Inkwell

• Type: Writing Implement, Magical Supply
• Owners: Virtually all witches and wizards, particularly Hogwarts students and staff, and Ministry of Magic employees.
• Maker: Various magical and non-magical manufacturers; sold in wizarding shops such as Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade.

An inkwell is a small pot or container designed to hold ink for writing with a quill. These containers are typically made from materials such as glass, stone, pewter, or silver. Most feature a lid or stopper to prevent the ink from spilling or drying out. Inkwells are a standard piece of equipment in the wizarding world, and students are required to bring one to Hogwarts as part of their first-year supplies. They are a common sight on desks in classrooms, common rooms, and offices. The ink they contain comes in various colours, with black being the most common for schoolwork and official documents.

While most inkwells are mundane objects serving simply as containers, their primary importance lies in holding the various types of magical and non-magical inks used by wizards. The inkwell itself is the delivery system for the ink's properties.

• Standard Use: The most common function is for everyday writing, including homework, essays, letters, and note-taking. Students in classes like Potions, History of Magic, and Transfiguration rely on them, as do those taking their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations.
• Holding Magical Inks: Inkwells are used to contain specialized inks with magical properties. Examples include:
  • Colour-Changing Ink: Hermione Granger used this type of ink when writing a letter to Rita Skeeter in an attempt to secure an interview for The Quibbler.
  • Invisible Ink: This type of ink is available for purchase in Diagon Alley, and would be kept in an inkwell for use.
• The Dumbledore's Army Parchment: The most significant use of an inkwell in the series was as the container for the bewitched ink Hermione Granger used for the Dumbledore's Army sign-up sheet. While the inkwell was likely a standard one, the ink within was jinxed. When Marietta Edgecombe betrayed the group to Dolores Umbridge, the curse activated, causing the word “SNEAK” to erupt in pimples across her face. This demonstrated that an inkwell could be used to dispense a cleverly disguised jinx.

As a fundamental writing tool, the inkwell has been in continuous use in the wizarding world for centuries. It is a required item on the Hogwarts first-year student list, alongside quills and parchment. Throughout the series, inkwells are present during many key moments, often as part of the background setting. Harry Potter uses a quill and inkwell when first communicating with the memory of Tom Riddle through his diary, with the ink vanishing into the page. Accidents involving inkwells are common school mishaps; Ron Weasley once spilled a bottle of ink all over his Charms essay, and a similar accident befell Harry Potter's Potions homework. These instances highlight the inkwell's status as a ubiquitous, everyday object in a student's life.

The inkwell's primary role is to establish and reinforce the traditional, non-Muggle atmosphere of the wizarding world. The reliance on quills, ink, and parchment over modern instruments like ballpoint pens is a key element of world-building. Its most direct and crucial impact on the plot occurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The inkwell that held Hermione Granger's jinxed ink for the Dumbledore's Army list was instrumental in exposing Marietta's betrayal. This event directly led to Albus Dumbledore taking the blame for the unsanctioned student group, his confrontation with Cornelius Fudge and Ministry officials, and his subsequent flight from Hogwarts, leaving Dolores Umbridge as Headmistress.

• In the film adaptations, inkwells are prominent visual props in all Hogwarts classroom, library, and study scenes, helping to create the academic and historical aesthetic of the school. (film)
• The choice to use antiquated writing implements like quills and inkwells was a deliberate decision by J.K. Rowling to separate the wizarding world from the modern, technological Muggle world. This gives magic and its associated culture a timeless, and at times archaic, quality.