The Dungeons & Dragons Tool You Didn't Notice Existed In Harry Potter
Though it's a fantasy series, Harry Potter doesn't have a whole lot of epic questing typical of the genre. Almost every movie takes place in the relatively comfortable magical school of Hogwarts, where there are serious threats of petrification via Basilisk and kidnapping via Merpeople, but also warm beds and a dinner buffet at the end of each harrowing day. All this changes toward the end of Harry Potter, however, when Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends must journey through the Wizarding World with nothing but what they can carry on their backs — or, in a magically enhanced little bag, as it turns out.
In Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) extensively plan their trip to find Voldemort's Horcruxes, but when Death Eaters crash the Weasley wedding, everything goes awry. The trio are forced to leave early, which could have easily made all their planning for naught if it wasn't for Hermione's little beaded handbag. In preparation, she magically expanded the inside of the pouch, conveniently making its contents lighter, as well. Thus Hermione is totally prepared for the trio's ensuing journey, as she already has their clothes, books, and other essential items on her when they go on the run.
It's an ingenious idea, so of course it's been a staple of fantasy adventures for some time now. There's Mary Poppins' carpet bag, The Doctor's time-traveling phone booth, and even the luxurious tents from an earlier Harry Potter movie. It's a simple idea that would be endlessly useful in real life, but becomes absolutely essential for heroes who need to fight dark overlords at the drop of a hat or escape a kidnapping without losing all their gear. It takes a lot of stuff to survive on the fantasy road, and all good adventurers need a magically enhanced item to make carrying gear possible — something Dungeons & Dragons players know firsthand.
Hermione's purse comes with its own baggage
No D&D adventuring party is complete without either a Bag of Holding or a Handy Haversack, two in-game items that function very similarly to Hermione's beaded bag. Both offer a way for adventurers to store not just the essentials, but the vast quantities of loot they pick up along their journey — everything from precious dragon scales to decapitated heads that might be useful for the Speak with Dead spell later. Unfortunately, neither D&D item is quite as handy as Hermione's, which is the smallest of the bunch, allowing it to be hidden in a sock as needed.
Still, it's never quite clear just how much Hermione can fit in her bag. We know she keeps Harry's Invisibility Cloak, changes of clothes for three people, a tent, and even Godric Gryffindor's sword in it, but she never divulges what its carrying capacity is. D&D, on the other hand, explicitly spells out how many pounds each magical bag can hold, which the Dungeon Master may or may not strictly adhere to.
However, despite its conveniently small size and possibly endless room, Hermione's bag has one big mark against it: The thing is totally illegal. According to Pottermore, the Ministry of Magic regulates the use of the highly advanced Extension Charm that she enchanted it with. Legally, the charm isn't authorized for personal use, but is commercially applied to luggage and tents. Hermione, though, is always willing to go to extreme lengths to help out her friends, as evidenced by these savage Hermione moments that make Harry Potter fans love her even more.
A Bag of Holding, meanwhile, can be legally bought from a shop, or even found on a slain enemy, as the price for it is simply a hefty sum of gold. Perhaps the iconic item will join its fellow magical bags on the big screen in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie.