Levicorpus

"Oh, that one had a great vogue during my time at Hogwarts. There were a few months in my fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted into the air by your ankle."

- Remus Lupin

Levicorpus is the incantation of a jinx. The spell, which was intended to be cast nonverbally but which can be spoken aloud, causes the victim to be hoisted into the air by their ankle; the counter-jinx for this spell is Liberacorpus.

History
"Pointing his wand at nothing in particular, he gave it an upward flick and said Levicorpus! inside his head... There was a flash of light... Ron was dangling upside down in midair as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle."

- Harry uses the spell for the first time on Ronald Weasley

This jinx was invented by Professor Severus Snape and recorded under his pseudonym the "Half-Blood Prince" during his time as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

There was a couple of months in 1976 where the spell became quite popular and students could barely move about without being hoisted up in the air by their ankle. In June 1976, James Potter cast this on Severus Snape while bullying him in front of a crowd.

On 22 August 1994, this spell was likely used by Death Eaters during the attack at the 422nd Quidditch World Cup.

At Dumbledore's Army meetings during the1995–1996 school year, various students practised this spell. Later on 18 June 1996 during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Luna Lovegood used this spell to incapacitate a Death Eater.

In 1996 Harry Potter found the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making that contained the spell, he used it twice during the 1996-1997 school year. In October 1996 Harry very rashly cast this on Ron Weasley without a clear idea of what the effects would be. On 30 June 1997 after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Harry tried and failed to cast this on Snape during Snape's departure from Hogwarts.

In 1998 this spell would be used again by Hermione Granger during the Trio's hunt for Horcruxes.

Known practitioners

 * Hermione Granger
 * Luna Lovegood
 * Lucius Malfoy
 * Harry Potter
 * James Potter I
 * Severus Snape
 * Draco Malfoy

Etymology
The incantation can be divided into two separate Latin words; levare means "lift", and corpus is translated to "body". It could also be translated as "Light Body".

Behind the scenes

 * The effect of this spell may be a reference to the Hanged Man, a Tarot card that depicts a saint-like figure being hung upside down from his ankle.
 * In, this is a verbal spell taught to Dumbledore's Army; it is used to lift people in this medium, but not by the ankle, as the victim's of the spell are seen being levitated onto the air as long as the user concentrates, as loss of concentration causes the spell to break immediately and the victim to fall to the ground. This was shown when Cho Chang was distractedly looking at Harry while Nigel, who she was levitating, suddenly fell to the floor. However, when Luna Lovegood uses it on a Death Eater in the Ministry of Magic, it sends the Death Eater flying upwards, similarly to Alarte Ascendere, except that the victim does not come back down, suggesting it does suspend him in the air or to the ceiling.
 * Also in the film, James Potter levitated Severus off the ground with Impedimenta instead of Levicorpus, though Severus still was dangled upside-down.
 * It is unclear when Severus Snape invented this jinx, as James Potter knew it in his fifth year, whereas it was noted in Snape's NEWT-level textbook. Furthermore, according to Sirius Black, Snape "knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year."
 * In Voldemort can use this spell against Dumbledore in the final Duel in the Ministry Atrium as they engage in a normal duel.

Notes and references
Levicorpus Levicorpus Левикорпус Levicorpus 倒挂金钟