SPELLS FROM THE BOOKS!!!

Accio

Latin for "I call for", or "I summon".

Accio is also known as the Summoning Charm, and is used to make objects fly straight to the spell caster.

This piece of magic was introduced at the start of Harry's 4th year, where Mrs Weasley used it to retrieve a large number of Ton-Tongue Toffees that Fred and George were attempting to smuggle out of The Burrow to take to the World Cup. It went on to become vital to the plot of the book as the story progressed. Hermione helped Harry to learn the spell for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, where he wanted to use it to summon his Firebolt in order to take on his dragon. He mastered it after a great deal of practicing, and successfully used it during the task. His mastery of the spell was tested in even more difficult circumstances in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, when he used it to summon the Triwizard Cup Portkey to himself and thus escape from Voldemort and the assembled Death Eaters.

Accio came to the fore again in the battle at the Department of Mysteries at the end of OOTP. Various Death Eaters, including Belltatrix Lestrange and Dolohov, attempted to use it to summon the Prophecy that Harry was holding. On one occasion Harry blocked the spell, whilst on another Sirius managed to interrupt the casting of the spell.

In order to successfully cast Accio, it is necessary to concentrate hard on the item you want to summon until it reaches you. Failure to do so correctly will result in the object either not moving at all, or dropping out of the air partway through its journey.

Certain enchantments can prevent Accio working. When Hermione attempted to cast it on Hufflepuff's Cup in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts it had no effect due to the protective spells used by the bank [DH26]. Powerful magic items may also be impervious to it, as Harry's Invisibility Cloak did not move when a Death Eater tried to summon it after he'd Apparated to Hogsmeade.

Age Line Charm

This spell produces an Age Line - a barrier that detects the age of anybody trying to cross it and ejects those who are too young (with the definition of "too young" presumably specified by the caster of the spell). The line it produces is thin and golden in colour. Dumbledore put an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire in order to prevent anyone under the age of 17 putting their name into it. This particular Age Line also caused anybody underage who tried to cross it to sprout a long white beard, although this is likely to be a special addition of Dumbledore's rather than a standard feature of the magic. Several people, including Fred and George Weasley, fell foul of the Age Line when trying to get their name into the Goblet illegally, despite the fact that they'd used Aging Potion to try to fool it.

Aguamenti

From the Latin "aqua", meaning "water", and "mens", meaning "mind". "Agua" is also Spanish for "water".

This spell was introduced in Harry's 6th year, and causes a jet of water to come from the end of the caster's wand. The speed of the jet is controllable, and the magic can produce anything from a small trickle of water to a powerful jet of it. Harry used it to refill a small goblet in the Horcrux cave, where he was desperate to give Dumbledore some water after he'd drunk the Emerald Potion. A short while later he and Hagrid used it to produce sufficient water to douse the flames on Hagrid's Hut after it had been set on fire during the Death Eaters' invasion of Hogwarts.

Alohomora

From the Hawaiian "aloha", which means "hello/farewell", and the Latin "mora", which means "obstacle".

This is a fairly basic spell used to open a locked door or window. Hermione was able to use it effectively during her first year, and even though she's very gifted, this still indicates that it is hardly advanced magic. It can unseal doors locked using Colloportus, from which we can deduce that this spell is not very advanced either. Despite this, both Harry's gang and the Death Eaters attempted to seal and unseal doors using these spells during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Doors can be locked with more advanced magic that Alohomora is useless against, however, as Hermione discovered on their journey through the Department of Mysteries before the battle.

Hermione also used Alohomora to unlock the window in the tower where Sirius was imprisoned following the escape of Wormtail, having flown up to it with Harry on Buckbeak.

Anapneo

Greek for "breathe".

Clears the airways of the person who the spell is cast upon, allowing them to breathe properly. Horace Slughorn cast this on Marcus Belby when he accidentally swallowed a large mouthful of pheasant under questioning during Slughorn's Slug Club meeting on the Hogwarts Express.

Animagus Transformation

This is an exceptionally difficult piece of magic that allows a witch or wizard to transform themselves into an animal at will. Animagi are very rare, and are required to register themselves with the Ministry of Magic. Only seven registered Animagi have existed in the last century, perhaps due to the extreme difficulty of the magic, and perhaps also due to the unpleasant nature of the side-effects should an attempt to transform go wrong. As with the Patronus, the Animagus cannot choose what animal to transform into: the animal they become is a direct result of their inherent nature and cannot be changed. The only known registered Animagus is Minvera McGonagall, who can transform into a cat. Hermione checked the register during her third year and did not report back on what other names she found, and so it is reasonable to assume that none of the others were known to her. There are - or have been - a number of (illegal) unregistered Animagi, however, including James Potter (stag), Sirius Black (dog), Peter Pettigrew (rat) and Rita Skeeter (beetle).

Anti-Cheating Spell

A spell that teachers at Hogwarts use on quills for exams to prevent cheating.

Anti-Disapparation Jinx

When cast on a person it prevents them from Disapparating. Dumbledore used this jinx to bind the Death Eaters in the Death Chamber after the battle at the Ministry of Magic.

Anti-Intruder Jinx

Repels intruders. This spell was cast on all the Hogwarts walls for the 1996-97 school year to protect the students following the return of Voldemort.

Antler Hex

During the breakout of anarchy following Fred and George walking out of the school in Harry's fifth year, a number of unpleasant things happened to many of Dolores Umbridge's allies. In particular, Pansy Parkinson missed a day of lessons due to the fact that she'd sprouted antlers, no doubt the result of a Hex.

Aparecium

"Appareo" is Latin for "appear" or "I become visible".

Used to reveal invisible ink. Hermione tried this on the Very Secret Diary in order to find out whether her theory about it carrying a detailed account of T.M.Riddle's capture of the Heir of Slytherin (written in invisible ink) was correct or not. Unfortunately for her, the spell had no effect, although her thinking wasn't a million miles wide of the mark.

Apparate

"Appareo" is Latin for "appear" or "I become visible".

This spell allows the caster to appear instantly in a given place. It is used in conjunction with Disapparate. The caster must Disapparate from one location in order to Apparate in another. It is the favoured mode of transport of adult wizards when they wish to travel quickly, but cannot be used by children as an Apparition Test has to be passed before it is legal to use it. The Apparition Test cannot be taken before the age of 17, and as such, Apparition lessons are available in Hogwarts during the 6th Year .
The Ministry levies heavy fines on anyone caught Apparating without a licence, as it is very dangerous to attempt it if you are not properly trained. The most common problem it can cause is Splinching, which means leaving part of your body behind. This is not fatal, but requires Ministry wizards to correct it, and leads to a lot of paperwork.

Hermione passed her Apparition Test first time, but Ron just failed because he left half an eyebrow behind. Harry wasn't 17 at the time, and so wasn't allowed to take the Test, although he had been allowed to attend lessons.

Atmospheric Charm

It is likely that this spell replicates weather conditions, perhaps for use indoors. It may well be related to the charm that makes the ceiling of the Great Hall at Hogwarts resemble the sky outside. When it was raining in Yaxley's office in the Ministry of Magic, Hermione thought that it might have been an Atmospheric Charm gone wrong, and was worried that if this was the case then it was going to be difficult to fix.

Avada Kedavra

A corruption of "abracadabra" which was used as a healing spell to drive disease from the patient's body in the middle ages. Its likely source is either the Arabic "abra kadabra" (may the things be destroyed), or the Aramaic "abhadda kedhabhra" (disappear with these words).

The Killing Curse. This is an advanced spell, and one that according to Barty Crouch Jnr "needs a powerful bit of magic behind it; the incantation alone is not enough for the spell to work. When cast effectively, Avada Kedavra kills instantaneously, producing a blinding flash of green light and a characteristic rushing noise that sounds like something huge and invisible rushing through the air, but leaving no mark on the victim's body.
It is one of three Unforgivable Curses, a group of spells considered so evil that casting one against another human is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. When cast successfully on a person, it leaves no mark on its victim and does no damage to the surrounding area [HBP17], and cannot be blocked by magical means: there is no counter curse. It is possible, however, to place objects in the path of the spell to block it, and anything non-organic that the spell directly hits will be destroyed [OOTP36].
Animals can be killed with the curse like humans can, and Barty Crouch Jnr (in the guise of Professor Moody) demonstrated the effects of the spell by casting it on a spider. Fawkes was also killed by the curse when he swallowed a bolt of it during the battle at the Department of Mysteries to protect Dumbledore. Being a Phoenix, however, he was immediately reborn as a baby.

Known human victims of Avada Kedavra are:
Tom Riddle Snr, Mr Riddle, Mrs Riddle, James Potter, Lily Potter, Bertha Jorkins, Frank Bryce, Cedric Diggory, Albus Dumbledore, Charity Burbage, Gellert Grindelwald, Gregorovitch and Lord Voldemort. The majority of these were killed by Voldemort in person, including, ironically enough, Voldemort himself, who was hit by his own rebounding curse
Many others may have been killed with it, such as Barty Crouch Snr, Amelia Bones, Igor Karkaroff, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Bellatrix Lestrange, but there is no confirmation of what spell was used in these cases.
Two people are known to have survived it. These are Harry Potter (who was protected by his mother sacrificing her life for him), and Tom Riddle (who was hit by his own curse as it rebounded from Harry, and was prevented from dying by his Horcruxes). Tom later managed to polish himself off in exactly the same manner, however, by hitting himself with the curse once again when his Horcruxes had all been destroyed.

Avis
Latin for "bird".
Conjures a flock of birds. Mr Ollivander tested Viktor Krum's wand for the Triwizard Tournament using this spell. The birds flew out of the window, and Ollivander pronounced that the wand was "good", although he didn't care much for the styling

Babbling Curse

Effect not stated, but it can reasonably be assumed that it causes the victim to babble nonsense. Lockhart once cured a simple Transylvanian villager of this curse on his travels. Or not. Either way, Harry had to re-enact the episode in one of Lockhart's DADA classes.

Backfiring Jinx

Effect unknown, but the casting of such a jinx in Elephant and Castle (a district of London) was serious enough to require the Magical Law Enforcement Squad to be called out .

Banishing Charm

This spell is the opposite of Accio, which is the Summoning Charm. It causes an object to fly away from the caster. Harry's class studied this spell in fourth-year Charms classes, and were meant to be Banishing cushions across the room. Neville's aim was so bad that he kept banishing other things, however, and repeatedly managed to Banish Professor Flitwick so that he whizzed across the room in a somewhat resigned manner.

Bat-Bogey Hex

This spell enlarges the bogies of the victim, makes them fly like bats and then attack them about the face. It is a particular speciality of Ginny Weasley. It is clear from the effect of the spell that it is used partially as comic relief, although on both occasions it has been cast in the book it is also used as a plot device. Ginny first casts it on Draco Malfoy when she, Ron, Neville and Luna are being held in Professor Umbridge's office by the Inquisitorial Squad, which helps allow them to escape and accompany Harry to the battle at the Ministry of Magic. Its second appearance is on the Hogwarts Express the following year, when Ginny casts it on Zaccharias Smith for refusing to stop asking about what happened in the battle at the Ministry. Horace Slughorn saw her cast it as he passed her carriage and subsequently asked her to join the Slug Club.

Bedazzling Hex

This is a spell used to make a certain type of Invisibility Cloak. The name of the hex suggests that it works by dazzling the onlooker so that they cannot see the item that has been enchanted. According to Xenophilius Lovegood, Invisibility Cloaks are usually made in one of three ways: ordinary cloaks can be enchanted with a Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzling Hex, or a cloak can be specially made using Demiguise hair. All three work for a certain period of time, but their invisibility properties start to fade as they age. Harry's Invisibility Cloak, which is one of the Deathly Hallows, was not made in this way and never loses its power, although how this has been achieved is never made clear.

Blasting Charm

A charm used to good effect by Alberta Toothill in the 1430 All-England Duelling Competition, where she used it to defeat the favourite, Samson Wiblin.

Blasting Curse

See "Confringo".

Braking Charm

The Firebolt broomstick comes complete with an unbreakable Braking Charm, very useful as it can reach speeds of over 150mph. It is not clear which company manufactures the Firebolt: if it is Comet, then this charm is likely to be an improved version of the Horton-Keitch Braking Charm, also included in the spells list. If it is another company, this is likely to be an entirely different piece of magic.

Bubble-Head Charm

The Bubble-Head Charm is used to create a bubble of air around the caster's head. It can be used to allow the caster to breathe underwater, as demonstrated by both Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Both used the Charm effectively and were able to breathe whilst under the lake, although Fleur failed to retrieve her hostage after being attacked by Grindylows. Following Fred and George's departure from Hogwarts the following year, the outbreak of anarchy under Umbridge's rule increased to new levels. So many Dungbombs and Stink Pellets began to be dropped in the corridors that many students took to casting Bubble-Head Charms on themselves to avoid the smell

Caterwauling Charm

This spell produces a screaming sound so loud that when Harry, Ron and Hermione set it off in Hogsmeade, it echoed round all of the surrounding mountains. The Death Eaters had set up the charm to detect if anybody was breaking the curfew they had imposed, and it was primed to go off if anybody so much as stepped out into the street during curfew hours. It went off the moment that Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived by Apparition, announcing their arrival with some gusto. The charm was silenced by one of the Death Eaters waving his wand

Cave Inimucum

From the Latin "caveo", meaning "on guard against", and "inimucus", meaning "hostile".

This was one of the protective enchantments used by Harry, Ron and Hermione when they were on the run from the Death Eaters. They used it to help avoid detection, along with a number of other spells. The effect of this particular spell is not specified, but Hermione waved her wand at the sky whilst casting it, and the incantation suggests that it prevents hostile magic from entering the protected area

Cheering Charm

Produces a feeling of great contentment in the target person. Harry's class covered this magic in Charms classes during the third year. Hermione missed the lesson, but the rest of the class were feeling very cheery indeed on their way to lunch after practising it [POA15]. Hermione obviously caught up on the subject though, as she wrote hugely about it in her Charms OWL

Colloportus

From the Latin "colligere", meaning "bind together" and "portus", meaning "gate".

This spell is used to magically seal doors, making a squelching sound as it does so, but it is not particularly effective. It can easily be countered with Alohomora, a simple spell already known by Hermione near the beginning of her first year at Hogwarts, which will open any door sealed with Colloportus. Hermione attempted to use Colloportus to lock doors against the Death Eaters when the DA were being pursued during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Predictably, the Death Eaters simply cast Alohomora to open them again

Colour-Change Charm

This spell causes the target to change colour. It certainly works on animals, as Harry was meant to cast it on a rat during his Charms OWL in order to turn it orange. Unfortunately he got the incantation mixed up with the Growth Charm and it ended up the size of a badger before he could stop it. It is assumed that it works on inanimate objects too.

Colour Flash Charm

Possibly a variant of the Colour-Change Charm, this is used to make the item it is cast on flash different colours. It was used by Hermione on a "Potter for President" banner the Gryffindors had made for Harry's first Quidditch match in his first year to make it more eye-catching

Concealment Charm

The effect of Concealment Charms has not been specified, but it is safe to assume that they are used to conceal something so that it cannot be seen. Hermione told Harry that the Secrecy Sensors that Argus Filch was using to make sure no Dark objects got into the school could detect Concealment Charms, but the Love Potions supplied by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes were getting through due to the fact that they weren't dangerous enough. Fred and George were disguising them as perfume and cough potion anyway just to make sure

Confringo

The Latin word "confringo" means "to destroy".

This spell causes the target object to explode. Harry used it on the sidecar Hagrid was using to transport him from Privet Drive to the Tonks' house. Hagrid's attempt to repair the sidecar had led to it falling off, and after he had been plucked from it as it plummeted, Harry blew it up to put off the chasing Death Eaters.

Hermione also used it when Harry was attacked by Nagini in Godric's Hollow. On this occasion it bounced around the room smashing everything in sight - including, unfortunately, Harry's wand. Hermione later referred to Confringo as the Blasting Curse, and as such it may be the same spell as the Blasting Charm. See also "Blasting Charm".

Confundus Charm

"Confundo" is Latin for "I confuse".

