Magical Clocks

• Type: Magical Device, Time-Telling and Tracking Instrument
• Owners: Weasley family, Albus Dumbledore, various others
• Maker: Varies; typically created by skilled wizards and witches.

Clocks in the wizarding world often serve functions far beyond simple time-telling. While some may resemble their Muggle counterparts, many are enchanted to display unique or highly specific information. Their appearance can range from traditional grandfather clocks to ornate pocket watches, but their dials are frequently customised with locations, personal statuses, or even celestial movements instead of numbers. The two most notable examples are the Weasley family clock and Albus Dumbledore's pocket watch.

• The Weasley Clock: Located in the kitchen of The Burrow, this object looks like a large grandfather clock. In place of numbers, it has various locations and states of being written around the dial. Instead of hour and minute hands, it features nine golden hands, each engraved with the name of a member of the Weasley family.
• Dumbledore's Pocket Watch: This is a gold pocket watch with twelve hands but no numbers. Instead, small planets are shown moving around the edge of the dial.

The primary function of most magical clocks is not chronometry but tracking. They are powerful examples of household magic and personal enchanting, reflecting the specific needs and concerns of their owners. The Weasley Family Clock This clock is a unique magical object designed to track the location and well-being of the nine Weasleys. Rather than telling the time, its nine hands point to labels on the dial indicating what each family member is doing or where they are.

• Known Locations/Statuses:
  • Home
  • School
  • Work
  • Travelling
  • Lost
  • Hospital
  • Prison
  • Mortal Peril

The clock serves as a constant, ambient source of reassurance or anxiety for Molly Weasley. When a family member's hand moves, it indicates a change in their status. For example, when Arthur Weasley was attacked by Nagini, his hand moved to “Mortal Peril,” where it remained until he was safe in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, at which point it moved to “Hospital.” During the height of the Second Wizarding War, all nine hands constantly pointed to “Mortal Peril,” an indicator of the extreme danger the entire family faced. Molly Weasley is also known to carry a smaller, portable version of this clock. Albus Dumbledore's Pocket Watch This unique timepiece appears to be an astronomical clock, tracking the movement of planets. When he uses it in Privet Drive at the beginning of the series, he consults it not for the time but likely for a specific celestial alignment before using his Deluminator. It serves as an early indicator of his immense magical knowledge and his concern for matters on a cosmic, rather than mundane, scale.

Magical clocks appear to be a relatively common, if highly personal, type of magical artifact. The Weasley clock is a family heirloom, suggesting it has been in their possession for some time, though its exact origin is unknown. The history of the Weasley clock within the narrative follows the escalating tension of the series. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, its primary function is to show when family members are at “Home” or “School.” By Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the “Mortal Peril” sector becomes a terrifying reality. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the fact that all nine hands are permanently fixed on “Mortal Peril” is a stark, silent testament to the return of Lord Voldemort and the constant threat his Death Eaters pose to members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Magical clocks, particularly the Weasley clock, serve as powerful narrative and symbolic devices.

• Symbol of Family and Fear: The Weasley clock is the ultimate symbol of maternal love and anxiety. It physically represents Molly Weasley's constant awareness of her family's safety. Its state is a direct reflection of the emotional state of The Burrow and, by extension, the dangers faced by those who oppose Lord Voldemort.
• Characterisation: Albus Dumbledore's planetary watch immediately establishes him as an eccentric and profoundly powerful wizard who operates on a different level from others. It shows his focus is on grander patterns than the simple passing of minutes and hours.
• Plot Device: The large grandfather clock in the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts, while not explicitly magical, plays a crucial role in the climax of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Its chimes serve as a temporal marker for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger as they use the Time-Turner to save both Buckbeak and Sirius Black.

• In the film adaptations of the series, the Weasley clock is depicted as a highly whimsical and complex device, with various dials, bells, and mismatched parts, perfectly capturing the aesthetic of The Burrow (film).
• The films also feature a large, magical clock in the ceiling of the Ministry of Magic Atrium that shows various scenes related to time and justice, a feature not described in the books (film).