Welcome to our site! This article focuses on the defensive spells from Harry Potter’s spell list, but if you want a list off all the Harry Potter Spells, please visit our homepage!
Although many spells could be used defensively (for instance, Nox, which extinguishes light, could be used to darken a room and thereby avoid an enemy), we have listed here the most common defensive spells. Some of them are obviously defensive, as in they repel a direct attack, but others could be used to free a companion from bindings (relashio), or for other similar purposes. Many spells that are not listed COULD be used defensively, but these are the most obvious ones:
| Avis | Makes birds fly out of the end of your wand, accompanied by a sound like a shotgun blast |
| Confundus | Confounds your target, or makes them temporarily confused |
| Conjunctivitis | Damages the eyesight of your opponent, making them seem to have pink eye |
| Engorgio | Makes an item larger, as in swollen |
| Enervate | Mistaken spell. Changed to Rennervate. Used to wake up a stunned person |
| Expecto Patronum | Creates Patronus |
| Expelliarmus | Disarms the target of the spell, such as knocking their wand out of their hand |
| Finite Incantatum | Stops any spell |
| Flipendo | Also knows as the Knockback Jinx, pushes or flips something backwards |
| Furnunculus | Causes a person to break out in boils |
| Homorphus | “Man-Shape”; makes a werewolf or person disguised as an animal resume their human shape. |
| Immobulus | Immobilizes the target |
| Impedimenta | Puts up an impediment that slows down something or someone that is coming toward you. |
| Locomotor Mortis | The Leg-Locker Curse; locks an opponent’s legs together |
| Obliviate | Makes a person “oblivious”, erasing their memories of an event |
| Petrificus Totalus | “Total petrification”; petrifies an opponent totally |
| Protego | “Protects” the user, and sends a spell back on an opponent |
| Reducio | Shrinks an item |
| Relashio | “Releases” something from being constrained or held |
| Rennervate | Was originally “ennervate”, but corrected by author; means to energize or wake up |
| Rictusempra | Causes a person to curl up in laughter, as if being tickled |
| Riddikulus | Makes a boggart assume a “ridiculous” form, thereby making it funny instead of terrifying |
| Stupefy | Stupefies an opponent, or knocks them insensible temporarily |
| Tarantallegra | Forces an opponent’s legs to dance uncontrollably |
| Wingardium Leviosa | Makes an item levitate, such as a heavy item that needs to be moved |
These spells are only the most obvious examples. For our fill Harry Potter spell list, see our homepage, which features all the Harry Potter spells. We also have other pages featuring Harry Potter’s Spell List broken down in different ways, according to their use.
