camera, magical

• A photographer at Flourish and Blotts was taking pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart for the Daily Prophet. The camera emitted a cloud of purple smoke with each flash (CS4).

• Bozo, Rita Skeeter's photographer, also has one (GF18).

• Colin Creevey's camera is apparently a Muggle device, although since it works at Hogwarts, it must not have any electrical parts. During Colin's first year he took plenty of pictures of Harry, much to Harry's chagrin. Although the camera is non-magical, the pictures he takes do move because he develops them in a special potion (CS6) Alternatively, the camera itself may be a Muggle camera but enchanted to work taking magical photographs.

candle, enchanted
There are several kinds of enchanted candles in the Harry Potter universe.

• Strings of them hang in the trees of Hogsmeade at Christmastime (PA10).

• Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party was lit by black candles with thin blue flames (CS8).

• See CANDLE, EVERLASTING, CANDLE MAGIC, CANDLE, POISONOUS.

candle, everlasting
Presumably a candle enchanted to burn without being consumed.

• An everlasting candle is placed inside each suit of armour in the castle at Christmastime (PA11, HBP16).

candle, poisonous
Presumably a candle that gives off poisonous fumes when burned.

• Sold on Knockturn Alley (CS4).

Cards, Chocolate Frog
See Chocolate Frog cards.

Cards, Exploding Snap
Cards specially made for the game of Exploding Snap (see), such that the cards may blow up at any time (GF22)

• See Exploding Snap.

• Occasionally used to build a house of cards, which can get interesting (GF22).

Cards, Self-Shuffling Playing
Ron had a deck of these in his room at the Burrow (CS3).

car
Although a car is defined as a Muggle artifact, and is therefore illegal to enchant under wizarding British law (CS3), nevertheless there are a few enchanted cars in Britain.

• The Ministry of Magic has cars that navigate traffic with magical ease (PA5, HBP6).

• Mundungus Fletcher "borrowed" a car to take the Weasleys to visit Arthur in hospital on Christmas day; he had magically enlarged it (OP23).

• See FORD ANGLIA, FLYING.

carpet, flying
Flying carpets rather than brooms are the standard magical means of transportation in Asia and the Middle East (QA7).

• Flying carpets were once legal in Britain, but have been illegal for years since they are now on the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. In other words, carpets are now defined in Britain as a Muggle artifact that it is illegal to enchant, so it is not lawful to import them (GF7)

carriage, flying
A huge powder blue flying carriage as big as a house was used by the Beauxbatons students to attend the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. The carriage was drawn by twelve gigantic Abraxans, which Madame Maxime (the headmistress of Beauxbatons) breeds (GF15, OP20, HBP30).

carriage, Hogwarts
About a hundred carriages wait for arriving Hogwarts students along a rough, mud road near the railway station on September first each year, and take them back to the station at the beginning of the summer holidays. They are pulled by what Harry as a third- and fourth-year student assumed were invisible horses (PA5, GF11, GF12, GF37); this was verified at the beginning of his fifth year (OP10), when he first became aware of his ability to see thestrals. The thestrals who pull the carriages are very well-trained, since they make the journey unassisted past the wrought iron gates and around the lake to the castle.

• The coaches smell of mold and straw (PA5).

• A carriage was waiting for Lupin "at the gates" when he was ready to leave Hogwarts. It is unclear whether this was one of these same stagecoaches or why it would be stopped way back at the gates (PA22).

cart, Gringotts
To reach the deep underground vaults of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a goblin whistles for a small cart in which he or she and the visitor ride. The cart is self-propelled and apparently steers itself along the underground passages, because the goblin doesn't steer as it winds its way along railway tracks in the floor. The cart has only one speed: "breakneck" (PS5).

catapult, winged
A catapult (U.S.: slingshot) with wings that allow it to fly (HBP24).

• The Room of Requirement, when in "lost objects" mode, contains a few of these (HBP24).

cauldron
See CAULDRONS.

ceiling, enchanted
Some wizarding institutions have enchanted ceilings in their largest and most important rooms.

• The ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall is enchanted so that it mimics the sky outside (PS7).

  • Lightning blasts across it during thunderstorms (GF12).

  • It has appeared deep black and full of stars (PS7, PA9) and covered with clouds of pewter gray (GF13).

  • It has glowed red-gold at sunrise (DH36).

  • At times the enchantment has been modified for a special occasion. Warm, dry enchanted snow fell from it for a Christmas celebration (CS12) and colourful confetti rained down during Lockhart's Valentine's Day festivities (CS13).

• The ceiling of the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic also seems to be enchanted to resemble the sky outside.

