- "Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you are about to perform, which gives you a split-second advantage."
- — Hermione Granger quoting Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6[src]
A nonverbal spell is a spell which is performed without saying the incantation out loud. Performing spells nonverbally is very difficult and requires a good deal of practice, as it requires concentration and mental discipline alone. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry begins teaching nonverbal magic to students in their sixth year in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration; the students are expected to use spells nonverbally from then on. Harry Potter noted that several students in his class looked "like they had received an overdose in U-No-Poo", a substance that causes constipation, while attempting nonverbal spells.[1]
Effectiveness
Some spells, such as Levicorpus, are easier to perform nonverbally than others. Most spells, however, seem to be less effective than normal when the incantation is not said. For example, the unnamed curse that critically injured Hermione Granger during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries might have been fatal had Antonin Dolohov not been silenced when he used it, according to Hogwarts nurse Poppy Pomfrey.[2]
Known uses
Caster(s) | Spell | Notes |
---|---|---|
Rubeus Hagrid | Unknown, possibly Incendio | Conjured fire in 1991, using his umbrella.[3] |
Rubeus Hagrid | Human to pig | Gave Dudley a pig's tail, using his umbrella |
Quirinus Quirrell | Unknown, possibly Hurling Hex | Caused Harry's broomstick to buck violently during a Quidditch match in 1991.[3] |
Quirinus Quirrell | Unknown, possibly Incarcerous | Conjured ropes in 1991.[3] |
Arthur Weasley | Unknown, possibly Oculus Reparo | Repaired Harry Potter's glasses with a nonverbal spell in Diagon Alley.[4] |
The memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle | Unknown writing spell, possibly Flagrate[5] | in the Chamber of Secrets.[4] |
Remus Lupin | Magical fire - possibly Bluebell flames | On his way to Hogwarts in 1993. He also did this without using his wand.[6] |
Remus Lupin | Patronus charm | On his way to Hogwarts in 1993.[7] |
Albus Dumbledore | Unknown | Extinguished and re-lit a candle during the opening feast. He also did this wandlessly.[7] |
Remus Lupin | Unknown spell that had a shower of sparks, possibly Alohomora or equivalent | Opened the cupboard containing the Boggart during the Gryffindor's first defence lesson .[6] |
Remus Lupin | Unknown - possibly Incendio or equivalent | Relit the candles in his office during Harry's Patronus lessons. He also did this without using his wand.[7] |
Remus Lupin | Unknown transfiguration spell, possibly Homorphus, has a flash of blue-white light. Spell simultaneously performed by Sirius Black | Used to force Peter Pettigrew out of his Animagus form in the Shrieking Shack.[6] |
Sirius Black | Unknown transfiguration spell, possibly Homorphus, has a flash of blue-white light. Spell simultaneously performed by Remus Lupin | Used to force Peter Pettigrew out of his Animagus form in the Shrieking Shack.[6] |
Remus Lupin | Unknown, possibly Incarcerous | Conjured ropes to restrain Peter Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack. [6] |
Remus Lupin | Packing spell | Used to pack his possessions while clearing out his office. [7] |
Barty Crouch Jr. | Unknown, possibly Depulso | In 1995, while disguised as Alastor Moody, he pushed the students´desks to the classroom walls, only by waving his wand.[8] |
Rita Skeeter | Unknown - possibly Incendio or equivalent | While interviewing Harry Potter in the broom cupboard in 1994 she took out some candles from her bag and lit them with her wand without saying anything.[8] |
Fleur Delacour | Aguamenti | Conjured water during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.[8] |
Madam Pomfrey | Unidentified healing spell (I) | Used by Madam Pomfrey to heal Harry Potters injuries after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. |
Peter Pettigrew | Unknown, possibly Incarcerous | Conjured ropes in 1995.[8] |
Marietta Edgecombe | Aguamenti | Conjured water during the first DA meeting.[9] |
Unidentified female Hufflepuff student | Unknown, possibly Stupefy or Expelliarmus | Performed during a DA meeting after assistance from Harry Potter. Sent a male student hurling backwards.[10] |
Kingsley Shacklebolt | Memory Charm | Altered Marietta Edgecombe's memory of the DA meetings.[2] |
Antonin Dolohov | A Dark curse | Against Hermione Granger during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries after she silenced him.[2] |
Bellatrix Lestrange | Unknown, but most likely the Killing Curse | In 1996, she used a nonverbal Curse with a green jet of light to kill a fox. |
Nymphadora Tonks | Patronus Charm | Conjured her Werewolf Patronus without saying the incantation in 1996. |
Severus Snape | Unknown, a spell that opened the main gates of Hogwarts, which had recently been fortified by enhanced protective enchantments. |
In 1996, he used a nonverbal spell to open the Hogwarts gates. It is unlikely that this was Alohomora since Harry had tried this before, although he had been outside the gates instead of inside like Snape was. |
Fred Weasley | Transfigured a knife into a paper aeroplane |
Ron Weasley threw the knife at him, and Fred transfigured it "with one lazy flick of his wand" without speaking any sort of incantation.[1] |
