Magical objects in Harry Potter
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In the fictional Harry Potter series, many magical objects exist for the use of the characters. The following is a list of magical objects in Harry Potter, and can be found throughout the series by J. K. Rowling.
Contents |
[edit] Communication
[edit] Enchanted Coins
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger creates fake, enchanted Galleons that are used for communication between members of Dumbledore's Army. Like real Galleons, the coins have numerals around the edge which normally indicate the goblin who cast the coin. In the enchanted coins the numbers represent the time and date of the next meeting, and change automatically to match whatever numbers Harry Potter sets on his coin. The coins become hot when the numbers change to alert the members to look at their coins. The coins are also used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to communicate between members of Dumbledore's Army.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy uses a pair of enchanted coins to bypass the communication limits placed around Hogwarts, and communicate with Madam Rosmerta who was under the Imperius Curse. Draco reveals he got the idea from Hermione's coins which were used the previous school year.
[edit] Howler
A Howler is a bright red letter sent to signify extreme anger in the Harry Potter books. When it is opened, the sender's voice will bellow at the recipient, with the voice magically magnified to deafening volumes, before self-destructing. If it is not opened, it will explode violently and the message will be heard anyway, and will be even louder than if opened.[HP2] In the film version, the Howler folds itself into an origami-style set of lips before shredding itself into scraps of paper.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron Weasley receives a Howler from his mother, Mrs Weasley, after he steals his father's enchanted car and flies it to Hogwarts with Harry. Neville received one from his grandmother after Sirius Black used his list of passwords to enter the Gryffindor Common Room in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Later in the series, Hermione is sent one in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after Rita Skeeter publishes an article in which she makes up a relationship between Hermione and Harry. Finally, Dumbledore sends Petunia Dursley a Howler in Order of the Phoenix, to remind her of the agreement to allow Harry to live at Privet Drive, when Harry's Uncle Vernon attempts to throw him out after being attacked by Dementors.
[edit] Dark Objects
[edit] Hand of Glory
The Hand of Glory is an instrument used by Draco in Half-Blood Prince. In Chamber of Secrets, it is described as a large shriveled hand displayed on a cushion in the shop. However, when a candle is placed in the hand, it gives light only to the person wielding it.
It was first seen in the second book, when Draco and his father, Lucius Malfoy, visited the Dark Arts store Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. (At that point, Lucius denied Draco's request to have it, saying that it was a tool for a common thief). And later on, in the sixth book, it was used by Draco when leaving the Room of Requirement, allowing him to escape from Ron and a few other members of Dumbledore's Army after using the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.
[edit] Horcruxes
[edit] Other Dark Items
- Forbidden Books including:
- Sonnets of a Sorcerer, which forces the reader to speak forever in rhyme
- A book that sears the eyes of the reader
- A book that the reader cannot stop reading or dispose of.
- Unnamed items which can be found in Borgin & Burkes
- Blood-stained playing cards
- A staring glass eye
- Evil-looking masks
- Human bones
- Rusty, spiked instruments
- Long coil of hangman's rope
- Opal necklace that is cursed and has claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles and is also known to have nearly killed Katie Bell in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
- Items which can be found in Knockturn Alley
- Poisonous candles
- Human fingernails
- Items which can be found in Number 12 Grimmauld Place
- Biting silver snuffbox filled with Wartcap Powder
- A spidery instrument, rather like a many-legged tweezers, which scurried away and tried to puncture Harry's skin, destroyed by Sirius
- A music box that played a sinister but compelling tune which would have put all the listeners into an enchanted sleep, had it not been stopped by Ginny Weasley
- A grandfather clock that shot heavy bolts at passers-by
- An ancient set of purple robes that tried to strangle Ron
- An ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what looked like blood
- Claws
- Rusty daggers
- Coiled snakeskin
[edit] Detectors and concealers
[edit] Detectors
[edit] Foe-glass
A Foe-glass is a mirror that detects and shows its owner's enemies in or out of focus, depending on how close they are. However, like all Dark detectors, it can be fooled, as mentioned by Harry in the fifth book at the beginning of the first D.A. meeting. Alastor Moody, actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise, claimed that when the figures are most focused, they are the nearest.
Until the debate over Severus Snape's allegiance was resolved in Deathly Hallows, a key argument for those who believed that Snape was still in league with the Order of the Phoenix was the fact that Snape appeared as an enemy in the Foe-glass of Barty Crouch, Jr. in the fourth book (an event that would not have occurred were Snape working for the Death Eaters).
[edit] Probity Probe
A Probity Probe detects spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. The detector made its first appearance in Half-Blood Prince as thin and golden in colour. After Lord Voldemort's return, Probes are used as part of the increased security at Gringotts. They are last seen when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive at Gringotts to rob the bank of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.[1]
[edit] Remembrall
A Remembrall is a small, clear orb, containing smoke that turns red when detecting that the user has forgotten something. Unfortunately, it does not tell the user what he/she has forgotten which makes it somewhat worthless. The very forgetful Neville Longbottom is given a Remembrall in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but loses it by his sixth year. Their use is forbidden during the O.W.L. exams, because students can tell if they wrote a wrong answer.
The DVD of Philosopher's Stone contains a software approximation of a remembrall.
[edit] Revealer
A Revealer is a bright red eraser, used to make invisible ink appear. It makes its first appearance in Chamber of Secrets when Hermione tries to make something appear in Tom Riddle's diary.
[edit] Secrecy Sensor
The Secret Sensor is a dark detector which makes its first appearance when Harry enters Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody's office. The sensor is described as "an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial." It vibrates when it detects concealment and lies. Moody mentions that it is, "No use here of course, too much interference--students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework." However, it may be that this was due to the sinister intentions of Moody (actually Barty Crouch Jr.).
In Order of the Phoenix, it is shown that Secret Sensors are used at the Atrium Desk in the Ministry of Magic upon visitor to the government locale. Later in the book, Harry mentions that they can be easily fooled like its other dark-detecting counterparts. In Half-Blood Prince, due to Hogwarts's new stringent security measures, Argus Filch is assigned to run every student entering the castle with Secrecy Sensors. All the owls flying into Hogwarts, too, are placed under his measure to detect that no Dark object enters the castle through mail. Later, Hermione explains that though Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, they cannot detect love potions (because they are not dark, though Harry considers them to be).
[edit] Sneakoscope
A Sneakoscope serves as a Dark Arts detector. The device is described as a miniature glass-spinning top that emits shrill noises in the presence of deception. For instance, when an untrustworthy person is near or when a deceitful event takes place nearby.
