Locking Spell

Locking Spell
Incantation	Colloportus (cull-low-PORE-tus)
Type	Charm
Hand movement
Light	None
Effect	Seals doors

"'Colloportus!' gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise."

— Hermione Granger

The Locking Spell (incantation, Colloportus) is a charm that is used to lock or seal doors so that they cannot be opened manually. This charm is featured in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and has a very well-known counter charm, Alohomora.

Effects

It is unknown whether a key could be used to unlock a door after a locking charm has been placed on it.. If it is true that a key would be ineffective against a door sealed with this spell, it would prove quite useful against Muggles.

Known uses

" Colloportus!" Shouted Harry, and he heard three bodies slam into the other side."

— Harry uses the charm against Death Eaters

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Hermione Granger	18 June, 1996	Member of the D.A. used this spell in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
Harry Potter
Luna Lovegood
Neville Longbottom
Severus Snape	1996	Snape used this spell non-verbally to close and lock the unusually small door behind his bookshelf in order to prevent Peter Pettigrew overhearing his conversation with Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange in 1996.
	2020 (Appears in alternate reality)	In the alternate reality created by Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, Severus Snape used this spell to lock the door to his classroom.
Delphini	1981	Delphini used this spell while duelling Harry Potter to lock the doors of St Jerome's Church.

Possible uses

• This may have been the spell that Albus Dumbledore used to magically lock the door to the Hospital wing after Harry and Hermione returned from rescuing Sirius Black in 1994.

Behind the scenes

• Severus Snape had sealed his previous office with a spell that none but a wizard could break. It is possible that he used this spell, since unlike the Anti-Alohomora Charm, it could be undone by another.

"It appears to be some sort of locking charm"

— Harry Potter on the spell used on the doors

• In the second video game adaption of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows during the 1998 Break-in of Gringotts Wizarding Bank Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger found a lot of doors was magically sealed by "some sort of locking charm" and Hermione had to use the Unlocking Charm. This Locking Spell is possibly the one mentioned as it locks a door and is a charm.

Etymology

Colloportus is composed of the prefix "collo—" deriving from Latin colligo meaning to bind together or possibly Greek κολλάω, κολλώ (collo) which means "to glue, stick" and Latin portus meaning door.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Possible appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Possible appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Possible appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Pottermore

Notes and references

The Standard Book of Spells
Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 · Grade 5 · Grade 6 · Grade 7
Charms included in the series: Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Nonverbal spell · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Skurge Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)