Magical objects in Harry Potter
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In the fictional Harry Potter universe, many magical objects exist for the use of the characters.
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Transportation
Broomsticks
Broomsticks are used for transportation by wizards and witches of all ages and for the game of Quidditch. Portkeys and Floo Powder also provide transportation. Licensed wizards of age will sometimes apparate. Eastern magic-wielders are usually the only ones to use flying carpets, and their use is banned in England at least, for being too conspicuous.
A complete culture exists for broomsticks as exists for cars in the real world. There is a catalogue for broomsticks; models in the series include the Nimbus 2000, the Nimbus 2001, the Firebolt, the Cleansweep Seven, and the Comet Two-Sixty.
Floo Powder
Floo powder is a glittering powder used by wizards to travel and communicate using fireplaces. A fire to which Floo powder has been added will appear green. It was invented by Ignatia Wildsmith (1227-1320) and named after the passageway which leads from a fireplace to the chimney so hot gases can escape, or flue.
To use a fireplace for transport or communication the fireplace must first be connected to the Floo Network. To transport yourself from one fireplace to another you stand in the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder, state your intended destination in a clear voice then throw the powder at your feet. As for communication, you put your head in the fire, and speak your destination. This allows someone to communicate without having to travel to the location.
In the second book the Weasleys travelled to Diagon Alley by Floo powder (Harry did not say "Diagon Alley" clearly and was deposited in a dingy and sinister shop in nearby Knockturn Alley); in the fourth book, Arthur Weasley used his position at the Ministry of Magic to have the Dursleys' fireplace temporarily connected to the Floo network, unaware that the fireplace had been bricked up, and Sirius used the network to communicate with Harry in the same book. In the fifth book, Dolores Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad inspected the incoming and outgoing Owl Post and every fireplace in Hogwarts except for Dolores Umbridge's own fire, so Harry had to put himself in considerable risk and use Umbridge's fireplace whenever he wanted to communicate with Sirius at headquarters, a method which was quite uncomfortable to begin with.
Portkey
Portkeys are first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Once created, they can be set to transport anybody who touches them 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.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr., who was masquerading as Alastor Moody, made the Triwizard Tournament cup into a portkey so it would transport anybody who touched it straight to the hands of Voldemort, expecting it would be Harry Potter. However, Harry took the cup together with Cedric Diggory, so Voldemort had Cedric unceremoniously murdered with Avada Kedavra.
[It is interesting to note that the simplicity with which portkeys are created in the beginning of the fourth book (as a method for transportation to the Quidditch tournament) and in the fifth book calls into question the need for the fourth book: Crouch, posing as Moody, could easily have turned, say, a book, into a portkey, called Harry into his office, and said, "Here, take this." This would have eliminated the need for Moody's laboriously guiding Harry through the tournament tasks, turning the trophy in the labyrinth into a portkey, and for 700-plus pages of dense (albeit interesting) reading. It has been argued by some that the creation of portkeys on Hogwarts must have the permission of the Headmaster. Perhaps this is why Moody cast the portkey spell on the Tri-Wizard Cup since it was theorised that it was originally intended as a portkey all along by the tournament officials for the winner of the cup to exit the maze without having to fight past the other champions and challenges of the maze again. It would explain why the portkey took Harry back to Hogwarts and out of the maze when he touched the Cup the second time instead of back into the maze at Hogwarts (or not functioned at all like regular one time portkeys).]
Time-Turner
As the name suggests, a Time-Turner is a device capable of time travel. Hermione received one from Professor McGonagall in the third book so she could attend more classes then time would allow. Since McGonagall made her swear to not tell anyone about it, she didn't mention it to Harry or Ron until the end of the book, where she and Harry used her Time-Turner to travel back in time and save Sirius Black from certain doom.
The confusions of time travel were such that Hermione chose to drop a few subjects at the end of the book, so she could have a normal schedule again. Though Time-Turners were briefly seen in the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, time travel has not had a major role in any other book.
Hermione's Time-Turner resembled an hourglass on a necklace. The number of times one turns the hourglass corresponds to the number of hours one travels back in time. It is presumed there are probably other Time-Turners that allow one to travel by different intervals and/or into the future. Harry Potter seems to be a type 1 universe, as Harry and Hermione's experience in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban features a predestination paradox.