  • golden symbols continually move across it "like some enormous heavenly noticeboard" (OP7)

  • peacock blue early in the morning (OP7)

  • dark blue in the evening (OP34)

chess set, wizard
A chess set enchanted so that the playing pieces are "alive" and can talk, so that playing chess is much like directing troops in battle. The player does not physically touch the pieces to make a move, but directs them verbally. This can make playing the game more difficult, since the pieces may refuse to move if they do not trust the player (PS12).

• Ron inherited his chess set from his grandfather (PS12).

• Harry got his wizard chess set from a wizard cracker during his first Christmas at Hogwarts (PS12).

Christmas ornaments
Several kinds of living creatures are used as Christmas ornaments; for details about them, see their entries in the Bestiary; they are listed here for completeness in listing Christmas ornaments, not because they are items or devices.

• living ornaments

  • Wizards use real, live fairies as fairy lights. Flitwick once decorated his classroom with them (PA10) and the garden was decorated with them for the Yule Ball (GF23).

  • According to Fleur, choirs of wood nymphs serenade the students as they eat in the Dining Chamber at the Palace of Beauxbatons at Christmastime (GF23).

  • Ornaments on Christmas trees can include luminous holly berries and "real, hooting, golden owls" (GF23).

• See BUBBLES; CANDLE, EVERLASTING; ICICLE, EVERLASTING; SNOW, ENCHANTED.

Clankers
A number of small metal instruments, which when shaken make a loud, ringing noise like tiny hammers on anvils (DH26).

• Anyone visiting one of the high-security vaults at Gringotts must carry one of these, shaking it to make noise. The dragon guarding those vaults has been conditioned to back away at the sound, apparently by being taught to fear hot swords whenever it hears the Clankers (DH26).

Cleansweep One
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Two
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Three
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Five
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Six
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Seven
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep Eleven
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cleansweep series
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Cloak, Invisibility
An Invisibility Cloak is a cloak of silvery grey material that, when worn, makes the covered parts of the wearer invisible. The weave is so fine that an Invisibility Cloak is "strange to the touch, like water woven into material" (PS12).

• Invisibility Cloaks can be created in at least three different ways. Some are imbued with a Disillusionment Charm, some carry a Bedazzling Hex, and some are woven from Demiguise hair. Such cloaks fade over the years until they turn opaque (FB, DH21).

• Invisibility Cloaks are rare and valuable. Harry inherited one from James Potter, which was given to him anonymously by Albus Dumbledore at Christmas of 1991 [Y11] (PS12).

• Harry's Invisibility Cloak is either quite large, big enough to cover several kids and a dragon in a wooden packing crate, or more likely it magically expands to cover what it needs to cover, within limits (PS14).

• The fake Moody had an Invisibility Cloak in the seven-lock trunk (second key) (GF35).

• The members of the Order of the Phoenix used invisibility cloaks to hide themselves as they stood guard over the Department of Mysteries (OP26)

• See also CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY.

Cloak, Shield
Shield Cloaks were invented by Fred and George Weasley. They look like ordinary cloaks but function as a Shield Charm, protecting the wearer against minor to moderate hexes and jinxes (HBP6).

• See SHIELD HAT for the history of the development of this item.

clock, magical
See TIMEPIECES.

clothing
See CLOTHING.

coin, enchanted
See PROTEAN CHARM.

Comet 140
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Comet 180
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Comet Two Sixty (Comet 260)
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Comet Two Ninety (Comet 290)
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Comet series
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Crackers, Cribbage's Wizarding
Part of the Christmas feast celebration, similar to the Muggle versions, but these are magical and contain very interesting and unusual things. When pulled, a wizard cracker goes off with a very loud blast like a cannon or a gunshot and emits a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside explode whatever items the cracker contains (PS12, PA11, GF23)

• Some are coloured silver (PA11)

• items found in Wizarding Crackers:

  • chess set, wizard (PS12)

  • grow-your-own-warts kit (PS12)

  • hat, rear-admiral's (PS12)

  • hat, large pointed witch's (topped with a stuffed vulture) (PA11)

  • mice, several live white (PS12)

  • non-explodable luminous balloons, a pack of (PS12)

Cream, Canary
See Canary Cream entry for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

crystal ball
Method of Divination (PA15)

Cuff, Detachable Cribbing
Presumably, this is a detachable cuff for a sleeve that has been enchanted to assist the wearer in cheating on an exam.

• Detachable Cribbing Cuffs are banned from the examination hall at Hogwarts (OP31).

Cup, Triwizard
Trophy awarded to the winner of the Triwizard Tournament; made into a Portkey by the fake Moody (GF12, GF32)