Sneakoscopes are introduced in Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry receives one from Ron for his 13th birthday. The sneakoscope appears again on the Hogwarts Express, and again up in Harry and Ron's dormitory. Harry later discovers that Scabbers, Ron's rat, who was present each time the Sneakoscope was spinning, is actually a traitorous Animagus named Peter Pettigrew. In Goblet of Fire, the somewhat paranoid "Mad-Eye" Moody has several sneakoscopes that he somehow disabled (possibly related to a crack it was described as having), claiming, "It wouldn't stop whistling." However, it was later revealed that Mad-Eye was really Barty Crouch Jr under the effects of the Polyjuice Potion, thus explaining the constant alerts in his presence. Finally in Deathly Hallows, Hermione gives Harry a Sneakoscope for his seventeenth birthday which they later use to help as a lookout while in hiding.
[edit] Weasley Family Clock
The Weasley family has a special clock in their home, the Burrow, with nine hands, one for every member of the family. Instead of telling the time, the clock reveals the location or status of each family member. The known locations are: Home, School, Work, Travelling, Lost, Hospital, Prison, Mortal Peril. The Weasleys are the only family mentioned to own such a clock. Albus Dumbledore calls the clock "wonderful" and seems impressed by it, suggesting that it's an extremely powerful object.
Only the location of mortal peril is known on the round clock (it is situated where the numeral 12 would normally be). Throughout the first five books, the hands change to reflect the varying statuses of the family members, but by the sixth book, all nine hands point to mortal peril at all times, except when someone is travelling. Mrs Weasley takes this to mean that, with Voldemort having returned, everyone is always in mortal peril, but she can not verify this, because she does not know anyone else who has a clock like hers.[HP6]
[edit] Concealers
[edit] Invisibility Cloaks
- For information on Harry's special cloak, which is in fact a Deathly Hallow, see Cloak of Invisibility.
Within the Harry Potter universe, an Invisibility Cloak is used to make the wearer invisible. There are a number of different types of Invisibility Cloaks. All are very rare and expensive, and they may be spun from pelts of the Demiguise, magical herbivores that are found in the Far East. They can be ordinary cloaks as well with a Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzlement Hex placed on them. Over time, these cloaks will lose their invisibility ability, eventually becoming opaque.[2]
Invisibility Cloaks hide the presence of the wearer by visual detection only, meaning that it does not stop people from being solid. Alastor Moody's magically charmed eye however was able to penetrate them. Creatures such as cats (Mrs Norris) and snakes (Nagini) rely more heavily on other senses unaffected by visibility (smell, hearing), so the cloaks are less effective in hiding from them. The Dementors in the books have no sense of sight and instead sense human despair, a sense unhindered by the use of an Invisibility cloak.
The cloak of Ignotus Peverell, which was passed down the generations to Harry is an extremely powerful cloak that seems to never lose its ability to render objects invisible. It also never is worn out despite constant use and is not affected by spells. It was possibly made by Ignotus himself, using powerful but unknown magic, rather than from the methods mentioned above. The story of the cloak says it was Death's cloak given to Ignotus, though "Death" is only personification in the story.
Invisibility cloaks have played a major part in the series, they have been used by many characters, not just one. Ignotus, youngest of the three brothers, and the first owner of the Cloak of Invisibility. James Potter, Harry's father, generations later inherited the Cloak of Invisibility as a descendant of the Peverell family. His son, Harry, then inherited it from his father, presented by Dumbledore, who had possession of it at the time of the death of Harry's parents. Mad-Eye Moody is known to possess two. One of these was borrowed by Sturgis Podmore in the course of work for the Order of the Phoenix. Barty Crouch Senior possessed one as well, as he used it to hide his son.
[edit] Deluminator (Put-Outer)
The Deluminator (solely called the Put-Outer until Deathly Hallows) is a device used and invented by Dumbledore that can remove or absorb and later return the light from a light source to provide secrecy to the user. It looks like a standard cigarette lighter and makes its first appearance in Philosopher's Stone. In this instance, Dumbledore uses the Deluminator to darken Privet Drive, where the Dursley household is located. This makes the Deluminator the first magical object to be shown in the novels. It was next seen in Order of the Phoenix where Dumbledore loans the Deluminator to Mad-Eye Moody, who uses it when transporting Harry from the Dursleys' home to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. In Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore uses the Deluminator again to darken Privet Drive before collecting Harry.
Finally in Deathly Hallows, it is first referred to as the Deluminator. It is bequeathed to Ron by Dumbledore. After Ron had left his friends in anger, the Deluminator demonstrated the additional capability of a homing device. Ron hears the voices of Harry and Hermione through the device when they say his name and, when he clicks it, the emitted light enters his body and allows him to locate and Apparate to the vicinity of their camp. Ron speculates that Dumbledore had foreseen that he would abandon his friends and regret it later. But Harry corrects him saying that Dumbledore knew Ron would always want to return to his friends. Rowling later stated that Dumbledore left it to Ron because he believed he might have needed a little more guidance than Harry and Hermione.[3]
[edit] Games
[edit] Gobstones
Gobstones is one of the many magical games played by young wizards in the books, along with Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap. Gobstones is similar to the real games of marbles and pétanque, except that in Gobstones, the balls spit, or gob, a foul smelling liquid in the face of the opposing player when they lose a point. Hogwarts students are seen playing Gobstones throughout the books, and there is even a Gobstones Club at the school.
[edit] Quidditch equipment
[edit] Playing cards: Self-shuffling and Exploding Snap
In Chamber of Secrets, a pack of Self-Shuffling cards is mentioned as one of the objects littering the floor of Ron's room.[4]
In Goblet of Fire, Ron was trying to build a card castle out of his Exploding Snap pack, playing cards that have the ability to explode at random. It is mentioned that this made building card castles more exciting, as they were likely to explode at any given time, and indeed his did so as he placed the last two cards on the top of the castle.[5]
[edit] Wizard's Chess
Wizard's chess is played with pieces and a board like real chess, except that the pieces are animated.[6] The players simply tell the pieces to move using algebraic chess notation, and the pieces obey. The pieces attack each other in cases where an opposing player's piece would be taken, usually by knocking the captured piece out and dragging it off the board. Ron has a set left to him by his grandfather and Harry first plays with pieces borrowed from Seamus Finnigan, (it is said that the pieces kept shouting him advice because they did not trust him).[HP1] Harry later gets a set of his own in one of his wizard crackers during his first Christmas at Hogwarts. During the climactic chapters of Philosopher's Stone Harry, Ron and Hermione become human chess pieces, in a life-sized game of wizard's chess, thus risking their lives. Harry replaces a bishop, Ron a knight and Hermione a castle. Ron responds to the first move by using the Scandinavian Defence to verify that the chess pieces are enchanted and can smash each other. Later in the game, Ron sacrifices himself leading to Harry successfully checkmating the opposing King.[7]
Recently, the company Deagostini released a magazine series called Harry Potter Chess, which is based on the life-sized game near the end of the film version of Philosopher's Stone and each piece is specially animated. The chess pieces that come with it are based on the life-sized pieces in the film. Arco Toys and others also have a Wizards Chess Set.[8]
[edit] Legendary magical artifacts
The following are artifacts considered legendary in the Harry Potter universe.
