The Harry Potter books and movies contained hundreds of spells, but some were only ever seen once. This could have been because of several reasons—some were too advanced or dangerous to be used frequently, while others would only have been much use under very specific circumstances. Still, at other times, it seemed reasonable that a spell would be used consistently within the wizarding world, but it was only ever seen in the Harry Potter books and movies in that single instance.
In all, there were somewhere around 80 spells mentioned in the Harry Potter books, and the movies added several more. They were a variety of charms, curses, hexes, and transformative spells. Of course, the more valuable spells like Accio, Stupify, Alohamora, and Wingardium Leviosa were used frequently throughout the series and are, therefore, familiar to Harry Potter fans. Others, like Vera Verto, which turns an animal into a goblet, serve very little purpose and were only seen in the classroom setting, but were still used repeatedly by the students in that class until they got it right. Still, there were many spells in Harry Potter that, regardless of their usefulness, were only seen used once.
23 Anapneo
Anapneo was used by Horace Slughon in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Marcus Belby, a boy who had a momentary membership to the Slug Club, choked on a bit of his dinner. The spell promptly cleared Belby’s airway of the obstruction, quickly saving his life. Of course, it wasn’t often that Harry Potter characters choked on food, so this spell was never seen again. Still, it would undoubtedly have been a helpful spell for any parent or caregiver in the wizarding world to know.
22 Alarte Ascendare
Gilderoy Lockhart tried using Alarte Ascendare in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to eliminate the snake Draco Malfoy had conjured at the dueling club. It’s unclear why the con-artist-turned-teacher thought this spell would be much use since, based on its etymology, it is supposed to launch an object into the air. This is precisely what happened to the snake, so when it inevitably landed even crankier than before, Professor Snape was left to deal with it.
21 Aparecium
Though the Revelio spell, which is meant to reveal hidden secrets, was used several times throughout the Harry Potter books and movies, there was a similar spell that was only seen once. Hermione Granger used Aparecium on Tom Riddle’s diary in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to check if the mysterious previous owner had written with invisible inc. It’s unclear how this spell differs from other Revealing charms, but it could be targeted at writing rather than broader secrets.
20 Brackium Emendo
Brackium Amendo is another spell used by Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that went terribly wrong. It can be assumed that, if used correctly, the spell would mend a broken bone. However, when Lockhart used it on Harry’s broken wrist, the boy wound up with no bones left in his arm. Unfortunately, this meant a long night in the Hospital Wing waiting for them to painfully grow back.
19 Deletrius
Though it was never seen in the Harry Potter movies, Deletrius was used by Barty Crouch Sr in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book. After Harry had been found under the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup, the Ministry officials used Priori Incantato on Harry’s wand to see what spell it had last conjured, and a miniature Dark Mark appeared over Harry’s wand. Barty Crouch then quickly used Deletrius to make this mini-symbol disappear from the air.
18 Deprimo
The Deprimo spell is used to blast a hole through the ground, so it’s clearly something that wouldn’t be used by most wizards on a daily basis. It was only ever seen in the Harry Potter books when Hermione cast it to break a hole through Xenophilius Lovegood’s second-story floor. She did this so that she, Harry, and a concealed Ron would fall through the floor and be seen by the Death Eaters (that way, they would know that Xenophilius hadn’t been lying).
17 Duro
Out of the members of the Golden Trio (and really, out of all the Hogwarts students) Hermione knew the most spells. This made her especially invaluable in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when the Death Eaters became even more dangerous. During the Battle of Hogwarts, she used Duro, which turns items into stone, on a tapestry that concealed a passageway at Hogwarts. Since two Death Eaters were trying to chase the Golden Trio through the tapestry, their way was blocked (and they were assumedly injured as they ran into it).
16 Everte Statum
The first time the Harry Potter movies showed students using a variety of spells was in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Harry and Draco Malfoy were put against each other in a duel. One of the spells that Draco used was Everte Statum, which sent Harry flying backward across the platform. This would have been useful in several battles throughout the Harry Potter series, but it was only shown once.
15 Ferula
Injuries were common at Hogwarts, so it’s a surprise that Ferula wasn’t used more. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Sirius Black (in his dog form) bit Ron’s leg to drag him and Scabbers into the Shrieking Shack, Remus Lupin used Ferula to conjure bandages and a splint that magically wrapped themselves around Ron’s leg and set the bones in place. It was a temporary fix that allowed Madame Pomfrey to work her magic once they returned to the castle and Hospital Wing.
