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Magical Devicesby Neil Ward
Introductory notes:
The Invisibility CloakHarry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material. [SS/PS, Chap. 12] "Rare" and "valuable" are two of the terms used to describe the Invisibility Cloak, so the first question that springs to mind is: how did James Potter come by one? It may have been valuable, but on Dumbledore's evidence, it seems James used it to steal food from the Hogwarts' kitchens. It may have been rare, but at least three of the teachers -- Moody-Crouch, Snape and Dumbledore -- had some knowledge of it. Was this because they knew James and therefore knew about the cloak or because they knew about rare and valuable invisibility cloaks in general? Should we perhaps question how Dumbledore came to be in possession of James' cloak: was it given to him, left to him or confiscated from James when he was at the school? Because he passed it on to Harry one might assume that it was entrusted to him after James was killed. It wouldn't make sense for James to have handed over something that useful to Dumbledore with an angry Voldemort on the loose. Maybe he wanted to make sure that it didn't fall into the wrong hands. This theory is supported by the fact that Dumbledore also had the key to the Potters' Gringotts' vault; James may have given the key and cloak to him when he realised Voldemort was after him. In addition, Dumbledore appears to be able to see through the cloak, so perhaps Voldemort shares this talent, in which case, it would make sense to get it into safe hands. Not everyone, it seems, needs a cloak to be invisible. When Harry is in the room with the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore tells him that he doesn't need a cloak to become invisible, raising the question of whether he meant that he knew an invisibility spell or simply that he could keep very still and quiet, so as not to be noticed. (
Y483,
Y485, Y2223, Y2343, Y4974, Y6675)
The Marauder's Map"It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing." (PoA) It is generally accepted that the twins donated the Marauder's Map to Harry so that he could have some fun in Hogsmeade. Apart from its creators, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs (MWPP), Snape, Dumbledore and Crouch Jnr (deceased) know about the map, the twins obviously had possession of it and Harry, Ron and Hermione have seen it, whilst poor Filch had it, but didn't have a clue what it was. The map may not be sentient, but it comes pretty close to having a mind of its own, and, like Tom Riddle's Diary, there is no visible location for a brain. This brings to mind Arthur Weasley's fatherly advice to Ginny: Never trust anything that can think for itself unless you can see where it keeps its brain. Harry decided to use the map, despite recalling this advice, but it could be argued that Arthur had been doling out parental advice, similar to "don't talk to strangers," rather than speaking in the absolute terms of a natural law. Why didn't X see Y on the map? "...the Marauder's map never lies..." (Lupin, PoA, ) Since The Marauder's Map shows the names of living beings within its limits it could, arguably, uncover the disguises and alternate states of many characters. For example, if Crookshanks were an animagus wouldn't his real name be visible to Lupin when he saw him on the map? In PoA, Lupin is stunned to see Pettigrew's name appear on the map, and this distraction might explain why he didn't see (or accept) two sets of dots named 'Harry Potter' and 'Hermione Granger' after they had used the time-turner. On the other hand, perhaps the map, like so many readers of the Harry Potter books, was simply unable to cope with this kink in the space-time continuum. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school." (Fred, PoA) "[George] took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." (PoA) Wouldn't the twins have noticed that Scabbers appeared on the map as Peter Pettigrew? Maybe they had not used the map as much as we might think; perhaps they had only used the 'people' feature of the map to check whether anyone was in their path as they were sneaking around, and had not bothered to look at any places they weren't going. For example, they wouldn't be likely to examine it in the Gyffindor Common Room, where Scabbers might easily have been spotted in his true form. It's also possible that MWPP designed the map to avoid certain areas, like the dormitories, where Scabbers would have spent many an hour having a snooze. Another theory is that the map doesn't show everyone, but picks out names of interest to the reader or that the reader filters out the names that aren't of interest (think of someone consulting the page of a Muggle dictionary). There could be hundreds of little names moving around the map, so perhaps Fred and George just didn't notice 'Peter Pettigrew' among them. The name wouldn't have had the significance to them that it did to Lupin, Sirius et al. Ron knew about Pettigrew from Arthur, but perhaps the twins didn't. Perhaps the map is "programmed" to detect those who might harm the viewer, rather like Moody's Foe Glass in GoF or scans for new life forms to display but doesn't pick up on them immediately. It never lies, but if it didn't show something, it wouldn't be lying; it would just not be telling. A plausible option is that when the Map was created, it was charmed so that none of the Marauders would be invisible to the others, in case they were positioning for a prank or in need of a rescue. Since they charmed the map to be turned on and off with commands and must have anticipated that it would be seen by non-Marauder eyes, perhaps they charmed it so that non-Marauder eyes would not see any of the individual Marauders. Unfortunately, this promising theory is foiled by the fact that Snape could see Lupin on the map. It's important the think about 'intent' in relation to magic. Perhaps Harry had to know how to use the map and have the intention of using it, in order to appear on it and have it show him what he needed to see. The map may "tune in" to the thought of the viewer and show them what they want or need to see. At the end of PoA, Snape uses the map to watch Lupin running down the corridor towards the Whomping Willow. Wouldn't he have noticed Peter Pettigrew as well, if he were tracking Lupin's path? A possible solution to this quandary is that Snape saw Lupin running out, but the other five characters, including Pettigrew, were already in the Shrieking Shack and off the map's boundary. Perhaps only animals that have been given names by people appear on the map. This might explain why the Weasley twins didn't notice 'Peter Pettigrew,' because Peter-the-rat was known as 'Scabbers'. However, since Lupin sees the rat as 'Peter Pettigrew,' we would have to assume that the name the viewer sees is the one by which they know the character best. Why, then, would Harry see Moody-Crouch described as 'Bartemius Crouch'? An intriguing theory on this is that Barty junior stole Moody's identity, whereas Peter had been given the name 'Scabbers' freely. In some cultures, a person's name carries special significance and, in any case, it can be said that a child's name is a "gift" from its parents. Another possibility is that the map can see through the surface magic of the Polyjuice Potion, but not through a whole body transfiguration into an Animagus. There is evidence that some animals are not shown on the Marauder's Map at all: Lupin didn't refer to Crookshanks when he described the number of people being dragged under the Whomping Willow. However, that may have been because he didn't count Crookshanks as a 'person'. A single dot was flitting around a room in the bottom left-hand corner - Snapes office. But the dot wasn't labeled "Severus Snape" ... it was Bartemius Crouch. [GoF, Chap. 25] Insulting Snape Snape seemed convinced that the map was the product of powerful Dark Magic until he knew who had created it, so we should perhaps be wary of its intentions. The map got very personal with Snape in PoA, when he looked at it, possibly because MWPP had written protective magical insults into it. It is possible that it called him by name merely because he identified himself, and used a generic insult that had been programmed into it. Of course, it could have some discretionary ability, since the comments were appropriate to Snape: "Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand [PoA, Chap 14] It is also possible that the Marauders tailored the insults to be triggered by Snape alone, since he was a contemporary of theirs. Another idea put forward is that the map houses an "animating spirit which has been bewitched to echo the thinking processes of its creators". This would be something like the Sorting Hat or a benign version of Riddle's Diary. The map would then be able to recognize Snape and insult him. After the map insulted Snape, he summoned Lupin to the room. Other than requiring his services as DADA professor, one theory is that he was trying to trick Lupin into revealing that he was one of the map's creators and had given it to Harry. He may have made the connection with the MWPP nicknames and the fact that the map had been rude to him in specific terms. His motive may have been to prove to Dumbledore than Lupin was luring Harry into danger. Other mysteries of the map When Fred and George passed the map to Harry, George claimed, "we know it by heart." This seems a little odd, since the nature of the map is to show the here and now and it would never become obsolete. However, once the twins had located all the secret passages and learned the passwords, they wouldn't necessarily need it. If four students could create something like the Marauders Map, isn't it likely that there is a spell that could do the same? Why doesn't Dumbledore use a 'True Identity' spell from time to time to make sure everyone at Hogwarts is really who they say they are? In GoF, when Harry's scar hurts and he's wondering how he can reach Dumbledore, could he have looked at the map to find out if he was at Hogwarts? The supposition is that either Harry didn't think to look at the map or it works only within Hogwarts' grounds. The map seems an incredible piece of magical invention for four young wizards. Although we don't know when they actually created it, they may well have been into late adolescence and the fact that Filch had confiscated it indicates that it was before they left Hogwarts. Also, Lupin talks about it as something they wrote after the four of them became Animagi and began roaming Hogwarts. Is there more than one map? For all we know, each of the Marauders may have had one. If so, where the other three Marauders' Maps? Lupin's map is probably the one confiscated by Filch, and later retrieved by the Weasley twins. James' map was probably destroyed with the house, when he and Lily were killed. Sirius' map was most likely confiscated by the MoM following his arrest. Peter's map could still be in his possession, or it could be among the items left after his supposed death or in the evil clutches of Voldemort. In GoF, Moody borrows the map from Harry after the incident on the stairs and does not return it. At the end of the story it is, in effect, absent without leave. What happened to it? (
Y2223,
Y3418,
Y6301,
Y7118, Y7124,
Y7143)
The Pensieve"One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form." [Dumbledore, GoF, Chap. 30] In GoF, why doesn't Dumbledore use his Pensieve to extract the traumatic graveyard episode from Harry's thoughts? This would not only have provided a clear picture of what happened after Harry and Cedric were whisked away from the maze, but would prove that Peter Pettigrew was still alive and identify the Death Eaters who had returned to Voldemort. The idea of extracting a visual record was proposed to be similar to the type of video evidence the police might use in evidence of a road traffic accident. Three main theories have been put forward. The first is that the Pensieve is personal to Dumbledore and would not, therefore have worked with Harry's thoughts, the second suggests that using the Pensieve removes the thought from the user and that Dumbledore probably wanted Harry to retain the memories as part of the 'tough love' approach to training him for the challenges ahead and the third proposes that miles of MoM red tape may be involved in obtaining a Pensieve. In relation to the second of these, it was felt that Harry would only recall the memory of the events, including the use of the Cruciatus Curse, and not the pain, which his brain would block out. Another interesting thought is that one could reacquire an extracted memory by viewing it in the Pensieve, which would be, in a sense, like loading files back onto your computer from a floppy disc when you wished to view them. If anyone's memories can be collected in the Pensieve, is it possible that Harry might get to "see" his parents in happier times, in future books? If Sirius could sieve his memories, for example, Harry might be able to peer into his Godfather's past friendship with James and Lily. The problem with this is that Sirius' unpleasant time in Azkaban might also get siphoned into the Pensieve. It's worth considering the possibility that the Pensieve can only collect memories for a limited time after their formation. That would keep anyone from using it to "dig up long-lost memories". The Pensieve might also be 'one hit wonder' plot device that never makes another appearance, like the Mirror of Erised or the Weasley's flying car. (
Y4714,
Y4720,
Y4723,
Y4724)
The Philosopher's Stone"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." [SS/PS, Chap. 13] Nicolas Flamel is "the only known maker of The Philosopher's Stone." Flamel, and his wife Perenelle, were real people who lived in fifteenth century France (http://www.alchemylab.com/flamel.htm) and he is thought to be the only alchemist who achieved the legendary Stone. Note: Although JKR clearly intended to refer to the real person, the age of Flamel implied in SS/PS appears to be about a hundred years older than the real Flamel would have been. The Philosopher's Stone is not a stone as such, but an elixir; a legendary substance connected with the search for eternal life and attempts to turn base metals into gold though alchemy. At the end of PS, Quirrel-Voldemort is trying to get his hands on the stone, presumably to assist his return to full human form and obtain eternal life. Apparently, US publishers Scholastic coined the term 'Sorcerer's Stone,' because they felt that many American readers (and they were thinking children) would be put off by the word 'philosopher'. This, of course, lessened the impact of nods to the real Philosopher's Stone. Since Flamel discovered the Philosopher's Stone long before Dumbledore was born, how could they have collaborated in the study of alchemy? Amanda Lewanski explains: "Alchemy was not primarily the search for a way to turn lead into gold. While that was a by-product, it was also an allegory for the transmutation of the alchemist. The processes and steps of alchemical research were intended as a search for truth, goodness, and self-improvement. By the time you can turn lead into gold, you're at a stage where you know that really doesn't matter." It's feasible, therefore, that Flamel would still be studying the processes of alchemy when he met Dumbledore and that Dumbledore would seek self-improvement and development under Flamel's wing. When Harry is talking to Quirrell and attempting to lie about what he is seeing in the Mirror of Erised, he sees himself pull the Philosopher's Stone out of his pocket and put it back. Then, he feels the stone appear, miraculously, in his pocket. Had Harry summoned the stone to his pocket by thinking about it, or was it there all the time, but brought to his attention at that moment? Perhaps Dumbledore hid the stone in the mirror and charmed it to come only to someone who didn't want to use it. Harry would then have wished it into his pocket, because he didn't want Quirrell-Voldemort to get his hands on it. (Y5929, Y5930)
Portkeys"They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to..." [Arthur, GoF, Chap. 6] "Instantly, Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling him onward in a howl of wind and swirling colour, Cedric at his side." [GoF, Chap. 31]. Do all portkeys work in the same way? In GoF, the Triwizard Cup seemed to be set to work whenever it was touched, not at a specified time, and it was 'programmed' to return to Hogwarts. In contrast, the boot that was used as a portkey to the World Cup site was supposed to be used at a specific time and was dead once it had been used. Why would Moody-Crouch give Harry a potential escape route from the graveyard by allowing the Cup to operate as a portkey back to Hogwarts? The consensus of this theory is that that there are at least two types of portkey, differing only in the type of trigger: the time-sensitive 'boot' type and the touch-sensitive 'cup' type, and perhaps other types we haven't seen, with different triggers. Another theory is that portkeys are disallowed by Hogwarts enchantments in the same way as apparating, but that Dumbledore gave the Triwizard Cup a special dispensation for the purposes of the Triwizard Tournament, intending that it would transport the winner to the outside of the maze. This could explain why Moody-Crouch had to use the Cup to get Harry to the graveyard. He may have inserted a programming instruction to send the person who touched it to the graveyard and once that had been activated, the original instruction remained to transport Harry and Cedric to the outside of the maze. This theory would marry up with Voldemort's desire to "mock and degrade the legitimate sources of authority," by seizing Harry at the very moment when he triumphed in the third task of the venerable Triwizard Tournament. This would serve to make a mockery of the Tournament and re-establish Voldemort as a powerful force who can "fleer the 'Permanent Things' of the Wizarding World at will". Why couldn't Moody-Crouch have used any old object as a portkey or simply hit Harry with a powerful spell? Firstly, someone else might have put his or her hand on any other touch-triggered portkey, and, secondly, using the Cup meant that Harry would be largely isolated from view when he was spirited away. In GoF, when the gang gathered on Stoatshead Hill to travel to the Quidditch World Cup, did they know what the portkey was? If not, how would they know what they were looking for and what would have happened if they hadn't found it by the appointed time? Arthur didn't seem to know exactly what they were looking for, because they were looking around a bit before Amos Diggory shouted that he'd found it. "What would have happened if, at the appointed time, they discovered it wasn't the boot they were all touching, but a rubber band lying next to the boot?" A likely explanation is that, being imbued with magic; an experienced wizard would probably "feel" that the boot was a portkey. In addition there might be an anti-muggle spell that would prevent anyone but a wizard from touching it. In light of the significance of the later scene with the Triwizard Cup, the boot scene was clearly included to introduce the reader to the concept of a portkey. (Y6826, Y6846, Y6853, Y7066, Y7069)
