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Imagine if someone in front of you is wearing an invisibility cloak like Frodo is wearing his:

Frodo cloak

What would you see if you see that person from behind? Would you see the “inside” of that person's face?

It seems that the watcher can see any object in front of the cloak, would that include the person's uncovered face?

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  • I'm not sure whether your assumption regarding what the watcher sees is correct, but it IS certainly reasonable. Does it work like a (technology-based) invisibility cloak would work by bending light around itself - or could you nail it outside a doorframe and hide an entire room behind it?? - Great Question, I'm interested if anyone finds a canon-supported answer... I can't think of one though. +1
    – BMWurm
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 6:34
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    IIRC the elven cloaks never made any of the Hobbits actually invisible. They just made them less noticeable/perceivable. In the Peter Jackson movies there's that one scene at the Black Gate, where it's really hard to see the cloaks on the dirt/rubble, but IMO this is really just due to being lots of dirt on the cloak after rolling down the side of the hill (plus it made the whole scene better, considering it's more than "let's just pretend they can't see them").
    – Mario
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:13
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    @mario I think the question isn't if the elven cloaks make their wearers invisible in the LotR universe, the question is what could be seen if Harry (or anyone else) would wear the cloak like Frodo does in the picture. (It confused me at first two, like: What is Frodo doing in the HP universe :P)
    – BMWurm
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:24
  • @BMWurm Is there any instance of such a cloak in the Potterverse? I don't remember how Harry cloaked himself in the second(?) movie. Because if there isn't it's something you probably can't answer, since such things typically depend pretty much on the universe's own rules and sometimes the plot as well. As a related question: What happens to things the wearer picks up? In some settings those things become invisible as well, in others those things stay visible.
    – Mario
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:32
  • @Mario exactly, that is basically what is asked, as far as I understand it :P
    – BMWurm
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:44

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still invisible looking from the back

enter image description here

in the case of this picture Harry's back is not covered and from the front you cant see his back

regarding folds in the cloak, (movie interpretation) still invisible, and if Harry grabs something using the cloak - as long as that something (lollipop in this case) is outside of the cloak no portion of the lollipop will disappear.

enter image description here

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  • Yet you "see" the wall behind it... so the cloak decides magically what it is supposed to hide?? Or could you throw it over your school trunk to hide it from view?? I'll have to go through scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/68009/… again....
    – BMWurm
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:48
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    @BMWurm i'm speculating - but maybe whoever is in contact (holding the cloak) altho I'd love it if the cloak has some mental component
    – tls
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 8:52
  • also i don't know why a portion of the floor is not invisible (if the cloak is wrapped around someone.)
    – tls
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 9:25
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    @tls - Because it's magical. Like many objects in the potterverse it appears to have some level of rudimentary intelligence to understand what the user intends.
    – Valorum
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 9:36
  • @tls "in contact": Exactly the problem. :) How does the cloak decide to hide the pijama, but not the carpet he's standing on (for example).
    – Mario
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 9:51

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