14 Fiendfyre
Fiendfyre was only used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and it quickly became apparent why. Vincent Crabbe cast the curse, which he likely learned among the Death Eaters. The fire emitted from his wand took the shape of various magical creatures and decimated anything in its path. Hermione noted that it was one of the few substances that could destroy a Horcrux, but since Fiendfyre was so challenging to control, she never dared try it on their adventures. Unfortunately, Crabbe never learned how to eliminate the flames, and they consumed him inside the Room of Requirement.
13 Glisseo
Glisseo is another spell Hermione used in the final battles of the Harry Potter series. When used on stairs, Glisseo causes the steps to flatten and smooth together to create a slide. Hermione took advantage of this while a group of Death Eaters was climbing a stairway, and they were all promptly sent to the bottom. Though it was never confirmed, it’s assumed this was the same spell used on the stairway to the girls’ dormitories in the Gryffindor common room.
12 Lacarnum Inflamari
In the Harry Potter books, Hermione was skilled at creating blue flames that she could carry around in a jar whenever they might be useful. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, this was how she managed to catch Severus Snape’s robes on fire during Harry’s first Quidditch match. However, in the movies, she used the spell Lacarnum Inflamari. This was the only time this spell was used—likely because it was an invention of the film writers and not a part of Harry Potter canon.
11 Mobiliarbus
Mobiliarbus is a useful spell that could be used to lift an object a few inches off the ground and move it around anywhere the caster desired. Hermione used it in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to move a Christmas Tree in a way that would conceal Harry so that no one would see he was inside The Three Broomsticks when he wasn’t supposed to be. Given that this spell could be used on virtually any heavy object, it’s a surprise that it wasn’t used more throughout Harry Potter.
10 Obscuro
Another spell used by Hermione, Obscuro, was seen in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book when Harry and Hermione attempted to interrogate the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, which they had taken from Grimmauld Place. The spell conjured a blindfold that promptly wrapped itself around Professor Black’s eyes so that the painted wizard couldn’t see where Harry was hiding and report it back to Severus Snape. Of course, Phineas Nigellus Black eventually did precisely this in Harry Potter, but it turned out in Harry’s favor since it was how Snape got the Sword of Gryffindor to him.
9 Oppugno
Oppugno is a charm that causes items to fly across the room and attack the caster’s chosen victim. Hermione used this spell to attack Ron in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after he and Lavender Brown entered a classroom she had been hiding in to continue kissing each other in private. In this situation, she made the birds she had conjured mount the attack, but it’s assumed that virtually any small item could have been used.
8 Pierotum Locomotor
Pierotum Locomotor is a transfiguration spell used by Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to make all the suits of armor and statues around Hogwarts come alive and protect the school. In the Harry Potter movies, McGonagall mentioned that she had always wanted to use that spell—so it’s evident that it had at least never been used during her time at Hogwarts. Since this seemed to be a function of the castle specifically intended for a siege, it likely hadn’t been used for hundreds of years, if at all.
7 Quietus
The spell Quietus was only ever seen when Ludo Bagman, a character cut from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, cast it as a countercharm for Sonorus, a spell that amplifies the voice. Sonorus was used several times throughout the Harry Potter series and involved a wizard holding a wand to their throat, speaking the incantation, and then addressing the crown with a voice that would be amplified to fill a given space. However, Bagman was the only wizard in the books that used Quietus to return his voice to normal after the fact.
6 Rictusempra
Rictusempra was a spell used by Harry during his duel with Draco in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Though it only sent Draco flying backward in the Chamber of Secrets movie, the true purpose of the spell was to cause a victim to experience the sensation of being tickled. The books described this to be unbearable, and during the duel, Draco was unable to move or defend himself because of the laughing.
5 Serpensortia
Draco Malfoy used Serpensortia in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to conjure a dangerous snake during his battle with Harry. Of course, Draco didn’t know when he did this that Harry was a Parselmouth and could simply tell the snake not to attack him (or anyone else). Still, it caused quite a stir among the students. Though this seems like the kind of spell any Slytherin would know, casting it at Hogwarts would likely invite discipline, so it was never seen in Harry Potter again.
4 Tarantallegra
Yet another spell used in Harry and Draco’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets duel, Tarantallegra causes a victim’s legs to spasm out of control. This was one of Draco’s contributions to the fight, so Harry was the unlucky one who was forced to dance wildly around the platform. Though it would be helpful for taking an opponent off guard, it doesn’t cause much harm.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