This spell is used to confuse an object or person, to disorient them or make them believe what the spell caster wants them to. The charm is first mentioned by Professor Snape following his confrontation with Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack at the end of Harry's third year. After Harry, Ron and Hermione attacked him and knocked him unconscious, he believeed they did it because Black had Confunded them into believing he was innocent. Sirius was genuinely innocent, of course, and the trio had not been Confunded at all.
It is highly likely, although unconfirmed, that Barty Crouch Jnr used a Confundus Charm on the Goblet of Fire in order to enter Harry into the Triwizard Tournament under the name of a fourth school, thus ensuring that he was chosen. This is certainly how (in the guise of Alastor Moody) he explained that the deed could have been done, and he later confessed to having put the name in himself. Confirmed use of the charm occurred two years later, during Gryffindor Quidditch trials. On this occasion the talented but arrogant Cormac McLaggen was looking like he might beat Ron to the position of Keeper on the team until Hermione Confunded him into missing his last save, causing him to fly off in totally the wrong direction. Hermione confessed to Harry after McLaggen was spotted taking two attempts to get through the doors to the Great Hall some time later.

Harry also used the Confundus Charm to confuse the Gringotts guards so that he, Ron and Hermione could get into the bank without their disguises being detected. Severus Snape used the same charm on Mundungus Fletcher when he planted the idea of the Order of the Phoenix using Harry decoys on his flight from Privet Drive.

Conjunctivitis Curse

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (mucous membrane that lines the surface of the eyelid and the exposed surface of the eyeball), and is taken from the Latin "conjunctus," meaning "joined together."

This curse is aimed at the eyes of the victim and causes the eyelids to crust together so that the victim cannot see. In addition to loss of sight, it seems to cause pain to the victim as well. Evidence of this comes from Krum's use of the spell in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, when he cast it on his dragon as he tried to retrieve his golden egg: having been hit with the curse, the dragon began to trample around in agony.
Sirius was going to suggest this spell for Harry to use in the Tournament himself, but he was interrupted by Ron coming into the Gryffindor common room before he could say it. This may have been just as well in the end, as Sirius later admitted that Barty Crouch Jnr/Moody's solution of using his broomstick was a better idea.

Olympe Maxime also used this spell against the Giants, when they turned nasty following Gogomath replacing Karkus as the chief. The spell was effective in making them release Hagrid, but also turned the Giants against them once and for all, because if there's one thing a Giant hates, it's magic being used against them.

Conjuring Spells

These are a category of spells taught in NEWT-level Transfiguration classes, as Professor McGonagall informed her class at the start of their OWL year [OOTP13]. They are not strictly Transfiguration-based, however, in that they are used to Conjure items into existence from nowhere. These spells are used repeatedly by skilled wizards in the books. Examples of this occur where Dumbledore conjures mead for himself and the Dursleys when he goes to pick Harry up before Harry's 6th year, where Flitwick conjures Christmas decorations from his wand to decorate the Great Hall, and where Mr Ollivander creates smoke rings and a fountain of wine during the Weighing of the Wands.

JKR has confirmed that Conjured items are not permanent but disappear after a length of time, and that legislation also exists concerning what may and may not be created [South West News Service]. This makes it clear why certain problems, such as the Weasleys' lack of money, cannot be solved by simply Conjuring some up. The length of time the items exist for must be controllable by the wizard, however, as the smoke rings that Mr Ollivander created soon disappeared, but it would have been no good if Flitwick's baubles had done the same. Professor McGonagall also Conjured some food for Harry and Ron on one occasion, and if would have been no good it this disappeared from their stomachs.

Crispy Skin Hex

This is another spell used on allies of Umbridge during the breakout of anarchy following Fred and George walking out of the school in Harry's fifth year. In this case, Warrington (a member of the Inquisitorial Squad) had to go to the hospital wing when he developed a skin complaint (no doubt caused by a well-aimed Hex) that made his skin look like it was covered in cornflakes.

Crucio

Latin for "I torture".

The Cruciatus Curse. It inflicts severe physical pain on whomever it is cast upon, usually causing them to scream in agony. This spell was introduced to the Hogwarts students in Harry's fourth year by Crouch/Moody, who cast it on an enlarged spider to demonstrate its effect during their first DADA lesson of the year.
Perhaps the most famous use of the Cruciatus Curse occurred when a group of Death Eaters including Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jnr cast it on Frank and Alice Longbottom in an attempt to make them reveal information about the fallen Dark Lord. Such was the degree of torture inflicted on them that they were driven to permanent insanity, showing what effect this spell can have in large doses.
Bellatrix also cast this curse on Neville during the battle at the Department of Mysteries when she found out who he was, threatening to do to Neville what she did to his parents unless Harry handed over the Prophecy. Harry later cast it on her in revenge for this act and for her killing of Sirius, but ineffectively. Bellatrix was caused only a small amount of pain and informed Harry that one really has to mean it, and to enjoy inflicting pain, for the magic to function correctly.

It appears to be a curse that Death Eaters use routinely, as Amycus Carrow also repeatedly attempted to cast it on Ginny during the battle at Hogwarts, although she managed to dodge it each time. Voldemort also uses it as a means of punishing his followers when they have failed him: both Pettigew and Avery have suffered his displeasure in this manner. During Severus Snape's reign as Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Cruciatus Curse became a routine part of the punishment process: students were meant to cast it on anyone who had earned a detention. Many refused to do it, of course, and suffered the consequences. It was also the only time that Crabbe and Goyle had ever come top in anything.
Harry himself used this curse on one further occasion - on Amycus Carrow, after he had threatened to let Voldemort kill some students to cover up his sister Alecto's mistake, and then spat in Professor McGonagall's face when she tried to stop him .
The Cruciatus Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, and use of it against another human being is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban, although Harry at least did not face this punishment, presumably due to the circumstances of his indisgressions.

Curse Alleviation Charm

When Katie Bell was injured by the cursed necklace from Malfoy, Professor Snape did everything that he could to prevent a rapid spread of the curse. The magic he performed is unknown, and so it is included here simply as a Curse Alleviation Charm.

Curse of the Bogies

Professor Quirrell told his class about this curse, although its exact effect is unknown. Something to do with bogies, no doubt.

Cushioning Charm

This spell creates an invisible cushioned area, which is usually intended for sitting on. It is primarily used in broomstick manufacture to make the brooms more comfortable. Elliot Smethwyck invented this Charm in 1820, a development that led broomstick riding to become more comfortable than ever before.

Daydream Charm

This gives the spell caster a highly-realistic 30 minute daydream, according to its inventors Fred and George Weasley. It can have side-effects of minor drooling and a vacant expression, but this aside it is virtually undetectable. Daydream Charms can be found for sale in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes [HBP6].

Defodio

The Latin word for "excavate".

This is a gouging spell. It was used by Harry, Ron and Hermione whilst riding a dragon through the underground tunnels of Gringotts Bank during their getaway after taking Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault. The effect was to carve chunks out of the ceiling of the tunnels, enlarging them enough for the dragon to pass through.

Deletrius

"Delete" means "to erase".

This charm is used to erase spell images conjured by Priori Incantem. Amos Diggory used it after the Dark Mark had been cast by Barty Crouch Jnr, with Harry's wand, after the Quidditch World Cup. He first used Priori Incantatem to create the ghost of the Morsmordre spell, and then used Deletrius to make it vanish in a wisp of smoke [GOF9].

Densaugeo

From the Latin "dens," meaning "tooth," and "augeo," meaning "increase, enlarge".

This hex enlarges the teeth of the victim. Draco Malfoy cast it at Harry when they were fighting outside the Potions classroom in their fourth year. The spell deflected off Harry's own curse and hit Hermione, causing her teeth to grow past her collar, although Professor Snape cruelly retorted that he could see no difference from normal [GOF18]. Hermione got her teeth fixed by Madam Pomrey, and took the opportunity to let them reduce slightly further than their starting point, so that her front teeth are now no longer oversized [GOF23].

Deprimo

The Latin word for "I press down", or "I dig down".

Hermione used this spell during the escape from Xenophilius Lovegood's house. The effect it had on this occasion was the blast a hole in the floor of first-floor room they were in [DH21]. The name of the spell suggests that rather than simply blasting holes in things or making them explode, the spell specifically digs downwards, making holes in the floor or the ground where the spellcaster directs it.

Descendo

From the English word "descend", meaning "to come down".

This spell causes an item to descend. Ron used it to make the attic hatch and ladder come down so that Harry could go to see the Ghoul that had been disguised as Ron with spattergroit [DH6].

Diffindo

Latin for "I split".

Diffindo is a spell that rips an object in half or causes things to separate. Harry has used it to good effect on two occasions to date. The first of these came when he wanted to talk to Cedric Diggory alone so that he could tell him that the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament involved Dragons. Harry cast Diffindo on Cedric's bag, causing it to split and spill its contents onto the floor. Cedric stayed behind to clear up the mess whilst his friends went on, and Harry successfully spoke to him about the task [GOF20]. In his 6th year, Harry wanted to keep his modified copy of "Advanced Potion Making" but make it look like it was actually his new one from Flourish and Blotts. He therefore used Diffindo to cut the cover from both books and swapped the insides [HBP11]. Diffindo is likely to be the same spell as the Severing Charm, which Ron once used to cut the lace from his dress robes [GOF23], and is also used by Crup owners to remove the animal's forked tail [FB].

Disapparate

From the Latin "disparitio" meaning "disappearance," or "dispareo" meaning "I vanish."

This spell allows the caster to disappear instantly from any given place with a soft popping sound, or alternatively a loud cracking noise, which appears to occur at both ends of the journey taken. The spell is used in conjunction with Apparate, in that the caster must Disapparate from one location before he or she can Apparate in another.

The sound made seems to be different from one spell caster to the next: when Mundungus Fletcher Disapparated from Privet Drive when he was meant to be guarding Harry, he made a cracking sound as he disappeared [OOTP1], but when Ministry officials were flocking to the scene of the Dark Mark at the World Cup, they made popping sounds as they appeared [GOF9]. When Harry visits the Ministry for his hearing, the Apparating Ministry personnel they pass make a mixture of pops and cracks [OOTP7].

Disillusionment Charm

Literal meaning of "disillusion" is to remove an illusion. Generally used to indicate unhappiness with a situation.

This spell is used to hide something, and is typically used to conceal magical objects and occurrences from Muggles, making them blend into the background like a chameleon. Alastor Moody cast this spell on Harry when he and his Advance Guard had to fly to Grimmauld Place from Privet Drive. When Moody cast the spell it felt to Harry as if cold trickles were running down his body from his head, where Moody had hit him with his wand. Once the spell had been cast, his body immediately blended in with the background [OOTP3]. Moody lifted the spell when they reached their destination, and hit Harry's head with his wand again: this time, the trickles felt hot [OOTP4].

Dissendium

This may be a path-revealing spell. Harry learnt it when he used the Marauder's Map to take a secret passage to Hogsmeade, when he was banned from the trip due to his lack of a permission form and the proximity of Sirius Black to Hogwarts. Harry used it to open the secret passage that lay behind the statue of the hump-backed one-eyed witch on the third floor. The Map itself showed him what to do, by creating a speech bubble next to the depiction of him. The incantation given may be a spell, or it may just be a password for this particular passage [POA10].

Drought Charm

This spell dries up a limited amount of water. Harry researched this in preparation for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, but as it is designed only to dry up puddles and ponds, he decided he probably wouldn't be able to remove the entire Hogwarts lake with it [GOF26].

Duro

The Latin word for "to make hard".

Duro turns the target object into stone. Hermione cast it on a tapestry during the Battle of Hogwarts. The tapestry in question was at the bottom of a flight of stairs that she had just turned into a slide with Glisseo: she, Ron and Harry burst through it, and when some Death Eaters followed them down she turned it into stone, as evidenced by the painful crunch behind them [DH32].

Enchanted Mist

This was one of the obstacles Harry encountered in the maze during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and is presumably produced by some magical means. It is golden in colour and causes the world of anyone entering it to turn upside-down. Their feet are still on the ground, but up and down are reversed, meaning that the victim is left dangling, stuck to a floor that has become the ceiling, with the sky beneath them. The spell is broken if the victim removes a foot from the ground, and the world turns back the right way up for them [GOF31].

Enchanted Sleep

During the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, one hostage for each Champion was placed in the village of the Merpeople in the Hogwarts lake, for the competitors to rescue. The hostages were first put into an enchanted sleep in order to protect them whilst underwater. Not only were they unconscious, but they could also breathe underwater, as streams of bubbles kept emerging from their mouths, although this second effect is likely to be due to a separate charm placed upon them. The hostages were tied to a statue in the middle of the village and guarded by the Merpeople as they waited for the Champions to arrive [GOF26].

Engorgio

"Engorge" means "to fill to excess".

The Engorgement Charm. This causes the target of the spell to enlarge until it is several times its original size. It is likely that the target has to be living matter. Evidence of this comes from the fact that wherever it has been cast in the books so far, this has been the case. Fred and George Weasley put an Engorgement Charm on their Ton-Tongue Toffees, which they "accidentally" let Dudley Dursley eat, leading his tongue to grow to over 4 feet in length before his parents would let Arthur magically shrink it again [GOF4]. In addition, Moody/Crouch used an Engorgement Charm on the spider he was using to demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses in his DADA lessons. The spider grew larger than a tarantula, much to Ron's chagrin [GOF14].

In contrast, when Fred and George wanted to increase the size of the copy of The Quibber that contained Harry's interview, they used an Enlargement Charm [OOTP26]. Also similar is the Growth Charm, which Harry got mixed up with the Colour-Change Charm during his OWL and swelled a rat he was meant to be turning orange to the size of a badger before he could do anything about it [OOTP31]. The precise difference between the Engorgement Charm and the Growth Charm is unknown.

Enlargement Charm

Similar to the Engorgement Charm described above, this causes an object to swell in size. It is thought that the Engorgement Charm works only on organic matter animal or vegetable matter, whilst the Enlargement Charm works on other objects [OOTP26].

Ennervate

This spell revives an unconscious person. It is often used to help someone who has had Stupefy cast on them to regain consciousness. This occurred when Winky was hit by Stupefy following Barty Crouch Jnr's casting of the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup - on this occasion, Amos Diggory woke her up using the spell so she could be questioned [GOF9]. Dumbledore also used it to revive Viktor Krum when he had been Stunned by Crouch Jnr [GOF35], and in turn to revive Crouch himself for questioning after the murder of Cedric Diggory [GOF35].

We can assume that the spell also works on people who are unconscious for other reasons, as Harry attempted to cast it on Dumbledore when he had been rendered unconscious by the Emerald Potion in the Horcrux Cave [HBP26]. On this occasion, the incantation Harry used was "Rennervate", but this is likely to have simply been Harry getting the spell wrong in the heat of the moment rather than an entirely different piece of magic.

Entrail-Expelling Curse

Invented by the rather vicious-looking Urquhart Rackharrow, 1612-1697. The effect of this spell is unknown, but presumably involves expelling entrails. A portrait of Urquhart hangs in the "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn Ward in St Mungo's Hospital, where Arthur Weasley was treated after being attacked by Nagini [OOTP22].

Entrancing Enchantment

The effect of this spell isn't specified, but Lockhart mentioned it in the same breath as Love Potions during his ill-fated Valentine's bash, and so we can assume that it entrances the target person in order to make them fall in love with the caster. According to Lockhart, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any other wizard he'd met, and was therefore a "sly old dog" [COS13].

Episkey

From the Greek "episkeyi" meaning "repair".

A healing spell. Tonks used to it repair Harry's nose when it was broken after Malfoy petrified him and stamped on him after he followed Blaise Zabini into his compartment on the Hogwarts Express [HBP8]. It isn't just for breaks, however, as Harry used it to heal Demelza's cut lip when Ron accidentally punched her during Quidditch practice [HBP14]. It may also have been the spell Lockhart was attempting to cast when he accidentally removed all the bones from Harry's arm [COS10].

Erecto

From the Latin "erectus", meaning "to set up, to erect".

Hermione used this spell to put up the tent that she, Harry and Ron were using to camp out in whilst on the run from the Death Eaters. On their first night away from Grimmauld Place, Harry was attempting to put it up by hand before Hermione saved him the bother by using this magic [DH14]. It can therefore be assumed that they continued to use it from that point on.

It is likely that the spell can be used to make other objects assemble themselves in addition to tents, but this is unconfirmed.

