======Magical Artifacts======
=====Introduction=====
A **Magical Artifact** is an object that has been imbued with magic, either through its creation process or by subsequent [[enchantments]]. These objects are a fundamental part of the [[wizarding world]], ranging from common household items that perform simple tasks to items of immense power and historical significance that can shape the course of history. Their creation can involve a wide array of magical disciplines, including [[Charms]], [[Transfiguration]], [[Potions]], and ancient [[Runes]]. Magical artifacts are integral to wizarding culture, commerce, education, and conflict, serving purposes as diverse as communication, transportation, defence, and the storage of dark magic.
=====Classification by Function=====
Magical artifacts can be broadly categorized by their primary function. While many objects possess multiple magical properties, this classification outlines their most prominent uses.
  * **Transportation**
    * Artifacts designed to move wizards and witches from one place to another, often with great speed or secrecy.
    * //Examples:// [[Broomsticks]] (e.g., [[Nimbus 2000]], [[Firebolt]]), [[Portkeys]], the [[Floo Network]], the [[Knight Bus]], the [[Hogwarts Express]], [[Flying Carpets]] (banned in Britain), and the [[Time-Turner]], which facilitates travel through time.
  * **Communication**
    * Objects enchanted to allow for communication over distances, through magical barriers, or with a degree of secrecy.
    * //Examples:// The [[Floo Network]] (used for head-only communication), [[Howlers]], enchanted [[portraits]], [[Two-Way Mirrors]], and the enchanted Galleons used by [[Dumbledore's Army]].
  * **Defence and Concealment**
    * Items created to protect the user from harm, detect danger, or conceal their presence.
    * //Examples:// [[Invisibility Cloaks]], the [[Marauder's Map]], [[Sneakoscopes]], [[Foe-Glasses]], [[Secrecy Sensors]], [[Remembralls]], [[Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder]], and various defensive items sold at [[Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes]] like [[Decoy Detonators]]. The [[Sword of Gryffindor]] is a legendary magical weapon.
  * **Information and Knowledge**
    * Objects that store, reveal, or process information and memories.
    * //Examples:// The [[Pensieve]], the [[Sorting Hat]], the [[Mirror of Erised]], the [[Deluminator]] (which also held [[Ron Weasley]]'s loyalty), and enchanted books like //[[Advanced Potion-Making]]// or //[[The Monster Book of Monsters]]//.
  * **Household and Utility**
    * Common magical items used to simplify daily life and chores in a wizarding household.
    * //Examples:// [[Self-Stirring Cauldrons]], [[Extendable Ears]], [[Omnioculars]], enchanted clocks like the one at [[The Burrow]], and various self-cleaning or self-cooking implements.
  * **Dark Artifacts**
    * Objects created using or for the practice of the [[Dark Arts]]. These are often dangerous, cursed, and their creation or possession may be illegal.
    * //Examples:// [[Horcruxes]] (e.g., [[Tom Riddle's Diary]], [[Slytherin's Locket]], [[Hufflepuff's Cup]], [[Ravenclaw's Diadem]]), the [[Hand of Glory]], the cursed opal necklace from [[Borgin and Burkes]], and [[Voldemort]]'s cursed ring.
  * **Legendary Artifacts**
    * Objects of great power and historical fame, central to wizarding folklore and history.
    * //Examples:// The three [[Deathly Hallows]] ([[Elder Wand]], [[Resurrection Stone]], and [[Invisibility Cloak]]), the [[Philosopher's Stone]], the [[Goblet of Fire]], and the four founders' artifacts of [[Hogwarts]].
=====Creation and Regulation=====
The creation of magical artifacts is a highly skilled craft. Some are made by individual wizards of great talent, such as [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s creation of the [[Deluminator]]. Others are crafted by different magical races with unique skills; for example, [[Goblins]] are renowned for their metalwork, creating items like the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] which are imbued with properties that wizards cannot replicate, such as the ability to imbibe only that which makes it stronger.
The [[Ministry of Magic]] heavily regulates the creation, trade, and use of magical artifacts, particularly those deemed dangerous or those that risk exposing the wizarding world to [[Muggles]]. Key regulatory bodies include:
  * **The [[Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office]]:** This department, where [[Arthur Weasley]] worked, is responsible for retrieving and de-magicking Muggle items that have been illegally enchanted.
  * **The [[Department of Magical Transportation]]:** This body oversees and regulates magical forms of transport, such as the [[Floo Network]] and the use of [[Portkeys]].
  * **The [[Department of Mysteries]]:** While its work is secret, it is known to study powerful and enigmatic magical artifacts, including a stock of [[Time-Turners]] and the [[Veil]].
Strict laws govern the use of certain artifacts. For instance, the use of [[Time-Turners]] is severely restricted by the [[Ministry of Magic]] due to the dangers of meddling with time.
=====Role in the Wizarding World=====
Magical artifacts are the backbone of the wizarding world's infrastructure and culture. They facilitate everything from education at [[Hogwarts]] to the global wizarding economy centered in places like [[Diagon Alley]].
Throughout the events of [[Harry Potter]]'s life, specific artifacts served as critical plot devices. The [[Philosopher's Stone]] was the central conflict of his first year. [[Tom Riddle's Diary]], a [[Horcrux]], unleashed the [[Basilisk]] in his second year. The [[Marauder's Map]] and the [[Time-Turner]] were crucial to the events of his third year. The [[Goblet of Fire]] was the instrument of [[Voldemort]]'s return. Ultimately, the quest to destroy [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcruxes]] and the search for the [[Deathly Hallows]] formed the crux of the [[Second Wizarding War]]. The existence and power of these objects demonstrate that in the wizarding world, magic is not limited to spells cast from a [[wand]], but is woven into the very fabric of the world through the artifacts it contains.