1992 or earlier
A Crushing Cabinet is a torture device consisting of an iron cabinet in which a person is slowly crushed, as they find the walls, floor and ceiling closing in. The crushing walls are activated by closing the door shut.
Harry Potter hid in a Crushing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes in 1992 to avoid being seen by Lucius and Draco Malfoy, but at the time he did not realise what the Cabinet was, nor its crushing devices. Had he completely closed the door, he would have been crushed.
Behind the scenes
- This cabinet is named only in the script for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the book, film and video game, it remains unidentified.
- In the book, Harry never actually closes the door completely, letting a small crack to peer through. This explains the Cabinet's crushing walls not being triggered.
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)