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The Time Room is a room in the Department of Mysteries. It is located on the ninth level of the Ministry of Magic in London, England. The mystery of time and all related subjects are studied in this chamber. There is a door leading off of this room to the Hall of Prophecy, as the study of time is closely related to the study of predicting the future.[1]

Description

This room is filled with beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling light. Clocks can be found on every surface, "large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking fill[s] the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps." A huge crystal bell jar stands at the far end of the room, and it is from this that the sparkling light comes.

Many Time-Turners of various sizes rest on shelves inside a large glass-fronted case standing against a wall. The path through this room, toward the bell jar, is a narrow passage between the many desks. There are also small offices just off the main chamber. At the far end, where the Time-Turners are located, is another door which pushes to open.

Bell Jar

Main article: Bell jar

The bell jar stands on a desk and appears to be full of a billowing, glittering wind. Inside the jar, rising and falling on the glittering current, a tiny object moves through an endless loop. The object is a small hummingbird. At the bottom of its circuit, the bird is within its egg. As it rises, it hatches and grows into a mature bird by the time it reaches the apex of its cycle. On the way back down, it becomes a fledgling bird and then reenters its egg, which reforms around it. This progression of time repeats over and over within the jar.

Time-Turners

Time-Turner 05

A Time-Turner

Main article: Time-Turner

A Time-Turner is a device capable of time travel. The Time-Turner resembles an hourglass on a necklace. The number of times one turns the hourglass corresponds to the number of hours one travels back in time. A stock of Time-Turners were kept in the Time Room on a large glass-fronted case against a wall, but this store was destroyed during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

History

In 1996, part of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries was fought in the Time Room. At first, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Neville enter this room as they search for the Hall of Prophecy. After trying other doors in the entrance room, including the Brain Room, the Death Chamber, and the Love Chamber, they find themselves in this room and know it is the one that will lead them into the prophecy room where they believe Sirius Black is being tortured. They pass through this room into the prophecy room, where they are ambushed by Death Eaters.

"They were all gazing, open-mouthed, appalled, at what was happening to the man's head. It was shrinking very fast, growing balder and balder, the black hair and stubble retracting into his skull; his cheeks becoming smooth, his skull round and covered with a peach-like fuzz… A baby's head now sat grotesquely on top of the thick, muscled neck of the Death Eater as he struggled to get up again; but even as they watched, their mouths open, the head began to swell to its previous proportions again; thick black hair was sprouting from the pate and chin..."
— Description of a Death Eater whose head fell into the bell jar[src]

During the course of the battle, Harry flees the Hall of Prophecy re-enters the Time Room, where Hermione seals the door behind them; but only Neville is still with them, Ron, Ginny, and Luna have become separated. Two Death Eaters enter the hall; Hermione Stuns one, and Neville, while disarming the other, disarms Harry as well. Attempting to Stun the Death Eater, he hits a rack full of time-turners. Hermione Stuns the remaining Death Eater, whose head falls into the bell jar and rapidly turns into a baby and then back into a grown man and then back to a baby. The Death Eater is able to pull his head out, but he is incapatitated as a grown man's body with a baby's head. During this battle, the department's entire stock of Time-Turners was smashed.[1]

Behind the scenes

  • The Time Room, as well as the Brain Room, Love Chamber, and Space Chamber were omitted from the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
  • It's direct connection with the Prophecy room might imply the study of Time takes branches with prophecies and clarvoyance, which are predictions of events linked with time.

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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