Flying Carpet
Appearance: Usually a thick rug, frequently highly patterned
and often manufactured in the Middle East. Flying Carpets are usually big
enough to seat more than one person.
Function: An alternative mode of travel to the broomstick,
the Flying Carpet (as its name suggests) also flies but allows a number of
people to travel together.
How to Use: Get together with your friends and jump on.
Notes: Flying Carpets were once an accepted form of travel for the
magical community, but they are now banned due to being defined as a Muggle
Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. It is therefore
now against wizarding law to charm carpets or fly them in Britain, although
they are still legal in other countries. Arthur Weasley was very much involved
in the introduction of this legislation due to his position in the Misuse
of Muggle Artifacts office. It is known that the ban was relatively recent,
not only from Arthur's involvement, but also from the fact that Bartemius
Crouch Snr's grandfather owned a 12-seater Axminster back in the days before
they were prohibited.
The obvious advantage of the carpet over the broomstick is that
they can seat a number of people, and are no doubt more comfortable to ride.
It's still likely to be pretty chilly traveling on one, however, as like the
broomstick they offer no protection from the elements.
A merchant by the name of Ali Bashir is very keen to export
Flying Carpets to Britain and is very upset that local laws are preventing
him from doing so. He regularly berates Arthur about the subject but it is
very unlikely that the law will be changed.
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