The invisibility cloak in the Harry Potter universe is one of the most powerful artifacts in existence, but how did it even come into the possession of the young wizard?
It was actually passed down through many generations before it was passed down to the main character.
It wasn’t until he was introduced to the wizarding world and joined Hogwarts that he first received this legendary object.
Who gave Harry Potter The Invisibility cloak? Harry Potter received the Invisibility cloak from Dumbledore. He gave it to Harry Potter anonymously, as a Christmas present.
Properties of the Invisibility Cloak
A lasting characteristic of this capable piece of clothing is the fact that it doesn’t wear down over time with age and use.
As the name suggests, it makes anything under the material completely invisible.
This allows the user to sneak around undetected, even a powerful and dark individual.
As you can probably tell, it’s a useful and sometimes even necessary object when dealing with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Invisible material is usually woven out of hair from Demiguises, which is a magical creature that can turn invisible with the properties of its natural coat.
Standard materials can also gain this property through the use of a kind of enchantment.
Normally, Disillusionment Charms and Bedazzling Hexes can disguise someone or something as the surroundings.
However, these effects wear down over time.
In addition to the Cloak of Invisibility’s lasting invisible properties, it has more than normal. It protects the wearer against hexes, jinxes, and various harmful spells that would make normal invisibility cloaks useless.
For example, Thief’s Downfall at Gringotts failed to reveal the wearer.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t protect from individually targeted spells.
Any detection methods not dependent on optical sight could actually reveal the user.
While the abilities of this object are quite incredible, where do they come from?
Additionally, the only way to fully understand how Harry received the cloak is to understand where it actually came from.
Origin of the Invisibility Cloak
It wasn’t the main character’s immediate family that came into contact with this object.
While possibly not the whole truth, the tale of its origin is retold in The Tale of the Three Brothers in The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
It’s a popular story among young witches and wizards. It involves three brothers who happen upon a treacherous and deep river that would kill them if they tried to cross.
Using their magic, they conjured a bridge and passed safely.
However, Death wasn’t too happy about this.
He appeared before the brothers in the middle of the bridge with a scheme that would bring them to him.
He offered each of them a prize of their choosing for a reward.
Each of the brothers got what they wanted, including the most powerful wand, a stone of resurrection, and of course the invisible cloak.
As legend has it, the material was actually taken from Death’s own shroud.
The brother who received the Elder Wand died that very day from a covetous thief due to his boastfulness.
The brother who received the Resurrection Stone also died not too long after for the longing of his long-lost love.
However, Death could not find the third brother after some time.
It wasn’t until this individual became old enough and passed down the Cloak of Invisibility to his firstborn, which continued for generations.
These were the Peverell brothers.
While the story probably has quite a few embellishments, there is still truth to it.
On a side note, the Resurrection Stone was actually passed down many generations until it finally reached the Gaunt family.
A Family Heirloom
The son who received the legendary invisibility shroud passed it down to his oldest daughter, Iolanthe, because he had no male heirs.
She married Hardwin Potter and it’s been in the family ever since. It never remained in the Peverell family because the male line eventually stopped, wiping out the name entirely.
It’s not clear whether the shroud went through only the female or male line, but it’s probably both in different circumstances.
More recently, the shroud went through the male heirs of the family. This item eventually came into the possession of Henry Potter during the 20th century.
From there, he passed it down to Fleamont, his oldest son.
Eventually, Fleamont gave it to James, Harry’s father.
While it’s not clear what the invisibility shroud was used for in previous generations, James used it for quite a lot of mischief, particularly with the use of the Marauder’s Map.
It turns out that James wasn’t around to give to his eldest and only son. It was a time when Voldemort and his evil forces were hunting the Potters to find their young son.
Albus Dumbledore found out about the legendary shroud when James showed it to him.
Since Dumbledore was so fascinated by the powerful artifacts from the Peverell brothers, he asked to borrow the garment for further study.
While in his possession, James and Lilly Potter died and it remained in his possession.
While it didn’t go directly from James to his son Harry, the young and aspiring wizard eventually received it ten years later as a present from some anonymous individual.
Of course, it was from Dumbledore.
Use Of Invisibility Cloak By Harry Potter
As a student at Hogwarts, Harry Potter used the invisibility shroud to a great effect.
Mostly, this included sneaking around the school to solve various mysteries and avoid trouble in the process.
In one instance, he used it to go to a mirror that showed him his parents.
In another instance, he used it to help him find the Horcruxes of Voldemort by sneaking past various dangers.
It wasn’t until much later until he found out about the story behind the cloak and the other two Deathly Hallows.
Conclusion
While Harry Potter received the invisibility cloak at a young age, he used it for more altruistic and sometimes benign purposes instead of using it for evil, putting him in stark contrast with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
The story behind it is only confirmed by the fact that it was passed down through familial generations.
It turns out that it was a necessary component to deal with the dark forces in the story.
