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"Harry aimed his wand at Peeves and said, "Langlock!" Peeves clutched at his throat, gulped, then swooped from the room making obscene gestures but unable to speak, owing to the fact that his tongue had just glued itself to the roof of his mouth."
— Harry Potter's use on Peeves the Poltergeist in the Hogwarts hospital wing[src]

Langlock[1] was the incantation of a jinx that caused one's tongue to affix to the roof of their mouth. It was known to work on humans[2] as well as on spirits (including a poltergeist, like Peeves).[1] It was most likely invented for the sake of preventing someone from speaking aloud or even to prevent a spell from being cast.

History[]

LanglockHM

The effects of this jinx

It was invented by Severus Snape and recorded in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making while he was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1970s.[3]

It is unknown when Severus Snape invented this and many of his other spells, as according to Sirius Black "he knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year".[5]

During the 1989–1990 school year, Bill Weasley taught this jinx to a group of sixth-year students in one of his Defence Against the Dark Arts tutoring sessions.[6] Ben Copper would later use this jinx to incapacitate fellow Gryffindor Charlie Weasley when the latter, beside himself with distress, angrily reproached Jacob's sibling.[7]

During the 1990–1991 school year, Merula Snyde used this jinx to silence both Jacob's sibling and Corey Hayden in the Forbidden Forest, before taking Hayden away with Apparition.[8]

Harry Potter found out about the spell in the 1996–1997 school year when he gained possession of Snape's copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He used Langlock on Argus Filch twice during the school year "to general applause",[2] and again on Peeves.[1]

Known practitioners[]

"...a jinx that glued the tongue to the roof of the mouth (which he had twice used, to general applause, on an unsuspecting Argus Filch)..."
— Harry Potter casting Langlock on Filch[src]

Etymology[]

The word langue is the root for tongue, while lock is an English word.

Behind the scenes[]

  • It is unknown how exactly Bill Weasley came to know of this spell in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, although some of Snape's other spells like Levicorpus became very popular at Hogwarts while he was a student, so it is likely that this spell became publicly known as well.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 19 (Elf Tails)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals) - "Harry had already attempted a few of the Prince’s self-invented spells."
  4. 4.0 4.1 Pottermore - All about... Severus Snape
  5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 (Padfoot Returns)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 10 (Cloaks and Conflicts) - Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson "Langlock"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 13 (On the Run)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 38 (Tensions Rise)

See also[]

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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