There are plenty of invisibility cloaks out there in the wizarding world, although we only hear about one “real” Invisibility Cloak, and its magic doesn’t dwindle with time.
It is because this Invisibility Cloak is one of the three Hallows. It is a piece of Death’s own cloak given to the youngest of Three Brothers, Ignotus Peverell.
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Who Gave Harry the Invisibility Cloak?
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry received a very crafty and priceless gift for Christmas, the Invisibility Cloak.
Attached to it was a letter.
Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:
Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you
For the whole year, Harry (and us) didn’t know who sent the Cloak, but after the run down with Quirrell, Dumbledore confessed that it was him who gave the Cloak to Harry.
There was a second time Harry received the Invisibility Cloak from another person. During the scuffle in the Shrieking Shack at the end of the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry forgot his Cloak on the floor of the Shack, but Lupin was kind enough to go back for it and return it to Harry.
Why Did Dumbledore Give Harry the Invisibility Cloak?
As we learned more about Dumbledore, we saw how much he was drawn to the power of Hollows. He started the Quest when he was young, and even after becoming a teacher and later Headmaster, he kept searching for them in the background.
Dumbledore won the first Hollow, the Elder Wand, from Grindelwald. After becoming Headmaster, he discovered that James Potter had the Invisibility Cloak, and Dumbledore borrowed the Cloak to investigate it. He was curious if this was the Cloak, the last Hollow.
Dumbledore was drawn to the power of possessing all Hollows, and he had two in his possession at the time. Just as he refused the position of Minister for Magic not to tempt the power, he also knew he could not truly master all the Hollows.
Dumbledore also knew that the Invisibility Cloak wasn’t his from the start. He only borrowed it. The Cloak couldn’t be won. One could only pass it down within the family. Those were descendants of the youngest of the Three Brothers.
Therefore, Dumbledore saw the need to pass the Cloak down to its rightful owner, Harry.
How Did Harry’s Father Get the Invisibility Cloak?
James Potter, Harry’s father, got the Invisibility Cloak from his father, Fleamont Potter.
The Invisibility Cloak was passed down through seven centuries and never once failed.
Wizards and witches believing in the Tale of Three Brothers claim that the original owner of the Cloak was Death. In the Tale, Death presented Ignotus Peverell with a gift for tricking it. The gift was a piece of Death’s own cloak, and it would make the wearer invisible.
Ignotus passed the Cloak down to his son, who then had a daughter, Iolanthe Peverell. She received the Cloak from her father, and after, married one Hardwin Potter.
The Invisibility Cloak was then passed to every firstborn in generations of Potters before it landed in the hands of Henry Potter, Harry’s great-grandfather.
Henry passed the Cloak to his eldest son, Fleamont, who then gave it to James Potter.
Final Thoughts
Amongst all the invisibility cloaks existing in the wizarding world, the one owned by Harry is the original one, never losing its concealing powers, resistant to spells, hexes, charms, and jinxes.
The Invisibility Cloak was passed down from one Potter to another, and while in James Potter’s possession, it was lent to Dumbledore, who in turn passed it down to Cloak’s true master, Harry Potter.