Prometheus

• Type: Statuary
• Owners: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (as part of the contents of the Room of Requirement)
• Maker: Unknown

Prometheus is the name given to a dusty, old stone bust depicting an ugly, strange-looking warlock. The bust resided within the Room of Requirement when it took on its form as the Room of Hidden Things, a vast chamber containing countless items hidden by Hogwarts students and staff over the centuries. For approximately a year, the bust was adorned by Harry Potter with a mangy-looking wig and a tarnished tiara. This tiara was later discovered to be the long-lost Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, which had been turned into a Horcrux by Lord Voldemort.

In the novels, the bust of Prometheus displays no inherent magical properties. Its primary purpose in the narrative is to serve as a landmark. Harry Potter used it to mark the hiding place of his heavily-annotated copy of Advanced Potion-Making, which had belonged to the Half-Blood Prince. This simple act of marking the bust's location became critically important. It created a specific memory that Harry later accessed to pinpoint the location of Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem during his hunt for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. In the video game Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the bust can speak its own name when a spell is cast upon it (video game).

The origins of the bust are unknown. By 1995, it was one of the myriad objects stored within the Room of Hidden Things. During the 1995-1996 school year, members of Dumbledore's Army used the Room of Requirement as their secret training space. The bust was used by Harry Potter as a practice target for spells such as the Disarming Charm. In 1997, Harry needed to hide his copy of Advanced Potion-Making to prevent Professor Snape from confiscating it. He entered the Room of Hidden Things and placed the book inside a large cupboard. To mark the location so he could find it again, he took a wig and a tiara from a nearby crate and placed them on the head of the warlock's bust. On 2 May, 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry realised the tiara he had used was Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. By focusing on his memory of the bust wearing the wig and tiara, he was able to locate the Horcrux amidst the clutter. The bust was almost certainly destroyed moments later when Vincent Crabbe unleashed an uncontrollable Fiendfyre curse that incinerated the room and all its contents.

The bust of Prometheus is a crucial plot device that appears insignificant upon its first introduction. It serves as a physical anchor for a key memory, linking Harry's mundane need to hide a textbook to his epic quest to destroy Voldemort's soul fragments. Its presence highlights how a seemingly random action can have profound consequences and underscores the pivotal role of memory and detail in Harry's journey.

• The name Prometheus is not canonical to the original seven novels by J.K. Rowling. In the books, the object is only ever referred to as “a dusty old bust of a strange-looking warlock” or similar non-specific descriptions.
• The name originates from the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In the game, if the player targets the bust with a spell like `Wingardium Leviosa`, it will audibly identify itself as “Prometheus” (video game).
• In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods to give to humanity, an act for which he was severely punished. It is unknown if the warlock depicted by the bust is intended to have any connection to this mythological figure.