Songtext Spells Harry Potter

Spells

Accio! (Goblet of Fire, page 68)
Etymology: L. accedo (to approach, come near / (things) to be added).
The Summoning Charm (incantation: "Accio!") is used to bring an object to you, wherever it may be. Concentrating is essential to succeeding in the spell; the further away an object is and the larger it is, the harder it is to summon. The two most difficult Summoning Charms are in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. In Goblet of Fire, Harry summons his Firebolt from inside the castle to the grounds to use it for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. In Order of the Phoenix, the potency of the charm is demonstrated when Fred and George Weasley summon their brooms (which were chained to a wall) from another part of the castle.

Age Line Charm (Goblet of Fire, page 256)
The incantation for the age line charm is unknown, but the effect is a thin golden line drawn on the surface of the floor that prevents anyone who is too young (or possibly the reverse, too old) from crossing. The effect, in Fred and George’s case, was being transformed into much older versions of themselves.

Aguamenti! (Half-Blood Prince, page 574)
Etymology: L. Agua (water) + Mentis (Mind).
"Aguamenti!", which is taught in the sixth year, is a spell whose affect is a clear jet or fountain of water being emitted from the castor’s wand.

Air-dry Charm (Half-Blood Prince, page 558)
The charm blows a rush of warm air from the castor’s wand. Dumbledore uses the charm to dry off himself and Harry when they travel to the cave.

Alohomora! (Sorcerer's Stone, page 160)
Etymology: Hawaiian. Aloha (goodbye) L. + mora (delay)
The Alohomora Charm (incantation: "Alohomora!") is used to unlock doors or other objects that are locked. The charm also unlocks magically locked doors or objects (see "Colloportus!"). Though the charm comes in handy for Harry, Hermione, and Ron throughout the books, it is not powerful. As shown in Chapter 34, "The Department of Mysteries," in Order of the Phoenix, The Alohomora Charm does not unlock all magically locked doors or objects.

Anapneo! (Half-Blood Prince, page 144)
Etymology: Greek. Anapneo (Breathe).
A useful spell that clears the blocked airway of the castor’s target. Slughorn uses the spell to save a student's life.

Anti-Apparition Spell:
The anti-apparition spell prevents a witch or wizard from apparating. The spell is cast over the grounds of Hogwarts though it was lifted in the great hall during Harry’s sixth year to allow the students to practice for apparition tests.

Anti-Cheating Spell (Sorcerer's Stone, page 262)
The spell is cast on student’s quills before taking tests which presumably stops a student from cheating.

Anti-Disapparition Spell: (Order of the Phoenix page 817)
The anti-disapparition spell prevents a witch or wizard from disapparating; Dumbledore uses it on the recently captured Death Eaters in the Ministry.

Antler jinx (Order of the Phoenix page 677)
The jinx causes antlers to sprout from the victim’s head. In Order of the Phoenix, Pansy Parkinson is hit with this jinx which forces her to miss class for a day.

Aparecium! (Chamber of Secrets, page 233)
Etymology: L. appareo (to become visible, appear, manifest).
"Aparecium!" is used only once by Hermione in an attempt to reveal the hidden contents of Tom Riddle's diary. Though the spell is unsuccessful, Hermione says that it is used to reveal invisible ink.

Apparition/ Disapparition:
An advanced non-verbal spell that allows a witch or wizard to disappear from one place and instantaneously appear at another. Apparating is marked by a loud cracking noise and a sensation similar to being forced through a very tight rubber tube. Apparition can also be performed with multiple passengers via the apparator touching the person they wish to bring with them.

Arrow-wand Charm (Quidditch through the Ages, Ch. 7)
The charm causes arrows to shoot from the castor’s wand. The charm was popular with Appleby Arrows supporters who would use it to celebrate goals; it was outlawed in 1894.

Avada Kedavra! (Goblet of Fire, page 215)
Etymology: Aramaic. abracadabra (ancient spell meaning "let the thing be destroyed")
The Killing Curse (incantation: "Avada Kedavra!") is considered by most wizards the worst curse, as it kills whoever or whatever it is cast upon. The curse is one of three Unforgivable Curses - curses that are illegal and can land a wizard in Azkaban Prison for using them (see "Imperio!" and "Crucio!").

Avis! (Goblet of Fire, page 309)
Etymology: L. Avis (bird)
"Avis!" is used when examining a wand; it will cause small, twittering birds to fly out of the end of a wand in working condition.

Babbling Curse (Chamber of Secret, page 161)
The exact effect is never mentioned in canon but we can assume it causes the castor’s victim to babble for an extended period of time. Lockhart claims to have cured a “simple Transylvanian villager” of the curse.

Banishing Charm (Goblet of Fire, page 479)
The opposite of the Summoning charm, the incantation causes an object to fly away from the castor; it is then ‘banished’.

Bat-Boogey Hex (Half Blood Prince, Ch. 7)
This nasty hex causes the victim’s boogies to grow to the size of bats and then sprout wings and attack the victim’s face. Ginny is said to be especially gifted at this particular hex.

Bewitched Sleep (Goblet of Fire, page 509)
The charm causes the target to be placed in a deep artificial sleep in which (s)he doesn't need to breathe. Dumbledore places Ron, Hermione, Gabrielle Delacour and Cho in this sleep-like state when they are placed in the care of the mere people during the second triwizard task.

Boil-Covering spell (Chamber of Secrets, page 185)
The boil-covering spell causes the target to become covered with boils. Fred and George, for some reason, use it to try to cheer up Ginny.

Bubble-Head Charm (Goblet of Fire, page 506)
The bubble-head charm surrounds a person’s head in a large air-bubble. Both Cedric and Fleur use this charm in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. It was also very popular towards the end of Harry’s fifth year as students used the charm in effort to combat the growing number of dungbombs and stinkpellets being set off.

Cheering Charm (Prisoner of Azkaban, page 294)
The cheering charm is a third-year charm which cheers a person up.

Colloportus! (Order of the Phoenix, page 788)
Etymology: L. colligo (to bind, tie, fasten together)
"Colloportus!" is used to lock doors or objects that can be locked. However, the spell is not of much use unless dealing with Muggles or a wandless wizard or witch, because the Alohomora Charm will unlock anything locked by "Colloportus!"

Confundus Charm (Prisoner of Azkaban, page 386)
Etymology: L. Confundo (to perplex).
The confundus charm causes the person or object it is cast upon to become confused or misguided.

Conjunctivitis Curse (Goblet of Fire, page 406)
Etymology: L. Conjunctiva (relating to the eye) + itis (inflammation)
The curse affects the visibility of the victim making it very difficult to see and possibly causing pain or irritation in the eyes. Sirius tries to suggest Harry use this spell on the dragon in the first task; Krum does use it.

Conjuring Charm:
Conjures items out of thin air for the castor. Used multiple times through the books for everything from chairs, to liquid, to even sleeping bags.

Corn-Flaked skin Jinx (Order of the Phoenix p. 677)
Warrington, of the Slytherin Quidditch team, is hit with this jinx which makes his skin look as though he had been coated in cornflakes.

Crucio! (Goblet of Fire, page 214)
Etymology: L. crucio (to torture, torment)
The Cruciatus Curse (incantation: "Crucio!") inflicts severe pain on whoever it is cast on. It