Protective enchantment

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article.

Protective enchantments are charms used to protect an area for an extended period of time. The spells shield specific areas, and can have a wide variety of applications, with many different types of protective enchantments existing.

History

There are many different types of protective enchantment with many different effects. It is unknown how old some of the spells are and who exactly invented them. The enchantments were used regularly during the Second Wizarding War in order for the wizarding community to protect themselves from Death Eaters and by Death Eaters themselves, it can be assumed that they were used during the First Wizarding War as well.

Casting

In order to protect a certain place, the caster has to repeat incantations of charms over and over in the area they wish to protect. The spells circle the area and create a light effect similar to a heat wave around the protected area.

Known spells

• Age Line
• Caterwauling Charm
• Cave inimicum
• Disillusionment Charm
• Fianto Duri
• Fidelius Charm
• Imperturbable Charm
• Intruder Charm
• Muffliato Charm
• Muggle-Repelling Charm
• Protego Diabolica
• Protego horribilis
• Protego Maxima
• Protego totalum
• Repello Inimicum
• Room-sealing spell
• Salvio hexia
• Security Spell

Known uses

• Enchantments are put over many places such as Gringotts, Hogwarts, The Burrow etc.
• The Dome Effect that happens when people cast Priori Incantatem, as Voldemort and Harry Potter did in 1995, whilst duelling in the Little Hangleton graveyard.^[1]
• The Fidelius Charm that is cast over houses owned by members of the Order of the Phoenix.
• The lot of enchantments cast over The Burrow, including the Fidelius Charm, in order to hold William Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding.
• Hermione Granger cast Protego totalum, Salvio Hexia, the Muggle-Repelling Charm, the Muffliato Charm, Cave inimicum, and the Disillusionment Charm in 1997 over her tent site (along with Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter).^[2]
• Harry Potter would occasionally cast the protective enchantments that Hermione would use during the Horcrux Hunt.
• At the start of the Battle of Hogwarts, Filius Flitwick, Molly Weasley, and Horace Slughorn cast Protego Maxima, Fianto Duri, and Repello Inimicum; only to be broken by the Shield penetration spell performed by Tom Riddle shortly after.^[3]
• At the start of the Battle of Hogwarts, Filius Flitwick cast Protego horribilis.

Behind the scenes

• The Vanishing Cabinets are able to bypass most protective enchantments, as a pair was used to penetrate Hogwarts Castle, which was heavily armed with magical protections, ancient and recently added.
• In the video game adaption of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the Dome Effect that happened during Priori Incantatem is not seen. Instead Voldemort uses the spell to distract Harry while his living skeletons and his paternal family's grave attacks him.
• In the Nintendo DS version of the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Protective Enchantments had to be cast from certain defensive shield locations.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)

Notes and references