Magical letters and signs
The Dark Mark
The Dark Mark is Voldemort's symbol, and at the height of his power, it was sent up in the air when any one of his followers murdered someone. The Mark is also magically imprinted onto his faithful Death Eaters' left forearms. It consists of a skull with a serpent in its mouth. According to Snape, the Dark Mark can be triggered by Voldemort to glow and burn; this is intended to serve as a summons for the Death Eaters. It is cast by placing the tip of one's staff or wand against the target's forearm or the air, and incanting the word "morsmordre."
Letters
Witches and wizards can write words in the air with their wands.
Dumbledore writes the lyrics to the Hogwarts school song in the air in the first novel. Tom Riddle, at the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, does this to show that I am Lord Voldemort is an anagram of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
Potions
Potions are brewed in a cauldron from magical ingredients. This results in liquids that can be made to have any kind of effect on the drinker from strength enhancement to immunity to flames. According to Snape, potions can "bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses and even put a stopper in death". Potion-making skills are not dependent on the maker's overall magic skills, as the potions result from the properties and right proportions of the ingredients.
Draught of Living Death
The Draught of Living Death is made by mixing a root of Asphodel and an infusion of Wormwood. It brings upon its drinker a very powerful sleep that can last indefinitely, hence its name.
Veritaserum
Veritaserum has properties similar to a truth drug. Three drops can force the drinker to spill his innermost secrets. It can be resisted through various methods, including occlumency. The name comes from the Latin veritas ("truth") plus serum. Characters in the series to use it include Dolores Umbridge (who tries to get Harry to tell her where Sirius Black is) and Albus Dumbledore (who uses it to interrogate Barty Crouch Jr, who was at the time disguised as Alastor Moody).
Polyjuice Potion
Polyjuice Potion is used to transform a person into the physical form of another person for one hour. The final ingredient in this potion is a piece (typically a hair) of the person that the potion-taker will transform into. The potion cannot be used to transform into an animal (that ability can only be learned through hard study of transfigurations).
Harry, Ron and Hermione brewed this potion in an attempt to assume the appearances of three Slytherins so they could sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and find out whether Draco Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin.
Barty Crouch Jr. used Polyjuice Potion in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in order to pose as Alastor Moody.
Wolfsbane Potion
Wolfsbane Potion is a recently (around 1990) invented potion that, if taken during the week leading up to the full moon, allows werewolves to retain his or her mindset and sanity, when he/she transforms into a werewolf during the full-moon. It is described as a tricky and foul-tasting potion. Sugar makes it useless. It was taken regularly by Remus Lupin to control himself when he transforms into a werewolf.
Minor potions
- A potion is used by Harry to get past the flames in the first book
- Draught of Peace: Gives the drinker a feeling of peace and well-being, but if overdone it can put the drinker into a deep or even irreversible sleep. Often used in the lead-up to the OWL and NEWT exams to help over-distressed students.
- Shinking Solution: Causes the drinker to reverse age.
Other Magical Objects
Howler
A Howler is a bright red letter usually signifying displeasure and anger from the sender directed at the recipient. When opened, the Howler begins to yell in the sender's voice at the recipient, eventually dissolving into scraps of paper. If not opened, it will explode and scream even louder. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Mrs. Weasley sent Ron a Howler after he stole his dad's enchanted car and flew it to Hogwarts with Harry. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore sent Petunia Dursley a howler to remind her of her agreement to let Harry live at Privet Drive after the dementor attack when Harry's Uncle Vernon was ready to throw him out.
Invisibility Cloak
The invisibility cloak makes its wearer invisible. Harry Potter inherited one from his father and uses it throughout the books in order to sneak around the school. The cloak is large enough for Ron and Hermione to accompany him underneath it.
Invisibility cloaks are very rare and expensive, and they are made from the pelts of Demiguises, magical herbivore beasts that are found in the Far East.
The Marauder's Map
The Marauder's Map was created by Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter as an aid in mischief-making. They gained extensive knowledge of the Hogwarts grounds from their frequent night-time adventures while transformed as animals (Black, Pettigrew and Potter being Animagi and Lupin a werewolf). They used this knowledge to create the Marauder's Map. The map bears the names of its creators as they knew each other—by their nicknames (which are derived from the animal they transform into): Moony (Lupin, a werewolf), Wormtail (Pettigrew, a rat), Padfoot (Black, a dog), and Prongs (Potter, a stag).
At first glance, the map is simply a piece of blank parchment; but when the user says, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," ink lines stretch across it, revealing a map of Hogwarts (including secret passageways) and the location of everyone within the grounds. The map also gives information on how to open secret passageways. The words "Mischief managed!" return the map to its original blank state (to prevent someone who does not know the secret of the map from using it).
