feather-light -
Ferula -
Fidelius Charm -
Fiendfyre -
finger-removing jinx -
Finite -
Finite Incantatem -
fire magic -
fire talking -
Fixing Charm -
Flagrante Curse -
Flagrate -
Flame-Freezing Charm -
flashing paint charm -
flying magic -
fountain of wine -
Four-Point Spell -
Freezing Charm -
Full Body-Bind -
fur spell -
Furnunculus
"feather-light"
Incantation: unknown
Effect: Spell that makes the target object weigh practically nothing.
References:
- After running away from the Dursleys, Harry considered the idea of casting a spell to make his trunk "feather-light" so he could carry it all the way to London on his broomstick (PA3).
The spell Harry was considering for this was not named.
Ferula
Incantation: Ferula (feh-ROO-lah)
Effect: Spell that conjures a wooden rod
References:
Etymology: "ferule" alt. spelling of "ferrule" Eng. wooden handle for strength or protection, from "ferula" L. fennel plant
Fidelius Charm
Incantation: uncertain, possibly Fidelius (fih-DAY-lee-us)
Effect: "An immensely complex spell involving the magical concealment of a
secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside
the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to
find -- unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it"
(PA10).
References:
Used to try to protect Lily and James Potter from Voldemort. "As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!" (PA10) Unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew was chosen as Secret-Keeper, and he betrayed the secret.
Dumbledore used the Fidelius Charm to hide number twelve Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. He himself was the Secret-Keeper for the Order (OP6). Note that he once mentioned it in front of the Dursleys (HBP3).
Snape could refer (at least indirectly) to the fact that a Fidelius Charm applied to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, but since he was not the Secret Keeper he could not mention the name of the place (HBP2).
"When a Secret-Keeper dies, their secret dies with them, or to put it another way, the status of their secret will remain as it was at the moment of their death. Everybody in whom they confided will continue to know the hidden information, but nobody else...
"In other words, a secret (e.g., the location of a family in hiding, like the Potters) is enchanted so that it is protected by a single Keeper (in our example, Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail). Thenceforth nobody else - not even the subjects of the secret themselves - can divulge the secret. Even if one of the Potters had been captured, force-fed Veritaserum or placed under the Imperius Curse, they would not have been able to give away the whereabouts of the other two. The only people who ever knew their precise location were those whom Wormtail had told directly, but none of them would have been able to pass on the information (JKR)."
After the death of a Secret Keeper, each of the people to whom he or she had confided the secret will become a Secret Keeper. The power of the Fidelius Charm will be diluted more and more as more and more people are Secret Keepers (DH6).
- Mention of a Secret Keeper (DH9).
Etymology: "fidelis" L. trusty, faithful
Fiendfyre
Incantation: unknown
Effect: Creates a cursed fire, made up of flames of abnormal size and heat that can crumble
fairly substantial objects to soot at a mere touch. Left burning long
enough, the fire will take the shapes of gigantic fiery beasts (including
serpents, chimaeras, dragons, and birds of prey)
which will pursue any target humans.
References:
One of the substances that can destroy Horcruxes, but Hermione considered it far too dangerous to ever use (DH31).
- Crabbe cast this in the Room of Requirement while it was in its Room of Hidden Things mode (DH31). He died in the ensuing magical inferno.
Etymology: "fiend" + "fyre", from Old English "fyr", fire
"finger-removing jinx"
Incantation: unknown
Effect: Removes the target person's fingers.
References:
Goodwin Kneen's wife, Gunhilda, hit him with this jinx after he came home a bit late from celebrating Ilkley's win in Quidditch (QA3).
Finite
(fi-NEE-tay)
"finio" L. settle, end, die, cease
Stops a currently operating spell effect.
Lupin used this spell to take a Tarantallegra Hex off Neville Longbottom (OP36).
- Harry used this spell to cancel the effects of Descendo (cast by Crabbe) on a large pile of objects (DH31).
This spell might be a shorthand way of casting the General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem).
Finite Incantatem
(fi-NEE-tay in-can-TAH-tum)
"finio" L. settle, end, die + "incantationem" L. the art of enchanting
Stops currently operating spell effects.
Snape used this spell to end the various unfortunate spells that were affecting members of the Duelling Club when things got a little out of hand (CS11).
Contrary to what is shown in CS/f, this spell does not blow up rogue Bludgers. The magic required to tamper with a Bludger is extremely high level and can't be counteracted a simple spell, especially not one cast by a 13-year-old (CS/f)
fire magic
References:
- "bluebell flames"
- candle magic
- Fiendfyre
- Fire-Making Spell
- "fire whip"
- Flagrate
- Flagrante Curse
- Green Sparks
- Incendio
- Red Sparks
Anti-fire magic:
Miscellaneous magic fires and fire effects:
- at the Quidditch World Cup, a magical fire shot violet sparks twenty feet into the air (GF7).
Other references:
Fire-Making Spell
Source: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 (Pm)
Incantation: Incendio (in-SEN-dee-oh)
Effect: creates fire
References:
Arthur Weasley used this to start a fire in the Dursleys' fireplace (GF4).
Used by a Death Eater to set fire to Hagrid's cabin (HBP28).
No incantation given in the book:
Hagrid started a roaring fire in the hut-on-the-rock without a wand (PS4) (PS/f depicts this incorrectly)
Wormtail started a fire under the cauldron in which Voldemort was reborn (GF32).
