A workshop in the Wizarding world is a dedicated space used for the creation, repair, invention, or study of magical objects and substances. These areas are often highly personal to their owners, reflecting their magical interests, professions, and eccentricities. They can range from small sheds and back rooms of shops to more specialized facilities. Several notable workshops are mentioned throughout the series, each playing a role in character development or plot advancement.
Located at The Burrow, Arthur Weasley's shed is a small, stone outbuilding that serves as his private workshop. It is perpetually cluttered with a vast collection of Muggle items that he enjoys dismantling and enchanting, such as toasters, batteries, and electrical plugs. The shed is kept locked, not just with a physical lock but also with an enchantment to prevent Molly Weasley from entering and tidying it. The most significant project undertaken in this workshop was Arthur Weasley's illegal bewitchment of a Ford Anglia. He enchanted the car to fly, become invisible, and hold far more luggage and passengers than its Muggle counterpart.
This workshop is central to establishing Arthur Weasley's fascination with the Muggle world, a defining aspect of his character. It is the origin of the flying Ford Anglia, an object crucial to the plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, first used by Fred, George, and Ron Weasley to rescue Harry Potter from Number Four, Privet Drive, and later by Harry and Ron to travel to Hogwarts.
The workshop of Ollivanders is the small, dusty room located behind the main shop where its proprietor, Garrick Ollivander, crafts his wands. It is described as being tiny, with thousands of narrow boxes containing wands stacked precariously to the ceiling. It is here that Mr. Ollivander practices the “subtle and mysterious branch of magic” that is wandlore, matching wizards and witches with their ideal wands.
Ollivander's workshop is a foundational location in the series. It is where Harry Potter is chosen by his holly and phoenix feather wand, which is revealed to be the “brother” wand to that of Lord Voldemort. This connection becomes a recurring and critical plot point throughout the series. The workshop represents the entry point for many young magic-users into the wider Wizarding world.
This workshop is seen only through a vision shared between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. It is the workplace of the European wandmaker Mykew Gregorovich. The brief glimpse shows a room with wood shavings on the floor, where a young, laughing Gellert Grindelwald stuns Gregorovich from a window before stealing the Elder Wand.
The event in this workshop is a key piece of history that Voldemort uncovers in his obsessive hunt for the Elder Wand. The vision of Grindelwald's theft confirms to Voldemort that Gregorovich was once a master of the wand, setting him on a path that ultimately leads him to Albus Dumbledore's tomb.
Located on an upper floor of the Lovegood House, this workshop is where Xenophilius Lovegood writes, edits, and prints his magazine, The Quibbler. The room is dominated by a large, clanking printing press that magically operates itself, spewing out copies of the magazine. The floor is littered with parchments, and the room contains other strange objects, including a model of what Luna Lovegood identifies as the beastly “Wrackspurt”.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the trio visits this workshop seeking information from Xenophilius. It becomes the setting where they are formally introduced to the story of the Deathly Hallows. The discussion is cut short when Xenophilius betrays them to the Death Eaters in a desperate attempt to save his captured daughter, Luna. The ensuing battle leads to the partial destruction of the workshop and the trio's narrow escape.
This workshop is mentioned only in passing by Minerva McGonagall at the very beginning of the series. After Lord Voldemort's first fall, a jubilant Dedalus Diggle apparently set off a shower of shooting stars from his workshop in Kent as part of the widespread wizarding celebrations. No further details about its appearance or contents are provided.
The mention of this workshop serves as a piece of world-building, illustrating the immediate and joyous reaction of the Wizarding world to the end of the First Wizarding War. It adds colour to the character of Dedalus Diggle and highlights the carefree, if careless, mood of the wizarding community at that time.