Dark magic items
Dark Magic Magical Devices and Items

Dark magic items

"I have a few -- ah -- items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call...as you can see, certain of these poisons--"
-- Lucius Malfoy to Mr. Borgin (CS4)

Dark Magic items are magical artifacts that contain sinister, dangerous magical powers. Some, like the Hand of Glory, simply give light, but are obviously created using evil magic; a Hand of Glory actually uses a real human hand, for example. Other Dark Magic items are cursed, like the opal necklace in Borgin and Burkes. Horcruxes are in a category of their own.

Books
See dangerous books page for books that are Dark Magic items. The Diary of Tom Riddle has its own page.

Borgin & Burkes of Knockturn Alley sells quite a variety of Dark Arts magic items. They include:

  • bones, human (assorted) (CS4)
    As of August 1996 [Y16], one of the skulls on display was being offered for sale for 16 Galleons (HBP6).
  • cards, a pack of blood-stained (CS4)
  • glass eye
  • Hand of Glory
  • hangman's rope, long coil of (CS4)
  • instruments (rusty, spiked) (CS4)
  • masks (evil-looking) (CS4)
  • opal necklace, ornate and cursed
  • a large black Vanishing Cabinet

Other Dark Magic items available in Knockturn Alley include:

  • shrunken heads (CS4)
  • live gigantic black spiders (CS4)
  • poisonous candles
  • human fingernails (CS4)
  • Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent

number twelve, Grimmauld Place
The glass cabinets of the drawing room of this strange old house contained many items that seemed reluctant to leave their shelves. It is not known if these items were actually filled with Dark Magic or not, but some certainly seemed intent on causing harm. Other sinister items and objects were found throughout the house.

  • an ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what looked like blood (OP6)
  • boxes, made of tarnished silver and inscribed with languages Harry did not understand (OP6)
  • dusty box containing an Order of Merlin First Class given to Sirius' grandfather for Services to the Ministry. Kreacher stole this back, but it was then stolen from him by Mundungus Fletcher after Sirius' death (DH10).
  • china with the Black crest and motto (evidently the same motto as that on the genealogical tapestry, which means "Always Pure" in French) (OP6)
  • claws (OP6)
  • daggers, rusty (OP6)
  • family photos in silver frames
  • a grandfather clock that shot heavy bolts at passers-by (OP6)
  • a spidery instrument, rather like a many-legged tweezers, which scurried away and tried to puncture Harry's skin (OP6)
  • a heavy locket that no one could open (OP6)
  • a music box that played a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound that nearly knocked everyone out (OP6) Kreacher stole this back, but it was then stolen from him by Mundungus Fletcher after Sirius' death (DH10).
  • a ring, large and golden, bearing the Black family crest (OP6)
  • an ancient set of purple robes that tried to strangle Ron when they were removed from their wardrobe (OP6)
  • several ancient seals (OP6)
  • snakeskin, coiled (OP6)
  • snuffbox

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Tags: bones cards claws diary evil family photos instruments locket masks ring robes

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