Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======The Floo Network====== =====Object Information===== * **Type:** [[Magical Transportation]], [[Communication System]] * **Owners:** Regulated by the [[Ministry of Magic]] * **Maker:** [[Ignatia Wildsmith]] (13th Century) (Pottermore) =====Description and Appearance===== The [[Floo Network]] is a magical system connecting wizarding [[fireplaces]]. It is not a physical object itself, but rather a property bestowed upon the fireplaces connected to it. When activated with [[Floo Powder]], the fire in the hearth roars and turns a brilliant emerald green. For the traveler, the experience is a dizzying, tumultuous rush. The world becomes a high-speed blur of colors and shapes as they are rapidly spun towards their destination. It is possible to catch fleeting glimpses of other rooms and [[fireplaces]] as one passes them. The journey is often accompanied by a loud roaring sound and a sensation of being sucked along a great pipe. Soot and ash are common side effects of travel, particularly for inexperienced users. =====Magical Properties and Usage===== The [[Floo Network]] is a versatile and widely used method for both transportation and communication in the wizarding world. Its use is entirely dependent on [[Floo Powder]] and a correctly connected [[fireplace]]. * **Transportation:** - A witch or wizard throws a pinch of [[Floo Powder]] into a lit [[fireplace]] that is part of the network. - The user must step into the emerald green flames and state their intended destination clearly and articulately. - They are then pulled through the network to the destination [[fireplace]]. - It is crucial to keep one's elbows tucked in to avoid hitting the grates of other [[fireplaces]] en route. - Mispronouncing the destination can lead to arriving in an entirely incorrect location, as when [[Harry Potter]] accidentally said "Diagonally" instead of "[[Diagon Alley]]" and ended up in [[Knockturn Alley]]. * **Communication:** - The network can also be used for head-only communication. - A user kneels before a connected [[fireplace]], throws [[Floo Powder]] into the flames, and inserts only their head. - After stating the destination, their head appears, wreathed in green flames, in the hearth of the target [[fireplace]], allowing for real-time conversation with anyone present in that room. - This method was used by [[Amos Diggory]] to speak with the [[Weasleys]] and [[Harry Potter]], and frequently by [[Sirius Black]] to communicate with Harry from [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]]. * **Limitations:** - The [[Ministry of Magic]] has the authority to monitor and control the network. Specific [[fireplaces]] can be watched or disconnected entirely. During [[Dolores Umbridge]]'s tenure at [[Hogwarts]], she arranged for all school [[fireplaces]] except her own to be monitored. - A [[fireplace]] must be connected to the network to function. [[Muggle]] [[fireplaces]], or those blocked by magical or mundane means (such as the [[Dursleys]]' electric fire), cannot be used. =====History===== The invention of [[Floo Powder]], and by extension the [[Floo Network]], is credited to [[Ignatia Wildsmith]] in the thirteenth century (Pottermore). Since its creation, it has become a staple of wizarding life, overseen by the [[Floo Network Authority]] at the [[Ministry of Magic]]. The price of [[Floo Powder]] has famously remained stable for a century, at two [[Sickles]] a scoop. The main atrium of the [[Ministry of Magic]] itself contains hundreds of gilded [[fireplaces]] set into the walls, allowing for the mass arrival and departure of Ministry employees. =====Role in the Story===== The [[Floo Network]] plays a significant role throughout the series as a primary means of travel and a critical plot device. * In //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, Harry's first use of the network results in him mistakenly traveling to [[Borgin and Burkes]] in [[Knockturn Alley]], where he overhears a conversation involving [[Lucius Malfoy]]. * In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, [[Sirius Black]] uses the [[Gryffindor]] common room fire to speak with Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]], offering advice on the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. The Weasleys' attempt to pick Harry up from [[Privet Drive]] via the network goes awry when they discover the [[Dursleys]] have blocked their [[fireplace]]. * In //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, [[Dolores Umbridge]]'s monitoring of the network forces Harry to use her office fire to check if Sirius is safe at [[Grimmauld Place]]. Deceived by [[Kreacher]], Harry's actions lead directly to the confrontation in the [[Department of Mysteries]]. * In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, after escaping the [[Ministry of Magic]] with the [[locket]] [[Horcrux]], the trio use the network to return to [[Grimmauld Place]]. However, the [[Death Eater]] [[Yaxley]] manages to grab hold of Hermione as she [[Disapparates]], breaking the [[Fidelius Charm]] on the house and forcing them to flee. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling has explained that the name is a pun on "flue," the technical term for a smoke duct in a chimney. * In the film adaptations, traveling via the [[Floo Network]] is often depicted as the user's body dissolving into green, swirling smoke or a fast-moving spectral image, which then reconstitutes at the destination.
