The Seven Most Useful Magical Items from Harry Potter
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is as whimsical as it is dangerous. For every aspect of magic that makes life easier and more enchanted, it seems like there’s something else that could get one maimed or killed. Sometimes, these dualities even exist in the same object. Here are our top seven useful magical items that come with their own hefty dose of danger.
The Sorcerer’s Stone
During their very first adventure together, Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly figure out that Hagrid has brought a top-secret item to Hogwarts. Apparently, it’s so dangerous that the three-headed dog Fluffy is needed to protect it. Created by the famous alchemist Nicolas Flamel, the Sorcerer’s Stone (also known as the Philosopher’s Stone) produces the Elixir of Life. This draught grants the wizard or witch who drinks it an extended life.
Nicolas kept the Stone and its Elixir for himself and his wife, allowing them both to live well past 600 years old. With a keeper as responsible as Nicolas Flamel, the Stone was ultimately harmless to the Wizarding World. As rumors swirled of Voldemort’s attempts to return to corporeal form, however, the Stone very quickly became a liability. Nicolas brewed enough Elixir to get his affairs in order, and ultimately heeded Dumbledore’s advice and had it destroyed.
The Monster Book of Monsters
Students entering their third year of Hogwarts begin learning about the animals of the Wizarding World in Care of Magical Creatures classes. Taught by Hagrid during Harry’s third year, much of the class is a hands-on experience. Like any class, there was required reading; the book for this class was called The Monster Book of Monsters. Unlike other classes, however, the textbook for Care of Magical Creatures is more or less a creature in and of itself.
Harry learns this firsthand as he inspects the furry book only to be confronted with snapping pages and pointed, gnashing teeth. The students are later informed that they must first stroke the spine of the book to get it to open without incident. With such specific instructions to merely open it and significant risk of bodily harm, the book certainly prepares its readers for confronting magical creatures before they even read its pages.
Polyjuice Potion
Fans are first introduced to Polyjuice Potion in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Desperate for information about the recent attacks on students, Hermione hatches a plan to infiltrate the Slytherin common room. When she learns about Polyjuice Potion, she tells Ron and Harry that they can take on the identities of Slytherin students and gather information in disguise.
She tells her friends that making the potion is dangerous and time-consuming, but she feels up to the task nonetheless. The plan works well for Ron and Harry; as Crabbe and Goyle, they learn that Draco is not the heir of Slytherin despite being their top suspect. Hermione, however, accidentally transforms herself into a cat, demonstrating one of the dangers of the potion.
The dangers of the potion are further demonstrated in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Barty Crouch Jr. uses it to assume the identity of Alastor Moody, who was hired as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. In his disguise, Barty has unimpeded access to Harry and thus helps Voldemort return to his corporeal form.
Portkeys
A Portkey is usually a mundane object enchanted to bring anyone that touches it to a predetermined location. Harry uses a Portkey, in this case a worn out boot, for first time when he accompanies the Weasleys and Hermione to the Quidditch World Cup. The group travels using the Portkey along with Amos Diggory and his son Cedric. While Cedric and the two adults travel with ease, the landing is a bit bumpier for the less experienced younger wizards.
Portkeys come in handy for groups traveling with younger witches and wizards that cannot apparate to travel yet. Generally, this magical item gets its users from point A to point B without incident. The danger with Portkeys, however, is that any item can be transformed into one without anyone knowing.
This terrible outcome takes place during the final challenge of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Cedric close in on the Triwizard Cup together and agree to grab it at the same time, unaware that it is a Portkey. Cedric and Harry are whisked away to a cemetery. Cedric is killed almost immediately by Peter Pettigrew, and Harry is used as part of a ritual to bring Voldemort back to his former strength.
Time Turner
Hermione maintains an impossibly busy schedule during her third year at Hogwarts. Following Sirius Black’s arrest, she reveals to Harry and Ron that she has done so by using a Time Turner. Dumbledore vaguely encourages her to put the device to use that night to save both Buckbeak the Hippogriff and Sirius.
Hermione, ever the responsible young witch, uses the Time Turner thoughtfully. Thanks to the Time Turner and Hermione’s careful use of it, she and Harry are successful in saving both Sirius and Buckbeak. Hermione warns Harry about the risks involved in using it, stressing that they must be mindful in their movements. She also stresses how important it is that their past selves do not see them, telling him, “Awful things happen to wizards that meddle with time.” In the right hands, the Time Turner is a wonderful tool. In the wrong hands, however, the results could be disastrous.
The Half-Blood Prince’s Copy of Advanced Potion-Making
Due in part to Professor Snape’s hatred (and his lack of talent in the subject), Harry never excelled in his Potions studies. During his sixth year at Hogwarts, he ends up in using a copy of Advanced Potions Making that was stored in the Potions classroom. The old textbook has notes written in the margins from its previous owner, leading to Harry’s considerable success in the class. Professor Slughorn is in awe of Harry’s potions prowess, while Ron and Hermione grow concerned with Harry’s obsession with the book.
Later on during his sixth year, Harry confronts Draco Malfoy in the boys’ lavatory. The two ultimately engage in a duel. Harry remembers a spell intended for enemies, sectumspempra, that he read about in the textbook. He casts the spell on Draco, not knowing what effect it was going to have. Harry finds Draco incapacitated on the flooded bathroom floor, blood seeping from him.
Terrified, Harry calls for help and Professor Snape comes to Draco’s aid. It’s only after this that Harry agrees that he should give up the book, and Ginny hides it in the Room of Requirement. Harry later comes to find out that the textbook was Professor Snape’s during his time at Hogwarts.
The Elder Wand
As Harry, Hermione, and Ron seek out Voldemort’s Horcruxes, they learn that the legendary Deathly Hallows from the Tale of the Three Brothers are real. Of these three items, the most powerful and feverishly sought is the Elder Wand. Unlike other wands, the Elder Wand is the most powerful magical tool in existence, allowing the witch or wizard who possesses it to perform magic that would otherwise be impossible. Given to the proud, eldest of the Peverell brothers by Death himself, the Elder Wand is just as dangerous as it is powerful.
Regarding ownership, the wand can only be wielded by a witch or wizard that has defeated its previous owner. The Elder Wand’s history is a bloody one as many would do terrible things for that kind of power. In the end, Harry unintentionally becomes the owner of the Elder Wand, allowing him to defeat Voldemort. Recognizing the wicked potential and danger of such an instrument, Harry elects to break the wand in half and discard its pieces.
Throughout Harry’s years at Hogwarts, he finds both salvation and peril in the items he encounters. The ease with which wizards and witches can manipulate travel, time, and even the lifespan itself seems enviable at first glance. There are, however, risks involved with using many of the items in the Wizarding World. Wielded by those who would do harm or use them recklessly, these items pose a very real threat. In the hands of good, responsible witches and wizards, however, they can be innocuous and even do a world of good.
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