We have Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley from canon, keeping up with the naming convention, what are some other ideas for Alley names, either from existing fics or your own thoughts? General Punny names for Wizarding areas are also welcome.

The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are 'Moor Alley', from 'Hero of the Wizarding World?'-dedicated to prostitution and similar NSFW shops- and 'Logic Alley' from a truly terrible Mugglewank fic that I can't remember the name of.

Bonus question: what's a good name for a food-based alley besides 'Delishus Alley?' I've completely blanked.

 

Tam Alley.

 

Magical theorists look no further when they're on the hunt for rare, controversial, but not quite discredited books. They're all on High Pothetick Alley

 

Vertic Alley. I am a genius.

 

Ambrosi Alley. It's an upper-class living district next to Nectar Row (shopping district) in my fic. The name probably works for a food-based alley though.

 

Horizont Alley. Perfect Alley. Tote Alley. Clinic Alley. Brute Alley.

Or perhaps An Alley?

For a food based alley...perhaps Commune Alley on the idea of communal eating?

 

Gastronomic Alley.

 

Why would you need a new Alley? The fact that you're using the same naming convention will always relegate whatever you make to a copy. If you present it as worse, the question will be why have it in the first place. If you present it as better, then you're making the mistake of going against canon, and generally making something entirely out of thin air that's better than anything canon has to provide is never received well.

Use what canon already gives you in creative ways, or make something completely new. Don't look for 'new alleys'.

 

Got to agree with Rep here. Every 'Alley' name I've seen in fics just feels forced and unimaginative. Search for words ending in 'ally' and Bob's your uncle.

I'd say look up some of the more interesting olde-timey street names and play with them for something new if you really want to use something other than Diagon and Knockturn.

Like York's 'The Shambles', or The Mumbles near Swansea. How about 'The Grumbles', Britain's only permanent Giant settlement, abandoned after they were forced out following Voldemort's first fall.

Or Cham Brae (from chambray), a little hidden road in Manchester where a number of more upmarket magical tailors have their shops. Or Mander Mews (from mandamus), where the official residence of the Supreme Mugwump can be found.

There's so many possibilities that seeing yet another uninteresting and on-the-nose 'It's Hormon Alley, where all the prostitutes can be found!' makes me die a little inside.

 

Muhammad Alley, Cometh Alley, Ore Alley, Mustangs Alley, Keepat Alley.

 

Following Rep and Steelbadger, maybe there are some unmined puns with other address endings? Just off the top of my head: Tricker Street (Tricker's Treat, sounds like Trick or Treat). For your culinary alley, Cook Street (Cook's treat). The latter is rather uninspired though lol.

 

I've used Cashew Alley for the cafes, plaza, and boutique shopping experience, including the Dancing Doily and the Hatbox Cafe and Millinery, which won't serve you if you're not wearing a hat, and preferably one of theirs.

 

I want Natur Alley. But it's not in London. It's in the Forbidden Forest and it's not an alley, it's just nature.

 

I agree in principle that there are probably more creative ways of introducing new areas to the universe, but why does it have to be better or worse? Canon had Diagon, the 'standard' area, and Knockturn, the shady criminal area. That leaves a lot of room for more niche Alleys (especially if you choose to ignore the 3000 wizard number) that are neither wanky "hey it's the Alley where we use pens instead of quills " or "even shittier Knockturn."

I try to separate things that are often done poorly in bad fanfiction with the merits of the idea itself, or else everything starts looking shit. Just because it's been done a thousand times terribly doesn't necessarily mean the thousand-and-oneth time has to also be bad. Nevertheless, I get the aversion.

All those other pun names are fantastic, I've been unsuccessfully trying to come up with stuff like that for ages and have been failing miserably.