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Hermione Granger: "Oh no! A charmed skeleton!"
Harry Potter: "We'd better both cast at once!"
Hermione Granger and Harry Potter encountering a charmed skeleton in the Shrieking Shack[src]

A charmed skeleton[2] was a human skeleton that had been magically reanimated by a Dark wizard,[1] similar to Inferi. Lord Voldemort, an experienced necromancer, was capable of summoning charmed skeletons.[1] Charmed skeletons could be easily destroyed with either simple offensive jinxes[1] or the Tickling Charm.[2]

History[]

Skeleton attack on Hogsmede[]

Around Hallowe'en in the 1980s or 1990s, Ismelda Murk accidentally charmed an army of skeletons in Godric's Hollow's graveyard that then went on to attack Hogsmeade until they were driven away by Pumpkin Johnny.[3]

At the Hallowe'en feast[]

During the Hallowe'en feast in 1984 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore was known to have charmed skeletons to dance for the students' entertainment. It is unclear if Dumbledore used necromancy to do so, or a movement charm similar to Piertotum Locomotor.[4]

Guarding the Shrieking Shack[]

Skelet

A skeleton attempting to attack Harry Potter and Hermione Granger inside the Shrieking Shack

Charmed skeletons guarded the tunnel from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, and attacked anyone they came into contact with by throwing bones at them. Professor Remus Lupin also taught third-year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry about charmed skeletons in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, during the 1993–1994 school year.[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Skeleton LEGOY2

A charmed skeleton in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

A Charmed Skeleton dancing like Michael Jackson in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

  • They appear in certain levels of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. They appear as a pile of bones. When you use the Levitation Charm to assemble their bones together, they form a skeleton which will sometimes be wearing a top hat, which, depending on the skeleton assembled, will start to dance or do something else. When this happens the game will play some music that will vary depending on the skeleton. They do not attack the player and can be broken again with the casting of any spell, and can be rebuilt again.[5][6]
  • In theory, charmed Skeletons do not differ from Inferi, with the only visible difference being that skeletons have further decayed than the corpses Inferi are made of. It is possible that the charmed skeletons were actually Inferi, mistaken for a different creature because of the differing appearance. However, when looking at the overall differences between charmed Skeletons and Inferi are that charmed Skeletons are not confirmed to be afraid of heat and light (although they likely are), while Inferi are confirmed to be afraid of both heat and light. Then again, the word "inferi" was not used until the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005 and the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released a year earlier.

Appearances[]

Wiki
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Notes and references[]

Death Eaters
Dark Mark Pottermore
Leader: Lord Voldemort
Death Eaters

Avery II · Alecto Carrow · Amycus Carrow · Crabbe · Bartemius Crouch Junior † · Antonin Dolohov · Gibbon † · Goyle · Gareth Greengrass's brother · Jugson · Barnaby Lee's father · Barnaby Lee's mother · Bellatrix Lestrange † · Rabastan Lestrange · Rodolphus Lestrange · Walden Macnair · Mulciber I · Mulciber II · Nott · Pyrites (possibly) · Augustus Rookwood · Rosier · Evan Rosier † · Thorfinn Rowle · Selwyn · Merula Snyde's father · Merula Snyde's mother · Travers · Wilkes † · Corban Yaxley · Unidentified Death Eaters

Death Eater defectors

Regulus Black † · Igor Karkaroff † · Draco Malfoy · Lucius Malfoy · Peter Pettigrew † · Severus Snape

Death Eater allies

Borgin · Vincent Crabbe · John Dawlish · Delphini · Golgomath · Gregory Goyle · Fenrir Greyback · Mafalda Hopkirk · Narcissa Malfoy (defected) · Ismelda Murk (unofficially, supposedly) · Nagini · Mr Padgett · Mrs Padgett · Pansy Parkinson · Quirinus Quirrell · Albert Runcorn · Stanley Shunpike (Imperiused) · Scabior · Serpent of Slytherin · Pius Thicknesse (Imperiused) · Dolores Umbridge

Other affiliations

British Ministry of Magic (under Voldemort's control) · Daily Prophet (under Voldemort's control) · Dementors · Draco Malfoy's gang · Kreacher (formerly) · Tom Riddle's gang · Gang of Slytherins · Giants (Golgomath's control) · Inferi · Charmed skeletons · Muggle-Born Registration Commission · Theodore Nott (possibly) · Snatchers · Werewolf army · The Unforgivable

Death Eater establishments

Abandoned nuclear power plant · Borgin and Burkes · British Ministry of Magic Headquarters (under Voldemort's control) · The Cave · Chamber of Secrets · Forbidden Forest · Gaunt Shack · Lee family house · Lestrange Vault · Little Hangleton graveyard · Malfoy Manor · Misty Dell · Riddle House · Snatcher Camp · Spinner's End (Severus Snape's house) · The Abandoned Substation · The Ruins · The Quarry

Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
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