The Harry Potter Compendium
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A pair of Vanishing Cabinets will act as a passage between two places. Objects placed in one cabinet will appear in the other. The cabinets seem to ward off all known defensive spells, as they were successfully used to transport several Death Eaters from Borgin and Burkes into Hogwarts School, and Graham Montague was able to apparate into/inside Hogwarts despite the protection spells of the school normally preventing such an action. If one cabinet is broken, a transferred object is trapped in a kind of limbo; repairing it seems to be a very difficult task, as Draco Malfoy spent an entire school year with instructions from Borgin to accomplish, otherwise a simple Mending Charm would have done the deed. Vanishing Cabinets were highly popular during the First Wizarding War; in the event of a Death Eater attack, one could simply disappear to the other cabinet until the danger had passed.

History

In 1992, when Harry Potter was about to be punished by Argus Filch, Nearly Headless Nick convinced Peeves to create a diversion, which he did by dropping the Vanishing Cabinet on the floor above Filch's office.

In 1996, Fred and George Weasley shoved Graham Montague headfirst into the broken cabinet on the first floor of Hogwarts when he tried to take points away from them. Montague eventually escaped (by Apparating) and was found in a toilet's u-bend by Draco Malfoy, who summoned Professor Snape for help. Montague revealed the previously unknown powers of the Cabinets to Draco.

The Hogwarts Vanishing Cabinet was later moved to the Room of Requirement and in 1997, Draco Malfoy repaired it to allow a group of Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts from the Borgin and Burkes Vanishing Cabinet, in order to accomplish his plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, when Vincent Crabbe released Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, it was likely the Vanishing Cabinet was destroyed, along with many other artefacts hidden there.

Spell

For the Vanishing Cabinet to work, the incantation or password used is Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Appearances

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