Cloak of Invisibility

""The Cloak of Invisibility," he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle."

The Cloak of Invisibility was the third and final of the three Deathly Hallows. According to legend, whoever united the Cloak with the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand would become the Master of Death. It was the only known Invisibility Cloak that would not fade with age and would provide everlasting protection to the wearer, something no normal Invisibility Cloak could provide. In 1991 it passed to the possession of Harry Potter who used it to great success in the Second Wizarding War and resolved to pass it down to his own children.

History

Mythic origins of the Cloak of Invisibility

According to The Tale of the Three Brothers in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a wizarding fairytale, three brothers were out travelling the world. They came upon a river that was too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. So the brothers used magic to conjure a bridge. They got to the middle when Death appeared and spoke to them. Angered that they had outwitted him, Death offered each brother a "prize" for beating Death. The eldest brother asked for an unbeatable wand, and Death created a wand of Elder and gave it to him. The second brother requested the ability to return those who have died, and Death gave him the Resurrection Stone. The youngest brother did not trust Death and requested the ability to leave without being followed by Death. Unwillingly, Death handed over his own Invisibility Cloak, and they parted ways. Death soon claimed the two elder brothers, but he could not claim the youngest until he grew into an old man when he gave the Cloak to his son and joined Death as old friends.

Many familiar with the Deathly Hallows believed the Peverell family to be the brothers in the tale. Antioch Peverell, the eldest, taking the Elder Wand; Cadmus taking the Resurrection Stone; and Ignotus, the youngest, claiming the Cloak from Death. It is more likely, however, that they were simply three immensely powerful wizards who created the items themselves. This is the view of Albus Dumbledore, who believed that the Cloak was created by Ignotus, himself, and used throughout his lifetime.

Recent History

The Cloak of Invisibility was passed down Ignotus' family line and eventually ended up in the hands of his final known descendants, the Potters. It eventually ended up in the hands of James Potter, the father of Harry Potter. James used the Cloak of Invisibility in many of his misdeeds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and kept it afterward. Around the time that Lord Voldemort was hunting the Potters for their son, the Cloak of Invisibility came to the attention of Albus Dumbledore when James showed him the Cloak of Invisibility, and Dumbledore, who had searched for the Deathly Hallows in youth, asked to borrow the Cloak from James to study it. After James was killed, the Cloak was left in Dumbledore's possession.

Invisiblebody — Harry using the Cloak of Invisibility on Christmas Day 1991.

Harry: "I'm going to keep Ignotus's present, though."

Albus Dumbledore's portrait: " But of course, Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on!"

— Harry's decision to keep the Cloak of Invisibility^[src]

Ten years later, Dumbledore gave Harry Potter the Cloak of Invisibility as a Christmas present anonymously and told him to "use it well." This would be one piece of advice that Harry would heed quite well over his school life and beyond, as the Cloak of Invisibility aided Harry on countless trips and missions, including his hunt for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. It was not until 1998, that Harry learned the true nature of his own Invisibility Cloak and its true identity as the Cloak of Invisibility, as spoken of in the legend of the Deathly Hallows. As Ignotus' last remaining descendant, the Cloak was rightfully Harry's and was kept by him after Lord Voldemort's defeat. Harry resolved to pass it on to his own son one day, just as his ancestor Ignotus had done with his son.

The story of the Deathly Hallows became a legend, believed by some members of the magical community to be fact. Like the rest of Beedle the Bard's stories, however, the legend was treated as a fairy tale by the average wizard. However Albus Dumbledore felt that it was more likely the Cloak was created by Ignotus himself, with the object's power (in combination with the other two) later creating the story of it formerly being the property of Death. This would make the Cloak a remarkable, and never equaled, creation.

Abilities

"It's never occured to me before, but I've heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, or them being ripped apart by spells so they've got holes in. Harry's was owned by his dad, so it's not exactly new, is it, but it's just... perfect!"

— Ron Weasley on the Cloak of Invisibility^[src]

The Cloak of Invisibility is especially powerful. It is resistant to jinxes, hexes, and other spells which would normally damage or otherwise render a normal Invisibility cloak ineffective. For example, just before the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were huddled under it, a Death Eaters' Summoning Charm had no effect on removing the Cloak of Invisibility. It has also remained completely effective throughout its long existence, many times that of other cloaks, which lose their power over time. Even the Thief's Downfall did not affect it at the very least.

Although powerful, the Cloak of Invisibility is not infallable. While the Cloak itself resists spell damage, it does not shield the wearer from spells used against them personally. For example, Harry was immobilized while under the Cloak twice during the 1996–1997 school year. In addition, it will not hide the wearer from detection that is not based on optical sight, such as Alastor Moody's magical eye, magical creatures such as Dementors, or spells such as Homenum Revelio.

