H-N

Hair Loss Curse

Makes the victim lose their hair. Covered by Professor Vindictus Viridian in his book on curses and counter-curses.

Hives Hex

Causes the victims face to erupt in hives. Hives are raised lumps on the skin, usually caused by an allergic reaction.

Homorphus Charm

From "Homo" meaning "man" and "morphus" meaning "transform". Used to force a werewolf to revert to human form. Lockhart claimed to have used this against the Wagga Wagga Werewolf. He didn't, of course, but it is likely that it is a real spell.

Horcrux Creation Spell

After committing the act of murder, the Horcrux Creation Spell is used to encase the torn portion of the killer's soul into an object or creature. This is exceptionally advanced and evil magic, and even Horace Slughorn did not know any details at all of this spell when the young Tom Riddle asked him about it.

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.

Hot Air Charm

Causes hot air to stream out of the end of the caster's wand. This is similar to Relashio, but in the case of the Hot Air Charm, no sparks are released. A complicated wand movement is required to cast this spell but no incantation. Hermione used it to dry her robes in winter 1995, and also to create a path through the snow.

Hover Charm

Makes an item hover in the air. Famously used by Dobby on Aunt Petunia’s pudding.

Hurling Hex

Professor Flitwick thought that Harry's new Firebolt broomstick - a gift from Sirius Black - might be jinxed with this hex. It is likely that it causes the rider to be thrown off the broomstick.

Immobulus

"Immobilise" means to prevent moving.

Stops an object moving. The name of this spell comes from the films rather than the books but is included here as it is very likely to be the "clever Freezing Charm" used by Hermione to immobilise Cornish Pixies in Professor Lockhart's first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. See also "Freezing Charm".

Impedimenta

“Impedimentum�?is Latin for “a hindrance�? Use to stop or slow down a person or creature (as opposed to an object).

Imperio

From the Latin "impero," meaning "to give orders, rule, hold sway," or "imperium," meaning "power to command, rule, control." The Imperius Curse. This is used to control the actions of another person, leaving that person at the mercy of the spell caster. The experience of being under the curse is described as a fantastic sense of release, until the victim starts to fight back. The curse can be fought and its hold broken, but many witches and wizards are unable to do so. Because of its very dangerous implications, the Imperius Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. Use of this curse against another human being is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban.

Imperturbable Charm

Impeturbable means “not able to be disturbed�? Creates a barrier which sounds, objects and people cannot cross.

Impervius

Impervious means “incapable of being affected�? Used to make an object resistant to water.

Incantation Free 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. 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. Non-verbal magic is taught in the sixth year and above at Hogwarts.


Incarcerous

“Incarcerate�?means to shut in. Summons ropes which then bind the victim.

Incendio

“Incendo�?is Latin for “set fire to�? Creates fire.

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.

Obliteration Charm

“Obliterate�?means to wipe out, leaving no trace.

This was used by Hermione to wipe out tracks in the snow. It may be able to remove other marks as well.

Obliviate

"Oblivio" is Latin for "forgetfulness".

The Memory Charm. This spell erases sections of the memory of the victim as chosen by the spell caster. It can wipe out the entire memory if the caster so chooses. The Memory Charm deprives victims of essential knowledge, giving them amnesia-like symptoms that may be incurable.

Occlumency

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

This is the defense of the mind against external attack. Occlumency is the only way to protect one's mind from someone using Legilimency.

Orchideous

Named after the orchid, a type of flower. Creates flowers from the caster’s wand.

Oppugno

Latin for "to attack". Causes something to attack a target chosen by the spell caster. Hermiones used it to cause a small flock of conjured birds to attack Ron, and so it has been confirmed that it works on living creatures. It may work on objects as well.

Permanent Sticking

Charm used to attach one thing to another. Permanently.

Peskipiksi Pesternomi

Used by Lockhart to attempt to get rid of Cornish Pixies. It had no effect, probably due to the fact that he’d just made it up.

Petrificus Totalus

An adaptation of “totally petrify�? Renders the victim temporarily unable to move.

Placement Charm

Used to remotely position an object. Presumably similar to object moving spells such as Locomotor, except that the Placement Charm allows for accurate positioning of the target object.

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.

Portus

"Porta" is Latin for "gate".

This spell is used to turn an object into a Portkey. Portkeys are used to transport people from one location to another almost instantly. A Portkey requires direct physical contact in order for it to work properly. The use of Portkeys is closely monitored by the Office of Magical Transportation.

Prior Incantato

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

The Reverse Spell Effect. When cast, this spell causes a wand to create an echo or ghostly image of the last spells it performed in reverse chronological order. A similar effect is known to occur when two wands sharing a magical core taken from the same animal (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 a Reverse Spell Effect, which when it happens in this manner, is referred to as Priori Incantatem.

Protean Charm

A spell which links the appearance of several items. When one item is changed, the others change in the same way.

Protego

Latin for “protect�?

The Shield Charm. This creates a magical shield to deflect minor to moderate spells and jinxes cast by others. It is not advanced magic, as Harry managed to cast a very effective Shield Charm against Severus Snape whilst practicing Occlumency during his fifth year, but none-the-less a large number of adult witches and wizards are not proficient at it. The Weasley twins have taken advantage of this situation by marketing a range of Shield clothing which carries the charm and repels magic as though the wearer had cast it themselves.

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.

Quietus

Adaptation of "quiet".

This spell negates the effects of the Sonorus Spell, making a magically magnified voice return to its normal state.

Reducio

Adaptation of “reduce�?

This spell causes an object shrink. It also negates the effects of the Engorgio Spell, returning any magically enlarged item back to its original size..

Reducto

This spell is used to blast solid object into pieces. It does not work on anything that is not solid.

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.

Relashio

This spell creates heat from the end of the wand. Normally sparks burst from the wand tip as a result of this spell, but if the wand is underwater, the spell produces jets of boiling water instead. When cast with enough vigour, this spell can be powerful to knock somebody off their feet if it is cast at them.

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.

Reparo

Latin for “to restore�? Mends the target object.

Repelling Spell

Repels an object.

Repelling Spells were used during early Quidditch matches to prevent the Snidget leaving the playing area.

Revelaspell

Invented by Scarpin, this is used to identify the ingredients of a potion.

Rictusempra

From the Latin "rideo risi risum," meaning "to laugh at, laugh."

The Tickling Charm. Causes uncontrollable laughter in the victim.

Riddikulus

Adaptation of "ridiculous".

Causes an item, creature or person to take on a humorous appearance of the spell caster's choosing. Particularly useful against Boggarts, who are destroyed by laughter.

T-Z

Tarantallegra

The Tarantella is a fast Italian dance. Causes the victim’s legs to dance uncontrollably.

Tergeo

Latin for "to 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.

Effect unknown. Dumbledore ordered that every copy of Quidditch Through the Ages sold to Muggles was enchanted with this curse to prevent them reading it without buying it.

Toenail Growth

Charm Causes the victim's toenails to grow alarmingly fast.

Tongue-Tying

Curse Effect unknown, but probably something to do with tongues.

Covered by Professor Vindictus Viridian in his book on curses and counter-curses.

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.

Transmogrifian Torture

Lockhart thought that this had been used to kill Mrs Norris when she was found frozen rigid in 1992.

It hadn't of course - perhaps because no such curse actually exists. IN fact, Mrs Norris was not dead at all and had been petrified by a basilisk.

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.

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 to 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 "to 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.