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"The place was quite empty except for a few desks and, in the very middle of the room, and enormous glass tank of deep-green water, big enough for all of them to swim in, which contained a number of pearly white objects that were drifting around lazily in the liquid."
— Description of the Brain Room[src]

The Brain Room was a room in the Department of Mysteries. It was located on the ninth level of the Ministry of Magic in London, England. The concept of thought and all related subjects were studied in this chamber.[1]

There was a door leading off this room to the Death Chamber,[2] possibly symbolising the relationship between consciousness and death.

Description[]

This chamber was long and rectangular, lit by lamps hanging low on golden chains from the ceiling. It was quite empty except for a few desks surrounding an enormous glass tank of deep green liquid. In this tank a number of pearly-white brains drifted around.[1]

When removed from the potion in the tank, the brains would fling out tendrils of thoughts which could seriously injure someone if they wrapped themselves around them. Other doors opened off this room.[2]

History[]

"Ron... caught the brain in his outstretched hands. The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron’s arms like ropes."
Ron Weasley's encounter with the brains[src]
Tank of Brains-foundable

A tank of brains

On 18 June 1996, part of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries was fought in the Brain Room after Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood arrived in the Department of Mysteries in search of Sirius Black.

The six Dumbledore's Army members passed through the chamber upon their arrival; Hermione pointed out that there were brains in the tank, and the students eventually decided to flee from the room to get to where they wanted to be.[1] The students were ambushed by Death Eaters in the Hall of Prophecy, and ended up fleeing through multiple chambers in the Department.[2]

Ron Weasley got struck by a curse before this that made him act rather drunken and stupid, and made his brain fuzzy, so he foolishly summoned a brain out of the tank. The brain burst from the liquid, and as it spun toward Ron, what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, "unravelling like rolls of film". These are implied to be physical manifestations of thought, and the moment they made contact with his skin the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes and suffocating him. Harry tried unsuccessfully to sever the feelers from Ron with the Severing Charm, but they would not break.[2]

Luckily, after the battle was over, Madam Pomfrey was able to heal Ron and no lasting damage was done to him, but he still had the scars from the tendrils of thought that coiled around him when he touched the brain. According to Pomfrey, thoughts can leave deep scars.[3]

During the 2010s, Rowena Rowle met with a Calamity Investigator working for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force in the Brain Room to discuss theories about Grim Fawley with them. While Rowle monologued, the Calamity Investigator stared into the Tank of Brains, which accidentally inspired one of the brains to leap onto the Calamity Investigator. Luckily, Rowle was able to save the Calamity Investigator from the brain, with the experience managing to inspire the Calamity Investigator to reduce the time they spent brewing Baruffio's Brain Elixir.[4]

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Brain Room, as well as the Love Chamber, the Space Chamber, and the Time Room, were omitted from the film version. However, according to Matthew Lewis, it was, in fact, filmed, but edited out of the theatrical release.[5]
  • If thoughts were indeed studied here, one may assume that Legilimency was applied in the studies.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

Department of Mysteries
Level 9, British Ministry of Magic
Room of Doors · Hall of Prophecy · Death Chamber · Brain Room · Time Room · Space Chamber · Love Room
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