Magical Suitcase

• Type: Magical Device, Storage, Transportation
• Owners: Alastor Moody, Barty Crouch Jr. (by theft), Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts film)
• Maker: Unknown

A magical suitcase, also known as a magical trunk, is a piece of luggage that has been enchanted to hold far more than its external dimensions would suggest. The most prominent example in the original series is the trunk belonging to the famous Auror, Alastor Moody. Moody's trunk is described as a large, heavily battered object covered with travel labels. Its most distinctive feature is a set of seven locks on its front. Each lock corresponds to a different, magically separated compartment within the trunk. A different version of a magical suitcase is featured prominently in the Fantastic Beasts film series, owned by Newt Scamander. This suitcase appears to be a standard, brown leather piece of luggage from the 1920s, but it possesses a special latch that can toggle a “Muggle-Worthy” setting to hide its true contents (Fantastic Beasts film).

The primary enchantment used on magical suitcases is the Undetectable Extension Charm. This Charm vastly expands the internal dimensions of a container without altering its external appearance, size, or weight. The Ministry of Magic strictly governs the use of this charm. Alastor Moody's Seven-Lock Trunk: Moody's trunk is a uniquely complex and powerful magical object. Each of its seven locks opens a different interior space. While not all compartments are described, several key ones are revealed:

• One compartment contains a collection of spellbooks.
• Another compartment holds various Dark Detectors, including a Sneakoscope, a Secrecy Sensor, and a Foe-Glass.
• The seventh and most crucial compartment is a magically created pit, approximately ten feet deep. This space was used by Barty Crouch Jr. to imprison the real Alastor Moody for nearly a full school year. The pit was described as smelling of damp earth and was large enough to hold a man, a trunk, and house-elf-delivered meals. This demonstrates a highly advanced and potentially dark application of space-expanding magic.

Newt Scamander's Menagerie Suitcase: Newt's suitcase serves as a portable, magical menagerie and conservation habitat for a vast number of magical creatures. The interior contains a series of sprawling, climate-controlled environments perfectly suited to the creatures living within them, including forests, deserts, and arctic landscapes (Fantastic Beasts film). The “Muggle-Worthy” setting creates a mundane facade, showing only ordinary items like a map, an alarm clock, and pajamas to any Muggle who might open it (Fantastic Beasts film).

Alastor Moody's trunk was his constant companion during his long career as an Auror. In August 1994, Barty Crouch Jr. subdued Moody at his home, stealing the trunk and Moody's identity with the use of Polyjuice Potion. Crouch, disguised as Moody, brought the trunk to Hogwarts. He used it to keep the real Moody imprisoned in the seventh compartment, questioning him to maintain his disguise. He also stored his personal supply of Polyjuice Potion and other items within its compartments. The trunk's complex nature was a key element of Crouch's deception. The plot was only uncovered at the end of the school year when Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape opened the seventh lock and rescued the true Moody. The trunk's fate after the death of Alastor Moody in 1997 is unknown.

Moody's trunk is a central plot device in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It is the mechanism that makes Barty Crouch Jr.'s year-long infiltration of Hogwarts possible, serving as both a prison for his victim and a secret storeroom for the tools of his deception. Its discovery and the subsequent rescue of Moody provide the final, shocking reveal of the book's primary antagonist and his scheme to deliver Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort. The object is a powerful symbol of how potent magic can be used for concealment and imprisonment.

• The Undetectable Extension Charm used on magical suitcases is the same Charm that Hermione Granger uses on her small, beaded handbag in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, allowing her to carry an immense number of supplies for the trio's journey.
• The concept of the magical suitcase was significantly expanded upon in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film series, where Newt Scamander's suitcase is not just a container but a fully-realized, portable ecosystem. This became one of the most iconic magical objects from that series (Fantastic Beasts film).