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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
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{{Rename|Reverse Spell Effect}}
  
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{{MagicAwakenedSpoiler}}
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{{Pottermoreold}}
  
 
{{Spell infobox
  
{{Spell infobox
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|name=Priori Incantatem
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|name = ''Prior Incantato''
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|image = Linderina Crane checking Ivy's wand MA.png
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|image=[[File:Priori Incantatem Pottermore.png|250px]]
  
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|incantation=''Prior Incantato''<br>(PRI-or in-can-TAH-toh)
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|incantation=''Prior Incantato''<ref name="gof9">{{GOF|B|9}}</ref><br/>(PRI-or in-can-TAH-toh)
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|type=[[Charm]]
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|type = [[Charm]]
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|hand=Hold tip of wand to targeted wand
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|hand = Hold tip of wand to targeted [[wand]]<ref name="gof9"/>
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|light=Gold
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|light = Gold<ref name="gof34" />
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|effect=Relives previous [[spell]]s
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|effect = Showed the previous spells cast by a wand<ref name="gof9"/>
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|creator=
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|creator =
 
}}
  
}}
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{{Quote|A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's — they met in midair — and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to — and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold. Harry, following the beam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort's long white fingers too were gripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating.|Description|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
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{{Quote|A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's — they met in midair — and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to — and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold... he felt his feet lift from the ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by that thread of shimmering golden light.|Harry's and Voldemort's twin wand cores connecting|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
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'''''Prior Incantato'''''<ref name="gof9" /> was a [[charm]] that forced a [[wand]] to show an "echo" of the last [[spell]] it had performed.<ref name="gof9" /><ref name="gof34">{{GOF|B|34}}</ref><ref name="gof36">{{GOF|B|36}}</ref> Its [[counter-charm]] was the [[Eradication Spell]], which removed these images.<ref name="gof9"/>
   
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'''''Priori Incantatem''''', otherwise known as the "'''reverse spell effect'''",<ref name="spellname">{{GOF|B|36}} - "The reverse spell effect?" said Sirius sharply.</ref> was an especially rare manifestation of this spell that occurred when two wands with the same [[Wand core|core]] (that was, taken from the same [[Creature|animal]]) attempted to [[Duelling|duel]] each other. The winner's wand forced the loser's wand to produce "echoes" of the most recent spells performed in reverse order.<ref name="gof34" /><ref name="gof36" />
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'''Priori Incantatem''', sometimes referred to as the '''Reverse-spell Effect''', is a magical phenomenon that occurs when two [[wand]]s sharing the same [[Wand core|core]] are forced to compete in combat. The effect can be induced by using the [[incantation]] ''Prior Incantato.''<ref name="PM">''[[Pottermore]]'' - [http://www.pottermore.com/en/book4/chapter36/moment1/priori-incantato From the Story: Priori Incantato (Book 4, Chapter 36)]</ref> If the spell is conjured by incantation, the echoes may be destroyed by means of the [[Eradication Spell]].
  
   
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==History==
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==Effects==
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===1994-1995===
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===''Priori Incantatem''===
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{{Quote|The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light...|The dome of light, a side-effect of the spell|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
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In the woods at the [[1994 Quidditch World Cup]] in [[Dartmoor]], [[England]], this effect was invoked by [[Amos Diggory]] by incantation on [[Harry Potter's wand]], which had been wielded by [[Winky]] the [[house-elf]], in order to determine who had conjured the [[Dark Mark]] over the campsite.
  
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[[File:Duel_graveyard.gif|thumb|245x245px|left|Priori Incantem in Harry's first duel with Voldemort.]]
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[[File:Wormtail graveyard.png|250px|thumb|left|The cage of protective light created by ''Priori Incantatem'']]
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As dictated by the [[subtle laws of wands]], when a [[Duelling|duel]] occurred between [[Wizardkind|wizards]] with wand cores harvested from the same creature, simultaneous spell-casting by both parties triggered a rare, powerful effect called ''Priori Incantatem''.<ref name="gof34" /><ref name="gof36" /> Both wands became linked through a single, golden thread. Hundreds of smaller golden beams shot off from this central thread to form a cage around the duellers.<ref name="gof34" />
   
