76388 Hogsmeade Village Visit is a versatile Harry Potter set.
Like many Lego fans, I thought this would make a great Winter Village set even if it wasn't designed for that purpose. I could either display the set as it is--two iconic buildings from Hogsmeade Village--or transform it into alternate models from Rebrickable.com.
In this post, I'll show the original Hogsmeade. In later posts I'll show two alternate builds; both are winter village inns. (Links: Old Inn and Stuffed Stocking)
Hogsmeade Village is represented here by Honeydukes sweet shop and The Three Broomsticks pub-and-inn. Both are places that Harry and his friends visit in the books/movies.
Let's start with Honeydukes. First, the unfinished lower floor:
Lots of fun details here, exotic candies of all kinds, but I won't try to guess what they are. One item is obvious, though: Acid Pops--as the label says on the yellow jar. Apparently Acid Pops burn a hole through your tongue; not sure why someone would eat them.
The colors of this building really evoke the Honeydukes we see in the movie version. For comparison, check out this concept art of Honeydukes made for a Harry Potter theme park.
The finished lower floor has a cash register and spooky glass display. The floor tiles--black-and-white 1950s diner style--look really cool and go well with the building's color palette.
Compared to the lower floor, the upper floor seems rather bare.
Not much going on upstairs. Just a crate, pot, bucket, and a few colorful bottles.
The completed Honeydukes. It's nice; but after the exciting lower floor, the upper floor is underwhelming.
The Three Broomsticks is a better build overall. Both its floors have a good amount of detail, and the exterior/roofing looks fantastic.
The pub below is well-stocked with drinks. The foaming cups are butterbeer.
The three Shrunken Heads hanging on the door (in sticker form here) appear only in the 3rd movie and not in the books.
The Three Broomsticks' upper floor reflects the "inn" half of this pub-and-inn. No bed, though. Furniture-wise, just a comfy couch and stool by the fire, plus drawers.
Now here is the lovely exterior of the Three Broomsticks.
Good roof design is a thing of beauty. These roofs fit nicely with minimal gaps.
Finally, these side builds can be placed anywhere outside Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks. A lamp, a bench, and a wanted sign (Have you seen this wizard? it says. It's the escaped prisoner Sirius Black!).
For play or posing, there's enough space for adult hands to maneuver and for placing many minifigures within the buildings.
Speaking of minifigures, let's look at the generous lineup of 7 characters.
From left to right: Harry Potter, Mrs. Flume (who runs Honeydukes with her husband), Dean Thomas, Professor McGonagall, Mr. Flume, Madam Rosmerta (who runs Three Broomsticks), and gold Ron.
Here are close-ups. Each has an alternate face except gold Ron.
The last of these, gold Ron, is a special 20th anniversary minifig. There are other gold minifigs to be found in other Lego HP sets.
This set also comes with Wizard Card tiles. In this case, 4 out of 16 possible wizards. I've no interest in collecting them, but I did look them up. Clockwise from top left: Rowena Ravenclaw, Minerva McGonagall, Jocunda Sykes, Bertie Bott.
The spare parts in this set are an especially nice selection. All those extra candy pieces and luminous bottles could be put to good use somewhere.
The Hogsmeade Village is a worthwhile set. You could use it not only for reimagining Harry Potter scenes but also in a modern town or possibly even a medieval town (though glass windows were probably not common in medieval times).
I sold my copy of Hogsmeade for a decent return of 70%. It would have been worth keeping, but I'm saving up for something big in 2025!