Who wouldn’t love to get their hands on a wand and perform a spell? Need to fix a broken object? Unblock a door? Disarm an enemy? Or just sit lazily and summon an object to you? In the Harry Potter universe, there is a spell to fulfill every single need from getting your dishes done to killing somebody with nothing more than a swish and flick. Below are the top 10 spells of Harry Potter:
10. Accio: The charm that summons things to you
Magic means not having to do things by yourself and this spell is the perfect example of magic. With this spell, you would not have to make any effort to get the things you want. You could just sit lazily, say Accio *this* or Accio *that* and get it flying to your arms. It is one of the oldest spells known to the wizarding society. However, it has a few restrictions. The object should be materialized, existent and at a considerable distance away from the spell caster. The farther the desired object is from the caster, the harder it is to Summon. The spell was mentioned for the first time in the fourth book of the series by Molly Weasley.
9. Protego : The shield charm
It is a moderately difficult spell that creates a magical barrier to deflect physical entities and spells and is used to defend a certain small or enclosed area from most other spells for an extended period of time. It however, doesn’t work against the killing curse but if you want a spell that would keep you safe guarded, Protego would be the right choice. The spell was mentioned for the first time in the fourth book of the series by Hermione Granger.
8. Muffliato: The spell that fills the ears with a buzzing sound.
The spell is perfect for having private conversations. This charm fills the ears of any person in the proximity of the spell caster with a strange buzzing sound so as to allow distant conversations to take place without being overheard in public places such as a classroom, a pub or the Diagon alley. The unique spell was invented by Professor Severus Snape while he was still a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was mentioned for the first time in the sixth book of the series.
7. Obliviate: The memory charm.
Don’t you sometimes wish that you could make people forget something that you did? Obliviate is a spell that can be used to erase memories from an individual’s mind. This spell is specifically used if a Muggle witnesses something related to the wizarding world. However, if performed improperly, the Memory Charm can erase significant portions of an individual’s memory and cause brain damage with difficulty in recovery and the charm can be broken only through torture. The spell was first mentioned in the first book of the series by Ronald Weasley. This spell is great if you want to make people forget something embarrassing about you.
6. Stupefy: The stunning spell.
This charm leaves the victim unconscious and halts moving objects. It is the best attacking spell if you don’t want to hurt your opponent. The effects of the spell however, seem inconsistent over the course of the series. It is alternatively described as sending people flying, knocking them out, or freezing them in place. The common factor, however, is that the target ends up knocked out. To wake up a stunned person, the Enervate charm is used. It is commonly used in duels and was one of the spells Harry Potter taught Dumbledore’s army. The spell was mentioned for the first time in the fourth book of the series.
5) Crucio: The torture curse that causes extreme amounts of pain on the victim.
It is one of the unforgivable curses and its use is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. It is a curse of torture, inflicting immense unbearable pain on a victim. The curse doesn’t physically harm the victim so it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors and to successfully perform this curse, the wizard or witch must possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain. The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse is described as worse than”one thousand white-hot knives boring into the skin and this pain can cause permanent mental injury. The spell was first mentioned in the fourth book of the series.
4. Imperio: The curse that forces the victim to obey the caster’s commands.
It is also one of the three unforgivable curses and is considered one of the most terrible curses in the magical world. Its use is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. Only very skilled wizards are able to fight this curse, and only very powerful ones are able to cast it – it takes significant mental strength to impose your will upon another. When cast successfully, it places the victim completely under the caster’s control, though a person with exceptional strength of will is capable of resisting it. Being subjected to the curse is not an unpleasant feeling but rather, a calm, trance-like state. The spell was first mentioned in book one in a conversation between Harry and Ron. You might want to consider learning this spell to make your teacher forget that they gave assignments.
3) Expecto Patronum:
The charm is an immensely complicated and a very difficult spell that stimulates a partially-substantial positive energy force known as a patronus or spirit guardian.
The charm casts a Patronus which can appear as simply white vapor or in more advance casters, as a silvery-white animal shape. If it takes the shape of an animal, it is called corporeal Patronus. The spell
Is used to ward off the Dementors and Lethifolds, against which there are no other protection. Albus Dumbledore, however, invented the method of using one’s patronus as a messenger to another by the help of a patronus which was widely used by the Order of Pheonix. To conjure a patronus, even an intangible one is considered a sign of great magical power as many witches and wizards are unable to produce one and to successfully xast the spell, one must muster the happiest memory they can think of and begin drawing circles with their wand so as to increase the power and then say the incantation ‘Expecto Patronum’. Harry Potter is one of the youngest wizard to be able to conjure a patronus. A person’s Patronus is always an important marker of their personality, their relationships, and their motivations and the spell was first mentioned in the third book when Remus Lupin conjured a Patronus to fight off a Dementor in the Hogwarts Express.
2. Avada Kedavra: The killing curse.
It is a spell that causes instantaneous death and is considered one of the three unforgivable curses. The only counter protection for this deadly spell is sacrificial protection which uses the magic of love and only two wizards have been known to survive the spell; Harry Potter and tom Riddle. It is recognizable by the flash of green light and the rushing noise emitted from the caster’s wand and is considered one of the most terrible curses in the wizarding world. Cursing another human with the killing curse would carry the punishment of a life sentence in Azkaban. Severus Snape used Avada Kedavra to kill Dumbledore and the spell was first mentioned in the series at the beginning of the first book when Harry arrived at the Dursleys’ home.
1) Expelliarmus: The spell that blocks unfriendly spells or disarms an opponent.
Expelliarmus has been used in the series since the first book and is a popular spell and even though it was due to the fact that Lord Voldermort never truly mastered the elder wand, expelliarmus was that single spell used to kill him during the battle of Hogwarts by rebounding his killing curse. We see the spell first used in the series by Professor Snape in the Dueling club on Professor Lockhart and it is also known as Harry’s signature spell. It’s a dangerous world out there and if you want to learn some spell casting, you should definitely consider keeping it on the top list of your spells.
Also see,
Top 10 characters of Harry Potter
Conclusion:
There are lots of spells in the series and everybody has different choices which might range from mundane to the truly spectacular spells but these spells too are helpful. Whenever in trouble, spell a spell and remember to remember these spells which will save you Dementors, Death Eaters, all kinds of magical creatures and even the Dark Lord himself. All you’ll have to do is aim, mutter, swish and flick. Job done!
Little sad, slightly mad and superbly imaginative. Currently doing my Bachelors of Engineering in Software Engineering. Ever since I could read, I’ve wanted to write a book and am still waiting for an inspiration.