Patronus

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Patronus Charm
Incantation:	Expecto Patronum (ecks-PEK-toh pah-TRO-num)
Type:	Charm
Hand Movement:	Point wand at the dark creature one is trying to repel
Light:	Silver (white and blue in the films)
Effect:	Repels Dementors and Lethifolds, and if done correctly, can send messages

A Patronus is an insubstantial animal form protector created by the advanced Patronus Charm spell, and one way to defend against Dementors and certain other Dark creatures. The spell requires the use of a wand, concentration on a powerfully happy memory, and the incantation "Expecto Patronum". Presumably, specific physical gestures with the wand are also required, but they are not mentioned specifically. The Patronus Charm is advanced magic and difficult to master, especially in emotionally difficult circumstances.

Contents 1 Form 2 The Charm 3 Uses 4 Etymology 5 The Patronus in the films 6 Known Patronuses 7 Behind the scenes 8 Appearances 9 Notes and references

[edit] Form

There are some whose Patronus is fully formed (corporeal), taking the shape of fairly solid-looking animals; the Patronus of some also appear only as a wisp of silvery mist. It is a very complex charm and many qualified wizards have trouble with it. Harry Potter is one of the youngest known wizards to cast a Patronus; he was taught how do so in 1993 at the age of thirteen by Remus Lupin.^[1] In a Dumbledore's Army lesson, Harry taught the members to use the charm. Some were even successful in casting a corporeal form, though Harry said this might be because there was no Dementor to make them frightened^[2], although some members were later shown to be able to use corporeal Patronuses in the presence of Dementors^[3].

The Patronus Charm, like Animagus forms, has been said to reflect the personality or feelings of the witch or wizard. They are, however, subject to change if the caster goes through an emotional change of some sort. For example, Nymphadora Tonks's Patronus changed from its previous form to that of a werewolf, reflecting her love of Remus Lupin, a werewolf^[2]. Another example is Severus Snape, whose Patronus was that of a doe, the same as Lily Evans, though this may have been the case all along rather than a change from its original form, as Snape was in love with Lily for most of his life. If a wizard is an Animagus and can summon a corporeal Patronus, the two may take the same form, as this was the case for Minerva McGonagall and James Potter^[3]. Most Patronuses take the form of an ordinary animal, but supernatural creatures, such as Dumbledore's phoenix Patronus, are not unknown.

[edit] The Charm

In order to cast this charm, one must think of an extremely happy memory or idea, and then say the incantation: "Expecto Patronum"^[1]. Because of this, negative emotions can compromise a wizard or witch's ability to cast a Patronus. For instance, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all had difficulty casting their Patronuses when under the negative influence of Salazar Slytherin's locket, one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, and after witnessing the death of Fred Weasley in battle^[3].

[edit] Uses

There are two known uses for the Patronus charm. The first use of The Patronus is that it can be used to drive off certain Dark creatures such as Dementors and Lethifolds, and is the only known charm that will work against them.

The other use was devised by none other than Albus Dumbledore, who invented a way of using the Patronus to deliver messages. This source of communication is believed to be exclusive to the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Using the Patronus for communication offers great advantages in security, as Patronuses identify the caster and are Dark-proof.^[2]

[edit] Etymology

Patronus means "protector" or "guardian" in Latin, reflecting the role the Patronus Charm plays. In archaic Latin, it meant "father", which is interesting, considering that Harry Potter's Patronus is the same as his father's Patronus and Animagus form. The Latin word exspecto or expecto means "I watch for" or "I await", thus the charm's incantation roughly translates into "I await a protector".^[4]

[edit] The Patronus in the films

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry's non-corporeal Patronus is more like a shield. In addition, his corporeal Patronus, a stag, sent out a sort of omni-directional pulse, which drove the Dementors away, rather than running them down (likely because of the number of Dementors and their flight abilities in the film). In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), his Patronus physically attacks the Dementors as in the books.

