78 Fun Facts About Harry Potter Spells

Which disarming spell became Harry's signature and rebounded Voldemort's final Killing Curse?

Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm, knocks the wand from an opponent's hand; Harry first saw it at Lockhart's duelling club and used it against Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard and in their final duel.

In which year did Elizabeth Smudgling popularise the Disarming Charm in a duelling contest on Dartmoor?

1379: the Wonderbook: Book of Spells lore has Elizabeth Smudgling winning a Dartmoor duelling contest with the Disarming Charm that year, though other accounts credit Merlin or 11th-century Madagascar.

Which charm makes the tip of the caster's wand glow?

Lumos, the Wand-Lighting Charm, makes the wand-tip shine; Harry casts it to follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest in Chamber of Secrets and to see inside the tunnel under the Whomping Willow.

Which counter-charm puts out the light at the end of a wand?

Nox is the Wand-Extinguishing Charm, the counter to the wand-lighting charm; its name is the word for night, and Harry uses it to douse his wand-tip whenever he needs to move unseen.

Which charm summons a named object toward the caster, even one out of sight?

Accio, the Summoning Charm: Harry practised it for weeks to fetch his Firebolt in the first Triwizard task, and Molly Weasley used it to empty the twins' pockets of Ton-Tongue Toffees.

Which of the three Unforgivable Curses places its victim completely under the caster's control?

Imperio, the Imperius Curse, gives total control over the victim; Barty Crouch Sr was Imperiused by his own son, and Pius Thicknesse by a Death Eater before he became Voldemort's puppet Minister.

Which curse did Harry cast, almost uselessly, at Bellatrix Lestrange in the Ministry Atrium?

Crucio: after Bellatrix killed Sirius, Harry chased her into the Atrium and cast the Cruciatus Curse, which only knocked her off her feet because, she taunted, he did not truly mean it.

What is the penalty for using an Unforgivable Curse on another human being?

A life sentence in Azkaban: so 'Moody' (Barty Crouch Jr in disguise) told the fourth-years in Goblet of Fire, though Crouch Sr had authorised Aurors to use the curses against Death Eaters in the first war.

What colour of light accompanies the Killing Curse?

Green: a jet of blinding green light accompanies Avada Kedavra, which kills instantly and leaves no mark, so Muggle doctors found nothing wrong with the murdered Riddles.

Which incantation produces the silvery guardian that drives off Dementors?

Expecto Patronum: the Patronus Charm conjures a silver guardian that repels Dementors; it is regarded as beyond N.E.W.T. level, and many qualified wizards never manage a corporeal one.

What animal form does Harry Potter's Patronus take?

A stag, the same form as his father James's Animagus, Prongs; Harry first produced a full corporeal one against fake Dementors at the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw, then for real by the lake.

Whose Patronus, a doe, led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor in the Forest of Dean?

It was the same form as Lily Potter's, which is how Harry finally understood where Snape's loyalties lay.

Who gave Harry private anti-Dementor lessons to teach him the Patronus Charm?

Remus Lupin, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry's third year, coached him privately with a Boggart-Dementor in the History of Magic classroom after the Dementors' attack at the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match.

Who devised the method of using Patronuses to carry spoken messages?

Albus Dumbledore devised the messenger Patronus, a technique used only by the Order of the Phoenix; Kingsley Shacklebolt's lynx used it to warn Bill and Fleur's wedding that the Ministry had fallen.

Which spell defeats a Boggart by forcing it into a form the caster finds funny?

Riddikulus, cast while picturing something funny, forces the Boggart into that shape with a whip-crack; Neville's took the form of his Potions master dressed in his grandmother's clothes and vulture-topped hat.

Which charm makes its target buckle with laughter, weakening them?

Rictusempra, the Tickling Charm, left Malfoy doubled up and wheezing when Harry cast it at the Duelling Club in Chamber of Secrets; it appears in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2.

Which spell made Harry's legs jerk uncontrollably when Malfoy cast it at the Duelling Club?

