Silver Hand

• Type: Magical Prosthetic, Dark Magic Object
• Owners: Peter Pettigrew
• Maker: Lord Voldemort

The Silver Hand was a magical prosthetic created by Lord Voldemort to replace the right hand Peter Pettigrew willingly sacrificed for the Regeneration Potion that restored Voldemort to a physical body. The hand was a bright, shining silver that glittered in the light. It was magically grafted to Pettigrew's arm stump and appeared seamless, described by Harry Potter as both beautiful and sinister, looking like a “gleaming weapon.” It functioned with perfect dexterity, indistinguishable from a real hand in its movements.

The Silver Hand was a powerful and cursed magical object, possessing several distinct properties:

• Superhuman Strength: The hand granted its user immense physical strength. When Pettigrew grabbed Harry Potter's arm in the Little Hangleton graveyard, its grip was described as “crushing” and far more powerful than a human hand.

• Full Dexterity: Despite its strength, the hand was capable of fine motor control. Pettigrew could use it to perform complex actions such as tying prisoners with ropes, which he did to Harry in the graveyard and later to Garrick Ollivander in the cellar of Malfoy Manor.

• Curse of Loyalty: Its most potent and dangerous feature was an enchantment that ensured absolute loyalty to its creator, Lord Voldemort. The hand was sentient to a degree, programmed to act against its wearer if they showed any sign of disloyalty or betrayal. When Pettigrew hesitated for a single moment—displaying a flicker of mercy towards Harry in the Malfoy Manor cellar—the hand immediately turned on him, interpreting his indecision as a betrayal of Voldemort. It tightened around his throat, strangling him to death despite his and Ron Weasley's efforts to stop it.

The Silver Hand was created on the night of June 24, 1995, in the graveyard of Little Hangleton. After Peter Pettigrew used a silver dagger to sever his own hand as an ingredient for Voldemort's rebirth potion, the newly restored Dark Lord rewarded him with this powerful magical replacement. Pettigrew used the hand for the next two years while serving as Voldemort's attendant. Its final act occurred in March of 1998 in the cellar of Malfoy Manor. When Harry reminded Pettigrew of the life debt he owed him, Pettigrew faltered in his attack. The hand's curse activated instantly, and it strangled him, thus ending his life as a direct consequence of the “gift” he had received from his master.

The Silver Hand is a powerful symbol of the nature of Lord Voldemort's magic and his relationships with his followers. While presented as a reward, it was in reality a tool of control—a permanent leash ensuring Pettigrew's unwavering obedience. Its existence and ultimate function serve as a grim fulfillment of Albus Dumbledore's words to Harry in *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, where he predicted that Pettigrew's life debt might one day prove useful. Pettigrew's brief moment of pity, which led to the hand killing him, created the diversion necessary for Harry and the other prisoners to begin their escape from the cellar. This demonstrates a core theme of the series: that mercy and pity, qualities Voldemort despises, ultimately hold a power he cannot comprehend and which contributes to his downfall.

In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1*, the hand is depicted as more crudely metallic and less sleekly magical than described in the novel. The scene of Pettigrew's death is largely faithful to the book, with the hand turning on him and strangling him in the cellar. (film)