Sirius Black's MotorcycleA low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight... [SS/PS, Chap. 1] In PoA, Hagrid says that he was sent to James and Lily's house to retrieve Harry and, while he was there, Sirius arrived on his flying motorcycle. Sirius gave his bike to Hagrid and told him that he wasn't going to need it anymore. Why didn't he need it? It may be because it was clear to him that Peter was the traitor and he intended to track him down and kill him, possibly expecting to be killed in the process. He must also have expected to be framed for the murders of Lily and James Potter. Despite what Sirius had said Hagrid seemed keen to get the bike back to him. In SS/PS, he tells Dumbledore and McGonagall that he "borrowed" the motorcycle from Sirius Black, not that Black gave it to him. Perhaps he misunderstood Sirius or was too grief-stricken to think straight. At the same time, Sirius was probably "darn near suicidal with grief over the death of the Potters and his failure to protect them. It is typical of someone contemplating suicide to give away their most treasured possessions." Hagrid says that Sirius was "white and shaking," which suggests that he was in shock. Sirius's motorcycle didn't seem to be a big deal to Dumbledore or McGonagall, which could mean mean that a) they didn't really care that the motorcycle was illegal, b) the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office didn't exist at the time, or c) Sirius was exempt from the rules. Option (b) is possible, since, in CoS, Molly mentions that Arthur wrote the Muggle artifacts laws himself. Another opinion is that Sirius's motorcycle is not an enchanted Muggle motorcycle at all, but a magical item that borrows some of its form from the Muggle version. (e-12/10/00, "Sirius' Motorcycle" thread)
The Sorting Hat"...Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house." [SS/PS, Chap. 7] In hinting at future books, JKR has said that the Sorting Hat is a character in its own right and that we would learn more about it later in the series. Several theories have been put forward on this: The hat may have a connection to Godric Gryffindor, since it brought Godric's sword to Harry. On the other hand it may encapsulate the characteristics of all four Founders, so that it is capable of recognising them in the students during the sorting process. More of a long shot is the proposal that it is the trapped spirit of the former headmaster, Dippet. Has there always been a Sorting Hat and, if not, how were the students sorted before it arrived on the scene? Riddle recognised it in CoS, so we can confirm that it was around then, and given it's battered state and light workload, we might assume that it is an "extremely old being". Regarding the technique the hat uses for sorting, perhaps we should apply the rule of logic known as 'Occam's Razor,' which states that the simplest explanation that covers the facts is the correct one. In relation to the number of students in Harry's year it has been proposed that there may be fewer Gryffindors and Slytherins than Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, so it may be that the Sorting Hat looks for the rarer Gryffindor and Slytherin traits first and if it doesn't strong evidence of either, sorts to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. It seems unlikely that the hat tries to assign equal numbers to each house, choosing the "five most Gryffindor boys" for example, because it sorts the students sequentially and would not, we assume, be able to take a view at the population level. Perhaps there is a natural law of order that puts the students evenly into the houses. However, this takes out the judgement in the Sorting Hat's choices and reduces it to an analytical processor. "Who knows, maybe it does a scan of all the students as they arrive on Hogwarts grounds. Maybe the hat is aware of all the wizards in the UK. Maybe the magic pen and the hat are in cahoots. We don't know the extent of the Hat's power". Members of the club took various psychological and personality sorting tests, such as Meyers-Briggs, and theories were expounded on which personality profiles best matched the four Hogwarts Houses. Sorting is also covered in the Houses of Hogwarts FAQ. (Y3407, Y3422, Y3432, Y3428, Y7098, Y7115, Y7242, Y7256, Y7233) The Time-Turner"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone." [PoA, Chap 21] "Hasn't your experience with the Time-Turner taught you anything, Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed..." [PoA, Chap. 22] In the scene where Harry and Hermione use the time-turner to rescue Buckbeak why didn't they replay the scene as many times as they needed to get it right? At first, this thought seems a reasonable question, but there are two factors that count against such an action. Firstly, there would be high chance that the pair would encounter an earlier Harry and Hermione, and, secondly, they would not be able to make further attempts if they had observed any sort of outcome. To expand on the second of these points, the theory goes that, using the time-turner, people can only change the course of time if the outcome is uncertain or, "exists in a state of 'Quantum Ambiguity' where it can go one way or the other". The rescue of Buckbeak was possible only because Harry and Hermione had not witnessed his death; they heard the axe fall, but they did not see him beheaded. Once they had rescued him, the ambiguity of the situation was resolved. Applying this explanation to two other situations, when Hermione used the time-turner to squeeze in all those extra classes, she fell asleep and missed a Charms class, but the minute she was woken, the