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The two wand holders were then forced to compete in a battle of wills by forcing golden beads of light to move along through the beam back towards their opponent.<ref name="gof34" /> When one wand managed to overcome the other, it forced the losing wand to regurgitate "echoes" of the most recent spells it had cast, in reverse order.<ref name="gof34" /><ref name="gof36" />
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In the [[Little Hangleton Graveyard]] on [[24 June]], [[1995]], Lord Voldemort was [[Return of Tom Riddle|resurrected]] from [[Death|the dead]] with the [[blood]] of [[Harry Potter]]. A duel ensued, in which the wands, both of which possessed [[phoenix]] feathers from [[Fawkes]], pet of [[Albus Dumbledore]], were locked together in golden light, and Voldemort's wand, submissive to Harry's, created shadows of [[Frank Bryce]], [[Bertha Jorkins]], [[Cedric Diggory]], and [[James Potter|James]] and [[Lily Evans|Lily Potter]].
  
   
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[[File:Cedric Diggory's echo.jpg|250px|thumb|The "echo" of Cedric Diggory released by the effects of ''Priori Incantatem'']]
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==Effects==
  
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If one of these spells was the [[Killing Curse]], then a ghostly "echo" of the murdered person could emerge from the killer's wand. Such "echoes" retained the "appearance and character" of the deceased person. They were able to hold conversations and could remember the events leading up to and following their deaths.<ref name="gof34" /><ref name="gof36" /> However, these "echoes" were not [[ghost]]s, nor were they considered to be returning the deceased person from the dead;<ref name="gof36" /> indeed, they could only linger on the mortal plane for a few moments before they faded back into the beyond.
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[[File:HP4GoF4433.jpg|thumb|245x245px|The echo of Cedric Diggory]]
  
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Where a [[duel]] occurs between parties with [[wand core]]s from the same source, simultaneous spell-casting by both [[Wizardkind|witches or wizards]] will trigger an effect whereby both wands are linked through a single, golden thread of energy, off of which shoot hundreds of beams of golden light forming a cage around the casters.
  
   
  +
It is unclear if these "echoes" were actually conscious, sentient manifestations of the people in question, or merely conjured images. An "echo" of James Potter appeared self-aware enough to explain the predicament to his son and implore him to get to safety once ''Priori Incantatem'' ended; a similar "echo" of Lily Potter watched for an opening by which Harry could break the linked spells and duck to safety, and then pressed him to take it. Both "echoes", among others present at the time, were aware of their ability to linger and made use of it to distract Voldemort long enough for Harry to escape.<ref name="gof34" /> If these "echoes" were, in fact, recollections of the dead from behind the [[Veil]], it would be only one of two known methods of effecting such, the other being the [[Resurrection Stone]].
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The two wand holders are forced to compete in a battle of wills in which the loser's wand is forced to regurgitate ghostly echoes of previous spells cast by said wand in reverse order of which they were cast. The victims of [[Killing Curse|murder]] are able to hold conversations with those around them, and are capable of remembering the events leading up to and even after their deaths.
  
   
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==Media==
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==History==
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{{Dialogue a-b-a|Albus Dumbledore|Priori Incantatem.|Sirius Black|The reverse spell effect?|Exactly. Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix.|Dumbledore and Sirius discussing Harry's duel with Voldemort|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
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<gallery widths="300" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
  
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File:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Priori Incantatem|Priori Incantatem
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[[File:Duel little hangleton.gif|250px|thumb|left|Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort duel in Little Hangleton graveyard]]
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[[Amos Diggory]] cast this spell on [[Harry Potter]]'s [[Harry Potter's wand|wand]] in the aftermath of the [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]] [[Reappearance of the Dark Mark|attack]] at the [[1994 Quidditch World Cup]], in order to determine whether he conjured the [[Dark Mark]] over the [[Quidditch World Cup Campsite|campsite]].<ref name="gof9" />
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</gallery>{{VideoFooter}}
  
