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Harry Potter: What Is The Invisibility Cloak And Who Gave It To Harry? Explored
The Cloak has a long history in the Potter family, being passed down from generation to generation, starting with Ignotus Peverell.
The Cloak of Invisibility is one of those rare magical artifacts that actually helped Harry Potter in his success. This Cloak of Invisibility allowed Harry to infiltrate the forbidden library at Hogwarts and get out of many sticky situations. This Cloak of Invisibility had a long previous history with the Potter family, including his father, James Potter.
It was speculated by fans that the Cloak of Invisibility was given to Harry by some anonymous gifter, but as the story went on, one learned that their family had great history with the Cloak, even including Harry's father. This begs several questions about what exactly the Cloak of Invisibility is and how it fell into the hands of the Potters precisely in the moment when they needed it most.
The Invisibility Cloak - history explored
In accordance with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Cloak of Invisibility is a magical garment that keeps the wearer invisible. Hermione truly believes that a book Dumbledore gave her upon his death contains clues that will help the trio find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. Ron, being a wizard himself, knows this book well enough, but Hermione recognizes a mysterious pendant in it. Thus, the three embark on a search to defeat Voldemort by finding the Deathly Hallows-three magical objects bestowed upon the Peverell brothers in the Tale of the Three Brothers.
Each brother's desire was a different one, and thus, each Hallow of Death came from a specific brother. One brother wanted to be the most powerful wizard, getting the Elder Wand. One wanted to humiliate Death and received the Resurrection Stone. The last was suspicious of Death and chose the Cloak of Invisibility to enable him to go about freely, but never leaving Death's trail. Each artifact represents a different brother's wish.
Ignotus Peverell was the third brother who had lived without being noticed, all because of his artifacts. It was said that when he is equal to Death, it would be passed to his son. The passing of generations caused this artifact to fall into the hands of Harry Potter. Dumbledore said that these magical artifacts were created and then made legendary by the brothers Peverell, rather than gifts from Death.
Dumbledore sent Harry the Invisibility Cloak
During Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, an unhappy Harry received an anonymous Christmas gift from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who passed on the Cloak of Invisibility to him-a gift he learned later about since it once belonged to his father.
In both the film and book, it came in with a note, unsigned: Your father left this cloak in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. It wasn't until at the end of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone that Harry asked of Dumbledore if he knew who had sent the cloak to him, to which the headmaster said he was responsible for sending the cloak.
How did Dumbledore come to own the Cloak of Invisibility?
Albus Dumbledore received the Cloak of Invisibility after he asked James Potter to send the Cloak to him for examination in regard to its magical qualities. This was because Dumbledore had one Elder Wand, and thus he is interested in any of the Deathly Hallows; he suspected that James Potter's Invisibility Cloak might be one of those artifacts. Following James's death, the Cloak stayed with Dumbledore until Harry came to Hogwarts, after which he passed on the Cloak to James's son on his eleventh birthday.
Although some say that Dumbledore could have just as easily kept the Cloak, made it his own, and never had any use for the invisibility it provided; it does not quite seem a coincidence that Dumbledore asked for the Cloak just before James Potter was killed by Voldemort - but he rarely ever acted based on coincidences.
The Invisibility Cloak's role in Harry's life
The Cloak of Invisibility is one of the magical items that Harry used in various movies, starting with humiliating Malfoy and his friends, then sneaking to buy candy in Hogsmeade, and further hearing teachers discussing Sirius. It is in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that the Cloak of Invisibility saves Harry's life at key moments-a proof that such an artifact may serve not only for playing tricks but also for saving a life.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry uses the Cloak so that he and Rony are not noticed in Hagrid's hut. Hagrid suggests following the spiders, where they encounter Aragog's lair. There, they get information about Hagrid's innocence and a clue pertaining to the Basilisk-a monster haunting Hogwarts in Harry's second year.
During Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry uses the Cloak of Invisibility so that he may closely view the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, where the four species of dragons have been introduced. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 shows Harry and his friends plotting their infiltration into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringott Bank. Hermione is to be changed using Polyjuice Potion, while Ron takes an identity, and Harry uses the Cloak of Invisibility as he infiltrates Gringotts.
Although the Cloak of Invisibility had so many uses, it was not used in saving the lives of James and Lily Potter when Voldemort attacked them. James was suddenly ambushed and little chance of fighting back, while Lily was worried about Harry. There is a probability that such powerful wizards would not take the Cloak Of Invisibility as a means of evading from Voldemort as they had magical abilities like The Invisibility Spell and Disillusionment Charm.
ALSO READ: Harry Potter: Why Did The Horcrux Affect Harry And Ron The Most But Not Hermione?
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