Charmed skeleton

Charmed skeleton
Species information
Eye colour	Green, sometimes none
Related to	Inferius Zombie (possibly)
Height of average adult	Varies
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Reanimated skeleton
Affiliation	Dark Arts (possibly)
Status	Extant

"A re-animated human skeleton."

— The Folio Bruti entry for 'Charmed Skeleton'.

A charmed skeleton was a human skeleton that had been magically reanimated through one of two methods, the Animation Charm or Necromancy. Charmed skeletons were only considered to be Dark magic when reanimated through necromancy. Charmed skeletons could be easily destroyed with simple offensive jinxes such as the Tickling Charm.

Albus Dumbledore would often use the Animation Charm to animate a troupe of dancing skeletons for Hogwarts' student's entertainment during the Hallowe'en feast.

History

1980s

Around Hallowe'en in the late 1980s, Ismelda Murk accidentally animated an army of skeletons in Godric's Hollow's graveyard. They subsequently went on to attack Hogsmeade until they were driven away by Pumpkin Johnny.

A charmed skeleton wielding a cursed sword.

Around the Hallowe'en feast in the late 1980s, someone stole a cursed sword, among other cursed artefacts, from Classroom 3C. It somehow fell into the hands of one of the skeletons that Dumbledore had animated for the Hallowe'en feast. Due to the nature of the curse on the sword, the skeleton was compelled to attack people, and chased after Argus Filch and Mrs Norris. The two had been cornered in a corridor when Jacob's sibling, acting under the information of The Hogwarts Diary, found them and defeated the skeleton.

1993–1994 school year

Professor Remus Lupin taught third-year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry about charmed skeletons in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes during the 1993–1994 school year.

1994–1995 school year

On 24 June 1995, Lord Voldemort summoned some skeletons from the Little Hangleton graveyard in his duel with Harry.

Behind the scenes

Hermione Granger: "Oh no! A charmed skeleton!"

Harry Potter: "We'd better both cast at once!"

— Hermione Granger and Harry Potter encountering a charmed skeleton in the Shrieking Shack

A skeleton attempting to attack Harry Potter and Hermione Granger inside the Shrieking Shack

A charmed skeleton in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PC version), Harry Potter and Hermione Granger encounter several charmed skeletons in the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, who attack them by throwing bones at them. They (the player) must use the Tickling Charm together to destroy them, with the skeletons only losing an arm or a leg if just one individual used the spell on them.
• Charmed skeletons appear in certain levels of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. They appear as a pile of bones. When you use the Levitation Charm to assemble their bones together, they form a skeleton which will sometimes be wearing a top hat, which, depending on the skeleton assembled, will start to dance or do something else. When this happens the game will play some music that will vary depending on the skeleton. They do not attack the player and can be broken again with the casting of any spell, and can be rebuilt again.
• In theory, charmed skeletons do not differ from Inferi, with skeletons simply having further decayed than the corpses Inferi are made of, however there appears to be some in-universe distinction between the two.
  • This is possibly just a creative oversight, as the word "Inferi" was not used until the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005 and the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released a year earlier.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (First appearance) (GBA and PC versions)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (PC and console versions)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery