Forum:Spell Deflection

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I was wondering how exactly people deflected their opponents curses without using the Shield Charm. It happens many times throughout the novels and movies one for example in Half-Blood Prince Snape deflects Harry's Sectusemprawith only a flick of his wand, is he using Protego as a nonverbal spell? Protego is said to reflect the spell back at the caster and defelcting it would not fall under using Protego. Also in OOTP Lucius Malfoy deflects Bellatrix's Stunning charm so quick it would have been to hard to say or think Protego he was standing beside her and he stopped her from stunning Harry so he wouldn't drop the prophecy. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jcabr003 (talk • contribs) 12:03, 21 March 2009.

In Half-Blood Prince, Ch. 28, it is clear that Snape uses a non-verbal spell to block all of Harry's curses, because he taunts Harry about his general inability to cast spells non-verbally at the same time:

"Blocked again, and again, and again, until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!" sneered Snape, deflecting the curse once more.

Harry was firing off some pretty nasty curses, like Sectumsempra and Crucio, so I think Snape made a conscious decision to avoid using Protego, for fear that it would reflect those spells back at Harry and seriously injure him. As for what spell he used instead, that remains unknown, but I'd venture that it might've been one of his own invention, created specifically for the purpose of being able to defend oneself without the possibility of injuring one's attacker in the process.

I don't have an explanation for the incident involving Lucius Malfoy. ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 10:29, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

On second thought, after browsing this wiki's list of known uses of Protego, there are only two times when I can recall the spell deflecting another spell back toward its caster: when Harry repelled Snape's Legilimens in OP26, and when Harry repelled an unknown non-verbal jinx Snape cast at him as part of a DADA lesson in HBP9. I'm not convinced that the spell always has the same effect; its effect may vary depending on several factors. ★ Starstuff ^{(Owl me!)} 12:11, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

On Snape deflecting Harry's curses, it could have been a new spell, simply not known to harry, as well as a protego of a different variation. It is known that spells are highly influenced by caster's concentration. For example, when Harry uses the cruciatus on bellatrix and on amycus carrow he doesn't get the same result as a deat eater would have. Snape always prided himself with high disciplined mind and great power of concentration, so i believe him capable of producing a protego and managing it's effects as he pleases. On the Lucius Malfoy deflecting Bellatrix' curse in the battle in the ministry, it doesn't necessarily mean that he did it by using magic. He could have simply knocked her hand over.--Ohmbun 21:03, 1 May 2009 (UTC)