[edit] Known Patronuses

Witch/Wizard	Patronal Form	Notes
Andros the Invincible	Something allegedly the size of a giant	Stated on his Chocolate Frog Card as the only wizard to make a Patronus that size.
Flavius Belby	"Something with horns"	In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, he states he cast off a Lethifold by performing the Patronus Charm. It says the Lethifold was thrown into the air on the horns of his Patronus
Cho Chang	Swan	Confirmed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'.
Aberforth Dumbledore	Goat	Summoned in Hog's Head in an attempt to convince Death Eaters, who had seen Harry's Patronus, that they really saw a goat.
Albus Dumbledore	Phoenix	His pet, Fawkes, is a phoenix. Also he used it in Goblet of Fire as a message to Hagrid when Krum was stunned. J.K. Rowling described it as "a ghostly bird that flew off in the direction of Hagrid's house".
Seamus Finnigan	Fox	He could not yet produce a fully formed (corporeal) Patronus in Dumbledore's Army, though in Deathly Hallows, he manages a Patronus in the shape of a fox.
Hermione Granger	Otter	J.K. Rowling's favorite animal is an otter. Shown in the books and movie.
Luna Lovegood	Hare[5]	Shown in the Order of the Phoenix film, though not mentioned in the corresponding book. Mentioned as a hare, however, in Deathly Hallows.
Ernie Macmillan	Boar	Confirmed in Deathly Hallows.
Minerva McGonagall	Cat	Confirmed in Deathly Hallows, taking the shape of her Animagus form, a cat, when she sends three of them in search for the other Heads of House.
Harry Potter	Stag	Harry's Patronus is in the shape of his father's Animagus form and Patronus. He learned how to conjure a Patronus at an exceptionally young age.
James Potter I	Stag	James' Animagus form is that of a stag.
Lily Evans	Doe	Mentioned Deathly Hallows in conjunction with Snape's Patronus. Is also the female form of her husband's Patronus.
Severus Snape	Doe	Acted as Harry's guide through the woods in Deathly Hallows. Snape's Patronus mirrored Lily's due to his unspoken love for her that began when they were small children.
Kingsley Shacklebolt	Lynx	Shown in Deathly Hallows when he warns the Order during Bill and Fleur's wedding of the downfall of the Ministry of Magic and Rufus Scrimgeour's death.
Nymphadora Tonks	Werewolf (previous Patronus unknown)	The form of Tonks' Patronus changed in 1996. It became a werewolf due to her love for Remus Lupin, though Harry Potter and Hermione Granger initially believed it was a black dog, triggered by the death of her cousin Sirius Black (whose Animagus form was a black dog). Changes of Patronus are rare and usually caused by devastatng life traumas.
Dolores Umbridge	Cat	While interrogating Muggle-borns at a trial, she had cast a Patronus to ward the Dementors from the prosecutors. Her favorite animal, as shown by the many plates with cats on them in her office.
Arthur Weasley	Weasel	Shown in Deathly Hallows when Arthur sends a Patronus to 12 Grimmauld Place to inform Harry, Ron and Hermione that the Weasley family was safe. Possibly a joke reference to his last name.
Ginny Weasley	Horse[6]	Shown in the Order of the Phoenix film, not mentioned in the books. Later confirmed by Rowling.
Ron Weasley	Jack Russell Terrier (Dog)[7]	Confirmed in an interview, and shown in the Order of the Phoenix film. Confirmed a terrier in Deathly Hallows.

[edit] Behind the scenes

• In the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a white peacock appears in the gardens of Malfoy Manor. Some fans believed this bird to be Lucius Malfoy´s Patronus. However, Joanne K. Rowling stated that no Death Eater except Severus Snape could conjure a Patronus. This means that the peacock was in fact a living creature.

• In video game adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban, Expecto Patronum is a jet of light (before casted, a white ring goes up Harry's arm and if it reaches top of the wand, Harry has to try the spell again) and is used only to attack Dementors. Only once a stag (Harry's Patronus) jumps out of the wand and kills all the Dementors nearby.

[edit] Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[edit] Notes and references