Post by Prof. Destiny Smith on Apr 25, 2009 19:41:47 GMT -6
Langlock
This jinx glues the victim's tongue to the top of their mouth. It is an invention of the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry learnt it from his Advanced Potion-Making book. Having learnt it, he cast it twice on Argus Filch, to general applause from the other students [HBP12]. Harry later cast it on Peeves to stop him taunting Dobby and Kreacher and encouraging them to fight [HBP19].
Leek Hex
Causes leeks to grow out of the ears of the victim. In the build-up to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match in 1994, a nasty incident occurred in which a Gryffindor 4th-year and a Slytherin 6th-year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting from their ears [POA15].
Leg-Locker Curse
See "Locomotor Mortis".
Legilimens
From the Latin verb "lego", meaning "I read", and noun "mens", meaning "mind". Hence the words suggest a reading of the mind.
This is a practice very similar to Muggle mind reading, although there are subtle differences between the two. Snape explained the art of Legilimency to Harry during the first of his ill-fated Occlumency lessons. In Snape's words, thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, able to be seen by anyone - the mind is a many-layered thing, and cannot be read like a book. Those skilled in Legilimency can, however, look into the minds of their victims, see the memories they are looking for, and interpret them [OOTP24].
Snape also explained that eye contact is often essential to Legilimency, although not always [OOTP24]. The ability to perform the magic without eye contact is presumably down to the level of expertise of the caster. It can also be assumed that a lack of eye contact will lead to a reduction in the level to which the mind can be read.
Legilimency has been used on a number of occasions throughout the books, almost always without an incantation. The only time the incantation was used was during Harry's Occlumency lessons, where presumably Snape used it to alert Harry to the fact that he had started. On the occasions that Harry has known Legilimency is being used on him, he has felt the particular memories that are being accessed floating to the top of his mind, such as when Snape quizzed him about where he had learnt Sectumsempra [HBP24]. This perception is most likely to be the result of his knowledge of what was going on, however. It is almost certain that Legilimency has been used in a number of other situations where Harry has not noticed and has therefore not been aware of what was going on in his mind.
The confirmed use of Legilimency has occurred on three occasions so far. The first of these was during Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape [OOTP24], where it was used repeatedly. The second was when Dumbledore used it to interrogate Kreacher about Voldemort's plan to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries [OOTP37]. The third was when Snape used it on Harry after he'd attacked Malfoy with Sectumsempra [HBP24].
There have also been several instances of unconfirmed use. At the end of Harry's first year, Voldemort knew that Harry had obtained the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Erised [PS/SS17], but only after Quirrell had turned around so he could establish eye contact. After Harry had illegally gone to Hogsmeade in his third year and been seen by Malfoy when his Invisibility Cloak slipped, Snape knew the answers to all the questions he was asking without having to be told [POA14]. Finally, when Wormtail was tending to Voldemort at the Riddle house, Voldemort knew that Wormtail was regretting having rescued him, and was quick to remind him that he always knows when someone is lying [GOF1].
It appears that true Legilimency is a relatively rare and complex skill, given how useful is can be but how little it has been used to date. Occlumency, on the other hand, is more widespread and can be more easily taught, as evidenced by Bellatrix teaching Draco enough to prevent even Snape from accessing his mind [HBP15].
Levicorpus
From "levo", which is Latin for "I raise" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".
This spell dangles the victim by their ankle in mid-air. It looks as though an invisible hook is holding the person up. It was invented by Severus Snape, and became very popular during his time at the school. Remus Lupin recalled a few months in his fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted in the air by your ankle [HBP16]. James Potter turned the spell back on its creator when bullying him at the end of this year [OOTP28].
