Key

• Type: Magical and Mundane Device
• Notable Owners/Users: Gringotts Goblins, Rubeus Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Harry Potter, Sirius Black, Kreacher
• Makers: Varies; known makers include Goblins (for Gringotts keys) and Professor Flitwick (for enchanted winged keys).

A key in the wizarding world is a tool used to operate a lock, similar to its Muggle counterpart. They are typically made of metal and can range from small and delicate to large and ancient. While many keys are mundane, a significant number are imbued with powerful magic. Notable examples include:

• The Winged Keys: A swarm of hundreds of silver keys with fluttering, jewel-bright wings, enchanted to fly near the ceiling of a high chamber. Among them was one large, old-fashioned silver key with a bent wing, which was the correct one to unlock the door to the next chamber.
• Gringotts Vault Keys: Keys for Gringotts vaults are typically small and golden. The key for Vault 713 was a tiny golden key. It is implied these keys possess enchantments that prevent them from being duplicated or used by anyone other than the rightful owner or an authorized Goblin.
• The Ford Anglia Key: A standard-looking car key used to operate the Weasleys' flying Ford Anglia.
• The Portkey Key: A rusty old key that was illicitly turned into a Portkey, which transported users to a specific location upon touch.

Keys serve the primary function of securing and granting access. Their properties range from the purely mechanical to the deeply magical.

• Mundane Use: Many keys in the wizarding world are non-magical and are used for everyday purposes, such as locking doors to rooms (like Sirius Black's bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place) or chests. The Alohomora charm is often used as a magical bypass for simple, non-magically protected locks.
• High-Security Access: Gringotts keys are used to open wizarding bank vaults. The security of these vaults often relies on more than just the key; a Goblin is required for access, and some vaults, like the Lestrange vault, require a touch from the rightful owner's hand.
• Bewitched Keys: Keys can be bewitched to perform specific tasks. The most prominent example is the swarm of winged keys protecting the Philosopher's Stone. They were enchanted by Professor Flitwick to fly and evade capture, requiring skill on a Broomstick rather than a simple search to find the correct one.
• Portkeys: A mundane key can be transformed into a Portkey. Touching the object transports the user (or users) to a predetermined destination. An old rusty key was used as an illicit Portkey to transport Harry Potter, the Weasleys, and the Diggorys to the vicinity of the Quidditch World Cup grounds.

As a common object, the general history of keys is not detailed. However, specific keys play important roles in known historical events. In the 1991-1992 Hogwarts school year, Albus Dumbledore tasked several professors with creating magical protections for the Philosopher's Stone. Professor Flitwick's contribution was the Chamber of the Winged Keys, a task designed to test a potential thief's flying skills and ability to stay calm under pressure. In 1991, Rubeus Hagrid was given the key to Vault 713 by Dumbledore to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone for safekeeping at Hogwarts. This action prevented Professor Quirrell from stealing the stone from Gringotts for Lord Voldemort. In 1995, Kreacher used the key to the locked room of Sirius Black's mother at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to retrieve and hide items that Sirius had ordered to be thrown out, including the Locket of Slytherin.

Keys are significant plot devices throughout the series, often representing a challenge, a mystery, or a means of passage that drives the narrative forward.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the quest for a key is central to two major plot points. First, Hagrid's use of the key to Vault 713 introduces the central mystery of the “grubby little package” and establishes the high level of security surrounding it. Second, the Chamber of the Winged Keys serves as a crucial obstacle for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Harry's unique talent as a Seeker allows him to catch the correct key, highlighting how his specific skills are essential to their success.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the discovery of a key that is actually a Portkey introduces the concept of illegal magical travel and provides a moment of unexpected adventure for the characters on their way to the Quidditch World Cup.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a simple key to a locked room at Grimmauld Place becomes pivotal. Kreacher's ability to access the room allows him to hide the locket Horcrux, an act that has profound consequences later in the series.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the winged keys are depicted with more varied and insect-like wings, such as those of dragonflies. The correct key is identified not only by its bent wing but also by being a different color, described as being larger and more rusted than the others. (film)