Evanesco

Latin for "I vanish".

This spell is used to make an object or objects vanish. It is assumed that the spell works only on objects, and not on people or animals. Evanesco is also known as the Vanishing Spell, and is taught in the 5th year at Hogwarts. Vanishing magic is some of the hardest the students learn at OWL level [OOTP13]. It is likely that Evanesco actually makes the target object disappear entirely rather than just turn invisible, although this is unconfirmed. Simple invisibility can be achieved using an Invisibility Spell (such as the one Fred and George placed on their Headless Hats [OOTP24]), which increases the probability of Evanesco having a different effect, but the effects of the spell have been ambiguous to date.

Professor Snape used Evanesco to make Harry's attempt at a Draught of Peace disappear during the first Potions lesson of his 5th year, after Harry's failure to add syrup of hellebore turned it into useless goo [OOTP12]. This would have been a pointless exercise if the potion had just turned invisible - it seems from this that it disappeared entirely.

On the other hand, Bill Weasley used it to Vanish some important Order of the Phoenix parchments before Harry could seem them when Harry was staying at Grimmauld Place, and he wouldn't have done that unless he could get them back again [OOTP5]. Also, when Harry's class had moved on from Vanishing snails to Vanishing mice in their Transfiguration lessons, Ron's attempt was incomplete and he was left with a wriggling tail [OOTP15]. The tail would not have wriggled if the rest of the mouse had totally gone, only if it was invisible.

Expecto Patronum

From the Latin "expecto", meaning "I await" or "I hope for", and "patronus", meaning "a protector" or "a guardian". Hence the full meaning of the phrase can be expressed as "I hope for a guardian". "Expecto" could also be interpreted as Dog (ie Anglicised) Latin. In this context, it would come from "ex", meaning "away from", and "pectus" meaning "heart, soul, or chest". Therefore, in this case the phrase would mean "out of the soul/heart, a protector."

The Patronus Charm. This is highly advanced magic, beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level, as reported by both Remus Lupin when he was teaching Harry how to do it [POA12] and by Hermione when she and Harry travelled back in time to save Sirius [POA21]. The spell produces a Patronus, which takes the form of a silver animal made of vapour, but is actually a projection of the caster's positive emotions [POA12]. It acts as a guardian, protecting the spell caster, and can be used to ward off both Dementors [POA12] and Lethifolds [FB]. It may well work against other creatures as well, although this is unconfirmed.

Remus Lupin taught Harry how to conjure a Patronus after Dementors invaded the pitch during the first Quidditch match in his 3rd year, causing him to fall off his broom and lose the game [POA9]. It took a lot of practice, however, due to the advanced nature of the magic in question. To conjure a Patronus, the spell caster must speak the incantation - Expecto Patronum - while concentrating hard on an extremely happy thought or memory. When the charm is cast successfully, the spell caster's wand emits a Patronus [POA12]. The inexperienced caster may not manage to produce anything but a vague film of mist, but when the spell has been mastered, a fully-fledged and well-defined creature - referred to as a corporeal Patronus - will be created [OOTP8]. The type of animal the Patronus assumes depends entirely upon the witch or wizard who conjures it, reflecting certain traits of the caster's personality. Like Animagus form, the Patronus of any given witch or wizard is fixed, but it can change due to extreme stress or emotional upheaval [HBP16].

Harry has used the Patronus Charm to good effect on a number of occasions: he saw off some "Dementors" (in reality Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in disguise) in his first Quidditch match after learning the spell [POA13], and later in the year drove an entire pack of real Dementors away from himself and Sirius after travelling back in time [POA20]. He also successfully defended himself and Dudley Dursley from an attack before the start of his 5th year [OOTP1].

Harry taught the charm to the DA later that year, with mixed results: Cho and Hermione managed to produce excellent results, with their Patronuses being a swan and an otter respectively. Neville, Lavender and Seamus had more problems with the magic at first [OOTP27], but Seamus at least had mastered it two years later [DH32].

The Order of the Phoenix utilise Patronuses in a different manner: they use them for communication. When Tonks found Harry on the Hogwarts Express after he had been attacked by Malfoy, she sent word to the school using her Patronus [HBP8]. Kingsley Shacklebolt used the same means of communication to warn the guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding of the coming of the Death Eaters [DH8], whilst Severus Snape used his Patronus to guide Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor, which he had hidden in a frozen pond in the Forest of Dean [DH19].The Patronuses of a number of witches and wizards are known. These are:

Cho Chang - Swan [OOTP27]
Aberforth Dumbledore - Goat [DH28]
Albus Dumbledore - Phoenix [DH20]
Seamus Finnegan - Fox [DH32]
Hermione Granger - Otter [OOTP27]
Luna Lovegood - Hare [DH32]
Ernie MacMillan - Boar [DH32]
Minerva McGonagall - Cat [DH30]
Harry Potter - Stag [POA21]
Kingsley Shacklebolt - Lynx [DH8]
Severus Snape - Doe [DH33]
Nymphadora Tonks - Werewolf [HBP8]
Dolores Umbridge - Cat [DH13]
Arthur Weasley - Weasel [DH7]
Ron Weasley - Terrier [DH32]

Expelliarmus

Latin for "to expel a weapon".

This spell is used to disarm an opponent. It is a relatively simple spell, as Professor Lockhart attempted to teach it to the students during their 2nd year in his ill-fated Duelling Club [COS11]. It is unclear how much success he had, but Harry, Ron and Hermione had certainly mastered it by the end of their 3rd year. On this occasion they used it simultaneously in an attempt to disarm Severus Snape and prevent him handing Sirius over to the Dementors. Cast together in this way, not only did it disarm Snape, but the power of the spells hurled him across the room and knocked him unconscious [POA19]. This appears to be a known side-effect of this spell when cast with a lot of power, as Lockhart was also thrown against the wall when Snape cast it on him at the Duelling Club [COS11].

Expelliarmus has played an important part in GOF and HBP, and none more so than in the graveyard confrontation between Harry and Voldemort. It is this spell that Harry cast at the same time as Voldemort attempted Avada Kedavra, resulting in the Priori Incantatem effect between their brother wands that ended up allowing Harry to escape [GOF34].

Crucially, Draco Malfoy also cast this spell on Dumbledore on the Hogwarts ramparts, after Dumbledore and Harry had returned from the Horcrux cave in HBP. Draco's intention was to render the Headmaster defenceless before killing him. Malfoy's nerve failed him and he couldn't go through with the killing, but the job was completed by Severus Snape [HBP27].

After Harry's performance in the graveyard, The Death Eaters began to see this spell as Harry's "signature move". Remus Lupin was furious with Harry for using it during the escape from Privet Drive, and thus giving away which of the seven Potters was real [DH5]. Whilst he took this advice on board, he still used it in his final duel with Voldemort, successfully retrieving the Elder Wand from him, whilst the Dark Lord's own Avada Kedavra curse rebounded and killed him [DH36].

Expulso

"Expulsio" is Latin for "I drive out", or "I expel".

Causes a target object to explode. Dolohov used this after he and Rowle had tracked Harry, Ron and Hermione down to the café on the Tottenham Court Road. Luckily for Harry it missed him and exploded a table behind him [DH9].

Extension Charm

See "Undetectable Extension Charm".

Extinguishing Spell

From the context, it can be inferred that this is a spell that puts out fires. Charlie Weasley told Hagrid that the dragon-keepers would be standing by during the first Task of the Triwizard Tournament with their Extinguishing Spells at the ready in case anything got nasty [GOF19].

Featherweight Charm

This charm is used to make something lightweight so that it can be carried more easily. After he had run away from Privet Drive before the start of his third year, Harry thought about bewitching his trunk to make it as light as a feather, tying it to his broom, wearing his Invisibility Cloak and flying to London. Luckily for him the Knight Bus arrived before he could put this dubious plan into action [POA3].

Ferula

Conjures a splint and bandages, which then bind an injury of the caster's choice. After tying up Wormtail in the Shrieking Shack, Remus Lupin cast this on Ron's broken leg so that he could get back to the castle where Madam Pomfrey could mend it properly [POA19].

Fidelius Charm

"Fidelis" is Latin for "faithful friends".

This is, according to Professor Flitwick, an immensely complex spell that allows a secret to be concealed, even if under normal circumstances it would be in plain sight, for an indefinite period of time. When the spell is cast, the magically protected secret is known only to one person, who is referred to as the Secret-Keeper. The information in question is stored and concealed within their very soul. The only way that any third party can become privy to the protected information is if the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it directly to them. It cannot be revealed in any other way, and so even those who the Secret-Keeper has informed cannot pass the information on [POA10, HBP2].

James and Lily Potter, along with their baby son, were protected by this charm when they went into hiding in Godric's Hollow. Unfortunately, they chose Peter Pettigrew as their Secret-Keeper, who turned out to be a spy for Lord Voldemort. He immediately informed the Dark Lord of their location, and he promptly murdered them [POA10, 19].

Dumbledore also protected the information of where the Order of the Phoenix had its Headquarters using the Fidelius Charm. On this occasion he himself acted as Secret-Keeper, and as he was not present when Harry first arrived there, he had to provide a hand-written note in order for Harry to be able to see the house. Once he had done so, the houses on either side shrunk back, and number 12 Grimmauld Place appeared between them [OOTP4].

Later, the Fidelius Charm was used to protect the Weasleys' Auntie Muriels house, where they had moved after it became unsafe to stay at The Burrow, and also Bill and Fleur's cottage, where Harry, Ron and Hermione were hiding out. Arthur was the Secret Keeper for Auntie Muriel's, whilst Bill took the duties for Shell Cottage [DH24].

JKR stated on her website that the magic is not broken if the Secret-Keeper dies: rather, the secret cannot then be told to anybody else. This would have important connotations if the Secret-Keeper has informed nobody, or very few people. In the case of 12 Grimmauld Place, with Dumbledore is dead, nobody except the current Order of the Phoenix would ever be able to see the house. Once they are all dead, nobody would know the secret at all, and number 12 Grimmauld Place would, in effect, cease to exist [JKR Website].

Information given in Deathly Hallows contradicts this, however. In this book, it states that if the Secret Keeper dies, each person that they have told becomes a Secret Keeper in their place. This makes the charm far less effective, of course, as there are now multiple Secret Keepers who can be caught and coerced into giving out their information. Realising this, the Order of the Phoenix stopped using Grimmauld Place as Headquarters when Dumbledore died [DH6]. This version of what happens when the Secret Keeper dies is far more logical that the previous explanation and can be assumed to have superseded it.

It is also confirmed in Deathly Hallows that if the Fidelius Charm is cast on a human target, if the target person dies, the magic ceases. This became apparent when Harry and Hermione visited Godric's Hollow and could see James and Lily's house [DH17].

FiendFyre

Fiendfyre is colossally powerful enchanted fire that burns everything in its path. Its flames are unusually large, and it appears to have enough consciousness to actually follow its intended victims. The flames form themselves into the shapes of vicious magical animals as they raze everything in their path in a fiery inferno. The blaze is so potent that Fiendfyre is one of the very few substances that are capable of destroying a Horcrux.

Crabbe cast this spell in the Room of Requirement when he sneaked in with Malfoy and Goyle as Harry went to retrieve the Diadem of Ravenclaw. It seems to be an exceptionally advanced curse for Crabbe to be performing, and perhaps this is illustrated in the fact that once he had created the fire, he had no control over it whatsoever, and he ended up dying in the blaze. In the enclosed space of the Room, the heat and smoke created by the Fiendfyre were almost too much to bear, and the others only managed to escape with the aid of some very nifty broomstick flying [DH31].

Finite/Finite Incantatem

From the Latin "finis", meaning "end".

These are two spells that have very similar effects, and so they are covered together here. Both remove the effects of other spells that are currently in operation: it is likely from descriptions of their use in the books that Finite addresses and negates a single spell, whilst Finite Incantatem applies to all spells in the vicinity.

Remus Lupin cast Finite on Neville Longbottom following the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, in order to remove the effects of a Tarantallegra curse that Dolohov had cast on him [OOTP35]. Snape used Finite Incantatem at Lockhart's Duelling Club when the students attacking each other got out of control, and random curses were flying in all directions [COS11].

Fire Charm

When Harry and Dumbledore were attacked by Inferi in the Horcrux cave, Dumbledore created a ring of crimson and gold fire to protect them. This may be simply a Dumbledore-powered version of Flagrate or Incendio, or it may be a separate fire creation charm that we hadn't previously seen [HBP26].

Flagrante Curse

"Flagrantia" is Latin for "burning".

This may simply be the name of the spell whose incantation is Flagrate, which is described below. The observed effects of the two - in simple terms, burning things - are very similar.

The Flagrante Curse was used by Gingotts Bank to protect the Lestrange vault. It caused the treasure within the vault to become burning hot when touched, so much so that it blistered the skin immediately on contact, thus making it impossible to pick anything up without suffering immense pain. Griphook was almost buried under scalding hot treasure during the break-in, and had to be rescued by Harry [DH26].

Flagrate

"Flagrantia" is Latin for "burning".

This spell enables the caster able to draw lines of fire with their wand. Hermione used this in the rotating room in the Department of Mysteries to mark which doors they had tried [OOTP34]. The first mark she made lasted for the time they were in the Death Chamber, but it was gone by the time Harry followed Bellatrix back through after the fight [OOTP36].

Tom Riddle also wrote in the air with Harry's wand in the Chamber of Secrets, rearranging the letters of his name into the phrase "I am Lord Voldemort". He may well have been using this, or a similar, spell to achieve this effect [COS17].

Flame Freezing Charm

This charm was used by Medieval witches to remove the effects of the fire when they were burned at the stake, replacing the heat with a gentle tickling sensation. The witch in question would scream a bit and pretend to be burning in order to keep up the pretence, whilst in reality suffering no harm at all. Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be apprehended on no fewer than 47 different occasions [POA1].

Flesh Memory

When Golden Snitches are made, they are enchanted to have a Flesh Memory. This allows the Snitch to identify the first person to touch it, an ability which is used to adjudicate whenever a capture is disputed. In order to avoid corrupting the Flesh Memory before the Snitch has been used competitively, the maker wears gloves during manufacture to avoid touching it directly [DH7].

Flying (Human)

See "Human Flying".

Flying Charm

Different to Wingardium Leviosa, which merely makes objects float in the air, the Flying Charm allows them to be manoeuvred by the user and turns them into genuinely controllable airborne items. The Flying Charm is applied to broomsticks, as confirmed by Draco Malfoy when he was criticising Ron's broom during one Quidditch practice: "why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a mouldy old log like that?" were the words he chose [OOTP14]. It is likely that this is also the charm used on Flying Carpets [GOF7]. It is clear that Flying Charms can be cast only on objects rather than animals or people, because until at recently as 1997, it was well known throughout the wizarding world that no spell existed that allowed a wizard to fly unaided [QA]. Voldemort broke through this barrier, inventing a spell that allowed him to fly [DH4], and he taught this skill to Severus Snape as well [DH30]. As both these men are now dead, the art may be lost once more.

Freezing Charm

Hermione used a clever Freezing Charm to immobilise Cornish Pixies after Professor Lockhart's disastrous first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, following Lockhart's pathetic attempt to deal with them himself [COS6]. According to Horace Slughorn, Freezing Charms are also effective in disabling Muggle burglar alarms [HBP4].

Full Body-Bind Curse

See "Petrificus Totalus".

Fur Charm

When Ginny was upset about the spate of Petrifications at school during her first year, Fred and George embarked on an ill-conceived campaign to cheer her up. One thing that they did was to cover themselves in fur and jump out at her from behind statues. Far from cheering her up, however, it merely caused her to have nightmares, which made Percy so cross that he wrote to their mother to ask her to make them stop it [COS11].

Furnunculus

This hex causes the victim's body to break out in boils where the spell hits them. Harry attempted to cast it on Malfoy during his 4th year, after Malfoy had called Hermione a Mudblood. Malfoy cast his own spell at the same moment, however, and both were deflected: Harry's hit Goyle in the face, which immediately started to sprout boils [GOF18]. At the end of the year, when Malfoy came to Harry's compartment on the Hogwarts Express to gloat about Voldemort's return, Harry again cast it at him and again hit Goyle. On this occasion George Weasley cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx on Goyle at the same time, and the combined effect was to knock him unconscious and cause him to sprout little tentacles all over his face [GOF37].