ambiguous state in her mind was resolved and the option of returning to take the class was lost. Another situation was when Harry witnessed himself creating the Patronus by the lake. In this case, Harry was only potentially on the other side of the lake and this ambiguity was resolved when he voluntarily saved his own life. Could this be related to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which holds that one cannot measure both the momentum and location of an electron with any accuracy at the same time? In other words, if an action (momentum) is resolved in one place (location), it becomes impossible to return to that place to achieve an alternative outcome. In relation to, PoA there are many subtle clues to events caused by the time-turner. For example, when Harry, Ron and Hermione enter the entrance hall under the Invisibility Cloak, they hear departing footsteps and a door slamming and proceed to Hagrid's hut to comfort him over the death of Buckbeak. Later, after using the time-turner, Harry and Hermione appear in the entrance hall and hide in a broom cupboard, where Hermione hears herself, Ron and Harry outside, under the cloak, on their way to Hagrid's. (Y1769, Y1771, Y1781, Y1789, Y1176) The Flying Ford Anglia"Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner." [CoS, Chap. 15] The Weasleys' car is believed to be a Ford Anglia 105E, judging from the artwork on the UK cover of CoS. The 105E was born in the late 1950s, as a small, ugly car with pointy rear wings. Ford continued to make a previous, more rounded Ford Anglia design until 1962, but renamed it the Ford Popular once the 105E had been unleashed on the planet. When JKR launched Goblet of Fire at London's King's Cross Station in 2000, she arrived on a mock Platform 9¾ in a model 105E. It may be that some knowledge of the technology behind something is required before a spell can be cast to manipulate it. Arthur used magic to give the car the capability of flying, but it still couldn't handle the trip to Hogwarts. Also, the car would have been between 25-39 years old when Harry and Ron flew it (according to production dates for the 105E and estimated timelines) and was possibly not at its best. Given Arthur's total lack of mechanical knowledge, it's safe to assume that the functional parts weren't up to a long trip. "The spirit was willing but the Lucas electrics were weak." There is no American name for the Ford Anglia, unless you count "roller skate". (e-10/11/00, "Ford Anglia equivalent")
The Golden Snitch"With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch." [CoS, Chap 10] What is the Golden Snitch, apart from being a Quidditch ball? One theory proposed that there is a living creature trapped within the ball like a genie in a bottle -- perhaps a fairy -- or that may evolve into something else later. However, it is as difficult to tell whether the Snitch is alive in that sense, as it is to tell if something with no apparent brain has a mind of its own. If the Golden Snitch were a creature, we would have to assume that Silver, Bronze, Copper and Tin Snitches would be rather less remarkable varieties. Tom Riddle's Diary"Harry saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name "T. M. Riddle" in smudged ink." [CoS, Chap. 13] Like the Marauder's Map, Tom Riddle's diary is another major piece of magic without a visible brain. When did Riddle make the diary? It seems likely that Riddle preserved himself, in the diary, as he was when he made it. At the time, Dumbledore was suspicious of him, so he 'hid' in the diary so that he would be able to guide somebody to the Chamber of Secrets. (e-23/10/00, "Marauder's Map/Riddle's diary" thread) The Mirror Of ErisedIt was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." [SS/PS, Chap. 12] [The inscription reads "I show not your face but your heart's desire" written backwards] Could Muggles appear in the Mirror of Erised? Yes: If the mirror shows what the viewer desires, in Harry's case it should show his family, Muggles included. Dumbledore says he would see himself holding a pair of woollen socks. What does this mean? It could be that his deepest desires have already been fulfilled in his long lifetime and simple, creature comforts are all he might need. On the other hand, perhaps he yearns for family and for someone to take care of him. (e-04/11/00, "Muggles in Mirror of Erised"
thread)
The Pocket Sneakoscope"Harry -- this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin..." [Ron's note to Harry, PoA, Chap. 1] The Pocket Sneakocope was triggered twice when Scabbers was around, although no one noticed it at the time. There is a misapprehension that it went off when Harry first received it, but this was probably because Ron explained in his note that it had gone off in Egypt just before he sent it. Ron would have put this down to the twins sneaking beetles into Bill's soup or the fact that he had surreptitiously used Errol to send the Sneakoscope to Harry. |
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