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[[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] was [[Return of Lord Voldemort|resurrected]] by [[Peter Pettigrew]] using the [[blood]] of [[Harry Potter]] in the [[Little Hangleton]] [[Little Hangleton graveyard|graveyard]] on [[24 June]] [[1995]]. A [[Duel in Little Hangleton|duel]] ensued between Voldemort and Harry, during which their wands (which both contained feathers from the [[phoenix]] [[Fawkes]]) became connected, triggering ''Priori Incantatem''. Voldemort's wand was ultimately overcome by Harry's, causing it to release "shadows" of people he had murdered with it: [[Cedric Diggory]], [[Frank Bryce]], [[Bertha Jorkins]], as well as [[Lily J. Potter|Lily]] and [[James Potter I|James Potter]].<ref name="gof34" /><ref name="gof36" />
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During the [[2010–2011 school year]], [[Linderina Crane]] cast this spell on the wands of [[Daniel Page]], [[Ivy Warrington]] and [[Unidentified Muggle-born Hogwarts student|their friend]] while investigating the [[attack in Hogsmeade|attack]] in [[Hogsmeade]].<ref name="MA32">{{MA|3|2}}</ref>
   
 
==Behind the scenes==
  
==Behind the scenes==
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*In the US first edition of {{GOF}}, the "reverse spell effect" mention is stylised as "'''R'''everse '''S'''pell effect", which may suggest the name of the spell is the Reverse Spell. However, the letters are never capitalised in the UK editions, and subsequent US editions were also updated to line up with the UK editions.
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[[File:Arthur weasley duel.gif|thumb|250x250px|Arthur Weasley and an unidentified [[Death Eater]] duelling, producing an effect similar to Priori Incantatem]]
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[[File:Arthur weasley duel.gif|250px|thumb|[[Arthur Weasley]] and an unidentified [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]] duelling, producing an effect similar to ''Priori Incantatem'']]
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*Throughout the [[Harry Potter films|film adaptations]] of the story, there are several instances of two wizards locking spells with one another, presumably for dramatic effect. Instances of this include [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Lord Voldemort]] during the [[duel in the Ministry Atrium]] in {{OOTP|F}}; a [[Death Eater]] and [[Arthur Weasley]] in the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] in ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2]]''; and [[Harry Potter]] (using [[Draco Malfoy's wand]]) and Lord Voldemort (using the [[Elder Wand]]) several times during [[Voldemort's Last Stand]], also in {{DH|F2}}.
  
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*Throughout the [[Harry Potter (film series)|film adaptations]] of the story, there are several instances of two wizards locking spells with one another, presumably for dramatic effect. Although similar to ''Priori Incantatem'', these events did not actually result in a cage of light, nor the release of echoes of past spells.
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*[[Peter Pettigrew]] took [[Tom Riddle's wand|Voldemort's wand]] after the [[Attack at Godric's Hollow (1981)|attack on Godric's Hollow]] failed, fearing that the Ministry would use this spell to check the wand to discover Pettigrew's treason.<ref>[[Rumours!]] section of J.K. Rowling's Official site</ref> This suggests that the wand has record of Pettigrew's affiliation (such as branding the [[Dark Mark]] onto his arm).
  
  ⚫
**Instances of this include [[Albus Dumbledore]] and [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] during the [[duel in the Ministry Atrium]] in {{OOTP|FA}}; a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]] and [[Arthur Weasley]] in the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] in {{DH|F2}}; [[Harry Potter]] (using [[Draco Malfoy's wand]]) and Lord Voldemort (using the [[Elder Wand]]) several times during [[Voldemort's Last Stand]], also in {{DH|F2}}; and [[Porpentina Goldstein]] and [[Gellert Grindelwald]] in {{FB|FA}}.
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*In {{DH|F1}}, during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]] in [[1998]] [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] used this spell on [[Hermione Granger's wand]] to learn if she used a [[Stinging Hex]] on [[Harry Potter]] to make him unrecognisable.
  