Geminio

From the Latin "gemino", meaning "I double" or "I repeat".

This spell replicates an object, creating an exact copy. Either one copy or a number of copies can be created, as the caster desires. Hermione used Geminio to create a replica of Slytherin's locket when Harry had retrieved it from around Dolores Umbridge's neck, so that she would not suspect that anything was wrong [DH13]. This magic is also used as a security measure in Gringotts Bank. In this case, treasure stored in the vaults has been charmed to replicate many times if touched. That way, any would-be thief will be unable to detect the genuine gold or items he is trying to steal. Griphook told Harry that if anyone tried to repeatedly handle treasure that was not theirs, they would eventually be crushed to death by the expanding gold [DH26].

Gemino Curse

See "Geminio".

Glisseo

From the French "glisse", meaning "slip".

Glisseo flattens a flight of stairs so that it becomes a slide. Hermione cast this to help herself, Harry and Ron to escape from some Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts. They flung themselves down the resultant slide, shooting through a tapestry at the bottom. When the Death Eaters followed them down, Hermione thoughtfully used Duro to turn the tapestry into stone, and they studded painfully into it [DH32].

Golden Fire

When Harry's wand took it upon itself to defend him from Voldemort, it produced a spurt of golden fire that broke the wand that Voldemort was using [DH4]. No other known magic produces this effect, so it is included here as a spell in its own right.

Gripping Charm

The Gripping Charm allows a person to grasp an object more effectively. It was invented in 1875 and is primarily used in Quidditch to allow the Chasers to handle the Quaffle one-handed whilst still keeping a grip on their brooms [QA].

Growth Charm

Similar to the Enlargement Charm and the Engorgement Charm, this spell causes the target to increase in size. The precise differences between these three enchantments are unknown. Harry got confused during his Charms OWL and cast a Growth Charm on a rat he was meant to be turning orange. It had grown to the size of a badger before he could stop it [OOTP31].

Gubraithian Fire

This is everlasting fire, the result of an enchantment. When Hagrid and Maxime went as envoys to the Giants after the rebirth of Lord Voldemort, they took with them a branch that was enchanted with Gubraithian Fire to give as a gift to the Gurg. The spell that produces this fire is complex, and according to Hagrid at least "isn' somethin' any wizard could do" [OOTP20].

Hair Loss Curse

The effects of this spell have not been observed to date, but it seems safe to assume that it makes the victim lose their hair. It was covered by Professor Vindictus Viridian in his book Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More) [PS/SS5].

Hair-Thickening Charm

Causes the hair to thicken. During the build-up to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match in 1995, Alicia Spinnet was hit from behind by a curse from Miles Bletchley that caused her eyebrows to grow so fast they obscured her vision. Professor Snape refused to believe this and stated that she must have attempted a Hair-Thickening Charm on herself [OOTP19].

Hex Deflection

It is unclear whether this is a spell or a branch of magic (such as Occlumency). Either way, it is used to block or deflect magic cast as you. Crouch/Moody gave Harry's class a very vigorous Hex Deflection workout in 4th year DADA classes, and Harry had quite a bad case of Twitchy Ears afterwards [GOF28].

Hives Hex

This hex causes the victims face to erupt in hives. Hives are raised lumps on the skin, usually caused by an allergic reaction. Morfin Gaunt cast this spell on the young Tom Riddle Snr, in retaliation for the crime of being a Muggle and the object of his sister Merope's unrequited affections. Morfin was finally sent to Azkaban for 3 years for a string of such attacks [HBP10].

Homenum Revelio

From the Latin "hominis", meaning "human", and "revelo", meaning "I unveil".

A spell that reveals whether there are any humans present in the near vicinity. Hermione cast it when she, Harry and Ron went to 12 Grimmauld Place after the encounter on the Tottenham Court Road, to make sure that nobody else was in the house [DH9]. When the spell is cast, it causes a magical presence to sweep around the area being searched, and any humans within that area can feel it passing them. In turn, the caster can feel when a human is detected. Harry experienced this when Death Eaters came to Xenophilius Lovegood's house and searched it using the spell [DH21].

Homorphus Charm

From "Homo" meaning "man" and "morphus" meaning "transform".

This spell is - supposedly - used to force a Werewolf to revert to human form. Lockhart claimed to have used this against the Wagga Wagga Werewolf, and made Harry act out the situation with him in one 2nd year DADA class [COS10]. He hadn't done anything of the sort, of course, but it may be a real spell. If it is a real spell, its effects must be temporary, or there would be no danger from Werewolves, or need for the Wolfsbane potion [POA18].

Honesty Jinx

When Dumbledore's Army first met in the Hog's Head, Hermione made them all sign a piece of parchment, with the agreement being that anyone who signed was promising not to tell Umbridge about the group [OOTP16]. Hermione later revealed that the parchment was jinxed to detect whether anyone broke the agreement [OOTP17]. Marietta Edgecombe later did just this, and found that as a result, the word "SNEAK" formed in vivid purple pustules across her face [OOTP27]. It is likely that this was merely Hermione's choice of punishment for offenders, and the main focus of the spell is to detect anyone breaking the agreement and have something happen to them. This is unlike any other spell revealed in the series, and hence appears here as the Honesty Jinx.

Horcrux Creation Spell

Any wizard who wishes to render himself immortal - after a fashion - must first split his own soul by committing murder: the supreme act of evil. All murder splits the soul, but if the wizard wishes to then utilise the damage in order to make a Horcrux, an additional spell is required. No details are given about it, save for its existence, confirmed by Horace Slughorn in conversation with the young Tom Riddle [HBP23]. Slughorn himself told Riddle he knew nothing about the spell itself, and it is certain that he was telling the truth. However the magic works, its effect is to encase the torn portion of the soul into an external object. Then if the wizard's physical body (and the part of his soul that is still inside him) is killed, he cannot truly die, because a part of his soul is still undamaged. The existence this offers is not life, however: Slughorn even went as far as to suggest that death would be preferable [HBP23].

Horn Tongue Hex

Turns the tongue to horn. Harry found this hex in a book when he was trying to work out how to defeat a dragon in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. He decided not to use it as it would just give the dragon an extra weapon [GOF20].

Horton-Keitch Braking Charm

Patented by Basil Horton and Randolph Keitch, this charm aids broomsticks in slowing down in a controlled manner. It is used on broomsticks made by the Comet company [QA].

Hot Air Charm

Causes hot air to stream out of the end of the caster's wand. A complicated wand movement is required to cast this spell but no incantation. Hermione used it to dry her robes in winter 1995, after she'd been out in deep snow to visit Hagrid [OOTP21].

Hover Charm

Similar to Wingardium Leviosa, this spell makes an item hover in the air. It was famously used by Dobby on Aunt Petunia's cream and sugared violet pudding, when Dobby was attempting to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts for his own safety. Dobby Hovered the pudding, and threatened to let it drop to the kitchen floor unless Harry promised not to go back. Harry wouldn't, and the pudding fell [COS2].

Human Flying

By the time of Harry's escape from Privet Drive to the Tonks' house, Voldemort had mastered the art of flying unaided [DH4], something which had eluded the most eminent magical minds for centuries. Up until this point, it was an accepted magical law that no spell could make a person able to fly, but Voldemort changed all that. It is known that he taught the art to Severus Snape [DH30], but as both men are dead, it is unclear whether the secret has now been lost. The first evidence of Voldemort's ability to fly came when he intercepted Harry's flight, and was only prevented from killing him because Harry's wand defending him of its own accord [DH4].

Hurling Hex

The effect of this spell is unconfirmed, but it is very likely that it causes an item to jerk and twitch. It is particularly used for an item somebody may be riding, such as a broomstick. In this case the hexed item will attempt to hurl the rider off. Professor Flitwick thought that Harry's new Firebolt broomstick - a gift from Sirius Black - might be hexed in this manner, although it wasn't [POA12]. It is, however, almost certainly the spell that Quirrell was using in an attempt to make Harry fall to his death from his broomstick in his first game of Quidditch for Gryffindor [PS/SS11].

Impediment Charm

See "Impedimenta".

Impedimenta

"Impedimentum" is Latin for "a hindrance".

In its simplest form, this spell is used to stop or slow down a person or creature, effectively immobilising them for a short period of time. When cast with power, however, it can easily knock the target off their feet. On many occasions, it has knocked the target over but not prevented subsequent movement at all. Whether these variations are accidental in the casting of the spell, or the choice of the caster, is unclear.

Harry first learnt this spell when he was preparing for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Ron and Hermione learnt it too, and Ron successfully stopped a wasp in mid-air with it [GOF31]. This demonstrates the weakest form of the spell. Harry cast it on a Blast-Ended Skrewt and a giant spider during the task. The Skrewt was immobilised without being knocked back, although this may have been due to its size. The spell had no effect on the spider at all [GOF31].

Madam Hooch cast the spell on Harry when he attacked Malfoy following the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match in their 5th year. On this occasion it had the opposite effect: Harry was knocked back but not immobilised [OOTP19]. This was also the case when a group of Death Eaters cast it on Harry, Hermione and Neville during the battle at the Department of Mysteries [OOTP35]. When James Potter cast it on Snape when he was bullying him at school, it both knocked him back and immobilised him [OOTP28].

Finally, Harry used the spell against the Inferi in the Horcrux cave. Here it was effective against individual creatures, but weight of numbers meant that he gained no advantage from it [HBP26]. It served him better during the battle at Hogwarts, however, where he used it against Amycus and Alecto as he chased Snape to the school gates [HBP28].

Imperio

From the Latin "impero," meaning "I give orders, rule, hold sway," or "imperium," meaning "power to command, rule, control."

The Imperius Curse. This is used to command the actions of another person or animal, leaving them at the mercy of the spell caster and totally under their control. The spell was introduced by Moody/Crouch, when he taught it to Harry's class in their first fourth-year DADA lesson, when he demonstrated all of the Unforgivable Curses [GOF14]. A subsequent lesson was dedicated entirely to the Imperius Curse, and Moody/Crouch put each of Harry's classmates under it to see if they could resist it. Harry was the only one who was able to do so [GOF15].

The experience of being under the curse is described as a floating sensation where every thought and worry in Harry's head was erased and replaced with a numb happiness. A sense of obedience, where commands were to be obeyed without question, came with it [GOF15]. In Harry's case, his own voice managed to penetrate the emptiness in his brain that the curse had caused, urging him to fight against it. It appears, therefore, that the ability to resist hinges on the ability to return a sense of self into one's mind [GOF15].

This magic has been used frequently throughout the series, and the effects of it have often been fought against with either partial or complete success. Barty Crouch Jnr used it on Alastor Moody so that he could keep Moody under control whilst taking his place at Hogwarts [GOF35], and again on Viktor Krum to make him attack Cedric during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournamet [GOF31].

Bartemius Snr had previously used it on his son to keep him under strict control after springing him from Azkaban. Barty Jnr began to resist the curse, however, which allowed him enough freedom to cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup [GOF35]. After freeing Barty Jnr, Voldemort cast it on Bartemius Snr, who like his son began to resist it [GOF35]. Voldemort also cast it on Harry in the graveyard at Little Hangleton in an attempt to make him answer a question - Harry, having been taught by Moody/Crouch, was able to totally resist it [GOF34].

Two years on, Draco Malfoy use the Imperius Curse to control Madam Rosmerta, who was not able to resist it [HBP27]. Under its influence, she was forced to supply Draco with information, supply poisoned mead, and herself put the curse on Katie Bell in an attempt to make her take a cursed opal necklace to Dumbledore [HBP12]. By the following year, the need to defeat Voldemort by any means necessary meant that people as unlikely as both Harry and Minerva McGonagall could be found using this curse. Harry used it on Travers, to stop him interfering with their raid on Gringotts, and also on Bogrod the Goblin, who he forced to escort them to the Lestrange vault [DH26]. Minerva used it on Amycus Carrow before the Battle of Hogwarts, again to stop any interference [DH30].

The Imperius Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses and the use of it against another human being is normally punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban.

Imperius Curse

See "Imperio".

Imperturbable Charm

Imperturbable means "not able to be disturbed".

This spell creates a barrier that sounds, objects and people cannot cross. When Fred and George tried to use Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on Order of the Phoenix meetings at Grimmauld Place, their attempts were thwarted by Molly putting this charm on the door, which meant that the Ears couldn't get near it. Ginny threw Dungbombs as the door and they flew right away from it, proving that the charm was in place [OOTP4].

Impervius

Impervious means "incapable of being affected".

Impervius is used to make an object resistant to water. It has been successfully used twice in the series to date, and on both occasions it was used in an attempt to aid visibility for Quidditch players in poor conditions. Hermione used it to good effect when she cast it on Harry's glasses during the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff game in Harry's third year. It helped his vision, but Gryffindor still lost after Dementors invaded the pitch [POA9]. The entire Gryffindor team tried to use the charm on their faces when trying to practice in even worse conditions in their fifth year, but on this occasion the weather was just too bad, and they had to admit defeat and pack up [OOTP18].

When it was raining in Yaxley's office in the Ministry of Magic, Hermione suggested that Ron (disguised as maintenance man Reg Cattermole) should use Impervius to protect his belongings [DH12]. During Harry, Ron and Hermione's raid of Gringotts Bank, Hermione tried to use it to protect them all when they were deluged with scalding hot metal. It did no good, but this attempted usage suggests that the spell might provide protection from more than just water [DH26].

Inanimatus Conjurus

From the Latin "inanimus", meaning "inanimate", and the word "conjurus", a derivative of "conjure".

A spell mentioned in passing as homework in Harry's fifth year. The effect is unknown, but presumably involves conjuring inanimate objects [OOTP14]. Professor McGonagall said at another point that Conjuring Spells were NEWT level magic, and so this is probably a simplified version.

Incantation Free Magic

See "Non-Verbal Magic".

Incarcerous

"Incarcerate" means to shut in.

This spell is used to summon or conjure ropes, which then bind a chosen target. It has been used several times in the series so far, although the first uses were non-verbal and the incantation was unknown at this point. It was first cast by Quirrell, when he used it to tie up Harry in the chamber of the Philosopher's Stone: on this occasion it was cast with a mere click of the fingers, making it both non-verbal and wandless magic [PS/SS17]. Severus Snape used it two years later in the Shrieking Shack to tie up Lupin after he'd apprehended him in the company of Sirius Black. On this occasion he used his wand, but no incantation [POA19].

In Harry's fifth year, Dolores Umbrige used this spell in a failed attempt to control the Centaurs after she had been tricked by Hermione into entering the Forbidden Forest. In response, the Centaurs attacked her and carried her away [OOTP33]. Harry attempted to use it against both the Inferi and Snape during his trip to the Horcrux cave and the subsequent attack on Hogwarts, but met with little success on either occasion [HBP26, 28].

Incendio

"Incendo" is Latin for "set fire to".

Creates a fire. This spell magically creates what would otherwise be an ordinary Muggle fire. As such it is different to other wizarding fires that are closely controllable, such as Hermione's speciality Portable Flame [PS/SS11], or those that burn in unusual colours, such as the bright purple fire kindled by African wizards at the Quidditch World Cup [GOF7].

Arthur used Incendio to start a fire in the Dursleys' fireplace so that Harry and the Weasleys could use the Floo Network to travel back to The Burrow for the Quidditch World Cup [GOF4]. Much later, after Snape's murder of Dumbledore, a huge Death Eater set fire to Hagrid's hut with this spell [HBP28]. When giving her account of the battle later on, Ginny revealed that Incendio cannot penetrate the Peruvian Instant Darkness Power sold in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, as she had tried it without success [HBP29].

Instant Scalping Hex

Removes the hair from the victim - instantly. Harry consulted the book Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed in preparation for the Triwizard tournament and found this spell but discarded it due to the fact that dragons have no hair [GOF20].

Intruder Charm

The wizarding equivalent of a burglar alarm. It makes an audible signal when the area covered by the charm is entered by somebody or something. Horace Slughorn had one of these set up in the house he was using in Budleigh Babberton so that he could tell if someone approached. Unfortunately for him, when Harry and Dumbledore came to call he was in the bath and didn't hear it go off [HBP4].