The map was given to Harry by Fred and George Weasley, who found it while unattended in Filch's office. It made its first appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and has featured in all subsequent novels thus far.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Snape finds the map in Harry's possession and tries to force it to reveal its secrets; the map responds by insulting him. That this happen is unsurprising, as the map's creators (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs) detested Snape when they were boys. The Map retains an echo of its creators' personalities, much like the Sorting Hat remembers the thoughts and opinions of the school founders. Snape, however, continues to insists that the map contains dark magic, most likely because he recognised the nicknames of his old schooltime rivals on the heading.
The Mirror of Erised
The Mirror of Erised is a mystical mirror that Harry discovers in one of the back corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. On it is inscribed, erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi — I show not your face but your heart's desire, written backwards. According to Dumbledore, the Mirror "shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts". Harry sees his parents, and an entire family of Potters, standing beside him (he wishes to have a family). Ron sees himself as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain holding the Quidditch Cup (he wishes to be acknowledged). Dumbledore says he sees himself holding a pair of socks, on the grounds that he did not receive any for Christmas. He may be telling the truth (in which case he already has everything that he desires, except for the warm socks), but he is more likely making a joke in order to hide the truth from Harry (after all, it is none of Harry's business).
The Mirror of Erised was the final protection given to the Philosopher's stone. Dumbledore hid the mirror and hid the stone inside it. Dumbledore realised that this would have the effect 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 Elixer of Life or turning things to gold, rather than actually see himself find the stone.
Pensieve
A Pensieve is a stone basin, covered in mystic runes, with a liquid or gas within. A witch or wizard can extract his or her own memories and place them in the Pensieve, especially to relieve the mind when it becomes too flooded 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 virtual reality. Tom Riddle's diary seems to have this same form of virtual reality.
Like many names in these books, pensieve is a pun: it is a sieve in that it is a device used for sifting out thoughts, and in using it one becomes pensive or thoughtful.
A Pensieve first appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Quidditch equipment
There are several enchanted objects needed to play Quidditch, the most obvious being flying broomsticks. All the balls in the game are enchanted in some way. The Golden Snitch is enchanted to fly around and also to not leave the playing field. The Bludger is enchanted to fly around and try to knock players off their broomsticks. A Bludger does not focus on one player unless it has been tampered with, as was the case in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Quaffle may appear an exception, but it is also enchanted to make it easy to grip, and so it falls more slowly than normal.
Remembrall
A Remembrall is a small, clear orb that turns red if you've forgotten something. Unfortunately, it does not tell you what you have forgotten. The very forgetful Neville Longbottom is given a Remembrall in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone but subsiquently loses it soon after.
The DVD of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone contained a software approximation of a remembrall.
See also: Personal Digital Assistant.
The Sorting Hat
The Sorting Hat is a sentient artifact used at Hogwarts which magically determines to which of the four school houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin — a new student is to be assigned. As the First-Year students' names are read aloud alphabetically at the year's opening banquet, the hat is placed on each student's head in turn, and after a few moments' deliberation it announces its choice. Occasionally, the hat will allow a student's request to influence its decision, as when Harry requested not to be placed in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat was originally the hat of Godric Gryffindor.
Before sorting the students each year, the hat recites a new introductory song. These songs occasionally warn of danger to come, as in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the hat plays a critical role in the climax of the story by coming to Harry's aid in the Chamber and providing him with Godric Gryffindor's sword.
In the movie versions of the novels the hat is voiced by Leslie Phillips.
Tom Riddle's diary
See: Tom Riddle's diary.
Wand
To perform feats of magic a wand is usually used. Without a wand magic is possible, but this seems to be very difficult. A wand is personal for a wizard, although other wizards' wands can be used. When Harry Potter was selecting his wand, he had to try out a lot of wands until he found a wand that created sparks as he waved it. A wand is usually made of wood and has a core of an organic, magical object or substance. Such cores mentioned include phoenix tail feathers, unicorn tail hairs, dragon heartstrings and veela hair. Wands with cores from the same source give strange effects (Priori Incantatem) when forced to fight each other, as is the case with Harry Potter's and Lord Voldemort's wands in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Each of their wands contains a tail feather from Fawkes, the phoenix belonging to Albus Dumbledore.
Wizard's Chess
Wizard's Chess is a version of chess played with small pieces and a board like real chess, except that the pieces are alive. In the closing chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Harry, Ron and Hermione are involved in a life size game of wizard's chess.