Tarantallegra, the Dancing Feet Spell: Malfoy fired it at Harry in the Duelling Club, and a Death Eater hit Neville with it in the Department of Mysteries, leaving his legs jerking uncontrollably.

Which charm, nicknamed the Thief's Friend, unlocks doors and windows?

Alohomora, the Unlocking Charm: Hermione used it to open the locked door to the forbidden third-floor corridor in her first year, where the trio found Fluffy; doors can be charmed to resist it.

Which spell locks a door so that it cannot be opened by hand?

Colloportus, the Locking Spell, seals a door with a squelching sound; Hermione used it in the Department of Mysteries to lock doors against the pursuing Death Eaters.

Which charm erases specific memories from a person's mind?

Obliviate, the Memory Charm: Lockhart used it to steal other wizards' exploits, Hermione used it on her own parents, and Mnemone Radford, who developed memory-modifying charms, became the Ministry's first Obliviator.

Which charm did Hermione cast on Cormac McLaggen during Gryffindor's Keeper trials?

Confundo, the Confundus Charm, befuddles its target; Hermione used it so Cormac McLaggen missed a save at Keeper trials, and 'Moody' said an exceptionally strong one had bamboozled the Goblet of Fire.

Which curse causes its target to explode?

Confringo, the Blasting Curse: Harry blew up the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike with it during the escape from Privet Drive, and Hermione fired it in Bathilda Bagshot's house in Godric's Hollow.

Which curse blasts solid objects to pieces, reducing them to mist or ashes?

Ginny was noted for the strength of hers; the Trio used it on the shelves of prophecies in the Department of Mysteries.

Which spell, nicknamed the Stunner, renders its target unconscious?

Stupefy, the Stunning Spell, fires a jet of red light that knocks the target out; four at once nearly killed McGonagall when Umbridge's Aurors came for Hagrid.

Which curse did Hermione cast on Neville when he tried to stop the trio leaving?

Petrificus Totalus, the Full Body-Bind: Hermione used it to stop Neville blocking the trio's way out of Gryffindor Tower, and Malfoy used it on Harry aboard the Hogwarts Express in Half-Blood Prince.

What is the incantation of the Leg-Locker Curse, which binds the victim's legs together?

Locomotor Mortis, the Leg-Locker Curse: Malfoy hit Neville with it in their first year, and Neville bunny-hopped all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, where Harry gave him a Chocolate Frog.

Which charm throws up an invisible barrier that sends jinxes back at the attacker?

Protego, the Shield Charm: Harry taught it to the D.A. in his fifth year, and Fred and George built it into the Shield Hats, Cloaks and Gloves the Ministry bought in bulk for its staff.

Under the Fidelius Charm, what is the person in whose soul the hidden information is concealed called?

The Secret-Keeper: the Potters chose Peter Pettigrew as theirs, and he betrayed them; when a Secret-Keeper dies, everyone who was told the secret becomes a Secret-Keeper in turn.

Which Half-Blood Prince curse, marked "for enemies", did Harry use on Draco Malfoy in a bathroom?

Sectumsempra, the Half-Blood Prince's own invention, slashes the victim as if by an invisible sword; its inventor healed Malfoy with a song-like counter-curse and later took off George Weasley's ear with it by accident.

Which jinx, meant to be cast nonverbally, hoists its victim into the air by the ankle?

Levicorpus, a nonverbal jinx from the Half-Blood Prince's book: James Potter used it to dangle its own inventor upside down by the lake in their fifth year, and Liberacorpus is the counter-jinx.

Which charm fills the ears of everyone nearby with a buzzing so that a conversation cannot be overheard?

Muffliato, from the Half-Blood Prince's book, fills nearby ears with an unidentifiable buzzing; Hermione disapproved of it at school but cast it around the tent every night while the trio were on the run.

Which jinx glues the victim's tongue to the roof of their mouth?

