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"Well, you can enchant a building so it’s impossible to plot on a map, can’t you?"
Hermione Granger regarding Unplottability[src]

Unplottability referred to the deliberate magical concealment of several places around the world.[1][2]

Unplottable locations were either magically hidden from plain sight or simply removed from maps.[1][2] One of the main reasons for Unplottability was for individual safety and the protection of certain secrets,[1][2] particularly schools of magic.[1]

A Masking Spell could be used to achieve unplottability.[3][4]

Known unplottable locations[]

Akaban Fortress

Azkaban Prison, an unplottable location

Behind the scenes[]

  • J. K. Rowling stated that wizards could make themselves untraceable in a manner similar to making buildings Unplottable, so that they could not be found by someone simply sending them an owl.[9]
  • On the old version of Pottermore, two Unplottable locations were depicted on the map in the background of the home page, which would show when the user had signed in: Hogwarts Castle and the Isle of Drear. The reason behind this is unclear, though it may simply be artistic licence, as the map featured other inaccuracies, such as London and Hogsmeade being very close.
  • Despite Hogwarts being unplottable, it showed up on the Marauder's Map. This may suggest that while outside maps cannot record unplottable places, maps made to detail a place while at the place are still allowed.
    • Despite Hogwarts being Unplottable, both the Map Chamber and Wizard's Field Guide show the school on their maps; the former is likely due to Ancient Magic, and the latter is likely due to being a government-approved tome, though neither has been sufficiently explained.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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