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"Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."
Quirinus Quirrell scorning Severus Snape's attempts to save Harry Potter's life[src]

A counter-curse[1] was a type of Counter-spell designed to remove the effects of a curse or other dark charm. Similar to casting dark charms, those who cast counter-curses must maintain eye contact with the target.[2]

History[]

During their time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, James Potter cast the counter-curse for the Full Body-Bind Curse that Sirius Black had cast on Severus Snape after being let down from the jinx Levicorpus James had cast on him.[3]

On 31 July 1991, during his first trip to Diagon Alley, Harry Potter was interested in buying Curses and Counter-Curses.[4] This book, by Vindictus Viridian, covered several jinxes and curses, as well as their counter spells.[5]

In 1991, Professor Snape used a counter-curse to protect Harry Potter from a jinx put on his broom by Professor Quirrell, who was trying to knock him off.[6]

Also in 1991, Hermione Granger performed the counter-curse to the Leg-Locker Curse for Neville Longbottom after Draco Malfoy cast it on him.[1]

In the 1994–1995 school year, Bartemius Crouch Junior (in the guise of Alastor Moody) told his Fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts students that according to the British Ministry of Magic, he was only supposed to teach them counter-curses and not show them illegal Dark curses. He clarified that there is no counter-curse against the Killing Curse.[7]

During Dumbledore's Army's meetings, Neville Longbottom worked relentlessly on learning every counter-curse that Harry taught them.[8]

In the 1995–1996 school year, Parvati Patil questioned Dolores Umbridge about needing to know how to perform counter-curses for the practical portion of their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams.[9]

In the 1996–1997 school year, the British Ministry for Magic helped protect Hogwarts with defensive spells and charms, including an array of counter-curses.[10]

Harry Potter used Liberacorpus, the counter-spell of Levicorpus (a spell he found in the Half-Blood Prince's book), on Ron Weasley, in the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory.[11]

Snape cast the counter-curse for Sectumsempra (Vulnera Sanentur) three times to heal Draco Malfoy after his duel with Harry Potter.[12]

Debatable occasions[]

See also[]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 13 (Nicolas Flamel)
  2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch)
  3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 28 (Snape's Worst Memory)
  4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley)
  5. Pottermore
  6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)
  7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14 (The Unforgivable Curses)
  8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 (The Beetle at Bay)
  9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12 (Professor Umbridge)
  10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 3 (Will and Won't)
  11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals)
  12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 24 (Sectumsempra)
  13. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)
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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