[edit] Deathly Hallows
[edit] Goblet of Fire
The Goblet of Fire is a goblet made of wood [HP4] which sprouts fire at the beginning of every Triwizard Tournament used solely to choose the participating school champions, serving as an "impartial judge".[HP4] Alastor Moody (the impostor) stated once that the Goblet of Fire was "a very powerful magical object" and it is very difficult to be hoodwinked, unless someone uses an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm. This is the first clue that he is involved in the hoodwinking (as he would just happen to know).
During its use in Goblet of Fire, it is placed in the entrance hall and surrounded by an "age line" (a charm placed by Dumbledore). An age potion cannot fool the Goblet however as proved by Fred and George Weasley, who enter their names only to have themselves expelled from the fire. When not in use, the goblet is kept in a jewelled "casket".
[edit] Gryffindor's Sword
Gryffindor's Sword is a goblin-made sword adorned with large rubies on the pommel. It was once owned by Godric Gryffindor, one of the medieval founders of Hogwarts. In Chamber of Secrets, Harry draws the Sword out of the Sorting Hat to kill a basilisk. The sword also plays a role in Deathly Hallows, where it is revealed to have been imbued with basilisk venom, and is used to destroy three of Voldemort's Horcruxes. On several occasions, it is shown that only one who is truly a member of the Gryffindor House - one who shows courage in the face of danger - can use the Sword.
Because the Sword was goblin-forged, it is indestructible, and will in fact absorb anything that is more powerful than it, making it even more powerful (thus explaining why the sword was imbued with basilisk venom). According to Griphook the goblin, the Sword was originally forged for the goblin Ragnuk the First and "stolen" (purchased) by Godric Gryffindor. The Sword was stolen (or retrieved, as goblins would say) by Griphook when the Sword fell from Harry's grasp during the raid on Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in book seven. However, it again returned to human hands later in the book, when Neville Longbottom pulled it out of the Sorting Hat and used it to decapitate Nagini, Voldemort's snake. In both incidents when it was drawn from the hat, it was used to kill a snake, the symbol of Slytherin. This shows that apparently, no matter where the sword happened to be at the time, it would reappear in the hat when a true member of Gryffindor house is in need of it.
J. K. Rowling has confirmed in her webchat that Gryffindor did not steal the sword from Ragnuk and that this belief is merely part of Griphook's goblin mistrust and prejudice against wizards.[citation needed]
[edit] The Philosopher's Stone
Based upon the ancient alchemical idea of the Philosopher's Stone, the Philosopher's Stone is a stone, invented by Nicolas Flamel. The stone is legendary in that it changes all metals to gold, and when brewed into an elixir can make the drinker immortal. The Philosopher's Stone is seen only in Philosopher's Stone, and is the object that Voldemort is pursuing to return himself to power. It was destroyed at the end of the book by Dumbledore with Flamel's agreement.
[edit] Sorting Hat
The Sorting Hat is a sentient artifact used at Hogwarts, which magically determines to which of the four schoolhouses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin - each new student is to be assigned. During the opening banquet at the beginning of the school year, the hat is placed on every First-Year student’s head. The hat will announce its choice aloud, and the student joins the selected house. Judging from Harry's own account of his Sorting, and a brief comment made by Hermione, the hat speaks to the student while they're being Sorted and is willing to take the student's preferences into account when it makes its decision. The Sorting Hat originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. Due to its age, it appears "patched and frayed and extremely dirty."
Before sorting the students each year, the hat recites a new introductory song. These songs occasionally warn of danger to come, as in Order of the Phoenix. The Sorting Hat's songs vary in length and content, but always include a brief description of each house. It is suggested by Ron that the hat probably spends each school year thinking up the song it will sing at the next start-of-term banquet.
The Sorting Hat has shown the ability to conjure the sword of Godric Gryffindor from under its brim on two instances; in Chamber of Secrets, it provides the sword to Harry Potter, and in Deathly Hallows, it delivers the sword to Neville Longbottom. Dumbledore makes it clear in Chamber of Secrets that only a true Gryffindor can summon the sword in this fashion. The sword and hat together make up the two known relics of Godric Gryffindor.
The Sorting Hat had a difficult time placing Harry, almost placing him into Slytherin house before he requested specifically and emphatically not to be. The Hat instead placed him into Gryffindor, after both his parents. Rowling has stated that the reason for the hat's indecision as to which house to place him into was because it sensed the part of Voldemort's soul within Harry.
In Deathly Hallows the Sorting Hat is set on fire by Voldemort, although it appears the hat was not destroyed, as Neville was able to draw the Sword of Gryffindor from it immediately after. In the epilogue at the end of Deathly Hallows, the Hat's survival is confirmed, as Harry tells his youngest son that, if he really did not want to be Sorted into Slytherin the Hat would take his preference into consideration.
In the first two Harry Potter movies, the hat is voiced by actor Leslie Phillips.
[edit] Magical Sweets
Multitudes of sweets are produced in the stories; many have a violent or bizarre side effect, especially those created by Fred and George. Most sweets can be found in the sweetshop Honeydukes. There are also Chocoballs,[9] Cauldron Cakes,[9] Fudge Flies, Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Cauldrons.
[edit] Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans
Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are jelly beans that come in literally every flavour. The flavours described in the books that are normal include caramel, chocolate, coffee, marmalade, peppermint, strawberry, lemon, and toffee. The "unusual" flavours include baked bean, curry, earwax, bogey, grass, liver, black pepper, sardine, spinach, sprout, tripe, and vomit. The Jelly Belly candy company produces real versions of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. They have produced odd flavours in and out of the market since ~2001. Apart from some "regular" flavours, the company also produces several "unusual" flavours mentioned in the books. Other flavours include bacon, dirt, earthworm, rotten egg, sausage, pickle, toast and soup.
[edit] Chocolate Frogs
Chocolate Frogs are frogs made of chocolate. They are each packaged with a collectible card displaying a magical picture and brief biography of a famous witch or wizard. The cards named by the Harry Potter books include: Merlin, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, Agrippa, Ptolemy, Morgana, Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, Druidess Cliodna, Crospin Conk, Bertie Bott, Felix Summerbee, Cassandra Vablatsky, and Ignatia Wildsmith. Additionally, J. K. Rowling designed[citation needed] four Wizard Cards for the four Hogwarts founders.
