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There are many magical artifacts that Harry finds/utilizes throughout his years at Hogwarts, all seemingly created by powerful or very ingenious wizards/witches/goblins. Some examples:

  • The Marauder's Map
  • The Deathly Hallows
  • The Sorcerer's Stone
  • The Sword of Gryffindor

Were any similarly powerful artifacts created during Harry Potter's time? Or are the powerful or ingenious wizards that create such long-lasting and useful artifacts all a thing of the past? I know that there has been some strong and unique magic used, but I can't remember any significant magical artifacts having been created. They all just seem to have appeared to Harry as something from the past he must utilize.

Gabe Willard
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John
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5 Answers5

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The objects that come to mind for me are the Galleon coins that the DA used to communicate. Hermione created them using a "N.E.W.T.-level" Protean charm, and according to J.K. Rowling those DA members that kept their coins would have really treasured them as artifacts from the second Voldemort war. They were a source of pride because owning a DA coin meant one was really on the front lines.

Brian: Did the DA keep the coins?

J.K. Rowling: Naturally. They would be like badges or medals of honour – proof that the owner had been at the heart of the fight against Voldemort from the start! I like to imagine Neville showing his to his admiring pupils.

J.K. Rowling - Web Chat Transcript - The Leaky Cauldron 07.30.08

PearsonArtPhoto
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Slytherincess
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    Is "N.E.W.T." level charmed object really something enough to qualify as "powerful magical artifact" though? It's way above the level of normal schoolchild, but in the big scheme of things? – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jun 05 '12 at 21:05
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    @DVK - I see where you're going and I was on the fence too. Is the most powerful object? No. Is it powerful at all? I think so. Hermione invented the Hogwarts equivalent of an instant messenger. Bear with me! Not only could the coins give a date and time alert for the DA meetings, they could also be used as two-way communication devices. See Draco and Madam Rosmerta's use of similar coins the night of Dumbledore's death, in addition to the DA's utilization of them. They're not on the level of other magical artefacts, very true, but they're unique in their own right. :) – Slytherincess Jun 05 '12 at 22:25
  • "Hermione invented the Hogwarts equivalent of an instant messenger." - DIE HORRIBLE WITCH! – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jun 05 '12 at 22:49
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    Mmmm I think this is most on par with what I was thinking. The coins are similar in their level of usefulness as the marauder's map. – John Jun 05 '12 at 23:42
  • @DVK - HATER! :P – Slytherincess Jun 06 '12 at 00:23
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What counts as an “artifact”? Do you use the D&D definition of the word, including only unique objects that are very hard to create and of which even the best wizards could create only one or two in their lifetime? Or just any inanimate object with semi-permanent enchantments on them?