Invisibility Spell

This is a spell that renders something invisible. Fred and George Weasley used it to good effect in their range of Headless Hats. Hermione was particularly impressed that they'd managed to make the range of invisibility go beyond the charmed object, but doubted whether the charm would last for very long [OOTP24]. This spell is different to Evanesco as it is likely that Evanesco actually causes the item to cease to exist rather than simply making it invisible.

Invisible Bonds

When Voldemort held Charity Burbage prisoner during a Death Eater meeting at the Malfoy mansion, she was suspended upside-down as if from an invisible rope, and bound with invisible bonds, which she struggled against when conscious [DH1]. These bonds are different from those conjured by Incarcerous, which are visible, and the spell is also different to Petrificus Totalus, which the victim cannot struggle against. Therefore it is listed here as a separate spell.

Jelly-Legs Jinx

The Jelly-Legs Jinx causes the victim's legs shake uncontrollably. Hermione cast this on Harry when he was practicing his Shield Charm in preparation for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. The Jinx shattered Harry's defence and he had to wobble around the room for ten minutes before Hermione looked up the counter-jinx [GOF31]. George Weasley later used it on Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express at the end of the year, after Malfoy had gone to Harry's compartment to brag about Voldemort's return [GOF37].

Killing Curse

See "Avada Kedavra".

Knee-Reversal Jinx

When the ball from an early Quidditch game landed in Gertie Keddle's cabbage patch, she was not impressed, and hexed the man who came to fetch it. The Knee-Reversal Jinx was the spell she used, which had the expected effect on his knees [QA].

Knitting Charm

This charm enchants knitting needles. Hermione bewitched knitting needles to knit House-Elf hats and scarves all by themselves for the SPEW cause [OOTP17].

Langlock

This jinx glues the victim's tongue to the top of their mouth. It is an invention of the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry learnt it from his Advanced Potion-Making book. Having learnt it, he cast it twice on Argus Filch, to general applause from the other students [HBP12]. Harry later cast it on Peeves to stop him taunting Dobby and Kreacher and encouraging them to fight [HBP19].

Leek Hex

Causes leeks to grow out of the ears of the victim. In the build-up to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match in 1994, a nasty incident occurred in which a Gryffindor 4th-year and a Slytherin 6th-year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting from their ears [POA15].

Leg-Locker Curse

See "Locomotor Mortis".

Legilimens

From the Latin root "lego," meaning "I read", and "mens", meaning "mind". Hence the full word means "read the mind".

This is a practice very similar to Muggle mind reading, although there are subtle differences between the two. Snape explained the art of Legilimency to Harry during the first of his ill-fated Occlumency lessons. In Snape's words, thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, able to be seen by anyone - the mind is a many-layered thing, and cannot be read like a book. Those skilled in Legilimency can, however, look into the minds of their victims, see the memories they are looking for, and interpret them [OOTP24].

Snape also explained that eye contact is often essential to Legilimency, although not always [OOTP24]. The ability to perform the magic without eye contact is presumably down to the level of expertise of the caster. It can also be assumed that a lack of eye contact will lead to a reduction in the level to which the mind can be read.

Legilimency has been used on a number of occasions throughout the books, almost always without an incantation. The only time the incantation was used was during Harry's Occlumency lessons, where presumably Snape used it to alert Harry to the fact that he had started. On the occasions that Harry has known Legilimency is being used on him, he has felt the particular memories that are being accessed floating to the top of his mind, such as when Snape quizzed him about where he had learnt Sectumsempra [HBP24]. This perception is most likely to be the result of his knowledge of what was going on, however. It is almost certain that Legilimency has been used in a number of other situations where Harry has not noticed and has therefore not been aware of what was going on in his mind.

The confirmed use of Legilimency has occurred on three occasions so far. The first of these was during Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape [OOTP24], where it was used repeatedly. The second was when Dumbledore used it to interrogate Kreacher about Voldemort's plan to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries [OOTP37]. The third was when Snape used it on Harry after he'd attacked Malfoy with Sectumsempra [HBP24].

There have also been several instances of unconfirmed use. At the end of Harry's first year, Voldemort knew that Harry had obtained the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Erised [PS/SS17], but only after Quirrell had turned around so he could establish eye contact. After Harry had illegally gone to Hogsmeade in his third year and been seen by Malfoy when his Invisibility Cloak slipped, Snape knew the answers to all the questions he was asking without having to be told [POA14]. Finally, when Wormtail was tending to Voldemort at the Riddle house, Voldemort knew that Wormtail was regretting having rescued him, and was quick to remind him that he always knows when someone is lying [GOF1].

It appears that true Legilimency is a relatively rare and complex skill, given how useful is can be but how little it has been used to date. Occlumency, on the other hand, is more widespread and can be more easily taught, as evidenced by Bellatrix teaching Draco enough to prevent even Snape from accessing his mind [HBP15].

Levicorpus

From "levo", which is Latin for "I raise" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".

This spell dangles the victim by their ankle in mid-air. It looks as though an invisible hook is holding the person up. It was invented by Severus Snape, and became very popular during his time at the school. Remus Lupin recalled a few months in his fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted in the air by your ankle [HBP16]. James Potter turned the spell back on its creator when bullying him at the end of this year [OOTP28].

It seemed to have been forgotten by the time Harry arrived at the school, however, and he didn't find out about it until his accidental acquisition of Snape's old copy of Advanced Potion-Making in his 6th year. Harry found the incantation scribbled in the corner of one of the pages and tried it out on Ron to see what it did, much to the amusement of the other Gryffindor 6th-years [HBP12]. He used it on Ron again when Ron had eaten Romilda Vane's potion-infused Chocolate Cauldrons and fallen in love with her [HBP18]. Finally, he attempted to cast it on Snape after the murder of Dumbledore. Snape blocked it with ease, but this attempt to turn his own spells on him just like James left him incandescent with rage [HBP28].

Whilst Levicorpus is predominantly a spell either used frivolously or to bully people, Harry and Hermione put it to very good use when trying to retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. The Cup was out of reach and impervious to Accio, and so Hermione used Levicorpus to hoist Harry into the air, enabling him to reach the Cup with the aid of the Sword of Gryffindor [DH26].

Liberacorpus

From "libaro", which is Latin for "I set free" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".

The counter-spell to Levicorpus. It releases someone from being dangled upside-down so that they crash to the floor. Harry found it scrawled under Levicorpus in Snapes old copy of Advanced Potion-Making [HBP12].

Locomotion Charm

Parvati and Lavender were practicing this spell in preparation for their OWLs, making their pencil cases race across the table. It is likely to be the same spell as Locomotor XXXX, shown below [OOTP31].

Locomotor XXXX

"Loco" is Latin for "place". "Moto" is Latin for "to move".

This is a charm that causes an object to travel floating in the air. The incantation used is Locomotor XXXX, where XXXX is the object that the caster wishes to enchant. Tonks used this spell on Harry's trunk when she was part of the Advance Guard that took him from the Dursleys' house back to Grimmauld Place. Once the trunk was in the air, she controlled its movement with her wand [OOTP3]. Later in the year, Professor Flitwick transported Sybill Trelawney's trunks using the same spell after Dumbledore invited her to stay at the castle despite Umbridge sacking her as a teacher [OOTP26].

Locomotor Mortis

From the English word "locomotion" and the Latin "mortis", meaning "death".

The Leg-Locker Curse. This spell causes the victim's legs to lock together, making it impossible for them to walk. The incantation for this spell is of a similar form to the "Locomotor" spell but it has a very different result: the addition of "mortis" represents the fact that this spell kills (albeit temporarily) a person's method of locomotion.

Draco Malfoy cast this spell on Neville Longbottom during their first year in a random act of bullying. Hermione then picked up on it and learnt the spell to use against Snape if he tried to hurt Harry during his next Quidditch match [PS/SS13].

Lumos

"Lumen" is Latin for light. "Luminosus" is Latin for "bright".

Lumos causes the spell caster's wand to emit a thin beam of light like a torch. It is a relatively simple spell that students have learnt by at least their second year at Hogwarts. This was made clear when Harry and Ron followed the spiders into the Forbidden Forest after Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, as both knew how to cast it at this point [COS15]. After this it is used on a fairly frequent basis, and despite the fact that the illumination it provides is small and dim, it seems to be the best light-producing spell available.

Casting Lumos is often referred to as "lighting your wand". When Hagrid took Harry and Hermione to meet Grawp, Harry asked, "would it be all right if we lit our wands?" [OOTP30]. Harry also used the spell after he and Dudley had been attacked by Dementors at the start of his 5th year. This occurrence is notable due to the fact that he wasn't holding his wand at the time, having dropped it when Dudley punched him. The spell was nevertheless effective and still lit up his wand, which was lying nearby, thus providing an example of wandless magic. It is also important to note that Lumos provided light on this occasion even when the presence of the Dementors had extinguished non-magical light from street lamps and stars [OOTP1].

Lumos has its limitations, however, and could not penetrate the darkness created by Malfoy's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder when he threw it at Ginny and Ron [HBP29]. The counter-spell for Lumos is Nox.

Memory Charm

See "Obliviate".

Memory Creation Charm

This piece of magic is quite different from the classic Memory Charm "Obliviate", and rather than deleting memories actually creates convincing false ones in the victim. According to Dumbledore it is a complex piece of magic. The fact that the authorities did not even consider that it might have been done when they obtained Morfin Gaunt's confession of the Riddle murders also shows that it must also be extremely rare. Tom Riddle was something of an expert at it, however, and after he cast it on Morfin, the latter happily provided the authorities with a long and boastful confession [HBP17]. Many years later he used the same trick on Hepzibah Smith's House-Elf Hokey, who subsequently confessed to killing her mistress, something which had actually been carried out by Tom, of course [HBP20].

Meteolojinx Recanto

From the Greek "meteorologia", which is the basis of the English word "meteorology", the study of weather conditions, and the Latin "recanto", meaning "to charm away".

When Ron, disguised as Reg Cattermole, was having some difficulties stopping it raining in Yaxley's office in the Ministry of Magic, Arthur suggested that this spell might do the trick as it had worked for Bletchley. Based on this recommendation, and also the name of the spell, it is likely that this spell counters weather jinxes and removes their effects [DH13].

Mobili-XXXX

"Mobilis" is Latin for "moveable".

When XXXX is replaced by an object, the object is forced to move. Two examples of this spell have been seen so far: Mobiliarbus and Mobilicorpus.

"Arbor" is Latin for "tree", and the Mobiliarbus variant was used by Hermione to move a Christmas Tree in The Three Broomsticks so that she, Ron and Harry could hide behind it and eavesdrop on an interesting conversation. The tree rose a few inches from the ground and moved across much as if she had used Locomotor Tree [POA10].

"Corpus" is Latin for "body", and this variant was used by Remus Lupin to transport Severus Snape's unconscious form back from the Shrieking Shack to the castle after the encounter with Peter Pettigrew. Like the tree, Snape hovered a few inches above the ground, and from this is would appear that Locomotor and Mobili-XXXX are very closely related pieces of magic [POA19].

Morsmordre

From the Latin "mors", meaning "death" and the French "mordre", meaning "to bite". Hence the literal meaning is "to bite death", which is consistent with the name of the Death Eaters, who cast the spell.

This spell produces the Dark Mark, the skull-and-serpent sign used by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is very likely that Voldemort invented this piece of magic and teaches it to his followers. Death Eaters are in the habit of casting the Dark Mark wherever they have killed someone. As such, it was the lack of such a Mark over Horace Slughorn's house that gave him away when he tried to get out of coming back to teach at Hogwarts by pretending to have been attacked [HBP4].

Barty Crouch Jnr cast Morsmordre after the Quidditch World Cup final, and was so close to Harry at the time that Harry heard his incantation. The spell created the trademark image of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth like a tongue, made up of emerald stars blazing in green smoke [GOF9]. It was also cast over Hogwarts when the Death Eaters invaded at the end of Harry's 6th year, although it is unknown who cast it on this occasion [HBP27].

Muffliato

From the English word "muffle".

Muffliato fills the ears of anyone nearby the spell caster with an unidentifiable buzzing. Harry got this spell from the Half-Blood Prince and usually used it to hold conversations in class without being detected [HBP12]. He also used it on Madam Pomfrey's office to cover the sound of Kreacher and Dobby fighting when he wanted them to tail Malfoy to find out what he was up to [HBP19].

Hermione disapproved of this spell, partly because she thought it probably wasn't Ministry approved, but mainly because the Half-Blood Prince invented it. As such, she refused to speak at all if Harry cast it [HBP12]. By the following year she had lost her aversion to it, however, and started to use it as part of the standard protective enchantments used to protect the trio's camping location whilst they were on the run from the Death Eaters [DH14].

Muggle-Repelling Charm

This is a charm that is used to keep Muggles away from things that wizards would prefer them not to see. No harm is done to the Muggles in question, but they are nevertheless overcome by an urge to leave when they encounter such a charm. According to Arthur Weasley, every inch of the gold World Cup Stadium was covered in Muggle-Repelling Charms, which made any Muggles approaching the area suddenly remember an urgent appointment and dash off. Arthur thought this was rather endearing [GOF8].

It is likely that the incantation for the Muggle-Repelling Charm is Repello Muggletum. Hermione cast this spell as part of the regular magical defences used by herself, Harry and Ron when they were on the run from the Death Eaters and were trying to avoid detection

Non-Verbal Magic

Whilst the vast majority of spells have a notional verbal component, any spell can in fact be cast without speaking by a sufficiently talented wizard. It appears that it is the power of the mind and the body which causes the spell to take effect, and the incantation is merely a vehicle used to help create the necessary mental and physical conditions for the magic to be successful. It is almost certain that the more advanced the magic, the more difficult it is to cast without its verbal component, and even Voldemort can be found using the incantation for spells such as Avada Kedavra. An excellent example of this occurs in the graveyard at Little Hnagleton. Here, Voldemort conjured Wormtail's silver hand and forced Harry to bow without recourse to a verbal component. However, when casting Imperio and Avada Kedavra he used the incantation [GOF33,34]. Routine magic is performed with a flick of the wand but no speech on numerous occasions in each of the books. Non-verbal magic is taught in the sixth year and above at Hogwarts, and judging by the attempts of Harry's year to master it, is something of a challenge [HBP11].

Nox

Latin for "darkness".

This spell counters "Lumos" by extinguishing the light "Lumos" creates

Obliteration Charm

"Obliterate" means to wipe out, leaving no trace.

This was used by Hermione to wipe out tracks in the snow, to cover up the fact that she, Harry and Ron had been to visit Hagrid [OOTP20]. It may be able to remove other marks as well.

Obliviate

"Oblivio" is Latin for "forgetfulness"

Obliviate is also known as The Memory Charm. It erases sections of the memory of the victim as chosen by the spell caster. It can even wipe out the entire memory if the caster so chooses. The impact of a Memory Charm can be very powerful, and the effects may be incurable.

Obliviate was invented by Mnemone Radford, who went on to become the first Ministry of Magic Obliviator [JKR Website]. Nowadays there is an entire section of Obliviators in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, who are often called upon to modify the memories of Muggles who have been exposed to magical phenomena. This was necessary in the summer of 1996 when the Death Eaters and a Giant went on the rampage in the West Country of England, causing damage that Muggles assumed to be from a hurricane. Those that saw the reality had their memories modified so that they had no recollection of it [HBP1].

Memory Charms have been used on a number of other occasions throughout the series. Their potency is best illustrated by the one cast on Bertha Jorkins by Bartemius Crouch Snr when she discovered that he was secretly keeping his son at home. The Charm he cast to protect his secret was so powerful that it permanently damaged her, rendering her vague and forgetful [GOF35]. It took the power of Voldemort to break through it, and after that her mind was totally destroyed [GOF1].

Gilderoy Lockhart attempted an equally powerful charm on Ron and Harry when they tried to make him help them rescue Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. On this occasion he was attempting to wipe their entire memory rather than a few specific ones, which may be easier. Unfortunately for him he was using Ron's dodgy wand, and the charm backfired and he hit himself instead [COS16]. Nearly three years later, Lockhart was still in hospital, re-learning joined up writing and trying to remember who he was [OOTP23].

Lockhart was actually a dab hand at Memory Charms (although admittedly not much else), and routinely used to cast them on the people whose achievements he stole and wrote about [COS16]. The Ministry cast Memory Charms on the large number of Muggle witnesses to Peter Pettigrew's faked death [POA10], and also had to modify the memories of the Roberts family, who owned one of the campsites used for the Quidditch World Cup and were subsequently attacked by Death Eaters [GOF9]. Mr Roberts had been having 10 Memory Charms a day up to this point anyway, due to the fact that the World Cup attendees weren't very good at pretending to be Muggles [GOF7].

Obliviate can be cast en masse, something which was necessary following the Ilfracombe Incident of 1932, where a dragon swooped down on a beach of Muggles. A wizarding family who were on holiday there performed the largest mass Memory Charm of the century, although one local by the name of Dodgy Dirk still claims that a dirty great lizard punctured his lilo, and so they might have missed him out [FB].

Hermione used Obliviate for the first time when it was necessary to clear recent events from the memories of Antonin Dolohov, Thorfinn Rowle and a Muggle waitress after the attack in the Tottenham Court Road [DH9].

Obscuro

The Latin word for "I cover", or "I obscure".

Hermione was in the habit of casting the spell on the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black whenever she, Harry and Ron wanted to talk to it whilst they were on the run from the Death Eaters. The effect it had was to place a painted blindfold over the picture, so that Phineas' Nigellus couldn't see where they were [DH15].

It is unclear whether this only works on portraits, or whether this spell could also produce a real blindfold on a live target.

Occlumency

From the Latin "occlude," meaning "to close, shut up, close off."

This is the defence of the mind against external magical attack. Occulmency is the only way to protect one's mind from someone using Legilimency. It is not a spell as such, but more a magical protection technique. Snape told Harry that similar skills are required to perform Occlumency as to resist the Imperius Curse. It is also necessary to become adept at emptying the mind of emotion so that the Legilimens has nothing to hook onto [OOTP24].

Snape attempted to teach Occlumency to Harry during his fifth year, although the lessons stopped after Harry spied on Snape's memories in the Pensieve, and he'd made little progress anyway [OOTP28]. Bellatrix had rather more success teaching Draco, so much so that Draco was able to deny Snape access to his mind [HBP15]. Snape also claims to be using Occlumency against Voldemort in his position as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix: at least, he told Harry that finding out what the Dark Lord was saying to his Death Eaters was his job rather than Harry's [OOTP26]. When Snape's true loyalties are finally revealed it will show whether he is telling the truth about this one or not.

Oppugno

Latin for "to attack".

Causes something to attack a target chosen by the spell caster. Hermione used it to cause a small flock of conjured birds to attack Ron in revenge for his crime of snogging Lavender, and so it has been confirmed that it works on living (although magically created) creatures. It may work on objects as well [HBP14].

Orchideous

Named after the orchid, a type of flower.

Creates flowers from the caster's wand. Mr Ollivander used this spell to test Fleur Delacour's wand in preparation for the Triwizard Tournament. It worked to his satisfaction, and he gave the flowers to Fleur [GOF18].

Patronus Charm

See "Expecto Patronum".

Pepper Breath Hex

Harry found this spell in Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed when he was researching ways to fight a dragon during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. The effect is unknown, but presumably gives the target person or creature hot or fiery breath. Harry decided not to use it against the dragon, as it would just increase its firepower [GOF20].

Permanent Sticking Charm

Used to stick one thing to another. Permanently. In 12 Grimmauld Place, the portrait of Walburga Black and the Family Tree tapestry were both stuck to the wall with this charm, making it impossible to remove them. According to Sirius, the Order had been trying to remove the portrait for a month without any success, and so they had to put up with it screaming abuse at them every time Tonks tripped over the umbrella stand [OOTP5, 6].

Harry later found out that the young Sirius had used exactly the same spell to stick various pieces of Gryffindor memorabilia and pictures of scantily-clad Muggle girls to his bedroom wall. The charm had obviously worked well, as they were all still there when Harry visited the room more than 20 years later [DH10].

Peskipiksi Pesternomi

Presumably an off-the-cuff corruption of the English words "pesky Pixie, pester no me".

This spell was used by Gilderoy Lockhart to attempt to get rid of the Cornish Pixies he has unleashed on the class during his first, disastrous, DADA lesson. It had no effect on them, probably due to the fact that he'd just made it up, and so he ran away and left Harry, Ron and Hermione to round them up [COS6].

Petrificus Totalus

An adaptation of "totally petrify".

The Full Body-Bind Curse. This spell causes the victim's body to go totally rigid, with their arms stuck by their side and their legs snapped together. The only thing that they can still move whilst under the influence of the magic is their eyes. This curse has been used on a number of occasions throughout the series. It was first seen when Hermione somewhat apologetically cast it on Neville at the end of their first year, when Neville was attempting to stop the trio going to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone [PS/SS16]. Neville seemed none the worse for his ordeal later, and was very popular when Dumbledore gave him 10 House Points for standing up to them, which gained Gryffindor the House Cup [PS/SS17].

Several years later, Harry used the curse to good effect on a number of occasions during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Antonin Dolohov in particular must have been cursing the day Harry learnt the spell, as he fell victim to it twice [OOTP35].

At the start of their 6th year, Draco used it to attack Harry on the Hogwarts Express, after Harry had hidden in Draco's compartment to spy on him [HBP7]. More famously, Dumbledore cast the Body-Bind on Harry on the Hogwarts ramparts to stop him interfering during his conversation with Malfoy after his visit to the Horcrux cave. The decision to take this course of action resulted in Dumbledore losing his wand, as he was unable to defend himself against Malfoy's Expelliarmus spell, and hence may have been a contributing factor to his death [HBP27].

Hermione used the curse to good effect in the café on Tottenham Court Road when she, Harry and Ron were attacked by Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov. She hit Dolohov with it after Rowle had been Stunned, allowing the three to escape to Grimmauld Place [DH9]. Voldemort also cast it on Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts, after which he put the Sorting Hat on Neville's head and set fire to it. Neville was saved by the intervention of the Centaurs and the people of Hogsmeade, who attacked the Death Eaters, causing them to scatter [DH36].

Piertotum Locomotor

"Loco" is Latin for "place". "Moto" is Latin for "to move".

This spell was used by Professor McGonagall to animate all of the suits of armour in the entire school as she helped to create defences against Voldemort's attack. When she cast the spell, each suit jumped down from its plinth. She then ordered them to man the boundaries and they stampeded past Harry to their posts [DH30].

Placement Charm

This is used to remotely position an object. It appears to be similar to object moving spells such as Locomotor, except that the Placement Charm allows for accurate positioning of the target object. It is the recommended magic to use against Kelpies, as these are pacified by having a bridle put over their heads whilst in Horse form. Magic has to be used to perform this operation, as anyone getting too close to one whilst it is not passive will inevitably be drowned and eaten [FB].

Point Me

The Four-Point Spell. This spell causes the spell caster's wand to act as a compass. By holding the wand in open palm and saying the incantation "Point Me", the wand automatically points North. Hermione discovered this spell and taught it to Harry in preparation for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. He then used in when he was in the maze to make sure he was heading in roughly the right direction [GOF31].

Portable Flame

Hermione is something of an expert at conjuring up portable, waterproof fires. She could do this even in her first year, where she conjured up a bright blue fire that she carried round in a jam jar to keep warm [PS/SS11]. She used the same spell to set fire to Snape's robes during the Quidditch match where Quirrell tried to kill Harry [PS/SS11], and also used it to create fires when brewing Polyjuice Potion in her second year [COS11].

Portus

"Porta" is Latin for "gate".

This spell is used to turn an object into a Portkey. Portkeys are enchanted objects used to transport people from one location to another almost instantly. Just like the Floo Network, using a Portkey for the first time can be a hair-raising experience: it feels like you are being dragged through the air at very high speed by a hook attached just behind your navel. When Harry travelled to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys, Hermione and the Diggorys, most of the party ended up sprawled on the ground at the end of the journey [GOF6].

Any physical item can be turned into a Porkey, although wizards often use unobtrusive items that look like litter to make sure that Muggles don't mess around with them. The Portkey that went from Stoatshead Hill to the World Cup was a mouldy-looking old boot [GOF6]. After Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Nagini, Dumbledore set up a Portkey from his office to Grimmauld Place, choosing a blackened old kettle for the job [OOTP22]. When he set up another to return Harry to the school after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, he used the gold wizard's head from the Fountain of Magical Brethren [OOTP36]. Most famously, Barty Crouch Jnr turned the Triwizard Trophy into a Portkey [GOF31].

From the evidence seen so far, Portkeys can be primed to activate at a particular time (which was the case with the World Cup Portkey), when the spell-caster wants it to (as was the case with Dumbledore's Portkeys), or as soon as the item is touched (as was the case with the Triwizard Trophy). In theory, the creation and use of Portkeys is closely monitored by the Office of Magical Transportation. In practice, both Dumbledore and Crouch just created them as they saw fit.

In order to create a Portkey, the spell caster must point their wand at the object in question and use the incantation "Portus". The object will then glow with a blue light and tremble briefly as the magic takes hold [OOTP22].

Possession

This is a more of a magic process rather than a specific spell, but involves magically entering and taking control over the body of another person or creature. Whilst Voldemort was hiding out in the forests of Albania, he took to Possessing small creatures - mainly snakes - to give himself a temporary physical form [GOF33]. He is also in the habit of possessing Nagini [OOTP24], and possessed Harry during the battle at the Department of Mysteries as well [OOTP36]. Harry suffered extreme pain during Possession, but this is likely to be due to his own unique links with Voldemort, as Nagini showed no signs of pain when she was possessed.

Voldemort also inhabited the body of Quirinus Quirrell for a time, although whether this can be regarded as true Possession is open to question. In this case, Voldemort's physical form became incorporated into the host body [PS/SS17], which is not the case in standard cases of Possession. It is no doubt a related procedure, however, probably achieved using Dark magic in order for Voldemort to allow Quirrell to function normally when he wanted him to (in order to carry out his teaching duties) whilst still retaining a full consciousness of his own.

Prior Incantato

From the Latin "priori, prius", meaning "former, prior" and an adaptation of the English word "incantation."

This spell causes a wand to create an echo or ghostly image of the last spell it performed. In order to cast it, a second wand must be placed against the tip of the wand from which the echo is to be produced, and then the spell can be cast. Amos Diggory used this piece of magic after the Quidditch World Cup to prove that Barty Crouch Jnr's Dark Mark had been cast using Harry's wand [GOF9].

A similar effect is known to occur when two wands sharing a magical core taken from the same animal (but not just another animal from the same species) engage in battle. Brother wands cannot fight each other. Instead, the wands lock together, connected by magical energy. One of the wands will eventually force the other into the Reverse Spell Effect, which when it happens in this manner is referred to as Priori Incantatem. This occurred when Harry and Voldemort attempted to duel in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, as both wands contain a Phoenix tail-feather from Fawkes [GOF36]. The effect caused images of a series of murders and Crucios to be forced from Voldemort's wand before the connection was broken and Harry escaped [GOF34].

Protean Charm

The English word protean means "tending or able to change and adapt". This, in turn, originated from the Greek god Proteus, who was able to change his form.

The Protean Charm is a spell which magically binds objects to one "control" object. Any change of form in the "control" object is subsequently reflected in those on which the Protean Charm has been cast.

Hermione used this spell as part of her novel idea for how Harry could secretly communicate the time and date of DA meetings to its members. She cast it on a number of fake Galleons and gave Harry the control coin. Harry then had to change the serial number on the edge of the coin to indicate when the next meeting was. When he did this, the other coins would glow hot and change to reflect what Harry's coin said. It is unclear whether the heating effect is part of the Protean Charm, or whether this was an addition of Hermione's [OOTP19].

According to Terry Boot, the Protean Charm is N.E.W.T level magic, and he was mightily impressed that Hermione could do it in her 5th year. He was even moved to ask why she wasn't in Ravenclaw, at which point Hermione revealed that the Sorting Hat had seriously considered this [OOTP19]. She actually took inspiration for the coin idea from the Dark Mark that Death Eaters have on their arms, although her version was rather less permanent.

Draco Malfoy copied Hermione's idea during his 6th year as part of his plan to murder Dumbledore. He placed Madam Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse, and used enchanted coins to communicate with her [HBP27].

Protego

Latin for "protect".

The Shield Charm. This charm creates a magical shield to deflect minor to moderate spells and jinxes cast by others. It is not hugely advanced magic, as Harry first learnt it when he was preparing for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament during his 4th year [GOF31]. Admittedly he struggled with it to start with, and Hermione was able to smash his shield very easily with a Jelly-Legs Jinx, but he had certainly mastered it by the following year. By then he was able to cast a very effective Shield Charm against Snape whilst practicing Occlumency, and was even able to see some of Snape's memories before Snape put a stop to it [OOTP26]. Harry later used it effectively during the battle at the Department of Mysteries to prevent Bellatrix from summoning the Prophecy [OOT35].

Despite its relative simplicity, a large number of adult witches and wizards are not proficient at this spell. The Weasley twins have taken advantage of this situation by marketing a very successful range of Shield clothing which carries the charm and repels magic as though the wearer had cast it themselves. Their clients even include the Ministry of Magic [HBP6].

Harry put the Shield Charm to slightly less constructive use during Professor Snape's first lesson as DADA teacher, where the students were meant to be practicing non-verbal spells. Snape was unimpressed with Ron's attempts to Curse Harry without speaking, and so he took over himself. Harry defended himself with a very verbal Shield Charm and was then rude to Snape, which earned him a Saturday detention [HBP9].

Protego Horribilis

From the Latin "protego", meaning "I protect", and "horribilis", meaning "horrible" or "dreadful.

This was cast by Professor Flitwick as he cast spells to help protect Hogwarts from Voldemort's onslaught. It is presumably a variant of the basic Protego, but the name suggests that it is more powerful and does unspeakable things to anyone who encounters it. The effect, if any, that it had on the invaders was not revealed [DH30].

Protego Totalum

From the Latin "protego", meaning "I protect", and a derivative of the English word "total".

This is a defensive spell used by Harry, Ron and Hermione when they were on the run from the Death Eaters. It was one of a series of spells they used to prevent their camping position from being detected. It is also likely to be a variant of the basic Protego. Hermione cast it while walking in a large circle, so it is likely that the spell deflects curses over a wide area [DH14]. The name also suggests that it is more powerful than the standard Protego.

Pus Hex

This spell was cast by Morfin Gaunt on Bob Ogden, when he went to visit the Gaunts as a representative of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad in connection with Morfin's attack on Tom Riddle Snr around 1925. It caused his nose to erupt into a cascade of pus, which could only be stopped through magical means [HBP10].

Quietus

Adaptation of "quiet".

This spell negates the effects of the Sonorus Spell, making a magically magnified voice return to its normal state. It was used by Ludo Bagman after the Quidditch World Cup Final had finished, when he used it to return his voice to normal after commentating on the match [GOF8].

Reducio

Adaptation of "reduce".

This is the counter-spell to Engorgio, and thus causes an Engorged object to shrink back to its original size. Crouch/Moody cast this on the spider he was using to demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses during 4th-year DADA classes. He had Engorged it in order to demonstrate the effects of the Cruciatus Curse better, and then Reduced it again when he'd finished [GOF14].

Reducto

The Reductor Curse. This spell is used to blast solid object into pieces. Harry first learnt it in preparation for the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. The first time he tried it during the task it didn't help him, as he was attempting to shift some Enchanted Mist with it. The spell just passed straight through it due to the fact that it doesn't work on anything that's not solid. He had more success with it shortly afterwards, however, when he used it to make a hole in the hedge so that he could rescue Cedric from Krum's Cruciatus Curse (that he in turn was performing due to Crouch Jnr's Imperius Curse on him). It didn't work brilliantly on the hedge, but made a hole big enough for him to get through [GOF31].

Earlier in the year, Snape may have been using this spell to blast rosebushes apart at the Yule Ball in order to stop people snogging behind them [GOF23]. The most famous use of this spell, however, occurred in the Department of Mysteries, where Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny and Neville used it to smash the racks of Prophecies in order to create a diversion and escape from the Death Eaters [OOTP35]. The following year, during the battle at Hogwarts, somebody tried to use the spell to destroy the magical barrier that the Death Eaters had put up to stop anyone reaching the ramparts, but it didn't work [HBP27].

