Subway Stations

• Type: Muggle Public Transportation
• Location: London, England
• Owner/Residents: Muggles (Operated by London Underground)
• Key Features: Underground electric trains, ticket barriers, escalators, tiled platforms, often crowded with Muggles.

Subway stations, known to British Muggles as the “Underground” or “Tube,” are a common form of public transportation in London. They are largely a novelty to many in the wizarding world, who typically rely on magical means of transport like Apparition, the Floo Network, or broomsticks. The stations are characterized by their subterranean platforms, electric trains, and automated ticket gates, which proved confusing to wizards like Arthur Weasley. Two specific subway station areas are notable in the series. The first, an unnamed station, is described as being grimy and covered in graffiti. It is located near a derelict red telephone box that serves as the secret visitors' entrance to the Ministry of Magic. The second is Tottenham Court Road, a real and busy London location with a major Underground station. This area serves as the emergency destination for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger immediately after fleeing the attack on Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding.

Subway stations appear at critical junctures, often serving as a bridge or point of contact between the magical and Muggle worlds. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur Weasley escorts Harry Potter to his disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic via the Underground. The journey highlights Mr. Weasley's fascination with Muggle inventions, as he struggles humorously with the ticket barrier. This scene provides a moment of levity before the grave hearing and demonstrates the Ministry's hidden presence within the heart of Muggle London. The station itself is depicted as rundown, contrasting with the magical grandeur of the Ministry it helps conceal. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the area around Tottenham Court Road station is the trio's first destination as fugitives. Having escaped Death Eaters at The Burrow, their Apparition into a crowded Muggle street underscores their sudden isolation and the dangers they face. Their brief respite is shattered when they are tracked down by Death Eaters Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov in a nearby café, proving that not even the Muggle world can offer them a safe haven.

While the internal layouts of the stations are not detailed, two specific locations are significant:

• Unnamed Station near the Ministry: A shabby, graffiti-covered subway station in London. Its primary significance is its proximity to the visitors' entrance to the Ministry of Magic, which is a red telephone box.
• Tottenham Court Road: A bustling area in the West End of London. While the station's interior is not visited, the trio Apparates to this specific location because Hermione Granger used to come to the area's theatres with her Muggle parents. This choice of destination inadvertently leads them into their first battle as fugitives.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and Arthur Weasley use Westminster Underground station, a real station adjacent to the Houses of Parliament. This station is much larger, more modern, and cleaner than the one described in the book. The change was likely made for cinematic purposes, utilizing a recognizable and visually impressive London landmark that is geographically close to the filming locations used for the exterior of the Ministry of Magic (Great Scotland Yard). (film)