Chocolate Frogs first appear in Philosopher's Stone, when Harry is on the Hogwarts Express heading to Hogwarts. Having just met Ron, Harry buys a large amount of food and sweets, including Chocolate Frogs, for the two of them to share. Harry opens a package to discover that the card inside depicts Dumbledore. When Dumbledore is punished for revealing the return of Voldemort, he is stripped of several of his titles, but states that he doesn't care what they take away so long as he's not removed from the Chocolate Frog cards. The films depict these frogs as capable of movement, though this does not appear to be canonically supported.
Chocolate Frogs appear throughout the series. Some fans had speculated that members of the Order of the Phoenix used the cards found with the Frogs to communicate. J. K. Rowling however, has denied this claim. Chocolate Frogs of a sort are also available through the Cap Candy Company, though availability is limited in summer months due to the risk of them melting in transport. They each come with one holographic lenticular collector card.
According to a webchat with the author, Harry and his friends are eventually featured on a series of Chocolate Frog cards, Ron calling it "his finest hour".[10]
[edit] Cockroach Cluster
Cockroach Clusters are a very strange type of sweet, which Harry discovers accidentally to be one of the passwords to Dumbledore's office. We can assume it to contain parts of or whole cockroaches, or to at least be shaped like cockroaches, as other sweets are shaped like frogs or mice. They are sold at Honeydukes shop in Hogsmeade. They also seem to resemble peanuts, since Ron once thought he could fool Fred into eating some if he told him that the cluster contained peanuts.
Cockroach Cluster also happens to be one of the chocolates found in the Whizzo Quality Assortment in Monty Python's Crunchy Frog sketch. Since the book's publication, actual Cockroach Clusters---which look like very large roaches---can be found, especially from Jelly Belly.[11]
[edit] Drooble's Best Blowing Gum
Drooble's Best Blowing Gum is a bubble gum that fills a room with bluebell bubbles that refuse to pop for days. In Order of the Phoenix, Alice Longbottom - whose mind had been permanently damaged by the Cruciatus Curse - gave her son Neville Longbottom a Drooble's Bubblegum wrapper for Christmas; according to Neville's grandmother, Neville has enough of these gifts to "paper his room with," but Neville carefully saves every one.
[edit] Fizzing Whizzbees
Fizzing Whizbees, are massive sherbet balls[12] that make the eater levitate "a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them", according to Ron.[9] They are rumoured to contain dried Billywig stings, an item reputed to make people levitate. Fizzing Whizzbees are also made by Cap Candy, and come with three packets (one Raspberry, one Strawberry and one Orange). They actually resemble the real life Pop Rocks.
[edit] Chocolate Cauldrons
Chocolate Cauldrons are first introduced in Half-Blood Prince when Harry gets some for Christmas from Romilda Vane, which he knew had love potion in them. The present fell off Harry's bed and Ron thought they were his and he ate them making him not like Lavender Brown, his former girlfriend. Harry goes to Slughorn's office and tries to cure him.
[edit] Other minor sweets
These are sweets that make only minor appearances and mentions in the books only.
- Acid Pops are lollipops that burn the tongue while sucked on. Fred and George gave Ron an Acid Pop, and it left a hole in his tongue for days.
- Blood Pops are a type of lollipop designed for vampires.
- Canary Creams are a prank candy invented by Fred and George that turn the eater into a canary.
- Exploding BonBons are Jawbreakers which explode while you eat them.
- Ice Mice are mouse-shaped sweets that make one's teeth squeak and chatter.
- Jelly Slugs chewy gummy slugs that wiggle around in your mouth.
- Licorice Wands are fake candy wands. They appear in Philosopher's Stone on the sweets cart on the Hogwarts Express.
- Pepper Imps are tiny and black; they "make you smoke at the mouth", according to Ron.[9]
- Peppermint Toads are peppermint creams in the shape of a toad. Once eaten, they give the sensation that they hop in the stomach.
- Sugar Quills are popular among students, as they can be eaten during class, "and they just look like you're thinking what to write next", according to Ron.[9] Deluxe sugar quills, a longer lasting version of sugar quills, are also available.
- Ton-tongue toffee are a prank candy invented by Fred and George. An incident involving Dudley Dursley demonstrates its side effect of elongating the tongue.
- Toothflossing Stringmints are odd splintery mints that presumably clean and floss one's teeth.
- Treacle Fudge are fudges that can be any hardness, as Rubeus Hagrid sends Harry tooth breaking fudge that Harry softens up near the fireplace. They are Harry's favorite candies, he mostly enjoys Mrs. Weasley's fudge.
[edit] Mirrors
[edit] The Mirror of Erised
The Mirror of Erised is a mystical mirror discovered by Harry in a back corridor of Hogwarts in Philosopher's Stone. On it is inscribed, erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi — which, when reversed and correctly spaced, reads I show not your face but your heart's desire. Harry, upon encountering the Mirror, can see his parents, as well as what appears to be a crowd of relatives; Ron sees himself as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain holding the Quidditch Cup (thus revealing his wish to be acknowledged out of the shadow of his highly successful older brothers, as well as his more popular friend, Harry).
According to Dumbledore, the Mirror "shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts"; which is why Harry sees his family, while Ron sees himself achieving more than his older brothers — but cautions Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth and that men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they see.
Dumbledore, one of the only other characters to face the Mirror in the novel, claims to see himself holding a pair of socks, telling Harry that "one can never have enough socks", and lamenting that he did not receive any for Christmas, since people will insist on giving him books. However, this is a lie. It is said in Deathly Hallows that what he really sees is his entire family alive and well and happy together again. If Hermione sees into the mirror, she would have seen herself, Ron and Harry leaving unscathed and victorious after the Voldemort crisis during the war, but otherwise would see herself embraced in a romantic hug with Ron.[13]
The Mirror of Erised was the final protection given to the Philosopher's Stone in the first book. Dumbledore hid the Mirror and hid the Stone inside it, knowing that only a person who wanted to find the Stone, but not to use it, would be able to obtain the stone. Anyone else would see himself making an Elixir of Life or turning things to gold, rather than actually finding the Stone. Dumbledore tells Harry, "It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something."
The mirror has not been seen since Philosopher's Stone.
[edit] Two-way mirrors
In Order of the Phoenix, Sirius gives Harry a mirror he originally used to communicate with James Potter in detention. That mirror is a part of a set of Two-way Mirrors that are activated by holding one of them and saying the name of the other possessor, causing his or her face to appear on the caller's mirror and vice versa. Harry receives this mirror from Sirius in a package after spending his Christmas holiday at Grimmauld Place. Harry, at first, chooses not to open the package, although he does discover the mirror after Sirius's death, by which point it is no longer functional. It makes its second appearance in Half-Blood Prince when Mundungus Fletcher loots Grimmauld Place and sells it to Aberforth Dumbledore, who uses it to watch out for Harry in Deathly Hallows. When Harry desperately cries for help at a shard of the magical mirror, a brilliant blue eye (which Harry mistakes for Dumbledore's eye) that happens to be Aberforth Dumbledore's eye, appears, sends Dobby who arrives to help Harry escape from the Malfoy Manor to Bill and Fleur's Shell Cottage.
