Screaming Yo-yo
See YO-YO, SCREAMING.

Secrecy Sensor
See SENSOR, SECRECY.

Self-Shuffling playing cards
See CARDS, SELF-SHUFFLING PLAYING.

Sensor, Secrecy
This sensor resembles a collection of old-fashioned television aerials (GF20).

• The fake Moody had one in his office. He said they pick up vibrations of evil approaching (GF20).

• Filch used one on incoming and outgoing students on Hogsmeade weekends during Harry's sixth year (HBP12).

Seven-Lock Trunk
See TRUNK, SEVEN-LOCK.

ship, magical
The students from Durmstrang arrived at Hogwarts aboard a magical ship which surfaced in the center of the lake. "It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes (GF15)."

Shooting Star
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Silver Arrow
See entry on the broomsticks page.

Snackbox, Skiving
See Skiving Snackbox entry for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Sneakoscope
A device which looks something like a gyroscope and which gives off a whistling sound when someone untrustworthy is around.

• Harry was given a small one by Ron (who bought it in Egypt while on holiday). It was a cheap souvenir so the boys ignored its warnings (PA1)

• The fake Moody had a large, extra-sensitive one in his office (GF20)

Snitch, Golden
A walnut-sized golden ball with silver wings, the most important of the four balls used in Quidditch. A Snitch is bewitched to avoid capture for as long as possible while remaining within the boundaries of the pitch. The capture of the Snitch ends the game and gives the team whose Seeker caught it 150 points, which usually determines which team wins the game.

The Snitch was invented in the 1300s by Bowman Wright of Godric's Hollow as a replacement for the Golden Snidget, which was used in the game of Quidditch until the Snidget was declared to be an endangered species in the 1200s. The Snitch's behaviour during a game is due to enchantments placed on it to make its flight resemble that of a Snidget as closely as possible (QA4)

snow, enchanted
A magical imitation snow which, unlike real snow, is warm and dry.

• This kind of snow was falling from the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall on Christmas, 1992 [Y12] (CS12)

• Magical snow was piled in heaps over the carpets at number twelve, Grimmauld Place for Christmas (OP23).

• The Christmas trees in St. Mungo's reception area were covered in magical snow (OP23).

snowball, bewitched
Snowballs can be bewitched to fly around and hit things.

• Fred and George bewitched snowballs to hit Quirrell's turban, unwittingly hitting Voldemort in the face. They received detention for it (PS12).

• While the fifth years were busy studying, other kids bewitched snowballs to fly up and hit the windows of the Gryffindor common room to tease them (OP21).

• See LEVITATION CHARM.

snuffbox
A snuffbox made of silver, filled with Wartcap Powder, which bit Sirius during the summer cleanup of number twelve, Grimmauld Place (OP6).

Soap, Frog Spawn
Joke item (PA14).

socks
Harry bought some magical socks at Gladrags in Hogsmeade. They are "a pair patterned with flashing gold and silver stars and another that screamed loudly when they became too smelly." Harry planned to give these to Dobby (GF27).

• Essay: Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Socks by Morag Traynor

• Essay: Thoughts on Socks by Sandra L. Diersing

Sorcerer's Stone
See PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

Sorting Hat

• See SORTING HAT.

souvenirs at the Quidditch World Cup (GF7)

• luminous rosettes that squeal the names of players

• pointed green hats with dancing shamrocks

• Bulgarian scarves with lions that really roar

• flags that play the national anthems

• model Firebolts that fly

• animated figures of famous players

• Omnioculars

Spectrespecs
A pair of "psychedelic spectacles", given away free by The Quibbler during Harry's sixth year.

• Luna wore these (HBP7).

Spellotape
Used to repair magic items.
Spellotape is a play on words which is lost to Americans; see "Sellotape".

• Ron used Spellotape to hold the pieces of his broken wand together throughout 1992 [Y12], but while it allowed the wand to operate, the wand malfunctioned frequently (CS6).

• Ginny used Spellotape to mend her battered copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi (GF10).

• Hermione used it to control her copy of The Monster Book of Monsters (PA6).

Stink Pellet
Joke item that releases a nasty smell when dropped.

• Evidently a Zonko's product sold in Hogsmeade, and definitely one of the many, many items Filch does not like having in the castle (PA8)

Stone, Philosopher's
See PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

Stone, Resurrection
See RESURRECTION STONE.

Stone, Sorcerer's
See PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

Swiftstick
See entry on the broomsticks page.

sword of Gryffindor
The sword of Godric Gryffindor was produced by the Sorting Hat (which also once belonged to Gryffindor) during Harry's ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets and Harry used it to kill the Basilisk. It is described as "silver" with a handle "gleaming with rubies the size of eggs", and has Gryffindor's name engraved on it just below the hilt (CS17, CS18). It is currently kept in the Head's office at Hogwarts (GF30).

It is an example of goblin-made armour (see), and specifically was made by Ragnuk the First; according to Griphook, it is a masterpiece of goblinwork (DH25)

When Harry used it to kill the basilisk, it became infused with its venom, which made it capable of destroying a Horcrux (DH15). Albus Dumbledore used it to destroy the ring Horcrux (DH33), and Ron used it to destroy the locket Horcrux (DH19). The Sorting Hat produced the sword for Neville Longbottom and he used it to destroy the last Horcrux, Nagini (DH36).

swords, knives, and weapons

• According to Quidditch Through the Ages, the first Quidditch World Cup final - in which all 700 possible fouls were committed - included attacks involving an axe (QA6), a broadsword (QA8), and a club (QA6).

• Hagrid uses a crossbow in time of trouble (PS15).

• Centaurs carry longbows (OP7, OP30).

• Trolls generally seem to carry clubs (PS10, PA13).

• Merpeople carry spears (GF26).

• When Sirius Black broke into Gryffindor Tower, he carried a knife (PA13).

• Wormtail used a knife to provide "flesh of the servant" (GF32).

• Rusty daggers were uncovered at number twelve, Grimmauld Place during the Order of the Phoenix's cleanup operation (OP6).

• A silver knife is apparently standard equipment in Potions (HBP9). Dumbledore carried one to the cave (HBP26), and Bellatrix Lestrange has been known to carry one (DH23).

• Morfin tended to brandish a knife at strangers (HBP10).

• When in "Room of Hidden Things" mode, the Room of Requirement contains several rusting swords and a heavy, blood-stained axe, along with many, many other items (HBP24).

• See also ARMOUR, PENKNIFE, RAZOR, ENCHANTED, SWORD OF GRYFFINDOR.