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*In the novel of {{GOF}}, Bertha Jorkins' echo appears during Voldemort's duel with Harry, while in the film adaptation of {{GOF|F}}, her echo doesn't appear. This is because the character of Bertha Jorkins has been omitted entirely from the films.
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*In {{GOF}}, Bertha Jorkins's echo appears during Voldemort's duel with Harry, while in the film adaptation, her echo doesn't appear. This is because the character of Bertha Jorkins was omitted entirely from the films.
  ⚫
*In {{DH|F1}}, during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]] in [[1998]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] used this spell on [[Hermione Granger's wand]] to learn if she used a [[Stinging Jinx|Stinging Hex]] on [[Harry Potter]] to make him unrecognisable.
  +
*In an early beta version of {{MA}}, the [[Unidentified 2000s Hogwarts student|player character]] uses this spell on [[Fischer Frey]]'s [[Fischer Frey's wand|wand]] in order to find out whether he cast ''[[Inflating Charm|Inflatus]]'' on himself, an act which he intends to blame on them.
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===J. K. Rowling===
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*Some early editions of {{GOF}} depicted the ghost figure of James emerging from Harry's wand before Lily, even though James was killed first. Rowling later explained: "''Lily first, then James. That’s how it appears in my original manuscript but we were under enormous pressure to edit it very fast and my American editor thought that was the wrong way around, and he is so good at catching small errors I changed it without thinking, then realised it had been right in the first place. We were all very sleep-deprived at the time.''"<ref name="HPL">[https://www.hp-lexicon.org/magic/reverse-spell-effect/ Reverse Spell Effect] at [https://www.hp-lexicon.org/ The ''Harry Potter'' Lexicon]</ref>
   
 
==Appearances==
  
==Appearances==
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{{Imagecat|Images of Prior Incantato}}
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* {{GOF}} {{1st}}
  
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* {{GOF|F}}
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*{{GOF}} {{1st}}
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* {{GOF|G}}
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*{{GOF|F}}
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*{{GOF|G}}
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* {{DH|F1}} {{Comment|Indirect mention}}
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*{{DH|F1}} {{Indirect}}
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* ''[[Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book]]'' {{Mention}}
  
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* {{LEGO|1}}
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*{{PM}}
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*{{WW}}
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* ''[[Harry Potter for Kinect]]''
  
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*{{HPPU}} {{Mention}}
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* [[Harry Potter: The Character Vault]]
  
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*{{LEGO|Y1}}
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*{{LEGO|Y2}}
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*{{HPK}}
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*{{TCV|1}}
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*''[[Harry Potter: The Wand Collection]]'' {{Mention}}
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*{{MA}}
   
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==Notes and references==
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==References==
  
 
{{Reflist}}
  
{{Reflist}}
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[[de:Zauberstab-Rückverfolgung]]
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[[de2:Fluchumkehrzauber]]
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[[es:Hechizo de reversión]]
 
[[fi:Varhenna loitsus]]
  
[[fi:Varhenna loitsus]]
 
[[fr:Priori Incantatum]]
  
[[fr:Priori Incantatum]]
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[[pl:Priori Incantatem]]
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[[pt-br:Feitiço Reverso]]
 
[[ru:Приори Инкантатем]]
  
[[ru:Приори Инкантатем]]
 
[[zh:闪回咒]]
  
[[zh:闪回咒]]
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[[Category:Magic]]
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[[Category:Charms]]
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[[Category:Laws of Magic]]
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[[Category:Laws of magic]]
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[[Category:Wandlore]]
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[[Category:Light-based magic]]
 
[[Category:Return of Lord Voldemort]]
  
[[Category:Return of Lord Voldemort]]
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[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
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[[Category:Spells with a light]]
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[[Category:Spells with incantations of Latin origin]]
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[[Category:Wandlore]]

Latest revision as of 19:47, 3 November 2023

Harry Potter Magic Awakend Warning!

At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

"A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's — they met in midair — and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to — and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold... he felt his feet lift from the ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by that thread of shimmering golden light."
— Harry's and Voldemort's twin wand cores connecting[src]

Prior Incantato[1] was a charm that forced a wand to show an "echo" of the last spell it had performed.[1][2][3] Its counter-charm was the Eradication Spell, which removed these images.[1]

Priori Incantatem, otherwise known as the "reverse spell effect",[4] was an especially rare manifestation of this spell that occurred when two wands with the same core (that was, taken from the same animal) attempted to duel each other. The winner's wand forced the loser's wand to produce "echoes" of the most recent spells performed in reverse order.[2][3]