[edit] Photographs and Portraits
[edit] Prank objects
[edit] Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
Prank objects from Weasley Wizard Wheezes are made and designed by the owners of the shop, Fred and George. Weasley's Wild-fire Whiz-Bangs are enchanted fireworks with overly spectacular effects. Skiving Snackboxes are candies that are designed to sicken the eater in order to skive off lessons. Each variety of Snackboxes causes a different effect, such as vomiting, fainting or developing nosebleeds - one side of the candy causes the malady, while the other half cures it. Patented Daydream Charms are a kit that puts the user into realistic daydreams, which can be fitted into lessons. A Headless hat creates a limited field of invisibility that covers the wearer's head, giving them the appearance of not having a head. Its counterpart is a Shield Hat that deflects minor hexes and curses. Originally intended to be a prank item, it expanded into shield cloaks, gloves, etc. because it works so well.
Trick Wands are magical fake wands that turn into a silly item (rubber chickens, tin parrots, etc.) when someone tries to use them. Varieties that are more expensive beat the unwary user about the head and neck. Ton-tongue toffees make the eater's tongue grow to an alarmingly large size temporarily as read about in the fourth book when Fred apparently drops some Canary Creams that make the eater turn into a canary for a short amount of time.
[edit] Other
Other prank objects include Belch Powder,[14] Dungbombs (explodes and causes a large and extremely smelly mess), and Ever-bashing boomerangs (presumably hit their target repeatedly after being thrown and are banned at Hogwarts). Fanged Frisbees which are literally Frisbees with fangs and are first mentioned in Goblet of Fire as one of Filch's newest restricted items at the beginning of term speech. However, they make their first appearance in Half-Blood Prince when one whirled around the Gryffindor common room, changing course with a mind of its own, and taking a bite out of a curtain - all after Ron threw one in the Gryffindor common room. They may be capable of causing damage.
More objects include Screaming yo-yos, which presumably scream loudly when worked, and Stink Pellets, which are used to distract prefects and teachers, and give an unpleasant smell.[14]
[edit] Storage receptacles
[edit] Moody's Magical Trunk
Alastor Moody owns an especially bewitched magical trunk. It has seven locks on it, and the trunk opens to a different assortment of objects for each lock. Most notably, though, the seventh compartment is about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep (possibly because of the use of an Undetectable Extension Charm), and is where Barty Crouch Jr. imprisoned the real Moody. Other compartments contain spellbooks, Dark Detectors, and Moody's Invisibility Cloak.
[edit] Pensieve
A Pensieve is a stone receptacle in which to store memories. Covered in mystic runes, it contains memories that take physical form as a type of matter that is described as neither liquid nor gas. A witch or wizard can extract their own memories or another person’s, store them in the Pensieve, and review them later. It also relieves the mind when it becomes cluttered with information. Anyone can examine the memories in the Pensieve, which also allows viewers to fully immerse themselves in the memories stored within, much like a magical form of real world virtual reality.
Oddly, users of these devices view the memories from a third-person-point-of-view, providing a near-omniscient perspective of the events preserved. This of course, raises questions of how they are able to see things beyond what they have remembered. Rowling answered this question in an interview, confirming that memories in the pensieve allow one to view details of things that happened even if they did not notice or remember them, and stated that "that's the magic of the Pensieve, what brings it alive".[15] The "memories" contained in the Pensieve have the appearance of silver threads. Memories that have been heavily manipulated or tampered with to alter perspectives, or are simply aged and gone-spoiled (such as Horace Slughorn's), may appear thick and jelly-like and offer obscured viewing. Memories are not limited to just those of humans, since at least one house-elf (Hokey) provided Dumbledore with a memory as well.
Dumbledore's Pensieve first appears in Goblet of Fire, again in Order of the Phoenix, and plays a pivotal role in Half-Blood Prince. It makes a last appearance in Deathly Hallows when Harry uses it to decipher Snape's memories.
[edit] Hermione's small beaded handbag
Hermione used the Undetectable Extension Charm on her handbag which contains almost everything they need when they disapparate from Bill and Fleur's wedding reception. It contained jeans, sweatshirt, socks, the Invisibility Cloak, books, tent and even Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Apparition and Disapparition
It should be noted that a major form of transportation in the Harry Potter universe is Apparition and Disapparition, which is not a spell but a skill.
When Harry and his friends are trapped in the basement of Malfoy Manor, they are unable to Disapparate; it is not certain whether this is because the basement is magically protected, or because none of them has access to a wand.
Underage wizards are forbidden to Apparate, though a person can be transported by Side-Along Apparition – effectively as the baggage of another Apparating wizard.
Although Apparation is instantaneous and requires no equipment (other than a wand), wizards often prefer to travel by other means, because careless Apparition can result in "splinching" – leaving behind a body part.
[edit] Broomsticks
Broomsticks are used for transportation by wizards and witches of all ages, and for the game of Quidditch. Their use is similar to that of flying carpets, although the latter are banned in Great Britain. However, they are uncomfortable for extensive trips, even with the patented cushion charm.
Broomsticks are treated as a major consumer product in the Wizarding world. There are numerous brands and models of brooms, all of which vary in their capabilities. These range from expensive high-performance models to toy broomsticks for young children that only fly a few feet off the ground to even family-sized broomsticks that have room for an entire family to sit down on and have a luggage compartment below the seating area. The cultural significance of broomsticks in the world of Harry Potter is similar to that of the real life automobiles.
Since Harry Potter plays Quidditch, his brooms - a Nimbus 2000, and later a Firebolt - are prominent in the series. The Nimbus 2000 was given to him by special consent of Dumbledore via Professor Minerva McGonagall, who had chosen him as Seeker.[HP1] The Firebolt was given to him by Sirius as a Christmas gift.[HP3] The Firebolt remains the fastest broom in the world, having surpassed the previous record holder, the Nimbus 2001, and its price is so grand that it is only available upon request (Harry Potter never asks for the price, and thus it remains unknown). However Harry loses his Firebolt in Deathly Hallows and it is unknown what he replaces it with afterwards, or if he does at all.
[edit] Cars and Motorbikes
Enchanted motor vehicles appear in most of the books.
In Chamber of Secrets, Ron and Harry miss the train and travel to Hogwarts in Ron's father's car, a Mr Weasley's Car|flying Ford Anglia.
Sirius owned a flying motorbike, which he lent to Hagrid the night Lily and James Potter died; it is first seen when Hagrid delivers Harry to Number Four, Privet Drive.