Langlock, a Half-Blood Prince jinx, glues the victim's tongue to the roof of the mouth; Harry tested it on Peeves in his sixth year, and it silenced the poltergeist mid-taunt.

Which charm amplifies a voice, as used by Ludo Bagman commentating the Quidditch World Cup?

Sonorus, the Amplifying Charm: Ludo Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and said it to commentate the Quidditch World Cup final, and 'Quietus' turned his voice back down afterwards.

Which charm renders its victim temporarily mute?

Silencio, the Silencing Charm, was the fifth-years' Charms homework in Order of the Phoenix, practised on bullfrogs and ravens; Hermione used it to silence the Death Eater Dolohov in the Department of Mysteries.

Which charm conjures a jet of clean, drinkable water from the wand?

Aguamenti, the Water-Making Charm: Harry conjured water with it to give the weakened headmaster a drink in the cave, but the water vanished before it reached his lips, forcing him to the Inferi-filled lake.

Which spell conjures a jet of flames to set things alight?

Incendio, the Fire-Making Spell, sends a jet of flame from the wand; Arthur Weasley cast it in the Dursleys' living room to light the boarded-up fireplace before the family left by Floo.

Which curse produces enchanted flames that take the form of serpents, chimaeras and dragons?

Fiendfyre, cursed fire that takes the shape of serpents, chimaeras and dragons: Crabbe unleashed it in the Room of Requirement, where it destroyed Ravenclaw's diadem Horcrux and killed him.

Which charm makes a broken or torn object whole again?

Reparo, the Mending Charm, restores broken objects; Hermione mended Harry's glasses with it, and Harry's own wand, snapped in Godric's Hollow, stayed beyond its reach until the Elder Wand did the job.

Which witch invented the Mending Charm, in or before 1754?

Orabella Nuttley is credited in the Wonderbook: Book of Spells lore with inventing the Mending Charm in 1754; the incantation she devised is the one Hermione used on Harry's glasses.

Which healing charm mends minor injuries such as broken noses, toes and split lips?

Episkey, a healing spell for minor injuries: Tonks used it to mend Harry's nose after Malfoy stamped on it on the Hogwarts Express, and Harry used it on Demelza Robins's split lip at Quidditch practice.

Which charm conjures bandages and splints broken bones?

Ferula conjures bandages and a splint: it was cast on Ron's broken leg in the Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban so that he could limp back through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow.

Which spell clears a choking person's airway by vanishing whatever is stuck in it?

Anapneo: Slughorn cast it on Marcus Belby, who had choked on a mouthful of pheasant in the Slug Club compartment while discussing his uncle Damocles, inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion.

Which cleaning charm is also used to punish swearing by filling the culprit's mouth with soap?

Scourgify, the Scouring Charm: Tonks used it to clean Hedwig's cage, and James Potter turned it on a teenage schoolmate's mouth, filling it with pink soap bubbles, in the memory Harry saw in the Pensieve.

Which spell siphons up liquids such as blood, dust or grease?

Tergeo, a siphoning charm: Hermione used it to clean the dried blood off Harry's face at the start-of-term feast in Half-Blood Prince, after Malfoy had broken his nose on the train.

Which Transfiguration spell vanishes objects "into non-being, which is to say, everything"?

Evanesco, the Vanishing Spell: fifth-years practised it on snails and then mice in McGonagall's O.W.L. year, and the Potions master used it to clear Harry's ruined potions out of his cauldron.

Which charm cuts precisely, and can cause death or injury if used carelessly?

Diffindo, the Severing Charm: Harry used it to split Cedric's bag so he could warn him about the dragons, and the trio tried it in vain on Slytherin's locket while on the run.

Which charm makes its target swell up, and counters the Shrinking Charm?

Engorgio, the Engorgement Charm: 'Moody' used it to enlarge the spider he tortured in his Unforgivable Curses lesson, and Hagrid's giant pumpkins owed something to it too.

Which charm turns an object to stone?

