One of the most magical aspects of the Harry Potter books and movies is the range of spells that we are introduced to, and watch Harry and his friends master along the way. There are spells to make objects fly, grow larger or smaller, spells for protection and others that attack.
Here we will take a good look at some of the best spells that you can learn at Hogwarts, check out the strongest, and the coolest, and then see which Harry’s favourite clearly is.
How many spells are in Harry Potter?
There are more than 150 spells in the Harry Potter books, movies and their universe, with everything from Aberto, a charm to open doors, through to Wingardium Leviosa, to make objects fly through the air (which can be very useful when knocking out trolls)!
A great deal of these spells’ outcomes can be intuited from their names even if you don’t immediately recall exactly what each of the scores of spells does for yourself. Incendio produces fire, while Immobulus, as it sounds, immobilises the target.
Others are still guessable, though may require slightly more thought. Geminio duplicates an object, and is named after the twins Gemini. Avis conjures birds, and was, as we may well remember, a speciality of Hermione’s. If you think of the word aviary where birds are kept you can see it is the same root word.
Between protective charms, useful everyday magic and dark and dangerous spells, there is so much that J.K Rowling created to keep us wishing for a wand and a spell book ourselves. The next best thing though is to check out some of the amazing Harry Potter merchandise available. If you are yearning to feel part of the wizarding world, click here and have a look for yourself.
What is the coolest Harry Potter spell?
What you might consider the coolest spell could well depend on your personal preferences. We could go straight for the obvious joke and say Glacius, which freezes the target with icy air. You could similarly say Immobulus is the coolest as it is a freezing charm that stops people or creatures in their tracks.
Professor McGonagall would probably say that the coolest spell is Piertotum Locomotor, the spell she used during the battle of Hogwarts that brought all of the statues and suits of armour in the school to life. She always wanted to use that spell and did so to great effect.
One of the coolest options has to be the Animagus spell that once taken in conjunction with a potion allows the user to change into an animal at will. Who wouldn’t want to be able to turn into a bird and fly, or into a thousand other animals? It certainly came in handy for Sirius over and over again, and for Peter Pettigrew too even if he was a Death Eater.
What’s Harry Potter’s strongest spell?
Stating which the strongest spell would again depend on the kind of outcome you are hoping to achieve. In some ways, Harry demonstrated again and again that it was the smaller and less ‘dangerous’ spells that were the strongest, knocking Snape to the ground with the strength of his shield charm and being able to protect those around him.
There are certainly some incredibly powerful spells in the books and movies, including the unforgivable curses: Avada Kedavra, Crucio, and Imperio. The former is the infamous killing curse that was used to end the lives of so many including Harry’s parents. There is no way to protect against it, no cure, the only one to survive it was Harry himself.
The Cruciatus curse causes unimaginable pain while the Imperius curse allows you to take control of another person and their actions, turning them into your puppet. There is great power in these curses, but in using them you are giving up everything that is good in yourself, and for many, the price is just too high.
There are a number of strong spells that aren’t quite so dark, including Confringo which creates an explosion, and Legilimens which allows you to read the target’s mind. It is through his great skill at Occlumency, among his other more dark powers, that Voldemort is able to control his followers so easily. It is also through this that Severus Snape is able to hide his spying for so long.
The final strong spell worth mentioning is the Patronus Charm, Expecto Patronum. This, out of all that Harry learns, is the most impressive according to the adults around him. It is advanced magic that allows him to repel the Dementors that try and paralyse him with fear, and even take his soul.
With a few spells like this in your arsenal, you wouldn’t have to worry about dark creatures, wizards or protecting your friends and family, so all these and more are worth including in any list of the strongest spells around.
What is Harry’s favourite spell?
For anyone who was truly paying attention from the duelling club in Harry’s second year right the way through to his final battle with Voldemort, there can only be one real contender for Harry’s favourite spell.
He uses it in the graveyard in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to escape a returning Voldemort, it gives him away when he refuses to stun an Imperiused Stan Shunpike during the chase from number 4 Private Drive, and it’s the first thing he teaches his students when they begin the DA, Dumbledore’s Army, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Harry’s favourite spell is undoubtedly the disarming spell, Expelliarmus, which he uses over and over again to save the day. He shows us all that you don’t need to kill, or to use a dark spell to overcome dark wizards. You just need to never stop fighting.
Conclusion
The scores of spells so cleverly created in the Harry Potter books and movies encompass everything from fixing your glasses, to causing you to burp slugs or grow your teeth at an alarming rate. There are some that are slightly silly, and others that are extremely dark and dangerous.
Harry’s favourite spell is not the one that can inflict the most damage but the one that managed to save him from danger time and time again. All of these wonderful spells are just one of the many reasons why generations of children and adults alike will continue to love Harry Potter.