The spell is given a name on Pottermore.
Etymology: "incendo" L. to set fire to
"fire whip"
Incantation: non-verbal
Effect: creates a powerful whip or lasso of fire
Dumbledore used a nonverbal spell during his duel with Voldemort in the Atrium that created a fiery rope emanating from the tip of his wand (OP36). A year later, Dumbledore used a nonverbal spell to create a ring of fire emanating from his wand like a vast lasso. It acted as a barrier against Inferi (HBP26). A year after that, McGonagall non-verbally caused a torch to fly out of its bracket, creating a ring of fire that filled the corridor and flew like a lasso at her target (DH30). Judging from the effects, these instances appear to be the same unnamed fire spell.
"fire talking"
Incantation: initiated with Floo Powder
Effect: communication between fires
Using Floo Powder in a fire connected to the Floo Network, a person can communicate with another over distance. The head of the person making contact appears in the midst of the flames and they can hold a conversation and even interact physically with the person they are connecting to.
References:
Amos Diggory used this method of contacting Arthur Weasley when the fake Moody reported being attacked (GF11).
While in hiding, Sirius Black talked to Harry by means of a wizard fireplace (GF19).
Snape used a powder thrown into the fire to contact Lupin and ask to speak to him (PA14).
When the Ministry wanted to spy on all communication in and out of Hogwarts, they employed the Floo Regulation Board to monitor the Hogwarts fires (OP27, OP28).
Fixing Charm
no words given
Spell that magically fastens one thing to another.
Elveira Elkins wrote to the Daily Prophet Problem Page because she could not make a simple Fixing Charm 'stick'. The correspondent who dealt with everyday magical problems diagnosed that the caster was allowing her attention to wander whilst 'charming', and recommended using nails instead (DP).
See also PERMANENT STICKING CHARM.
Flagrante Curse
(flah-GRAN-tay)
no words given
Causes the target object to burn anyone who touches it.
Cast by Gringotts personnel on the contents of the Lestranges' vault (DH26).
c.f. FLAGRATE.
Flagrate
(flah-GRAH-tay)
"flagro" L. blaze, burn
Creates a burning, fiery line in the air which can be "drawn" with the wand into specific shapes. The shape lingers for some time.
Hermione used this spell to draw fiery X marks on the doors of the circular hall in the Department of Mysteries (OP34).
May be the same basic magic as wand writing and wand sparks.
Flame-Freezing Charm
no words given
Changes the properties of fire so that its heat feels like a warm breeze.
Spell used by witches and the wizards in medieval times who were burned at the stake. They would then scream and pretend to be burning up (PA1)
flashing paint charm
no incantation given
This "tricky little charm" makes the paint on a banner flash different colors.
Hermione used this charm on the banner that the Gryffindors had painted on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had drawn a Gryffindor lion under the words (PS11).
It is probably this charm which Hermione used to make the various squares on their revision schedules flash different colors as they prepared for O.W.L.s (OP29).
See COLOR CHANGE, POSTERS.
flying magic
no incantation given
While "[n]o spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form" (QA1), various spells create flying effects.
Wingardium Leviosa levitates objects (PS10).
Dobby used a Hover Charm to float a pudding above Aunt Petunia's kitchen (CS2).
- Spells cast on broomsticks and carpets allow them to fly
- Voldemort learned to fly without a broom, much to the surprise of the Order of the Phoenix, who discovered this ability during the Battle of the Seven Potters (DH4, 5). The only other person known to fly without a broom is Snape, who learned the magic from Voldemort (DH30).
The films show Quirrell (PS/f) and Death Eaters (OP/f, HBP/f, etc.) flying through the air. This effect, while effective visually, is definitely not canon.
"fountain of wine"
no incantation given
A spell which produces a fountain of wine from the end of the caster's wand.
Mr. Olivander performed this spell with Harry's wand to test it at the Weighing of the Wands (GF18).
Similar to the spell used by Mrs. Weasley to create a creamy sauce from her wand when cooking (GF5).
See CONJURING SPELLS, particularly AGUAMENTI
Four-Point Spell
See POINT ME.
Freezing Charm
Full Body-Bind
See PETRIFICUS TOTALUS.
fur spell
no incantation given
A spell that causes a person to grow fur.
Fred and George, in an effort to cheer up Ginny, cast this spell on themselves so they would be covered with fur. All it did was irritate Percy (CS11).
Furnunculus
(fur-NUN-kyoo-lus)
Curse that causes boils to break out all over the victim.
Harry cast this spell on Draco, but it was deflected and hit Goyle in the face (GF18, GF37)
Fred and George tried to cheer up Ginny by covering themselves with fur or boils and then jumping out at her (CS11).
Obliviator Arnold Peasegood suffered a minor attack of boils while helping to break up a goblin riot in Chipping Clodbury (DP).
- c.f. BOIL-CURE POTION, BULBADOX POWDER HIVES HEX, WARTCAP POWDER.
related to "furnus" L. oven?
related to "furunculus" L. which means "petty thief" and
is the basis of the English word "furuncle," which is a fancy name
for "boil" (as in a skin lesion, not the verb for the point at
which a liquid becomes a gas). Obviously, at some point, wizards decided it
was easier to say the spell when they threw in the extra "n"
after the letters f-u-r. Submitted by Claire T. Nollet