Known Uses

1971 to 1978

James Potter used it to sneak into the kitchens to steal food (mentioned in 1991).

1991

Harry Potter hid beneath it to sneak into Restricted Section of the library to find out about Nicolas Flamel in 1991.
Harry used it to view the Mirror of Erised in 1991 along with Ron.

1992

Harry, Ron, and Hermione rotated use of the cloak to help care for Norberta, Hagrid's dragon, in 1992.
Harry and Hermione sneaked Norberta out of the castle to Charlie Weasley's friends with the cloak in 1992.
The trio went under the cloak to the Third Floor Corridor when they saved the Philosopher's Stone in 1992.

1993

Harry and Ron used it to get out of the castle to follow the spiders in 1993.
Harry sneaked into Hogsmeade twice in his Third year underneath it.

1994

Harry, Ron, and Hermione used the cloak to visit Hagrid before the Hippogriff Buckbeak was executed.
Severus Snape also used it on the same day to hide in the Shrieking Shack in an attempt to capture Sirius Black.
Harry went to Hogsmeade underneath the cloak, because he wanted to remain hidden during a visit in 1994.
Harry ventured out to see the Dragons for the First task in 1994.

1995

Harry went to the Prefects Bathroom and back to the Common Room to work on the egg's clue under it in 1995.
The trio used the cloak to visit Hagrid when he returned from his mission to the giants in November 1995.

1996

Harry used the cloak to sneak into Dolores Umbridge's office to use the Floo Network in 1996.
Hermione and Harry sneaked back into Umbridge's office under the cloak the day of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione used the cloak to follow Draco Malfoy to Knockturn Alley in 1996.
Harry tried to eavesdrop on Draco Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express under the cloak in 1996.
At Professor Slughorn's Christmas party Harry used it to eavesdrop upon Malfoy and Professor Snape.
Harry also used the cloak when he was trying to catch Malfoy in the Room of Requirement the same school year.

1997

Harry used his cloak under the effects of Felix Felicis to obtain the Slughorn's memory in 1997.
Albus Dumbledore ordered Harry to wear the cloak during their trip to the Horcrux cave in 1997.
An immobilised Harry watched Dumbledore die while hidden within it on the same night 1997.
Harry was hidden underneath the cloak after the trio escaped the Wedding of William Weasley and Fleur Delacour and during the Skirmish on Tottenham Court Road on the same night.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione rotated using the cloak to spy on the Ministry of Magic in August of 1997.
They used it during the Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic with Harry underneath it most of the time.
The trio used it for security while Apparating to various places in the countryside in 1997 and 1998.
Harry and Hermione visited Godric's Hollow while disguised as Muggles by using Polyjuice Potion and hiding under the cloak on Christmas Eve 1997.
Harry was hidden underneath the cloak when the trio were searching for Xenophilius Lovegood's house just before the New Year in 1997.
On the same day, Ron was hidden in order to protect his alibi during the Ambush at the Lovegood House.

1998

Harry and Griphook hid beneath the cloak on 1 May, 1998 when they broke into Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
The same night, the trio Apparated to Hogsmeade to break into Hogwarts.
Harry and Luna used it to view the statue of Ravenclaw with her diadem in the Ravenclaw Tower.
The trio used it during intervals of the Battle of Hogwarts in which they did not want to be seen.
Harry hid under it when Lord Voldemort thought he was dead during the Battle of Hogwarts.
After Luna distracted everyone in the aftermath of the battle, Harry used the cloak to find Ron and Hermione and tell them everything that had happened.

Behind the scenes

Although superior to any other cloak in terms of durability and longevity, the Cloak was unable to hide Harry from certain methods of magical detection, such as Alastor Moody's Magic Eye, Marauder's Map, and the Homenum Revelio spell. It was also unable to hide Harry from creatures able to sense location by methods other than primarily sight, such as Dementors and Nagini.
The Cloak also had the limitation of only being able to hide what it was large enough to cover - it did not grow with the user(s), and if any part of them accidentally slipped past the boundaries of the Cloak, that part risked exposing their presence to anyone nearby. Thus, as the trio grew taller, they often had to stoop more to be completely covered by the Cloak.
While it shields the wearer from sight and cannot be harmed by any class of spell aimed at it, the Cloak does not act as a shield against spells, curses, or hexes, as Harry is affected by the Full Body-Bind Curse curse twice while under The Cloak in 1997.
The Cloak's apperance in the movie differs from the the one described in the book. In the book, it is described as a fluid-like, silvery material.

Appearances

Cloak Sign — The Cloak of Invisibility is one of the three Deathly Hallows, represented here by the triangle