Duro, the Hardening Charm: Hermione cast it on a tapestry during the Battle of Hogwarts so that two pursuing Death Eaters smashed into solid stone.

Which spell turns a staircase into a smooth slide?

Glisseo: Hermione cast it during the Battle of Hogwarts, flattening a staircase into a chute so the trio shot down it ahead of two pursuing Death Eaters, whom she then stopped with a hardened tapestry.

Which charm duplicates an object into a replica almost impossible to tell from the original?

Geminio, the Doubling Charm: Hermione used it to leave a copy of Slytherin's locket with Umbridge, and the Gemino Curse on the Lestranges' Gringotts vault made every touched object multiply into worthless copies.

Which charm conjures a flock of birds?

Avis, the Bird-Conjuring Charm: Ollivander cast it from Krum's wand at the Weighing of the Wands before the Triwizard Tournament, and Hermione used it to conjure a flock of twittering canaries in Half-Blood Prince.

Which spell conjures a live snake from the end of the wand?

Serpensortia: Malfoy cast it at Harry in Lockhart's Duelling Club, and when Harry spoke to the conjured snake the whole school learned he was a Parselmouth; the Potions master vanished it.

Which jinx directs conjured creatures or objects to attack a target?

Oppugno: Hermione cried it after finding Ron kissing Lavender Brown, and the canaries she had conjured flew at Ron's face, pecking and clawing, before she left in tears.

Which jinx hinders a target's movement, slowing it down or stopping it in its tracks?

Impedimenta, the Impediment Jinx, slows or halts a target; Harry practised it for the Triwizard maze and fired it at Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and at the fleeing Half-Blood Prince.

Which jinx did Harry fire at the Grindylows that grabbed him during the second Triwizard task?

Relashio, the Revulsion Jinx, forces a grip to loosen; Harry cast it at the Grindylows clutching his ankles in the second Triwizard task, and underwater it fired jets of boiling water instead of sparks.

Which spell conjures ropes out of thin air to bind a target?

Incarcerous conjures thick ropes that bind the target: Umbridge cast it on the centaur Magorian in the Forbidden Forest, enraging the herd, which carried her off and ended her reign at Hogwarts.

Which charm did Hermione cast to check for anyone hiding in Grimmauld Place?

Homenum Revelio reveals any human presence nearby: Hermione cast it on entering Grimmauld Place to check the house was empty, and Harry felt something swoop low over him as the spell passed.

Which charm did Moody tap onto Harry's head, like an egg cracking, to camouflage him?

The Disillusionment Charm: Moody rapped Harry on the head with his wand before the flight from Privet Drive in Order of the Phoenix, and Harry's body took on the colours behind him like a chameleon.

Which charm turns an ordinary object into a means of instant transport to a set place?

Portus: the headmaster turned an old blackened kettle into a Portkey with it in his office, sending Harry and the Weasleys to Grimmauld Place after Arthur's attack; unauthorised Portkeys are a Ministry offence.

Which incantation conjures the Dark Mark, the skull-and-serpent sign, in the sky?

Morsmordre: Barty Crouch Jr cast it at the Quidditch World Cup with Harry's stolen wand, sending the skull-and-serpent Dark Mark over the campsite; Death Eaters cast it above any house where they had killed.

Which spell did Amos Diggory use to erase the ghostly Dark Mark conjured from Harry's wand?

Deletrius, the Eradication Spell: after the Reverse Spell made Harry's wand produce a ghostly Dark Mark at the World Cup campsite, Amos Diggory cast it to vanish the echo.

What rare effect occurred when Harry's and Voldemort's twin-core wands were forced to duel?

Priori Incantatem: both wands held a tail feather from Fawkes the phoenix, so in the Little Hangleton graveyard Voldemort's wand was forced to regurgitate echoes of its recent victims, Cedric and Harry's parents among them.

Who invented the Bat-Bogey Hex, the spell Ginny Weasley was famous for?

