Magical Luggage

• Type: Magical Device, Container, Transportation Aid
• Owners: Hermione Granger, Alastor Moody (Barty Crouch Jr.), Newt Scamander, and various other wizards and witches
• Maker: Varies; items are typically standard luggage enchanted by a skilled individual.

Magical luggage refers to any type of bag, trunk, or case that has been enchanted with magical properties, most notably to alter its internal dimensions and capacity. On the exterior, these items are often deliberately mundane to avoid attracting the attention of Muggles. Notable examples vary greatly in appearance:

• Hermione Granger's Beaded Handbag: A small, purple, beaded handbag that appeared unremarkable from the outside.
• Alastor Moody's Trunk: A large, old, and heavily battered wizard's trunk secured with seven distinct locks.
• Newt Scamander's Suitcase: A worn, 1920s-era leather suitcase.

The primary function of magical luggage is to overcome the physical limitations of conventional containers. This is achieved through a variety of spells and enchantments.

• Undetectable Extension Charm: This is the core enchantment used on magical luggage. It allows the internal space of a container to become significantly larger than its external dimensions suggest. Hermione Granger used this charm on her handbag, enabling her to carry a library of books, changes of clothing for three people, a full tent, potion supplies, and numerous other survival essentials. The charm can be tricky to perform correctly.
• Weight-Reducing or Lightening Charms: Often used in conjunction with the Undetectable Extension Charm, these enchantments prevent the luggage from becoming impossibly heavy, regardless of the quantity or mass of the items stored within. However, Hermione's bag did seem to grow heavier as more items were added.
• Complex Internal Compartments: Some pieces of magical luggage, like Alastor Moody's trunk, possess extraordinarily complex interiors. His trunk contained seven compartments, each opened by a different key. The seventh and final compartment was not mere storage but a ten-foot-deep, furnished room where Barty Crouch Jr. imprisoned the real Moody for nearly an entire school year.
• Specialized Habitats: Certain pieces of luggage can be enchanted to contain entire magical environments. Newt Scamander's suitcase was famously equipped to house a wide variety of magical creatures in habitats suited to their needs.
• Security Enchantments: Magical luggage is often protected by advanced security measures. Moody's trunk required seven specific keys for its locks. Hermione cast an Imperturbable Charm on her handbag to prevent items from being magically summoned out of it by others.
• Portability Charms: Standard wizarding trunks can be enchanted for easier transport. In 1993, Harry Potter's school trunk was magically shrunk to pocket-size for his convenience while staying at the Leaky Cauldron.

While the concept has likely existed for centuries, several key examples are prominent in recent wizarding history.

• Newt Scamander's Suitcase: In the preface to the 1990s edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Albus Dumbledore noted that Scamander's suitcase, with its faulty clasp, was a source of concern for the American Wizarding Community during his visit in 1926.
• Alastor Moody's Seven-Lock Trunk: During the 1994-1995 Hogwarts school year, this trunk was instrumental in Barty Crouch Jr.'s plot to impersonate Moody. He used it to keep the real Auror captive within the castle grounds, allowing him to interrogate Moody for information and use his hair for the Polyjuice Potion. The trunk's magical complexity kept Moody hidden until the end of the Triwizard Tournament.
• Hermione Granger's Beaded Handbag: In 1997, prior to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, Hermione successfully cast the Undetectable Extension Charm on her small handbag. This bag became an indispensable tool for Harry, Ron, and Hermione during their hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. It carried everything they needed to survive while on the run, including Perkins's tent, the Sword of Gryffindor, and the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black.

Magical luggage serves as a critical plot device, highlighting the ingenuity of wizarding magic and providing characters with essential means of survival and subterfuge. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Moody's trunk is the lynchpin of Voldemort's plan, enabling a year-long deception right under Dumbledore's nose. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione's bag is the trio's lifeline, a testament to her foresight and magical talent that allows them to endure their arduous journey. These objects demonstrate how magic can be applied practically to solve problems of space, weight, and concealment.

• The use of magically expanded containers is regulated by the Ministry of Magic. Arthur Weasley noted that it is against wizarding law to enlarge a car's interior, suggesting that the application of the Undetectable Extension Charm on a large scale is legally controlled.
• The concept is explored in great detail in the Fantastic Beasts film series, where Newt Scamander's suitcase is a central element, shown to contain a vast magical space with numerous habitats for his creatures. The case also features a “Muggle-Worthy” setting to hide its true nature from non-magical people (film).