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"He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, “Rennervate!” Winky stirred feebly."
— Amos Diggory uses the spell on Winky.[src]

Rennervate is the counter-spell to the Stunning Spell. It is used to bring Stunned individuals back to consciousness.

Overview

Rennervate is used to bring unconscious individuals back to consciousness, and as such, can be used for more that victims of the Stunning Spell.

There are limitations on this spell's effectiveness. When Minerva McGonagall was struck by no less than four Stunners, the concentrated damage was intense enough for her to be hospitalised in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, as a simple counter-spell was not enough.[1] It will also not work against certain kinds of Dark magic, for instance, the effects of the Drink of Despair.[2] As with all magic, Rennervate is useless for resurrecting the deceased.[3]

Known Uses

In 1994, Amos Diggory used it to wake up Winky.[4] In 1995, Albus Dumbledore used it to wake up Viktor Krum[5] and Barty Crouch Jr..[6]

In 1997, Harry Potter discovered the limitations of Rennervate when he attempted to revive Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster Albus Dumbledore while retrieving one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. In this case, water taken from the lake was the only substance that could revive Dumbledore.[2]

Etymology

The original incantation is Ennervate, which means "to weaken".[7] Due to this misconception, J.K. Rowling officially renamed it to Rennervate,[7] which means "to energize".

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, chapter 32 (Out of the Fire)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, chapter 26 (The Cave)
  3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chapter 36 (The Parting of Ways)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)
  5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chapter 28 (The Madness of Mr Crouch)
  6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter Lexicon: changes in text
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