

I've long been interested in the Yeti, those hairy sentient relatives of mankind who populate the Himilayas, and may or may not be related to Bigfoot. The Second Doctor (in Doctor Who) even battled the Yeti in two adventures: "The Abominable Snowman" and "The Web of Fear." Well, I say Yeti: they were called Yeti in Doctor Who. But really, those Yeti were robots made to look like Yeti, and controlled by the Great Intelligence. Real Yeti, such as those portrayed in the semi-historical film "The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor," are more likely to help people than hurt them. Still, they like to keep to themselves. So I was curious as to how the author found the Yeti, and convinced them to let him spend a year with them. 

I picked up a copy of Year With the Yeti, and perused the travelogue. Author Gilderoy Lockhart certainly writes with style, and his adventures among those snowy mountain peaks soon captivated me. Clutching a copy to my chest, I waited in a long line to purchase it. But when I reached the counter, the sales staff claimed they didn't take credit cards. Furthermore, they refused to take my "muggle" money. 

Muggle-money? Whatever did they mean?

Eventually, they explained that this special region of Florida used its own form of money. They directed me to a currency exchange office, where a short man with sharp features exchanged what little cash we had with unfamiliar bills. But when we returned to Flourish & Botts, the staff had removed all of Mr. Lockhart's books from the shelves. Apparently, they had just learned that Mr. Lockhart's claims were false, and refused to sell us any of his books!

So it seemed I would not get to read Gilderoy Lockhart's book after all, or learn about his (supposed) adventures with the Yeti. Life sometimes thrusts a few hard knocks your way. Right then, this felt like one of them.

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
Mummies, Yetis, and Zombies, Oh My!

Discovering Magical Author Gilderoy Lockhart

I've always been fascinated by bookstores. So when I spotted Flourish & Blotts in Diagon Alley, I had to peer through the front window.

Inside, I saw books stacked impossibly high. The stacks swayed, like I've been told skyscrapers do, as if always on the cusp of falling to the floor. Behind them, the shelves of the bookcases were packed from floor to ceiling. I even saw a few books inside cages. These sprouted teeth from their covers, and were chained closed, as if to prevent the books from digging their gnashing teeth into a prospective reader's hands.

I found a display of books by an author named Gilderoy Lockhart especially intriguing. 

Voyages With Vampires. Holidays With Hags. Wanderings With Werewolves. Who could fail to be entranced by titles like those? Books are heavy and bulky, and with all my bookshelves at home filled to capacity, I know I've got more books than I can ever hope to read. Nor did I relish the prospect of stuffing more books (Yes, I brought some with me) into my suitcase, and worrying that it would exceed the weight limit for the plane journey home. Yet, I had to take a closer look at those books. After all, he was a popular and charismatic author, as an advertisement for his latest book attested.

Gripping the door handle, I pushed my way inside. I simply had to know more about Gilderoy Lockhart.

Dragon Dave

Stumbling Upon Diagon Alley

The architecture along one Florida road reminded us of England. After passing several shops, we noticed people entering and leaving a break in the brick wall. Intrigued, we followed them through, and found more shops selling attractive wares. Upon questioning a passerby, we learned that this hidden marketplace was called Diagon Alley. Imagine finding such an English-looking place in Orlando! 

One structure, which seemed afflicted by Florida's famous sinkholes, was Greengotts Bank. Either that, or the weight of the dragon atop it had caused the building's support pillars to lean diagonally rather than perpendicular with the ground. 

As we wandered the cobblestone streets, pleasant aromas led us to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Peering inside, we saw long wooden tables, over which hung flags denoting four different Magical Houses. Their names, if I'm remembering them rightly, were Griffendoor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. It was well before noon, and even if we had been ravenous, the staff had not started serving lunch yet. Still, it was hard not to linger there a few minutes, and smell all that food cooking.

Diagon Alley hosted lots of shops for local craftsmen. One that was advertised as a Farriers, yet seemed more inclined to forge weaponry and armor than shod horses, was surrounded by a crowd of people. Some of them must have been competent wizards, or at least promising students. How else could I explain how the displays shook and moved when they cast their spells?

Lingering too close to a water fountain, a stone mermaid suddenly arose, and spit a long stream of water at me! It was a cool morning in Florida, and I found the wet clothes irksome. Disinclined to linger, I wandered off, ready either to explore more of Diagon Alley, or escape it somehow, if this was the manner in which its residents chose to welcome me.

Dragon Dave