Miranda Goshawk, better known as the author of The Standard Book of Spells, is credited in wizarding lore with inventing the Bat-Bogey Hex that Ginny used on Malfoy and Zacharias Smith.

Which spell gives its caster a continuous supply of oxygen so they can breathe underwater?

The Bubble-Head Charm: Cedric and Fleur both surfaced wearing its bubble of air in the second Triwizard task, while Harry relied on Gillyweed and Krum on a half-shark Transfiguration.

What happens to the victim of an overdone Cheering Charm?

Convulsed with laughter: an overdone Cheering Charm leaves the victim hysterically happy; Harry overdid his on Ron in the third-year Charms exam, and Ron had to sit in a quiet room for an hour.

Which incantation did Arthur Weasley suggest to disguised Ron for a Ministry office that kept raining?

Meteolojinx Recanto: Arthur Weasley suggested it to the Polyjuiced Ron, disguised as Reg Cattermole, for the Ministry office that kept raining, while Harry and Hermione went after Umbridge and the locket.

Which spell lets the caster delve into another person's mind to see memories, emotions and thoughts?

Legilimens: the Potions master used it to force his way into Harry's memories during their private lessons in fifth year, and Voldemort could do it without wand or incantation.

What is the practice of shielding one's own mind from external penetration called?

Occlumency, the magical defence of the mind against intrusion: Harry's fifth-year lessons boiled down to 'clear your mind' and went badly, while Draco Malfoy learned it from his aunt Bellatrix.

Which hex makes the victim's front teeth grow at an alarming rate?

Densaugeo, the tooth-growing hex: Malfoy's ricocheted off Harry's jinx and hit Hermione, whose front teeth grew past her collar before Madam Pomfrey shrank them, at Hermione's request, smaller than they had been.

Which jinx makes its victim break out in boils?

Furnunculus: Harry fired it at Malfoy outside the Potions dungeon in Goblet of Fire, but it collided with Malfoy's hex and rebounded onto Goyle, whose face erupted in great ugly boils.

Which charm did McGonagall use to bring the Hogwarts statues and suits of armour to life?

Piertotum Locomotor: McGonagall cast it in the Battle of Hogwarts to send the castle's suits of armour and statues thundering past to the front line, adding 'I've always wanted to use that spell.'

Which charm did Crabbe use to bring a wall of junk crashing down on Ron?

Descendo: Ron used it to lower the attic ladder at the Burrow, and Crabbe cast it in the Room of Requirement to topple a towering wall of junk onto Ron.

Which charm gouges out chunks of earth or stone?

Defodio, the Gouging Spell: clinging to the half-blind dragon's back, the trio blasted chunks out of the Gringotts ceiling with it so the beast could smash its way up to the surface.

Which charm did Hermione use to pitch the tent on the Horcrux hunt?

Erecto: with one flick Hermione raised the tent in the forest where the Quidditch World Cup had been held, the same musty tent Perkins from Arthur Weasley's office had lent for the Cup.

The language of Harry Potter's spell incantations is usually described as a modified form of what?

Wizards almost always cast with a wand, though Rowling has described wandless magical cultures on the Wizarding World website.

What is the term for losing a body part through a botched Apparition?

Splinching: leaving part of oneself behind in a botched Apparition; Susan Bones left a leg behind in the sixth-year Apparition lessons, and Ron lost a chunk of his arm fleeing the Ministry.

Which revealing spell did Hermione try on Tom Riddle's blank diary?

Aparecium, the Revealing Charm: Hermione tapped Riddle's diary with her wand and said it, hoping to expose invisible ink, but the pages stayed blank; Harry later found it answered only when written in.

Which general counter-spell did the Potions master bellow to restore order at the Duelling Club?

Finite Incantatem, the General Counter-Spell, ends the effects of other spells nearby; the Potions master bellowed it to restore order at Lockhart's Duelling Club, and Harry's 'Finite!' halted Crabbe's toppling wall of junk.