Effects

Priori Incantatem

"The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light..."
— The dome of light, a side-effect of the spell[src]
Wormtail graveyard

The cage of protective light created by Priori Incantatem

As dictated by the subtle laws of wands, when a duel occurred between wizards with wand cores harvested from the same creature, simultaneous spell-casting by both parties triggered a rare, powerful effect called Priori Incantatem.[2][3] Both wands became linked through a single, golden thread. Hundreds of smaller golden beams shot off from this central thread to form a cage around the duellers.[2]

The two wand holders were then forced to compete in a battle of wills by forcing golden beads of light to move along through the beam back towards their opponent.[2] When one wand managed to overcome the other, it forced the losing wand to regurgitate "echoes" of the most recent spells it had cast, in reverse order.[2][3]

Cedric Diggory's echo

The "echo" of Cedric Diggory released by the effects of Priori Incantatem

If one of these spells was the Killing Curse, then a ghostly "echo" of the murdered person could emerge from the killer's wand. Such "echoes" retained the "appearance and character" of the deceased person. They were able to hold conversations and could remember the events leading up to and following their deaths.[2][3] However, these "echoes" were not ghosts, nor were they considered to be returning the deceased person from the dead;[3] indeed, they could only linger on the mortal plane for a few moments before they faded back into the beyond.

It is unclear if these "echoes" were actually conscious, sentient manifestations of the people in question, or merely conjured images. An "echo" of James Potter appeared self-aware enough to explain the predicament to his son and implore him to get to safety once Priori Incantatem ended; a similar "echo" of Lily Potter watched for an opening by which Harry could break the linked spells and duck to safety, and then pressed him to take it. Both "echoes", among others present at the time, were aware of their ability to linger and made use of it to distract Voldemort long enough for Harry to escape.[2] If these "echoes" were, in fact, recollections of the dead from behind the Veil, it would be only one of two known methods of effecting such, the other being the Resurrection Stone.

History

Albus Dumbledore: "Priori Incantatem."
Sirius Black: "The reverse spell effect?"
Albus Dumbledore: "Exactly. Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix."
— Dumbledore and Sirius discussing Harry's duel with Voldemort[src]
Duel little hangleton

Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort duel in Little Hangleton graveyard

Amos Diggory cast this spell on Harry Potter's wand in the aftermath of the Death Eater attack at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, in order to determine whether he conjured the Dark Mark over the campsite.[1]

Lord Voldemort was resurrected by Peter Pettigrew using the blood of Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard on 24 June 1995. A duel ensued between Voldemort and Harry, during which their wands (which both contained feathers from the phoenix Fawkes) became connected, triggering Priori Incantatem. Voldemort's wand was ultimately overcome by Harry's, causing it to release "shadows" of people he had murdered with it: Cedric Diggory, Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, as well as Lily and James Potter.[2][3]

During the 2010–2011 school year, Linderina Crane cast this spell on the wands of Daniel Page, Ivy Warrington and their friend while investigating the attack in Hogsmeade.[5]

Behind the scenes

  • In the US first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the "reverse spell effect" mention is stylised as "Reverse Spell effect", which may suggest the name of the spell is the Reverse Spell. However, the letters are never capitalised in the UK editions, and subsequent US editions were also updated to line up with the UK editions.
Arthur weasley duel

Arthur Weasley and an unidentified Death Eater duelling, producing an effect similar to Priori Incantatem

J. K. Rowling

  • Some early editions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire depicted the ghost figure of James emerging from Harry's wand before Lily, even though James was killed first. Rowling later explained: "Lily first, then James. That’s how it appears in my original manuscript but we were under enormous pressure to edit it very fast and my American editor thought that was the wrong way around, and he is so good at catching small errors I changed it without thinking, then realised it had been right in the first place. We were all very sleep-deprived at the time."[6]

Appearances

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 3 images related to Prior Incantato.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 34 (Priori Incantatem)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways)
  4. ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways) - "The reverse spell effect?" said Sirius sharply.
  5. ↑ Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Year 3, Main Story, Chapter II: Lost Key
  6. ↑ Reverse Spell Effect at The Harry Potter Lexicon
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