Reductor Curse

See "Reducto".

Refilling Charm

Causes a container to refill with whatever liquid it was originally holding. Harry cast this on Slughorn's wine bottles when he was getting drunk with Hagrid after Aragog's funeral. Harry had never managed to use the spell before without using the incantation, but the Felix Felicis he'd consumed meant that on this occasion he was able to cast it non-verbally with no problems [HBP22].

Relashio

From the Latin "relaxo", meaning "relax", or "loosen".

This spell causes the target person or object to release what they are holding. It appears that the first time Harry used it, during the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, he was unaware of what the spell was really for: he was expecting his wand to issue a stream of sparks to scare off the Grindylows that were holding him at the time. Instead, a jet of boiling water shot at them, causing them to release their hold on him [GOF26].

From the instances of the spell being used, it would appear that the spell works by sending a magical shockwave at the target, which in turn causes it to release what they are holding. If the target is human or animal, they can be thrown backwards by the force of the wave. If the target is an object, it breaks. This is illustrated by the example of when Bob Ogden cast Relashio on Marvolo Gaunt when he was attempting to strangle his daughter for the crime of being attracted to a Muggle. On this occasion, Gaunt was thrown backwards by the force of the spell, releasing Merope as he fell [HBP10].

The spell was cast on an object when Hermione used it to rescue Mary Cattermole from the Muggle-Born Registration Commission courtroom. After Harry had Stunned Umbridge and Yaxley, Hermione released Mary, who was chained to a chair in the centre of the room. As a result of the spell, the chains withdrew into the arms of the chair, where they had come from [DH13].

A more spectacular use of the spell came during Harry, Ron and Hermione's raid of Gringotts Bank. Here, Harry used it to break open the thick metal cuffs that were chaining up the dragon guarding the deepest vaults. Remarkably, the cuffs did not seem to be protected from aggressive spells in any way, and simply snapped open [DH26].

Rennervate

This may be a spell that revives an unconscious person. The incantation is, however, curiously close to the known spell Ennervate which has similar effects, and so when Harry attempted to cast this on Professor Dumbledore in the Horcrux Cave, he may simply have been mis-casting Ennervate in the heat of the moment. See also "Ennervate".

Reparo

Latin for "I restore".

This spell repairs the target object. The first confirmed use of this spell was on the Hogwarts Express at the start of Harry's fourth year, when Ron slammed the compartment door so angrily after a visit from Malfoy that he broke the glass. Hermione immediately repaired it so it was as good as new [GOF11]. It was very probably used as early as Harry's second year, however, when Arthur Weasley repaired his glasses after Harry had broken them trying to use the Floo Network to go to Diagon Alley [COS4].

Harry certainly used it after he'd broken - by getting angry yet again - the bowl of Murtlap Essence he'd been using to soothe his wounds after detention with Umbridge. It restored the bowl but didn't put the Essence back in [OOTP15]. Snape also used it to repair a jar that got broken during Harry's Occlumency lessons [OOTP26]. An important example of this spell came in Harry's sixth year, where Harry used it to doctor the copy of Advanced Potion-Making he ordered from Flourish and Blotts. He wanted to keep the Half-Blood Prince's old version as it was so useful, so he swapped the covers and used Reparo to bind them back to the books [HBP11].

Repelling Spell

Repels an object, keeping it away from the spell caster. Repelling Spells were used by the spectators during early Quidditch matches to prevent the Snidget leaving the playing area [QA].

Repello Muggletum

From the Latin "repello", meaning "I banish or repel", and the word "Muggle".

It is unconfirmed but very likely that this is the incantation for the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Hermione cast this spell as part of the magical defences used by herself, Harry and Ron when they were on the run from the Death Eaters and were trying to avoid detection [DH14].

Restoring Spell

This piece of magic is used to make someone in their animagus state return to their normal form. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin used it against Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack to make him revert to human form. The spell creates two flashes of bright light, after which the target animagus is transformed, with the effect looking like a speeded-up animation [POA19].

Revelaspell

See "Scarpin's Revelaspell" and "Specialis Revelio".

Reverse Spell Effect

See "Prior Incantato".

Revulsion Jinx

This spell causes the target (person, and perhaps creature or object) to be repelled from the caster. When Yaxley caught hold of Hermione when she was Disapparating from the Ministry of Magic, he managed to Side-Along Apparate with her to Grimmauld Place. Hermione got rid of him with a Revulsion Jinx, but unfortunately he was already inside the Fidelius Charm protecting the house, and so it was no longer safe for them to use as a hideout [DH14].

Rictusempra

From the Latin "rictus", meaning "open mouth", and "semper", meaning "always".

The Tickling Charm. This charm produces a jet of silver light, which when it hits the victim causes them to laugh uncontrollably. Harry hit Malfoy with this spell when Snape paired them together at Lockhart's Duelling Club in their second year. Each pair of students was only meant to be attempting to disarm each other, and the outbreak of anarchy the erupted when the duels began caused Lockhart some discomfort [COS11].

Riddikulus

Adaptation of the English word "ridiculous".

This spell causes an item, creature or person to take on an amusing appearance of the spell-caster's choosing. The caster of the spell has to envisage, as clearly as possible, what humorous form they want the target to take. Then, if the spell is cast correctly, the imagined result will be obtained.

Riddikulus is particularly useful against Boggarts, who are destroyed by laughter, although it follows from this that the form the Boggart is forced to take is amusing enough to create this reaction to it. Professor Lupin taught Harry's class about this spell and its effect on Boggarts during their first 3rd-year DADA lesson, although he didn't let Harry have a go due to his fear that the Boggart would turn into Lord Voldemort when it faced Harry [POA7].

Harry later used the spell against a Boggart in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament - contrary to Lupin's prediction, it actually took on the form of a Dementor in front of Harry [GOF31]. A Boggart was also living in a writing desk in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place, which Molly Weasley attempted to remove using this charm. She was so worried about her family's fate in the war that she couldn't manage the spell, however, and Remus Lupin eventually had to deal with it for her [OOTP9].

Salvio Hexia

From the Latin "salveo", meaning "farewell", and "hex".

This is a protective spell, used by Harry, Ron and Hermione as part of their defences when on the run from the Death Eaters. The precise effect is never given, but Hermione walked in a large circle when casting it, and the name would suggest that it prevents hexes from entering the enchanted area [DH14].

Scarpin's Revelaspell

This spell is also known by its incantation, Specialis Revelio. It is used to identify the ingredients of a potion [HBP18], or to reveal whether any enchantments have been placed on an object [HBP9]. See also "Specialis Revelio".

Scourgify

From the English word "scour", meaning "to clean".

Used to clean an item. This spell was used by Tonks to clean Hedwig's cage when she help Harry pack before going to Grimmauld Place, although it only had a limited effect due to Tonks never bothering to learn household-style spells properly [OOTP3]. James Potter also used it on Snape when he was bullying him, telling him to wash his mouth out after Snape had sworn at him [OOTP28].

A Scouring Charm has also been separately mentioned, which is almost certainly the same spell. Hermione taught Neville a Scouring Charm to clean his fingernails with, after Snape made him disembowel a barrelful of horned toads in detention [GOF14]. Scouring Charms are also required to remove a Bundimun infestation [FB].

Scouring Charm

See "Scourgify".

Sectumsempra

From the Latin "sectus", which means "to cut", and "semper", which means "always".

This spell was invented by Severus Snape whilst he was a student at Hogwarts, and causes deep wounds to be immediately cut into the victim as though they were being slashed with an invisible sword. Harry discovered it in the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making, where it was written beside the words "For Enemies" [HBP21]. From this point on he had been desperate to try it out, but never did until he found Malfoy crying in the toilets because he was failing in his attempt to mend the Vanishing Cabinets. Malfoy tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him, and Harry retaliated with Sectumsempra, still not knowing what it did. He was shocked at its effect, and it took the skills of Professor Snape to heal Malfoy's wounds [HBP24].Harry used it again against the Inferi in the Horcrux cave, but on this occasion it had little effect [HBP26]. He tried to cast it against Snape himself shortly afterwards when Snape was fleeing following his murder of Dumbledore. Once again it did little good, as Snape blocked it with ease, but it did infuriate Snape considerably to have his own spells cast against him [HBP28].

Serpensortia

From "serpent", a snake.

This creates a snake from the caster's wand. It appears from the one usage of the spell to date that the snake will then advance upon a victim of the caster's choice with the intention of attacking them. Snape, presumably for his own amusement, told Malfoy to cast this spell at Harry when they were demonstrating duelling techniques at Lockhart's Duelling Club. The incident had an unforeseen outcome when Harry told the snake to back off in Parseltongue, leading the rest of the school to assume that he was the Heir of Slytherin and therefore responsible for the spate of attacks on Muggle-born students [COS11].

Severing Charm

Cuts one thing from another. This is usually intended for use on items, but does work on living matter as well, as it is known that Crups living in Muggle-inhabited neighbourhoods are required to have their forked tails removed with a Severing Charm [FB]. If used on humans this charm would provide a handy means for Dark Wizards to kill people, creating a powerful alternative to Avada Kedavra that has the advantage of not being Unforgiveable, and so it can therefore be assumed that for some reason it doesn't work on a human target.

Ron once used a Severing Charm to cut the lace from his dress robes, but although this improved them somewhat, he still wasn't delighted with the results [GOF23]. The Severing Charm is likely to be the same spell as Diffindo, although this is unconfirmed. See also "Diffindo".

Shield Charm

See "Protego".

Shock Spell

A medicinal spell which treats the patient for shock. Alternatively it may actually be designed to induce a state of shock in the patient in order to cure them of mental maladies, in a manner similar to shock therapy. A witch who wrote in to The Quibber following Harry's interview about the return of Voldemort suggested he try a course of Shock Spells in order to restore his sanity [OOTP26].

Side-Along-Apparition

"Appareo" is Latin for "appear" or "I become visible".

When Apparating, it is possible for a qualified wizard to Apparate someone else as part of the process in addition to themselves. This technique is known as Side-Along-Apparition. The passenger being carried must grip tightly on to the Apparator in order to ensure that they are transported correctly, and they experience the same feeling of Apparition as they would if they were doing it themselves.

Harry Side-Along Apparated with Dumbledore to Budleigh Babberton when Dumbeldore wanted to speak to Horace Slughorn [HBP4], and again when leaving for the Horcrux Cave [HBP25]. Dumbledore was so weak after drinking the Emerald Potion that he had to Side-Along Apparate back with Harry [HBP27].

Luna, Dean Thomas and Mr Ollivander also Side-Along Apparated out of the dungeon at the Malfoy's manor house. It was Dobby who took them with him, which was necessary as the premises were secured against normal wizarding Apparition. It seems that House-Elf Apparition is not so easy to block, however [DH23].

Silencing Charm

See "Silencio".

Silencio

From the Spanish "silencio", meaning "silence", from the Latin root "silens". The English also comes from the same root.

The Silencing Charm. This forces the target person or creature to fall silent, unable to make any audible noise. Harry, Ron and Hermione learnt the spell during 5th-year Charms lessons, and predictably, Hermione was very good at it and the other two weren't [OOTP18]. Hermione put this piece of magic to good effect later in the year, when she used it to prevent a Death Eater finishing his incantation during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Unfortunately, she was floored by a non-verbal spell from the same Death Eater a few moments later [OOTP35].

Slug-Vomiting Charm

Causes the victim to burp slugs.

Sneak Jinx

See "Honesty Jinx".

Snitch Enchantment

See "Flesh Memory".

Sonorus

Latin for "loud".

Projects the voice of the spell caster, making it very loud. It can be countered with the spell "Quietus," which returns the amplified voice back to normal.

Spark Charm

There have been several occasions throughout the series where various people have sent jets of sparks from the end of their wand. This magic has never been given a name in the books, and so it appears here as the Spark Charm.

It appears that the spell caster can control the colour of the sparks emitted from the wand: when Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy were sent into the Forbidden Forest as a detention during their first year, Hagrid instructed them to send up either green sparks or red sparks and made them practice before he let them go [PS/SS15]. In addition, during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournametnt, the champions were instructed to send up red sparks if they got into trouble in the maze. Cedric did just this when Harry had rescued him from the Imperiused Viktor Krum, and he wanted to alert the teachers to the fact that Krum was unconscious in the maze (Stunned by Harry) before he got eaten by a Blast-Ended Skrewt [GOF31].

Previously in the same year, Harry and Ron fired sparks from their wands at the Skrewts during a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in order to ward them off [GOF21].

Sparks are also known to shoot from the wand when the wizard holding it is particularly angry. This happened when Severus Snape confronted Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack [POA19]. This is most likely to simply be indicative of a loss of control of their magic rather than any particular spell, however.

Specialis Revelio

"Specialis" is Latin for "special", and "revelo" is Latin for "to unveil".

Causes an item to reveal anything that has been hidden by magical means. Hermione used it to make sure there was nothing untoward hidden in the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making. It is also the incantation for Scarpin's Revelaspell [HBP18].

Stinging Hex

The Stinging Hex produces a painful red weal on the victim's body. Harry unconsciously cast this spell at Snape during his first Occlumency lesson, with the result that Snape received an injury that looked like a scorch mark on his wrist [OOTP24].

Stinging Jinx

This is likely to be the same spell as the Stinging Hex, although Lucius Malfoy clearly referred to it as the "Stinging Jinx" when he was examining Harry at his manor house. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been apprehended by Snatchers, and Hermione had cast the spell on Harry in an attempt to disguise his appearance. It caused his face to swell up and turn pink, so much so that he was barely recognisable. As a result, Lucius had to examine him closely and even ask Draco before identifying Harry, but in the end the plan failed [DH23].

Stupefy

"Stupefy" means "to dull the senses". It may also derive from the Latin "stupefactus," meaning "stunned."

This spell produces a bolt of red light and stuns whoever it is cast upon, knocking the victim unconscious. A single Stunning Spell is not strong enough to do any lasting damage to a victim, but multiple stunners cast on one target can cause serious harm, as was done to Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The spell "Ennervate" can undo the effects of the Stunning Spell and bring victims back to consciousness.

Summoning Charm

See "Accio".

Supersensory Charm

The effect of this charm is not specified, but the name suggests that it heightens the awareness of the caster to things going on around them. Ron Weasley believed that if he used this charm he wouldn't have to look in his wing mirror when driving a Muggle car, which made it perfectly acceptable for him to Confund his examiner when taking his driving test to make sure he passed [DH Epilogue].

Switching Spells

These are a class of spells which change items from one thing into another. This is the major branch of Transfiguration. It is not clear whether there are a number of related spells for different types of switching or whether it is all done with a single spell, as no details of this are given.

The Taboo

This magic attaches itself to a word, and makes anyone who says the word traceable. As such, it works in a similar manner to The Trace, but rather than firing when any magic at all is used, it only fires when the relevant word is said. According to Ron, use of a Taboo word breaks protective enchantments and creates a magic disturbance, the source of which can be instantly identified [DH20].

The Death Eaters made the name "Voldemort" Taboo after they had taken over the Ministry of Magic, with the idea that only Voldemort's most dangerous enemies dared to use the name, and so it would be very useful to be able to track them down [DH20]. Harry, Ron and Hermione fell foul of this enchantment on two occasions: once when they were tracked down to the Tottenham Court Road having Disapparated from Bill and Fleur's wedding (when Hermione used the name) [DH9], and once when Harry said that Voldemort was after the Elder Wand, which led to them being traced and taken to the Malfoy Manor [DH22].

Tarantallegra

The Tarantella is a fast Italian dance.

Causes the victim's legs to dance uncontrollably.

Tergeo

Latin for "I wipe, scour or clean".

Spell used to clean something. It may be restricted to cleaning liquids, otherwise it would be no different from Scourgify. Hermione used it to clean the blood from Harry's face after his nose had been broken.

The Thief's Downfall

This is a magical effect rather than a specific spell, but it is included here for completeness. The Thief's Downfall is part of the defences at Gringotts, designed to prevent anybody from sneaking to the vaults using a magical disguise. It is in the form of a waterfall that is directed onto any cart containing people suspected of being impostors, and wipes away all enchantments and magical concealment that it touches. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Griphook fell foul of this whilst trying to rob the Lestrange vault. It wiped away Hermione's disguise, and also brought the Goblin Bogrod round from his Imperius Curse [DH26].

