Flourish and Blotts

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article.

Flourish and Blotts Bookseller is a bookshop in North Side, Diagon Alley, about halfway down the street on the left hand side.^[1] Established in 1654,^[2] it is where most Hogwarts students purchase their schoolbooks. The shop is filled with shelves stacked to the ceiling.

The shop has had a few problems with certain books, such as The Invisible Book of Invisibility which cost them a great deal of money though they never found them, and The Monster Book of Monsters which tore each other up as well as biting the manager when he tried to get one out.^[3]

The shop holds occasional book-signings, such as when Gilderoy Lockhart stopped by in 1992. Flourish and Blotts also runs a service, which enables purchasers to buy books via owl delivery.^[4] They also take advance orders for books that are in high demand, such as The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.^[5]

History

Establishment

Flourish and Blotts was first established in Diagon Alley in the year of 1654.^[2]

1927

On 19 March 1927, Flourish and Blotts and Obscurus Books held a book launch for Newton Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

1980s

In 1988, Jacob's sibling and either Merula Snyde, William Weasley or Jae Kim came to the shop to ask Madam Villanelle about Mundungus Fletcher.^[6]

1990s

Flourish and Blotts was briefly closed during the summer of 1991, as they were dealing with an outbreak of bookworms.^[7]

Sometime in early 1992, Flourish and Blotts was closed as it attempted to locate its order of Disappearing Ink. In August of 1992, famous wizard author Gilderoy Lockhart held a book signing at the shop and used it as an opportunity to announce his taking of the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that year. In an effort to gain more publicity, he dragged Harry Potter into the spotlight against his will and gifted Harry a complete set of his books. That same day, a fistfight occurred between Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley, and Lucius Malfoy secretly gave Tom Riddle's Diary to Ginny Weasley.^[8]

During the Christmas holidays, the bookshop was temporarily closed, as they were still tidying up after Gilderoy Lockhart's book signing in August.^[9]

In late summer of 1993, the front window of Flourish and Blotts held an iron cage filled with hundreds of copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. To deal with the vicious books set for the third year Care of Magical Creatures class taught by Rubeus Hagrid, the harassed manager had to gear up with thick gloves and jab at them with a knobbly walking stick, as the books tend to viciously rip and tear each other apart.

When Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley went to the shop to buy their schoolbooks, the manager almost cried when Ron and Hermione said they wanted two copies of The Monster Book of Monsters, but was very relieved when Harry noted that he already had a copy. Harry also asks for a copy of Unfogging the Future to which the manager leads them to a small corner in the back of the shop where a small table lies for books on Fortune Telling, such as: Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks, Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming, and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul.^[3]

In the summer of 1994, Molly Weasley went to Florish and Blotts to get three copies of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4 for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. As Harry and Ron thought they did not make the cut to proceed to N.E.W.T.-level for Potions, they did not buy the necessary textbook. However, with the new teacher lowering the entrance standards, Harry and Ron took the subject and wrote to Flourish and Blotts to get a copy of the book delivered to them.

Layout

Flourish and Blotts is filled to the brim with books. Shelves upon shelves line the walls, from ceiling to floor. The books are of all sizes and different verities. There is in fact so many books that various signs are posted throughout the shop, as a means of helping customers find what they need. The front windows usually contain displays of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs.^[10]

Add a photo to this gallery

Staff

In addition to the store's manager, who at times helps customers himself,^[3] the store also employs an assistant manager (paid 42 Galleons a month)^[11] and an assistant.^[8] The job is not altogether easy, as wizarding books might attempt to bite or simply be completely invisible,^[3] and fights — like the scuffle between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy in 1992, that sent books raining down on everyone's heads — are apparently commonplace enough that a classified posting for a new assistant manager requires that he or she be "good at breaking up fights".^[11]

Books sold

• The Book of Charms & Spells
• A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration (1 Galleon)
• Magical Drafts and Potions (2 Galleons)
• The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection (1 Galleon)
• A History of Magic (2 Galleons)
• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi (2 Galleons)
• The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One (1 Galleon)
• Magical Theory (2 Galleons)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2 Galleons)
• Break with a Banshee (5 Galleons)
• Gadding with Ghouls (5 Galleons)
• Travels with Trolls (5 Galleons)
• Voyages with Vampires (5 Galleons)
• Holidays with Hags (5 Galleons)
• Wanderings with Werewolves (5 Galleons)
• Year with the Yeti (5 Galleons)
• The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 (1 Galleon)
• The Monster Book of Monsters (4 Galleons)
• Unfogging the Future (2 Galleons)
• Intermediate Transfiguration (2 Galleons)
• The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 (1 Galleon)
• Easy Spells to Fool Muggles
• The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore
• Curses and Counter-Curses
• Quidditch Through the Ages (14 Sickles 3 Knuts)
• The Official Guide to the Quidditch World Cup (39 Galleons)
• Dumbledore's Army: The Dark Side of the Demob (10 Galleons)
• Charm Your Own Cheese (Revised) (5 Galleons)
• Book of Spells (possibly)^[12]
• Encyclopedia of Toadstools
• The Invisible Book of Invisibility
• How to Tame Tigers^[13]

Behind the scenes

• The set for Flourish and Blotts was a redress of the set for Garrick Ollivander's shop, which reflects on the real-world as shops on Diagon Alley would most likely have similar layouts due to space requirements, as a row of mini-mall shops might.
• The 2-disc DVD edition of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets includes an interactive tour of Diagon Alley and this shop, which is the only shop interior in the tour to also be interactive.
• Books in Pottermore can be bought here.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned on sign)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Possible appearance) (Briefly)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (companion book)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• The Art of Harry Potter Mini Book of Graphic Design

Notes and references