  • Any newly created wand, for example the wand Mr. Ollivander creates for Peter Pettigrew in DH.
  • Brooms. There are new models, so new brooms must be created in recent times.
  • The swamp Fred and George create in OP.
  • Some of the more powerful joke shop merchandise Fred and George create for the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.
    • (Update:) Of the above, in particular, the Headless Hats, hats that make the wearer's head invisible, which seems to impress Hermione. (Phoenix ch. 24)
    • (Update:) Patented Daydream Charms: top-quality highly realistic thirty minute daydreams that you can enter with a simple incantation, and which Hermione finds ‘extraordinary magic’. (Prince ch. 6)
    • (Update:) In Prince ch. 6, Fred and George tell how they have accidentally found out that their joke shop items are useful for Defense against the Dark Arts as well. They thought their Shield Hats were joke items only, but the Ministry had bought five hundred because many wizards can't cast a Shield Charm on their own. They had since expanded that line of business “because it's such a money-spinner”. Other items mentioned include Shield Cloaks and Shield Gloves; Instant Darkness Powder imported from Peru; Decoy Detonators
  • The enchanted Muggle objects that the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office prosecutes, such as that mad teacup mentioned in CS chapter 3.
  • The Golden Snitch that Professor Dumbledore has enchanted then left to Harry.
  • Possibly the Mirror of Erised enchanted such that it hides the Philosopher's Stone, though it's possible that the mirror has had the capability to hide objects in such a way earlier, only it wasn't used to hide the Stone earlier.
  • Possibly some of the other obstacles set up by other professors that protected the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, such as the chessboard and the flying keys, though these could have been created earlier and only set to this purpose now.
  • The Wackspurt siphons which try to replicate the properties of the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, and other inventions Xenophilius Lovegood, mentioned in DH chapters 20 and 29, though some of these he could have created earlier, and they might not be very powerful anyway.
  • Possibly the golden eggs in GF that give the clue about the second task of the Triwizard Championship.
b_jonas
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    Oh, I think the golden snitch enchanted to hold the Resurrection Stone is an excellent idea. Good call, totally. I have to say that the majority of your list I think are items. There's at least 6 definitions of "artifact/artefact" so I'm keeping that in mind. I'm also thinking about the Triwizard golden eggs and think perhaps these might be artefacts too, but I can't go so far as to say the eggs are powerful per se. But they are unique and presumably they were made during Harry's era. Nice answer :) – Slytherincess Jun 05 '12 at 22:38
  • Another update: Rowling confirmed the Mirror of Erised to have been modified by Dumbledore. – Egor Hans Feb 18 '21 at 09:49
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Well, this one may not fit the spirit of your question, but fits the letter: Nagini.

She was fairly unique as far as animals go (near-intelligent snake conversing with Voldemort and able to take the shape of a person as a skin, as we see in Godric's Hollow scene in DH), AND she was a Horcrux, the latter likely helping the former.

As per Wikia, she was made a Horcrux in 1994, after her master killed Bertha Jorkins, making her "during Harry Potter school years"

DVK-on-Ahch-To
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    Should not all the Horcruxes count? Them being arguably more powerful than all artifacts the OP mentioned save the Sword. (I suppose Harry Potter's time in its strictest sense precludes the first 6 though) – NominSim Jun 05 '12 at 18:25
  • When was Nagini created? The other horcruxes were created prior to Harry's time at hogwarts, but I don't recall when/where Nagini was created. – Adam Davis Jun 05 '12 at 18:27
  • @AdamDavis It is guessed by Dumbledore that Nagini was created when Voldemort was on the "run" in Albania. I would argue that "Harry Potter's time" can subjectively include the Horcrux creations, as they are temporally closely related to "Harry Potter's time". – NominSim Jun 05 '12 at 18:36
  • @NominSim The question title says "Harry's years at Hogwarts", so I think we're limited to the six years he actually attended the school (and, possibly, what would have been his final year). That would discount the majority of the horcruxes, though Nagini may very well count. – Anthony Grist Jun 05 '12 at 19:36
  • @AnthonyGrist Yes certainly at least 1 Horcrux should count I would think. – NominSim Jun 05 '12 at 19:39
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    @AdamDavis - Wikia: "She also became a Horcrux, after her master killed Bertha Jorkins in 1994. " – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jun 05 '12 at 21:07
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    If the Marauder's Map is excluded, then all other Horcruxes should be. – n611x007 Jun 20 '12 at 12:14
  • About the date when each Horcrux was made, see the answer http://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/14809/4918 What order were the horcruxes made in? – b_jonas Jul 23 '14 at 15:10
5

Here's one I just thought of:

What about the car that Mr. Weasley modified to make it able to fly and become invisible?

The Flying Ford Anglia.

John
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    I was wondering about that, but I think Mr. Weasley has probably enchanted it before Harry got into school. – b_jonas Jun 08 '12 at 09:57
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Hagrid's (formerly Sirius') motorbike was already enchanted to fly before Harry even came to the Dursleys', but it got several new enchantments added to it in the time leading up to Deathly Hallows -- most memorably, the dragonfire.

Joe White
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