The Trace

This is the charm that detects illegal use of magic by underage wizards. It is placed on all wizarding children and detects magical activity around them [DH4]. The magic breaks when the child turns 17, however, and it is impossible to place the charm on an adult [DH9]. When Harry, Ron and Hermione were followed from Bill and Fleur's wedding to the Tottenham Court Road, Ron was concerned that the Death Eaters might have found a way to put The Trace on Harry even though he had now passed his 17th birthday [DH9]. Remus Lupin was so convinced that such a thing was impossible, however, that he dismissed the idea immediately when it was presented to him [DH11].

Transforming Spells

A close relative of Switching Spells, this class of charm is used to change living creatures (as opposed to items) from one thing into another. This is the other major branch of Transfiguration. It is not clear whether there are a number of related spells for different types of transformation.

Trip Jinx

Causes the victim to trip over.

Unbreakable Charm

Makes an item unbreakable.

Unbreakable Vow

This spell creates a magical treaty between two people. The two participating parties must link their right hands in order for the spell to be cast. A third person, known as the Bonder, is also required to witness the pact and magically seal it. The tip of the Bonder's wand must be placed on the linked hands, and the terms of the treaty are made. As this is done, flame issues from the wand and winds itself around the hands of the participants. At this point the Unbreakable Vow is made, and if the terms of it are broken by one of the participants, they will die. It is likely that no other spell can counteract the effects of the Vow once it is made.

Undetectable Extension Charm

This magic is used to enchant a container or bag, so that its interior capacity expands to enormous size. Externally, the enchanted item looks just as it did before the spell was cast. Hermione cast this spell on her small beaded handbag, which allowed her to comfortably bring along everything that she, Ron and Harry needed for their Horcrux quest, including a tent, a library of books, changes of clothes, and a portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black [DH9].

It appears that the weight of items placed within the bag is drastically reduced whilst they are inside, but not entirely eliminated: Hermione was able to carry her bag around with no discernible difficulty, but it still made an unusually loud thump when dropped on the ground [DH8].

Unplottable Charm

Used to make a location unplottable. This is a security measure effective against both Muggles and wizards/witches, which is used to make it impossible to plot the charmed building or location on a map.

Vanishing Spell

See "Evanesco".

Waddiwasi

Causes an item to fly at high speed where the spell caster wants it to. This is likely to be a single variant of a general XXXXX-wasi spell which can be cast on any item. The XXXXX in this case was chewing gum, which is the "waddi" part.

Wandless Magic

Traditionally, magic requires a wand to be used, although this is not always the case. There are frequent examples of wandless magic throughout the books, and so it seems reasonable to assume that whilst the wand is a useful (and often vital) channel for magical power, gifted wizards can successfully cast spells without it when necessary. The more advanced the magic, the more difficult it is to cast without a wand, however, and there have been no examples of advanced spells being cast wandlessly. Severus Snape used a wandless Accio so summon the ropes that he'd just used to tie up Remus Lupin to his hand in the Shrieking Shack in Prisoner of Azkaban, whilst Harry's early life was littered with wandless magic such as his removal of the glass in the reptile house at the zoo. In addition to this, House-Elves never use a wand for their magic.

Wingardium Leviosa

Taken in part from the Latin root "levo," meaning "I raise, lift up."

This spell causes an object to levitate. Once levitating, the object can be manipulated in midair by the spell caster.

Wound Healing Spell

Heals wounds and causes the skin to knit back together. Professor Snape used this charm on Draco Malfoy after Harry had attacked him using Sectumsempra.

SPELLS FROM THE MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES!!!

Alarte Ascendare [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “alatus”, meaning “winged”, and “ascendo”, meaning “I ascend”.

Causes the target of the spell to shoot rapidly upwards into the air. Professor Lockhart attempted to get rid of the snake that Malfoy had summoned at the Duelling Club using this spell – the effect was to throw the snake into the air, thus making it very cross indeed.

Aqua Eructo [GoF Game]

From the Latin “aqua”, meaning “water”, and “eruptio”, meaning “breaking forth”.

Causes a jet of water to come from the end of the caster's wand. The speed of the jet is controllable, and can be anything from a small trickle to a gush big enough to put out a sizeable fire. This is the same spell as “Aguamenti” in the books.

Arania Exumai [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “aranea”, meaning “spider”, and “exuo”, meaning “I lay aside”.

Knocks back spiders. Harry used this spell to defend himself and Ron from the spiders when they met Aragog in the Forbidden Forest.

Arresto Momentum [PoA Movie]

From the English word “arrest”, meaning to stop, and “momentum”, meaning the force of a moving body.

Slows or stops the movement of a person or creature. As such, it may be the equivalent to the spell Impedimentia from the books. Dumbledore uses this spell to cushion Harry's descent when he fell off his broom when Dementors invaded the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Quidditch match in 1993.

Ascendio [GoF Movie]

From the Latin “ascendo”, meaning “I rise”.

Causes the target of the spell (presumably a person or creature) to ascend rapidly. Harry used this at the end of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament in order to reach the surface of the lake.

Avifors [CoS and GoF Games]

From the Latin “avis”, meaning “bird”, and “fors”, meaning “luck”.

Transfigures statues into birds.

Baubillius [Trading Card]

Effect unknown.

Bombarda [PoA Movie]

From the English word “bombard”, meaning “attack”.

Smashes doors open. Can possibly also be used on other types of obstacles. Hermione cast this on the door to the room where Sirius was being detained following his capture in order to rescue him.

Bombarda Maxima [OOTP Movie]

From the English word “bombard”, meaning “attack”.

A more potent variant of the basic Bombarda spell. Dolores Umbridge used this to break her way into the Room of Requirement, and it exploded the entrance in quite a spectacular fashion.

Bracchium Emendo [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “bracchium”, meaning “forearm”, and “emendo”, meaning “I improve”.

Lockhart believes that this spell mends a broken arm. This may be correct and he just miscast it, or alternatively it may do no such thing. Either way, it ended up removing all the bones from Harry's arm instead. Assuming that the correctly cast version has the effect Lockhart intended, the “emendo” part of this spell is likely to be the equivalent of Episkey from the books. The “bracchium” element targets the spell to the arm. The name of this spell is sometimes incorrectly stated as “Brakium Emendo”.

Carpe Retractum [PoA and GoF Games]

From the Latin “carpo”, meaning to proceed on a journey, and “retracto”, meaning “I draw back”.

Produces a magical tractor beam that pulls objects towards the spell caster.

Cistem Aperio [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “cisto”, meaning “box”, and “aperio”, meaning “open”.

Opens boxes. Tom Riddle used this to open the box in which Hagrid was keeping Aragog, in order to prove that Hagrid was keeping unauthorized pets. He showed this to Harry as part of a memory from his diary.

Depulso [PoA Game]

From the Latin “depulsio”, meaning “driving away”.

The Knockback Jinx. This is used to blast creatures (which it kills) and objects (which it moves). It is the same spell as Flipendo, which was used in the PS and CoS games.

Draconifors [PoA Game]

From the Latin “draco”, meaning “dragon”, and “fors”, meaning “luck”.

Turns statues of dragons into real dragons.

Ducklifors [GoF Game]

From the English "duck", and the Latin "fors", meaning "luck".

Transfigures target creature into a duck.

Epoximise [Trading Card]

Effect unknown.

Ebublio [GoF Game]

Derivative of "bubble".

Transfigures target creature into a pretty stream of coloured bubbles.

Evanesce [Trading Card]

Effect unknown.

Everte Statum [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “everto”, meaning “dislodge”, and “statua”, meaning “image”.

Used to blast the target (person) off their feet. Professor Lockhart taught this spell to the assembled students at his ill-fated Duelling Club.

Fera Verto [CoS Movie]

From that Latin “ferus”, meaning “wild animal”, and “verto”, meaning “I turn”.

Used to transfigure a creature, most likely into anything of the spell caster's choice. In the film, the shape assumed was that of a goblet, but there is nothing in the name of the spell that suggests this is the only shape the animal in question can be made to take. The name of this charm is often mis-spelt as “Vera Verto”.

Finite Incantatem [CoS Movie]

From the Latin "finis", meaning "end."

This spell is included in the books, but is listed here due to the different effect it has in the movie. In the books, this spell is used to remove the effects of any other spells that have been cast. In the movie, Hermione uses it to destroy Dobby's rogue Bludger.

Flipendo [PS and CoS Games]

The Knockback Jinx. This is used to blast creatures (which it kills) and objects (which it moves). It is the same spell as Depulso, which was used in the PoA game.

Fumos [PoA Gameboy Game]

From the Latin “fumo”, meaning “smoke”.

Creates a large amount of thick smoke, which can be used to hide things. The smoke disperses after a time.

Glacius [PoA Game]

From the Latin “glacio”, meaning “I freeze”.

Used to freeze either objects or creatures. It can be used to turn water into ice, or to freeze enemies, rendering them immobilized.

Herbivicus [GoF Game]

From the Latin “herba”, meaning “vegetation”.

When cast on any sort of plant, this spell accelerates its growth so that it becomes very large very quickly.

Illegibilius [Trading Card]

From the English word “illegible”, meaning “impossible to read”.

Effect unknown, but presumably something to do with making writing impossible to read.

Immobulus [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “immobilis”, meaning immovable.

Used by Hermione to immobilise Cornish Pixies in Professor Lockhart's first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, following Lockhart's pathetic attempt to deal with them himself. The equivalent spell in the books is the Freezing Charm, but no incantation is given except in the movie. Freezing Charms are also effective in disabling Muggle burglar alarms.

Incarcifors [Trading Card]

Effect unkown.

Inflatus [GoF Game]

The Latin word for “blowing into”.

Used to make the target creature swell up like a balloon.

Lacarnum Inflamarae [PS Movie]

From the Latin “lacerna”, meaning “cloak”, and “inflammo”, meaning “set fire to”.

Hermione used this spell to set fire to Professor Snape's robes in the movie – in the book no incantation was given when she cast this spell. It is likely to be intended simply to be a version of Incendio with a fancier title, although the translation of the name suggests that it can only be used to set fire to cloaks and nothing else. This is somewhat unrealistic, as it is unclear why anyone would invent a spell that only sets fire to cloaks.

Lapifors [PoA Game]

From the Latin “lepus”, meaning “hare”, and “fors”, meaning “luck”.

Turns statues of rabbits into real rabbits.

Locomotor Wibbly [PS Gameboy Game]

“Loco” is Latin for “place”. “Moto” is Latin for “I move”.

This is a non-permanent version of Locomotor Mortis. It paralyses the victim for a short time.

Lumos Duo [PoA Game]

From the Latin “lumen”, meaning “light”, and “duo”, meaning “two”.

Makes the caster's wand emit a beam of bright light. The name of the spell suggests that it is intended to be a more powerful version of the basic “Lumos” spell from the books.

Lumos Maxima [PoA Movie]

From the Latin “lumen”, meaning “light”, and “maxima”, meaning “large”.

In a similar manner to the rest of the Lumos family of spells, this produces light from the end of the caster's wand. Given the name of the spell, it is likely to be intended as an even more powerful version than Lumos Duo, which is in turn more powerful than the straight Lumos. Harry was practicing this spell under his duvet at the Dursley's house at the beginning of the PoA movie.

Lumos Solem [PS Movie]

From the Latin “lumen”, meaning “light”, and “sol”, meaning “sun”.

The final, and presumably most powerful, spell in the Lumos family. This one creates a light like the sun, possibly the brightest light that magic can create. Hermione uses this spell against the Devil's Snare when she, Ron and Harry go through the trapdoor after Quirrell.

Melofors [GoF Game]

From the English word “melon” and the Latin “fors”, meaning “luck”.

Turn the target's head into a pumpkin. The name of the spell suggests that the result should really be a melon head rather than a pumpkin head, as the two fruits are similar but not from the same family.

Mimblewimble [CoS Game]

A dueling spell. Causes the opponent of the caster to mumble and stutter so that they cannot cast their own spells properly. This spell cannot be used outside a dueling situation.

Mucus ad Nauseam [PS Gameboy Game]

From the English word “mucus” and the Latin “ad nauseam”, meaning “to the point of sickness”.

This curse gives the victim a severe cold for a period of time. In the game in question, Peeves can often be found casting this spell, but Harry later learns it as well.

Mutatio Skullus [GoF Game]

From the Latin "mutatio", meaning "I change" and an adaptation of the English word "skull".

A spell used during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in the game. The effect is unknown, but the name of the spell suggests that it would be used to mutate the skull of an enemy.

Oculus Reparo [PS and CoS Movies]

From the Latin “oculus”, meaning “the eye”, and “reparo” meaning “I restore”.

This is a derivative of the standard Reparo spell that appears in the books. This version has the qualifier “oculus” added, which means that it only repairs spectacles.

Orbis [GoF Game]

The Latin word for “a circle”.

Causes the target to spin round rapidly and force themselves into the ground like a drill.

Periculum [GoF Film]

The Latin word for “danger”.

This is the same charm that is listed in the main spells section as the Spark Charm (and which might also be the same spell as Relashio). Causes sparks to be emitted from the end of the caster's wand. Harry uses this in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, where it is given the incantation Periculum.

Piscifors [GoF Game]

From the Latin "piscis", meaning "fish", and "fors", meaning "luck".

A spell used during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in the game. It transfigures a target creature into a fish.

Pullus [GoF Game]

The Latin word for "chick".

Transfigures target creature into a chicken.

Reducto [GoF Movie]

This spell is included in the books, but is listed here due to the different effect it has in the movie. In the books, this spell is used to blast solid objects into pieces. In the movie, Harry casts it on some vines that have grabbed Cedric Diggory in the maze during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and it caused them to retract and release him.

Rictusempra [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “risus”, meaning “laugh”.

This spell is included in the books, but is listed here due to the different effect it has in the movie. Whilst it is in reality the Tickling Charm, which tickles the victim and reduces them to helpless laughter, in the movie it has no tickling effect at all, but is capable of blasting a person against a wall.

Rose Growth [Trading Card]

Effect unknown.

Skurge [CoS Game]

From the English word “scour”, meaning “scrub clean”.

Cleans up the gooey green mess that ghosts leave behind, which can stop Harry from getting to certain places whilst it is there.

Snufflifors [PoA Game]

From the English word “snuffle”, meaning “to sniff around”, and the Latin “fors”, meaning “luck”.

Transfigures books (and quite possibly other objects) into mice. The name of the spell probably comes from the snuffling sound and movement of a mouse looking for food.

Spongify [CoS and PoA Games]

From the English word “spongy”, meaning “elastic, like a sponge”.

In the game, certain areas are set as Spongify launch-pads. When the Spongify spell is cast on the correct area, it turns into a springboard that Harry can use to jump to places he cannot reach without help.

Steleus [PoA Game]

From the Latin "sternuo", meaning "I sneeze".

This curse causes the victim to sneeze for a period of time. This is used during dueling to distract an opponent.

Titillando [Trading Card]

Possibly from the Latin “titillo”, meaning “I tickle”.

Effect unknown, although the spell's name suggests it may be a form of Tickling Charm.

Transmogrify [Trading Card]

English word meaning “to change into a different form”.

Effect unknown, but given the name it is presumably some sort of transfiguration spell.

Ventus [GoF Game]

The Latin word for “wind”.

The Knockback Jinx. This is used to blast creatures (which it kills) and objects (which it moves). It is the same spell as Flipendo (from the PS and CoS games) and Depulso (from the PoA game).

Verdemillius [PS Game]

From the Latin “videre”, meaning “to appear”.

Makes invisible platforms become visible so that Harry can jump onto them.

Vermillius [Trading Card]

Effect unknown.

Vermiculus [GoF Game]

The Latin word for “little worm”.

Used to transfigure the target creature into a worm.

Vipera Evanesca [CoS Movie]

From the Latin “vipera”, meaning “snake”, and “evanesco”, meaning “vanish”.

This is the spell used by Professor Snape to get rid of the snake that Malfoy summoned, Lockhart blasted into the air, and Harry tried to talk to at the shambolic first meeting of the Duelling Club. It is basically a derivative of the Vanishing Charm Evanesco from the books, with an object applied to the start to make it apply to snakes only.