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It’s Day 3 of the Harry Potter Extravaganza here at SparkNotes, and we’re having more fun than a basilisk in a ladies' bathroom! So far this week, we’ve already thrown down the gauntlet at some Twilight fans, gossiped our faces off about the cast of the soon-to-be-released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and, oh yeah, accidentally misspelled the word “hippogriff.” (And that’s only because I’m pretty sure somebody confunded me, and although there’s not exactly any evidence, it was obviously Tom Felton. Yeah, that’s right, Felton! I’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER.)
And now, on to the topic of today’s post: Spells!
Every wizard needs a good arsenal of spells, and if you’ve been reading the Harry Potter series, you probably know most of the best ones yourself. But for the truly savvy practitioner of magic, there’s an entire host of ultra-specific spells that’ll save your hide when a simple “Obliviate!” just won’t cut it—spells I recently learned about courtesy of some mysterious hooded fellow down at the Hog’s Head. (He also had a dragon egg he wanted to sell—does anyone want one?)
So pull out your quills, Potter fans, for a very important lesson on Spells of the Potterverse!
Expecto Patronum
Everybody knows Expecto Patronum, the highly useful spell used to protect oneself against the evil, soul-sucking dementors that so often plague Hogwarts’ heroes. But you probably didn’t know about…
Expecto Demento: Conjures dementors. Generally used only by accident, or by idiots.
Expectorato Patronum: Conjures a patronus charm that spits on your enemies. Entertaining, but not particularly useful.
Expecto Petroleum: Conjures gasoline. Handy in a pinch.
Alohomora
Hermoine Granger first displayed her awesome skillz by using this spell to open a forbidden door in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But if you need a little extra kick in your door-opening charm, try these!
Aloha Mora: For opening locked doors in Hawaii. Not much good in England.
Aloyomomma: For opening doors that have been locked by someone’s mom.
Protego
This shield charm causes an attacker’s curse to rebound, slapping the offending wizard with whatever nastiness he tried to dish out. But when you need more than protection, why not try…
Prolego: Shields against curses by erecting a wall of Legos around the attacker.
Protango: Compels the curse-inflicting wizard to stop whatever he’s doing and immediately take up ballroom dancing.
Manchego: Summons tasty Spanish cheese! Not really useful for protection against hexes, but it’ll give you something to eat while you’re lying on the floor.
Avada Kedavra
Yikes, it’s the KILLING CURSE! You’re technically not allowed to use this one, kiddos, but it can’t hurt you to know its variations…you know, just in case Voldemort jumps out of your closet.
Alotta Kedavra: For when you really need to kill multiple people at once.
Avada Gadda da Vida: Specifically used to kill people who like the music of 1980s hair bands.
Avada Cadaver: Kills people who are already dead.
Sectumsempra
A specialty of Severus Snape’s, the Sectumsempra curse opens up a huge, horrible gash in the body of whomever it lands on (also, in the final book, it takes George Weasley’s ear clean off). So when you’re looking to make somebody bleed, make sure you know all this spell’s equally effective cousins:
Sectumninja: A wounding spell for use against ninjas ONLY.
Infectumsempra: Violently wounds the target, then gives him a horrendous infection.
Sectumrectum: …Ewwwww.
Do you have any excellent, lesser-known spells to share with us? When was the last time you conjured a patronus charm? Tull in the comments! And make sure to come back tomorrow for more Potter Mania.
By: kat_rosenfield
Topics: Life
Tags: harry potter, movies
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