It seemed to have been forgotten by the time Harry arrived at the school, however, and he didn't find out about it until his accidental acquisition of Snape's old copy of Advanced Potion-Making in his 6th year. Harry found the incantation scribbled in the corner of one of the pages and tried it out on Ron to see what it did, much to the amusement of the other Gryffindor 6th-years [HBP12]. He used it on Ron again when Ron had eaten Romilda Vane's potion-infused Chocolate Cauldrons and fallen in love with her [HBP18]. Finally, he attempted to cast it on Snape after the murder of Dumbledore. Snape blocked it with ease, but this attempt to turn his own spells on him just like James left him incandescent with rage [HBP28].
Whilst Levicorpus is predominantly a spell either used frivolously or to bully people, Harry and Hermione put it to very good use when trying to retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. The Cup was out of reach and impervious to Accio, and so Hermione used Levicorpus to hoist Harry into the air, enabling him to reach the Cup with the aid of the Sword of Gryffindor [DH26].
Levitation Charm
This is almost certainly the same spell as Wingardium Leviosa, which the students at Hogwarts learn during their first year [PS/SS10]. Harry was required to cast this spell during his Charms OWL and was rather pleased that he did it better than Malfoy [OOTP31]. See also "Wingardium Leviosa".
Liberacorpus
From "libero", which is Latin for "I free" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".
The counter-spell to Levicorpus. It releases someone from being dangled upside-down so that they crash to the floor. Harry found it scrawled under Levicorpus in Snapes old copy of Advanced Potion-Making [HBP12].
Locomotion Charm
Parvati and Lavender were practicing this spell in preparation for their OWLs, making their pencil cases race across the table. It is likely to be the same spell as Locomotor XXXX, shown below [OOTP31].
Locomotor XXXX
"locus" is Latin for "place". "moto" is Latin for "I set in motion".
This is a charm that causes an object to travel floating in the air. The incantation used is Locomotor XXXX, where XXXX is the object that the caster wishes to enchant. Tonks used this spell on Harry's trunk when she was part of the Advance Guard that took him from the Dursleys' house back to Grimmauld Place. Once the trunk was in the air, she controlled its movement with her wand [OOTP3]. Later in the year, Professor Flitwick transported Sybill Trelawney's trunks using the same spell after Dumbledore invited her to stay at the castle despite Umbridge sacking her as a teacher [OOTP26].
Locomotor Mortis
From the English word "locomotion" and the Latin "mors", meaning "death".
The Leg-Locker Curse. This spell causes the victim's legs to lock together, making it impossible for them to walk. The incantation for this spell is of a similar form to the "Locomotor" spell but it has a very different result: the addition of "mortis" represents the fact that this spell kills (albeit temporarily) a person's method of locomotion.
Draco Malfoy cast this spell on Neville Longbottom during their first year in a random act of bullying. Hermione then picked up on it and learnt the spell to use against Snape if he tried to hurt Harry during his next Quidditch match [PS/SS13].
Lumos
"lumen" is Latin for light. "luminosus" is Latin for "bright".
Lumos causes the spell caster's wand to emit a thin beam of light like a torch. It is a relatively simple spell that students have learnt by at least their second year at Hogwarts. This was made clear when Harry and Ron followed the spiders into the Forbidden Forest after Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, as both knew how to cast it at this point [COS15]. After this it is used on a fairly frequent basis, and despite the fact that the illumination it provides is small and dim, it seems to be the best light-producing spell available.
Casting Lumos is often referred to as "lighting your wand". When Hagrid took Harry and Hermione to meet Grawp, Harry asked, "would it be all right if we lit our wands?" [OOTP30]. Harry also used the spell after he and Dudley had been attacked by Dementors at the start of his 5th year. This occurrence is notable due to the fact that he wasn't holding his wand at the time, having dropped it when Dudley punched him. The spell was nevertheless effective and still lit up his wand, which was lying nearby, thus providing an example of wandless magic. It is also important to note that Lumos provided light on this occasion even when the presence of the Dementors had extinguished non-magical light from street lamps and stars [OOTP1].
Lumos has its limitations, however, and could not penetrate the darkness created by Malfoy's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder when he threw it at Ginny and Ron [HBP29]. The counter-spell for Lumos is Nox.