Hermione Granger | Shield Charm | The first one in her Defence Against the Dark Arts class to perform nonverbal magic successfully. She continually used nonverbal spells in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration.[1] |
Ron Weasley | Unknown Conjuration Spell | Unknowingly made it snow while sitting down in the Great Hall[1] |
Harry Potter | Levicorpus | Though Harry found nonverbal magic very difficult to do, he was eventually able to cast this spell, which is meant for nonverbal use, nonverbally.[1] |
Albus Dumbledore | Unknown | Conjured a crystal goblet in order to drink the potion inside the basin in the seaside cave. |
Albus Dumbledore | Full Body-Bind Curse | Immobilized Harry Potter while he was under his Invisibility cloak right before being disarmed by Draco Malfoy. This allowed Harry to witness Severus Snape kill Albus Dumbledore.[1] |
Severus Snape | Unknown, possibly Protego | Deflected several curses cast at him by Harry Potter in 1997.[1] |
Lord Voldemort | Mobilicorpus | Move Charity Burbage's body. |
Antonin Dolohov | Unknown, possibly Incarcerous | Used against Ron Weasley in a skirmish at the Luchino Caffe.[11] |
Remus Lupin | Spell that with a loud bang sends victim flying back as if punched; possibly Flipendo or Everte Statum | Used against Harry Potter during their argument in Grimmauld Place in 1997.[11] |
Hermione Granger | Stunning Spell | She silently stunned Mafalda Hopkirk as part of the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic.[11] |
Hermione Granger | Orchideous | Hermione nonverbally conjured a wreath of Christmas roses for Harry Potter to place on his parents's graves in Godric's Hollow when they visited the village on 24 December, 1997.[11] |
Hermione Granger | Stinging Hex | Jinxed Harry Potter's face in an attempt to hide his identity when she, Harry, and Ron were caught by Snatchers in 1998.[11] |
Minerva McGonagall | Patronus Charm | Conjured three Patronuses to alert the other Heads of Houses to the upcoming battle in 1998.[11] |
Hermione Granger |
Unknown, possibly Blasting Curse |
With a "deafening blast from her wand" but no incantation, Hermione repelled Fenrir Greyback from an injured Lavender Brown during the Battle of Hogwarts.[11] |
Known practitioners
The following is a list of wizards and witches known to have nonverbally performed spells that are usually performed with an incantation.
- Albus Dumbledore[1]
- Antonin Dolohov[2]
- Arthur Weasley[4]
- Barty Crouch Jr.[8]
- Bellatrix Lestrange [1]
- Bill Weasley [1]
- Draco Malfoy[1]
- Filius Flitwick
- Fleur Delacour[8]
- Fred Weasley[1]
- Hermione Granger[1] [11]
- Female Hufflepuff[12]
- Kingsley Shacklebolt[2]
- Lord Voldemort
- Luna Lovegood[11]
- Madam Malkin[1]
- Madam Pomfrey[8]
- Marietta Edgecombe [9]
- Minerva McGonagall[11]
- Morfin Gaunt [11]
- Nymphadora Tonks [1]
- Peter Pettigrew[8]
- Quirinus Quirrell [3]
- Remus Lupin[6] [11]
- Rubeus Hagrid [3]
- Severus Snape[1]
Possible uses
- Fred and George Weasley cast Expelliarmus nonverbally when they were surreptitiously disarming Zacharias Smith at the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army.[2]
- Harry Potter attempted to use the Summoning Charm nonverbally and wandlessly to retrieve his fallen wand when he was paralysed by Draco Malfoy, but to no avail.[1]
- Harry Potter performed nonverbal magic when he cast his Patronus during the Battle of Hogwarts.[13]
- Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange with a nonverbal magic during the Battle of Hogwarts.[11]
Behind the scenes
- In many of the Harry Potter films, especially in the later ones, combat and duels are portrayed as being conducted almost entirely nonverbally, such as the Duel in the Ministry Atrium and Harry's final duel with Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts. This is probably done to keep the duels fast-paced and dramatic.
- In the Harry Potter video games, non-verbal magic is commonly used, as pronouncing every spell could have been annoying.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Quirrell used a Nonverbal wandless spell to start up some fire in order to stop Harry Potter from running.
- Hermione Granger may have used Wingardium Leviosa in the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to levitate the prophecies to smash one of the Death Eaters chasing them.
- It is notable that Rubeus Hagrid was able to perform nonverbal magic despite both having been expelled from Hogwarts well before his sixth year and despite having had his wand snapped.
- Wands made of pine are known to be sensitive to non-verbal magic.[14]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Motorbike Escape
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- ↑ Given the fact Riddle was not technically alive at this point, only a sentient memory, is can be argued that he wasn't actually casting a spell.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- ↑ In Ch. 32 of Deathly Hallows, Harry casts his Patronus at Luna Lovegood's urging and with great effort. No incantation is mentioned, but Harry's perception of sound at the time was severely distorted by the presence of many Dementors, and there is also no mention of the others who also cast the Patronus speaking the incantation. It is also not specifically stated to be a nonverbal or silent use. See this article's talk page for more information.
- ↑ Pottermore