[edit] Knight Bus
The Knight Bus is a heavily enchanted, violently purple, triple-decker bus that transports wizards and witches. It makes its first appearance in Prisoner of Azkaban where Harry unintentionally hails it by holding his wand arm out. Harry has a final ride on the Knight Bus with a number of his friends in Order of the Phoenix. The Knight Bus is faster than travelling by broomstick, but not as fast as near instantaneous Floo powder and Apparating. The bus charges for the service; Harry Potter is charged 11 Sickles to travel from the town of Little Whinging to the pub, The Leaky Cauldron[HP3].
The bus functions as public transportation for the wizard or witch who cannot or will not choose another means of transportation. The riders are seemingly picked up by the bus from all over in-universe Great Britain, bringing passengers to the destinations of their choice with seemingly no set route. It bolts through the streets, entirely invisible to muggles and causes other objects to dodge it (rather than dodging the objects) for travelling short distances. For longer distances, the Knight Bus makes 160 km (hundred-mile) leaps accompanied by a great bang and jolt, possibly similar to Apparating.[citation needed] The interior of the bus changes depending on the time of day, having seats by day and beds by night. The only mentioned limitation in travelling is that it cannot enter water.
The conductor of the Knight Bus is Stan Shunpike, and its driver is Ernie Prang in the third book of the series. In the third film, Stan is accompanied by a talking shrunken head voiced by Lenny Henry.
[edit] Hogwarts Express
The Hogwarts Express is the train utilized by Hogwarts to transport students from King's Cross station in London to the school. The train is crimson in color, and is substantial in size, as the majority if not the entirety of the school is transported by it. The train contains numerous carriages which are generally populated by students from a single house.
[edit] Floo Powder
Floo powder is a glittering powder used by wizards to travel and communicate using fireplaces. It was invented by Ignatia Wildsmith (1227-1320) and named after the flue, which is the passageway that leads from a fireplace to the chimney so hot gases can escape. Strangely, flues did not exist at the supposed time of Floo powder's invention. There is the thought that the muggles could have taken the word from the wizards and made it their own.
Floo powder can be used with any fireplace connected to the Floo Network. To transport from one fireplace to another, the traveller throws a handful of the Floo powder into the fireplace, steps into the fireplace, and states the intended destination in a clear and purposeful voice. Floo Powder can also be used for communication; a wizard or witch can kneel in front of the fire and stick their head into the fire, which will appear in the fire at another fireplace, leaving the witch or wizard free to talk.
In Chamber of Secrets, the Weasleys travelled to Diagon Alley by Floo powder. Harry did not say "Diagon Alley" clearly, (he said Diagonnally, quite obviously a play on words - just like Nocturnally)so he was instead sent to Borgin and Burkes shop, in Knockturn Alley. In the fourth book, Arthur Weasley uses his position at the Ministry of Magic to have the Dursleys' fireplace temporarily connected to the Floo network, unaware that the fireplace had been blocked. Sirius uses the network to communicate with Harry in the same book. In the fifth book, Harry uses the Gryffindor fireplace and finally Dolores Umbridge's fireplace to communicate with Sirius; he is however forced to do so because Umbridge is monitoring all other lines of communication in and out of Hogwarts (thus why he did not communicate through Gryffindor's). The Floo Network is controlled by the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry also has over 700 fireplaces in its headquarters so ministry officials and workers can teleport straight from their homes to the ministry without the hustle and bustle of travelling on broom or by portkey.
[edit] Flying carpets
Flying carpets are usually thick rugs, frequently highly patterned and often manufactured in the Middle East that are enchanted with the ability to fly.[original research?] Flying Carpets were once an accepted form of travel for the British magical community, but they are now banned due to being defined as a "Muggle Artifact" by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. It is therefore now against British wizarding law to charm carpets or fly them, although they are still legal in other countries. Arthur Weasley was very much involved in the introduction of this legislation due to his position in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. It is known that the ban was relatively recent, not only from Arthur's involvement, but also from the fact that Barty Crouch Senior's grandfather owned a 12-seater Axminster carpet before flying carpets were prohibited.
A wizard merchant by the name of Ali Bashir is very keen to export flying carpets to Britain and is very upset that local laws are preventing him from doing so. He regularly berates Arthur about the subject, but it is very unlikely that the law will be changed. It cannot always be thought of as an Arabian sage type. They come in many shapes and designs.
[edit] Portkeys
The Portkeys are first mentioned in Goblet of Fire. Once created by using the Portus spell, a Portkey can be set to transport anybody who touches it to a designated location, or to become active at a pre-determined time and transport to that location anybody who happens to be touching it at the moment of activation. The creation of Portkeys may be highly restricted in general; although Dumbledore is able to set up an "unauthorised Portkey" in the fifth book, it is treated as a serious crime; Fudge is upset that Dumbledore would create one in front of him, and at one point Remus Lupin says "...it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorised Portkey."
In the books, a portkey is usually made from an unobtrusive object or bit of rubbish, to prevent Muggles from discovering their magical nature. When activated, the user feels a pulling or jerking sensation behind the navel, and then suddenly appears at the destination.[HP4] With enough practice, a graceful landing is possible: after the Portkeyed trip to the Quidditch World Cup in fourth film, Cedric Diggory, Arthur Weasley, and Amos Diggory landed on their feet, while the others (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins) fell onto the ground.
In Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr., who was impersonating Alastor Moody, made the Triwizard Tournament cup a Portkey so it would transport anybody who touched it straight to the hands of Voldemort, expecting it would be Harry. However, Harry took the cup together with Cedric, so Pettigrew murdered Cedric.
[edit] Time-Turners
A Time-Turner may be used for time travel. A large supply of Time-Turners is kept at the Ministry of Magic, as seen in Order of the Phoenix; however, during the events of that book a glass-fronted cabinet containing Time-Turners is destroyed. Due to their time-affecting properties, the cabinet is seen to fall, shatter and repair itself repeatedly. In Half-Blood Prince, Hermione mentions a Daily Prophet article stating that "the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners" was destroyed during that incident. The books do not discuss who else may be in possession of Time-Turners outside of the Ministry.
Hermione receives a Time-Turner from McGonagall in Prisoner of Azkaban, so she could attend more classes than time would normally allow. Hermione is ordered to keep it a secret from everyone, including Harry and Ron, although they do notice the impossibility of her schedule, and several bizarre disappearances and reappearances- the increased schedule does leave her strained towards the end of the year, however. Hermione lets Harry and Ron in on the secret near the end of the book, where she and Harry use the Time-Turner to save Sirius and Buckbeak.