This jinx glues the victim's tongue to the top of their mouth. It is an invention of the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry learnt it from his Advanced Potion-Making book. Having learnt it, he cast it twice on Argus Filch, to general applause from the other students [HBP12]. Harry later cast it on Peeves to stop him taunting Dobby and Kreacher and encouraging them to fight [HBP19].
Leek Hex
Causes leeks to grow out of the ears of the victim. In the build-up to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match in 1994, a nasty incident occurred in which a Gryffindor 4th-year and a Slytherin 6th-year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting from their ears [POA15].
Leg-Locker Curse
See "Locomotor Mortis".
Legilimens
From the Latin verb "lego", meaning "I read", and noun "mens", meaning "mind". Hence the words suggest a reading of the mind.
This is a practice very similar to Muggle mind reading, although there are subtle differences between the two. Snape explained the art of Legilimency to Harry during the first of his ill-fated Occlumency lessons. In Snape's words, thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, able to be seen by anyone - the mind is a many-layered thing, and cannot be read like a book. Those skilled in Legilimency can, however, look into the minds of their victims, see the memories they are looking for, and interpret them [OOTP24].
Snape also explained that eye contact is often essential to Legilimency, although not always [OOTP24]. The ability to perform the magic without eye contact is presumably down to the level of expertise of the caster. It can also be assumed that a lack of eye contact will lead to a reduction in the level to which the mind can be read.
Legilimency has been used on a number of occasions throughout the books, almost always without an incantation. The only time the incantation was used was during Harry's Occlumency lessons, where presumably Snape used it to alert Harry to the fact that he had started. On the occasions that Harry has known Legilimency is being used on him, he has felt the particular memories that are being accessed floating to the top of his mind, such as when Snape quizzed him about where he had learnt Sectumsempra [HBP24]. This perception is most likely to be the result of his knowledge of what was going on, however. It is almost certain that Legilimency has been used in a number of other situations where Harry has not noticed and has therefore not been aware of what was going on in his mind.
The confirmed use of Legilimency has occurred on three occasions so far. The first of these was during Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape [OOTP24], where it was used repeatedly. The second was when Dumbledore used it to interrogate Kreacher about Voldemort's plan to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries [OOTP37]. The third was when Snape used it on Harry after he'd attacked Malfoy with Sectumsempra [HBP24].
There have also been several instances of unconfirmed use. At the end of Harry's first year, Voldemort knew that Harry had obtained the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Erised [PS/SS17], but only after Quirrell had turned around so he could establish eye contact. After Harry had illegally gone to Hogsmeade in his third year and been seen by Malfoy when his Invisibility Cloak slipped, Snape knew the answers to all the questions he was asking without having to be told [POA14]. Finally, when Wormtail was tending to Voldemort at the Riddle house, Voldemort knew that Wormtail was regretting having rescued him, and was quick to remind him that he always knows when someone is lying [GOF1].
It appears that true Legilimency is a relatively rare and complex skill, given how useful is can be but how little it has been used to date. Occlumency, on the other hand, is more widespread and can be more easily taught, as evidenced by Bellatrix teaching Draco enough to prevent even Snape from accessing his mind [HBP15].
Levicorpus
From "levo", which is Latin for "I raise" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".
This spell dangles the victim by their ankle in mid-air. It looks as though an invisible hook is holding the person up. It was invented by Severus Snape, and became very popular during his time at the school. Remus Lupin recalled a few months in his fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted in the air by your ankle [HBP16]. James Potter turned the spell back on its creator when bullying him at the end of this year [OOTP28].
It seemed to have been forgotten by the time Harry arrived at the school, however, and he didn't find out about it until his accidental acquisition of Snape's old copy of Advanced Potion-Making in his 6th year. Harry found the incantation scribbled in the corner of one of the pages and tried it out on Ron to see what it did, much to the amusement of the other Gryffindor 6th-years [HBP12]. He used it on Ron again when Ron had eaten Romilda Vane's potion-infused Chocolate Cauldrons and fallen in love with her [HBP18]. Finally, he attempted to cast it on Snape after the murder of Dumbledore. Snape blocked it with ease, but this attempt to turn his own spells on him just like James left him incandescent with rage [HBP28].
