- "Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"
- — Fred Weasley regarding these hats[src]
Shield Hats were magical objects created by Fred and George Weasley and sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.[1]
History[]
These hats were enchanted with a Shield Charm (possibly in a manner not unlike how Headless Hats were infused with the Invisibility Spell) and, when worn, shielded the wearer from many light to moderate curses, hexes, jinxes, and other unfriendly spells. They were useless against more powerful spells, though, including the Unforgivable Curses. The original purpose was as a joke, that a witch or wizard would put the Shield Hat on and challenge a friend to jinx them, but the jinxes would not hit the wearer.[1]
Nevertheless, Shield Hats were widely used by Ministry of Magic officials and were supplied to them by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The Ministry of Magic officials bought five hundred of them for their support staff in 1996 as many employees weren't able to cast a shield charm on their own.[1]
After this, the Weasley twins began to expand to Shield Gloves and Shield Cloaks as well as all the other items related to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Later items included Decoy Detonators and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.[1]
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)