Granger's Time-Turner resembles an hourglass pendant on a necklace; it is unclear if all of them do. The hourglass pendant is twisted to move through time, and the number of turns on the hourglass corresponds to the number of hours one travelled back in time. The travel ends as the traveller arrives to the point in time of which s/he went back in time (e.g. Hermione and Harry go back three hours; three hours after their arrival in the past, they return to the time period they turned back).[PA Ch.21][16]
[edit] Vanishing Cabinet
Vanishing Cabinet is a cabinet located in Hogwarts that is a part of a set of two; the other cabinet resides in Borgin and Burkes. One simply enters one of the cabinets at the cabinet's location and exits the other at its location.
The Vanishing Cabinet is first mentioned in Chamber of Secrets when Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington convinces Peeves to drop it (thus breaking it) over Argus Filch's office in order to help Harry escape detention for "befouling of the castle" (tracking in mud). It was also used in Order of the Phoenix by Fred and George, when they forced Montague, the Slytherin Quidditch captain and member of the Inquisitorial Squad into it when he tried to take house points from Gryffindor. Draco then learns of Montague’s experience, learning that you could transport between the two cabinets and that the other is located in Borgin and Burkes. He later tells Voldemort of this and is instructed to fix the broken one at Hogwarts as so to transport the Death Eaters into the highly secured castle.
In Half-Blood Prince Draco visits the dark shop to ask for instruction in fixing the one broken Cabinet placed in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts after Peeves broke it by dropping it in Draco's second year. After Draco pales and becomes fatigue in his complex struggle to fix the cabinet, he madly yells in triumph as he succeeds and allows the Death Eaters to finally enter the school. Thus, a chaotic battle begins in the castle between them and the Order of the Phoenix, ultimately leading to Dumbledore's death.
[edit] Writing utensils
[edit] Anti-Cheating Quill
The Anti-Cheating Quill a quill with an anti-cheating charm on it, first mentioned in Philosopher's Stone.[PS Ch.16] Although it is not mentioned in other exams, it is presumably used for all the exams Harry takes at Hogwarts.
[edit] Auto-Answer Quill
The Auto-Answer Quill is banned from the examination hall in the in their OWLs.[OP Ch.31] Although it is likely these are banned in all exams, they are not mentioned until Order of the Phoenix.
[edit] Blood Quill
The Blood Quill is used by Dolores Umbridge throughout Order of the Phoenix to carry out her perverse punishment of "cutting up" students. In the fifth book, Harry has detention with Professor Umbridge on several occasions. During these detentions, he is required to write lines (I must not tell lies), and is not released from this until Umbridge believes "the message has sunk in." Rather than using a regular quill, Umbridge makes Harry use a blood quill, which is described as unusually sharp with a black nib. As the user writes, the quill magically (and painfully) cuts into the back of the user's hand and uses their blood for ink. When carried out repeatedly over a period, this can lead to permanent scarring, as shown by Harry to Rufus Scrimgeour in the last two books.
Other victims of this form of detention include Lee Jordan. In the film interpretation, all members of Dumbledore's Army were punished using this method. In fandom, most people refer to this as a "Blood Quill."[citation needed] Presumably, the inspiration for this is Kafka's "In the Penal Colony".
[edit] Quick Quotes Quill
A Quick Quotes Quill is a stenographic tool employed by Rita Skeeter to spin the words of her subjects into a more salacious or melodramatic form more to her liking. Because she sucks on it first before writing (which then the quill writes to her liking), it is speculated that the quill will also write to the likings of others (as long as he or she sucks it before it begins writing).
Rita uses the quill to interview Harry (inside a Hogwarts broomstick cupboard) about his participation in the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire for her column "Me, Myself, and I" in the newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Harry continually tries to correct the inaccuracy of the quill to Rita. However, she rudely ignores him. Additionally in Deathly Hallows, Rita mentions in her interview concerning Dumbledore's posthumous biography that the Quick Quotes Quill helped her to write the book so quickly after his death.
[edit] Other uncategorized objects
These objects remain uncategorized as they are the only in their field.
[edit] Gubraithian fire
Gubraithian Fire is a conjured everlasting magical fire that may only be created by extremely skilled wizards. First mentioned in chapter twenty of Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid and Madame Maxime give a branch of Gubraithian fire (conjured by Dumbledore, to burn atop the branch) as a gift to the giant leader (Gurg) during their journey.
[edit] The Marauder's Map
The Marauder's Map is a magical map of Hogwarts which makes its first appearance in Prisoner of Azkaban. The map was created by the four students known collectively as "The Marauders" at Hogwarts during their time there (c. 1971), in which they gained extensive knowledge about the school grounds, such as its various hidden passages, from their frequent night-time adventures together. These marauders were James Potter (Prongs), Sirius Black (Padfoot), Remus Lupin (Moony), and Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail).
At first glance, the Map is simply a blank piece of parchment; but when the user points their wand to the Map and says, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," the message "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present the Marauders Map," and a detailed layout of Hogwarts' Castle (including secret passageways) is revealed.[HP3] Saying, "Mischief managed!" returns the map to its original blank state.[HP3] The Map gives information on how to open secret passageways, though several locations (such as the Room of Requirement and the Chamber of Secrets) do not appear on the map. It would seem that the four friends either did not have any knowledge of them, or-in the case of the former-they are unplottable. Furthermore, Animagus disguises or Invisibility Cloaks cannot fool the Marauder’s Map. Not even Polyjuice Potion can outwit the Marauder's Map. For this reason, Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, considered it a threat and asks to 'borrow' the map from a trusting Harry Potter.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Fred and George (who have no further need for it) give the Map to Harry so he can get to Hogsmeade Village through a hidden passageway. Snape later on found the Map in Harry's possession and tried to force it to reveal its secrets. It merely insulted him with mocking phrases, the Map retains an echo of its creators' personalities, much like the Sorting Hat remembers the thoughts and opinions of the school founders; the marauders had no happy memories of Snape. Lupin later took it with him. He returns the map to Harry after resigning his post at Hogwarts. The Map then on makes insignificant appearances in the books.
In the book, the Map is a piece of parchment; in the films, the Map appears with a cover that unfolds in two with many other folds inside each other. All the lines in the Map are made up of what at first glance are just random letters, but upon closer inspection are Latin words. In the books, there is no mention of Harry recovering the Map from the office of the Professor Moody impostor and Harry later uses it in upcoming books. When asked, author of the novels, J. K. Rowling, answered that Harry had indeed sneaked into the office and recovered it in the days following the Third Task. She also commented that she had intended to include a scene or mention it. When asked during an online question session, "What child did Harry give the Marauders Map to if any?" (After his school years), Rowling responded "I’ve got a feeling he didn’t give it to any of them, but that James [one of Harry's sons] sneaked it out of his father’s desk one day."[17] This is expected, as James Potter, the boy's grandfather, was also a mischief-maker.
Owners of the Marauder's Map include the Marauders themselves (c. 1971), Filch, Fred and George (c. 1989 - c. December 1993), Harry (c. December 1993 - c. 2015?), and finally James Potter (c. 2015 -?)"[18]. The only characters alive at the end of the series who know how to work the Marauder's Map are Harry Potter, George Weasley , and probably James Sirius Potter.
Interestingly, the Marauders signed the map "Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs", referring to Remus, Peter, Sirius and James respectively, and each Marauder died in reverse order: first James, then Sirius, then Wormtail and finally Remus.
[edit] Omnioculars
Omnioculars are a pair of magical brass binoculars used by Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the fourth book during the Quidditch World Cup. Omnioculars, besides having magnified lenses, have many other features. Among them, the ones mentioned are the ability to replay or slow down something seen through the lenses, although a side effect is that the view in the lenses is not accurate of what is currently happening, since it's going slower than real life. They also have a play-by-play feature, where the names of moves performed by Quidditch players is shown in bright purple letters across the Omnioculars' lenses.[HP4]
[edit] Spellotape
Spellotape is magical adhesive tape. The name is a play on Sellotape, a popular brand which has become a generic name for transparent adhesive tape in the United Kingdom.[19][20]
Spellotape is referenced in all of the Harry Potter books, apart from Deathly Hallows, and is seen in the second film.
[edit] Wand
- This is for the fictional instrument of magic in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. See wand for their real-life basis.
A wand is a part of a wizard's everyday accessory, used to perform magical feats, and without which only limited magic is possible. They are used as both tools and weapons in the Wizarding World. Wands are generally carried inside the wizard's robes in the books; however, they can also be placed into other objects. For instance, Lucius hid his inside his cane, while Hagrid hid the broken halves of his wand inside his umbrella. In the Harry Potter universe, when a wizard has committed a serious crime, their wands are snapped in half.
The only named wand shop is Ollivander's, owned by Mr Ollivander - a master wand maker. This is where Hagrid takes Harry to buy his first wand. In the "Weighing of the Wands" chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ollivander is seen to evaluate two foreign wands: Viktor Krum's wand: a Gregorovitch creation, unusually thick; and Fleur Delacour's wand, whose core (a hair from her Veela grandmother) he felt created "temperamental" wands, which is why he did not use it himself.
[edit] Creation
A wand is made by a wandmaker learned in wandlore, the study of wands. Wands are handcrafted from "wandwood", which is a wood capable of sustaining magic (e.g. Holly, Yew, ebony,vinewood, etc.). Then a core is inserted into the middle of the wand from top to bottom. Such cores have been mentioned to include phoenix tail feathers, unicorn tail hairs, dragon heartstrings and Veela hair. The books mention that Mr. Ollivander only uses phoenix feathers, dragon heartstrings and unicorn hair as the cores of his wands. In the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand is described as having a core made from the tail hair of a Thestral.[21]
[edit] Effects
A wand is generally considered personal for a wizard. However, wands belonging to other wizards can be used to a comparatively less potent effect. In Philosopher's Stone, Harry had to try out many wands before he found one that "chose him". It was an 11-inch (280 mm), holly and phoenix feather wand.
Wands with cores from the same source give strange effects (Priori Incantatem) when forced to fight each other, as is the case with Harry and Voldemort's wands. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it is revealed that each of their wands contains a tail feather from Fawkes, the phoenix belonging to Dumbledore. After Priori Incantatem, the wands get to know the opposites' master - this is explained in Deathly Hallows.
Wands are capable of changing masters. This is revealed in Deathly Hallows. When a wizard or witch is defeated, or if their wand is forcibly taken from them in a fight (a form of defeat), the wand will change its allegiance to the one who defeated its previous master and work perfectly well with its new master. It is unclear if the wand will continue to work properly for its original master if it is returned (not taken back in a fight). If a wand is used by a muggle it will most likely kill or fatally injure them this is due to their lack of magical power.
The Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows, will not turn on its master. An example of this is when Voldemort tries to use the wand against Harry, its master, and the killing curse rebounds on him, as the wand would not kill its own master. The Elder Wand is also known as the Death-stick because wizards would kill each other just to become master of this 'unbeatable wand'
[edit] Known character wands
Wands known to have been made/inspected by Ollivander include:
| Owner | Wood | Length | Core | Remarks by Ollivander |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleur Delacour | Rosewood | 9½ inches | Veela hair | Inflexible |
| Cedric Diggory | Ash | 12¼ inches | Single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn | Ollivander was almost gored in obtaining the hair. |
| Albus Dumbledore | Elder Wand | Thestral hair | Extremely Powerful | |
| Lily Evans | Willow | 10¼ inches | Swishy; nice for Charm work | |
| Hermione Granger | Vine-wood | Dragon heartstrings | ||
| Rubeus Hagrid | Oak, could be disguised as an umbrella | 16 inches | Rather bendy | |
| Viktor Krum | Hornbeam | 10¼ inches | Dragon heartstring | Quite rigid |
| Bellatrix Lestrange | Walnut | 12¾ inches | Dragon heartstring | Unyielding |
| Neville Longbottom | Cherry | Unicorn tail hair | ||
| Draco Malfoy | Hawthorn | 10 inches | Unicorn hair | Reasonably springy |
| Lucius Malfoy | Elm | Dragon heartstring | ||
| Peter Pettigrew | Chestnut | 9¼ inches | Dragon heartstring | Brittle |
| Harry Potter | Holly | 11 inches | Single phoenix tail feather (taken from Fawkes) | Curious but good; nice and supple |
| James Potter | Mahogany | 11 inches | Pliable; excellent for Transfiguration | |
| Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort) | Yew | 13½ inches | Phoenix feather (taken from Fawkes) | Very powerful. Excellent at everything. |
| Ron Weasley | Willow | 14 inches | Single unicorn tail-hair | Good, but could break quite easily |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 6
- ^ [HP7] chapter 21
- ^ "J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript", The Leaky Cauldron, 2007-07-30. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3
- ^ Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 22
- ^ Elsewhere on the Web : Harry Potter Wizard Chess
- ^ Harry Potter. The complete position. Composition of the chess position by International chess master Jeremy Silman
- ^ Amazon.com: Harry Potter Wizard Chess: Toys & Games
- ^ a b c d e Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5
- ^ "J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript", The Leaky Cauldron, 2007-07-30. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ [www.alivans.com]
- ^ Rowling, JK, Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 10
- ^ J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript - The Leaky Cauldron
- ^ a b Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 8
- ^ MuggleNet | Emerson and Melissa's J.K. Rowling Interview Page 3
- ^ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- ^ J. K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript (July 30, 2007). Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
- ^ J. K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript (July 30, 2007). Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
- ^ Boyle, Fiona (2004). A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World: Exploring The Harry Potter Universe. ECW Press, 363. ISBN 155022655X.
- ^ Whited, Lana A. (2002). The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. University of Missouri Press, 280. ISBN 0826215491.
- ^ J.K.Rowling Official Site
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