Whilst Levicorpus is predominantly a spell either used frivolously or to bully people, Harry and Hermione put it to very good use when trying to retrieve Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. The Cup was out of reach and impervious to Accio, and so Hermione used Levicorpus to hoist Harry into the air, enabling him to reach the Cup with the aid of the Sword of Gryffindor [DH26].
Levitation Charm
This is almost certainly the same spell as Wingardium Leviosa, which the students at Hogwarts learn during their first year [PS/SS10]. Harry was required to cast this spell during his Charms OWL and was rather pleased that he did it better than Malfoy [OOTP31]. See also "Wingardium Leviosa".
Liberacorpus
From "libero", which is Latin for "I free" and "corpus", which is Latin for "body".
The counter-spell to Levicorpus. It releases someone from being dangled upside-down so that they crash to the floor. Harry found it scrawled under Levicorpus in Snapes old copy of Advanced Potion-Making [HBP12].
Locomotion Charm
Parvati and Lavender were practicing this spell in preparation for their OWLs, making their pencil cases race across the table. It is likely to be the same spell as Locomotor XXXX, shown below [OOTP31].
Locomotor XXXX
"locus" is Latin for "place". "moto" is Latin for "I set in motion".
This is a charm that causes an object to travel floating in the air. The incantation used is Locomotor XXXX, where XXXX is the object that the caster wishes to enchant. Tonks used this spell on Harry's trunk when she was part of the Advance Guard that took him from the Dursleys' house back to Grimmauld Place. Once the trunk was in the air, she controlled its movement with her wand [OOTP3]. Later in the year, Professor Flitwick transported Sybill Trelawney's trunks using the same spell after Dumbledore invited her to stay at the castle despite Umbridge sacking her as a teacher [OOTP26].
Locomotor Mortis
From the English word "locomotion" and the Latin "mors", meaning "death".
The Leg-Locker Curse. This spell causes the victim's legs to lock together, making it impossible for them to walk. The incantation for this spell is of a similar form to the "Locomotor" spell but it has a very different result: the addition of "mortis" represents the fact that this spell kills (albeit temporarily) a person's method of locomotion.
Draco Malfoy cast this spell on Neville Longbottom during their first year in a random act of bullying. Hermione then picked up on it and learnt the spell to use against Snape if he tried to hurt Harry during his next Quidditch match [PS/SS13].
Lumos
"lumen" is Latin for light. "luminosus" is Latin for "bright".
Lumos causes the spell caster's wand to emit a thin beam of light like a torch. It is a relatively simple spell that students have learnt by at least their second year at Hogwarts. This was made clear when Harry and Ron followed the spiders into the Forbidden Forest after Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, as both knew how to cast it at this point [COS15]. After this it is used on a fairly frequent basis, and despite the fact that the illumination it provides is small and dim, it seems to be the best light-producing spell available.
Casting Lumos is often referred to as "lighting your wand". When Hagrid took Harry and Hermione to meet Grawp, Harry asked, "would it be all right if we lit our wands?" [OOTP30]. Harry also used the spell after he and Dudley had been attacked by Dementors at the start of his 5th year. This occurrence is notable due to the fact that he wasn't holding his wand at the time, having dropped it when Dudley punched him. The spell was nevertheless effective and still lit up his wand, which was lying nearby, thus providing an example of wandless magic. It is also important to note that Lumos provided light on this occasion even when the presence of the Dementors had extinguished non-magical light from street lamps and stars [OOTP1].
Lumos has its limitations, however, and could not penetrate the darkness created by Malfoy's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder when he threw it at Ginny and Ron [HBP29]. The counter-spell for Lumos is Nox.