Reductor Curse

Reductor Curse
Incantation	Reducto (re-DUCK-toh)
Type	Curse
Hand movement
Light	Blue
Effect	Destroys solid objects

"With this powerful curse, skilled wizards can easily reduce obstacles to pieces. For obvious reasons great care must be exercised when learning and practising this spell, lest you find yourself sweeping up in detention for it is all too easy to bring your classroom ceiling crashing down, or to reduce your teacher's desk to a fine mist."

— Miranda Goshawk

The Reductor Curse (Reducto) was a curse that blasted solid objects to pieces. It was rather easy to reduce a target to a fine mist or a pile of ashes.

History

The Reductor Curse in action

It is unknown when and who invented this spell. It was featured in the Book of Spells, and was commented on by Miranda Goshawk, the book's author.

The spell was commonly used by Ashwinder duellists during the time of Ranrok's goblin rebellion.

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the then Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Patricia Rakepick taught this spell to her fifth-year D.A.D.A. students, in order to teach them something both highly practical and useful in their education.

This was one of the offensive spells that Harry Potter taught Dumbledore's Army during the 1995–1996 school year in the Room of Requirement, having previously used the spell during the Triwizard Tournament. It was used heavily by members of the D.A. that participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries on 18 June 1996.

During the Calamity in the late 2010s or early 2020s, a Calamity Investigator working for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force spent a series of evenings grinding hermit crab shells before remembering this spell. After focusing on mastering this powerful spell, they used it to blast the shells into an extremely-fine powder, although they also reduced their kitchen table to sawdust in the process. However, the process did reduce the brewing time for their Dawdle Draught.

Known uses

" Five different voices behind him bellowed, "REDUCTO!" Five curses flew in five different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit; the towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor — "

— D.A. members smashing the shelves in the Hall of Prophecy

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Ashwinder Duellists	1890–1891 school year	Used this spell against their enemies, including the new fifth-year Hogwarts student.
Severus Snape	25 December 1994	Snape used this on rosebushes at the Yule Ball after his talk with Karkaroff.
Harry Potter	June 1995	Harry learned this spell in 1995 in preparation for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.
	24 June 1995	He used it in the hedge maze to try and disperse the Limbo Mist that was placed there as an obstacle.
		He used it again when he need to blast away a bush to get through and save Cedric from Viktor, who was under the Imperius Curse.
	3 September 1997	He used it in an attempt to destroy Salazar Slytherin's locket, but was unsuccessful in doing so.
Parvati Patil	Autumn 1995	Parvati used this curse during a D.A. meeting to reduce a table to rubble.
Harry Potter	18 June 1996	This spell was later used during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and resulted in the smashing of the shelves in the Hall of Prophecy.
Hermione Granger
Ginny Weasley
Ron Weasley
Luna Lovegood
Neville Longbottom
Unidentified Order of the Phoenix member	30 June 1997	Unsuccessfully used it to try and get past the cursed barrier blocking the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.
Calamity Investigator in the Statute of Secrecy Task Force	Late 2010s or early 2020s	Used to rapidly powder hermit crab shells, although with the added side effect of destroying their kitchen table.

Known practitioners

Ginny Weasley

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Luna Lovegood

Ron Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Seamus Finnigan

Parvati Patil

Filius Flitwick

Severus Snape

Bartemius Crouch Junior

Patricia Rakepick

Jacob's sibling

• Ashwinder Duellists
• Calamity Investigator in the Statute of Secrecy Task Force

Etymology

The incantation "reducto" is derived from Latin reduco, meaning "reduce" or "bring down".

Behind the scenes

Reducto as seen in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, only Ginny casts the Reductor Curse to smash the shelves in the Hall of Prophecy, instead of every D.A. member present.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, The Reductor Curse is the standard offensive spell that enemies, in particular Death Eaters, will cast at the player's character to attack them.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Hermione uses this curse to destroy a railing in order to clear her path so she could jump onto the Ukrainian Ironbelly, and again to force the dragon to take off from the top of Gringotts's spire when it stopped for a rest.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (NDS version only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Dimensions
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Hogwarts Legacy