======The Vanishing Cabinet of Hogwarts======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Magical Passage / [[Furniture]]
  * **Location:** First-floor corridor, [[Hogwarts Castle]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
  * **Key Features:** One of a pair of [[Vanishing Cabinet]]s; creates a passage to its twin in [[Borgin and Burkes]]; was broken for several years.
=====Description and History=====
The Vanishing Cabinet of [[Hogwarts]] was a large, dark cupboard located in a first-floor corridor of the castle. In [[Harry Potter]]'s second year, it was described as being black-and-gold. It is one of a pair of identical cabinets that form a secret magical passageway; an object or person entering one cabinet will instantly emerge from the other. Its twin was located in [[Borgin and Burkes]], a shop specializing in the [[Dark Arts]] on [[Knockturn Alley]].
The cabinet's history at the school is not fully detailed, but by the 1992-1993 school year, it was known to be broken. During an incident where [[Harry Potter]] was caught dripping mud in the corridor by [[Argus Filch]], [[Nearly Headless Nick]] persuaded the poltergeist [[Peeves]] to create a diversion. [[Peeves]] did so by dropping the Vanishing Cabinet from a great height, smashing it directly above [[Filch]]'s office.
In the 1995-1996 school year, [[Fred Weasley|Fred]] and [[George Weasley]] shoved [[Graham Montague]], a [[Slytherin]] student and member of the [[Inquisitorial Squad]], into the broken cabinet. [[Montague]] was trapped in a state of limbo between [[Hogwarts]] and [[Borgin and Burkes]], eventually managing to escape by [[Apparition]]. The experience was deeply traumatic but provided [[Draco Malfoy]] with the critical knowledge that the cabinet linked the two locations.
=====Role in the Story=====
The Vanishing Cabinet played a pivotal role in the events leading to the [[Second Wizarding War]]'s escalation within [[Hogwarts]]. Tasked by [[Lord Voldemort]] with a mission to kill [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Draco Malfoy]] realized that the cabinet could be used to bypass the castle's formidable protective enchantments.
Throughout the 1996-1997 school year, [[Malfoy]] used the [[Room of Requirement]] as a workshop to repair the damaged cabinet. He conducted several tests to check his progress, including sending in an apple and a small bird, both of which showed signs of having successfully made the journey to [[Borgin and Burkes]].
[[Malfoy]] ultimately succeeded in mending the cabinet. He used it to create a passage for a group of [[Death Eater]]s, including [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and [[Fenrir Greyback]], to secretly infiltrate [[Hogwarts]]. This invasion led directly to the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]], during which [[Albus Dumbledore]] was disarmed by [[Malfoy]] and killed by [[Severus Snape]]. The Vanishing Cabinet thus served as the critical tool that allowed [[Voldemort]]'s forces to breach the school's defenses and assassinate its Headmaster.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * [[Vanishing Cabinet]]s were most popular during [[Lord Voldemort]]'s first rise to power, as they allowed witches and wizards to make a quick escape if a [[Death Eater]] was at their door. However, their use is tricky, as a user who does not properly vocalize their destination can become lost in transit indefinitely (Pottermore).
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, [[Harry Potter]] briefly hides inside the twin Vanishing Cabinet at [[Borgin and Burkes]] to avoid being seen by [[Draco Malfoy]] and [[Lucius Malfoy]]. This scene is not in the book but serves as cinematic foreshadowing for the cabinet's importance in //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince// (film).