| Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. |
- "There are many ways to pass through locked doors in the magical world (see the Fire-Making Spell, Gouging Spell, and the Reductor Curse) where you wish to enter or depart discreetly, however, the Unlocking Charm is your best friend."
- —The introduction in the Book of Spells[src]
The Unlocking Charm (Alohomora), also known as the Thief's Friend, is a charm that unlocks objects such as doors or windows.[3][4] It is also able to open doors locked by the Locking Spell (Colloportus), and as such, acts as its counter-charm. The Anti-Alohomora Charm can be used to prevent this charm from working on a locked target.
History
The Unlocking Charm has its origins in Africa, whereupon it was called the Thief's Friend. The first known person to have mastered the charm was an Ancient African sorcerer, who taught it to thief Eldon Elsrickle during the latter's trip to the continent in the 17th century. Upon returning to his native Britain, Elsrickle used it to terrorise London, stealing from homes of Muggles and wizards alike, until Blagdon Blay invented the Anti-Alohomora Charm.[1]
Before the discovery of Alohomora, the most popular unlocking spell was Portaberto, which splintered the lock from a door but occasionally left a smoking hole where the key should have gone. Before Portaberto, however, the most popular opening spell was Open Sesame, which ripped doors from their hinges and tore them into firewood. All of these were more rudimentary and by far less subtle than Alohomora.
Descriptions of this spell are written in numerous books, including the first volume of the Standard Book of Spells series, where it is described in chapter seven.[5] and a spellbook that can be found in the Hogwarts Library.[6] This spell is also taught in Charms class in the first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is one of the first spells students learn.[7]
Counter-charm
There is a spell called the Anti-Alohomora Charm which is used to counteract this spell. Magical locks also existed and were placed on several doors, but could be unlocked with this charm.
Known uses
Successful
| Caster(s) | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eldon Elsrickle | 1600s | The first wizard to use it in the western world. Elsrickle had learnt the spell from an Ancient African sorcerer and used it to ransack the houses of London, Muggle, and wizarding alike.[1] |
| Newt Scamander | 6 December 1926 | Used it to open a safe at Steen National Bank to retrieve his escaped Niffler.[8] |
| Lord Voldemort | 31 October, 1981 | Used it to break into the Potters' house, before murdering James and Lily Potter and trying to murder their son Harry Potter.[5] |
| Albus Potter | Used it after time-travelling to the day his grandparents were killed to unlock the doors of St Jerome's Church in order to let Harry Potter's friends come and help him to duel Delphini.[9] | |
| Jacob's sibling | 1984–1985 school year | Jacob's sibling and Rowan Khanna used this charm to unlock the door of the room that contains the Cursed ice.[10] |
| Hermione Granger | 1991 | Used it to open a forbidden entrance on the Third-floor corridor of Hogwarts Castle.[11] |
| 6 June, 1994 | Used it to open the window to Professor Filius Flitwick's office to rescue Sirius Black.[12] | |
| 2 August, 1997 | Used it to open Regulus Black's bedroom in 12 Grimmauld Place.[13] | |
| Death Eaters | 18 June, 1996 | One of the Death Eaters used it to open doors to Time Room shut by the Hermione Granger.[14] |
| St Mungo's staff | Unknown | The Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries can only be entered by using this spell. Healers and visitors may enter, but patients are unable to get out.[15] |
| Scorpius Malfoy | 1 September, 2020 | Used it to open the Minister for Magic's office at the Ministry of Magic. He want to get into with Albus Potter and Delphini under the disguise of the trio. |
Unsuccessful
| Caster(s) | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eldon Elsrickle | 1600s | He eventually found that all wizarding households placed an Anti-Alohomora Charm on their doors and could no longer unlock their doors.[1] |
| Queenie Goldstein | 7 December 1926 | Tried to unlock Percival Graves' office at the Magical Congress of the United States of America using this spell and Aberto, discovering he had secured it with advanced spells.[8] |
| Hogwarts staff | 1991 | The door guarding the Philosopher's Stone was protected against the Unlocking Charm; a winged key was necessary to open it. A single door in the Department of Mysteries was impervious to this spell as well; it may be presumed that it opens in the room where the British Ministry of Magic studies the power of love in the Department of Mysteries. |
| Hermione Granger | 4 June, 1992 | Tried to unlock the locked door in the Flying Key room, but the door could only open with the key.[16] |
| 18 June, 1996 | Tried to unlock the locked door to the Love Chamber in the Department of Mysteries, shortly before the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.[14] | |
| Harry Potter | 1 September, 1996 | Tried to unlock the Hogwarts gates with no effect since Albus Dumbledore had bewitched them.[17] |
| Harry Potter | 17 June 1996 | Harry Potter assumed that Umbridge's office door had been bewitched so that this spell wouldn't work.[18] |
Known practitioners
.png "Scorpius Malfoy (HPCC).png (3.02 MB)")
.png "Albus Potter (HPCC).png (1.68 MB)")
See also
Etymology
J. K. Rowling stated that the word was from the West African Sikidy figures used in geomancy and has the literal meaning "Friendly to thieves".[22]
Behind the scenes
The hand movement promoted by Warner Bros.
Harry opening Dolores Umbridge's Office with this spell
- Alohomora Duo is a stronger version of this spell.
- Although Dolores Umbridge's office at Hogwarts was (assumed) impervious to this spell in the novel, Harry Potter uses this spell to open it before attempting to use the Floo Network in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
- As it was described in a textbook, this may be learned in Hogwarts Charms classes in the first year.
- This may be the spell that Remus Lupin used to open a wardrobe containing a Boggart and the spell that Harry Potter used wandlessly to open his cupboard to retrieve his school supplies.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, instead of using the Unlocking Charm to help Sirius Black escape, Hermione used Bombarda to blast open his cell door.
- In the Chamber of Secrets video game for GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 it's specified that the Unlocking Charm is for use on mechanical locks. In most other sources, it's used on magical locks and the Locking Spell as well.
- Also in the manuals for the video games, it lampshades the fact that not everything can be unlocked with the charm (such as certain doors and inaccessible areas), and thus tells the player to not get frustrated over this fact.
- It is only in Chamber of Secrets, that only chests can be opened with the charm, while in the previous game, almost anything can be unlocked as long as it had to symbol for the charm's use. This was mainly that in the second game, the charm was to be optionally brought at Fred and George Weasley's Shop in the video games, and thus it would have little impact on locations that involve the story of the game outside of side quests and hidden locations.
- Also in the manuals for the video games, it lampshades the fact that not everything can be unlocked with the charm (such as certain doors and inaccessible areas), and thus tells the player to not get frustrated over this fact.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Years 5-7, the Reductor Curse is used to blast open most locks, instead of the Unlocking Charm.
- According to Book of Spells, the spell Portaberto was the most popular unlocking spell before this, and prior to that Open Sesame was.
- While the spell usually just unlocks, Newt Scamander was showing using it to both unlock and open a safe in the film adaption of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)[23]
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Possible appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (DS/PSP versions only)
- Harry Potter: Spells
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Pottermore
- Wonderbook: Book of Spells
- Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Wonderbook: Book of Spells
- ↑ See this video
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bloomsbury Glossary: A
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Fantastic Beasts: A Cinematic Yearbook
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Four, Scene Eleven
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 9 (The Midnight Duel)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 21 (Hermione's Secret)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 10 (Kreacher's Tale)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 34 (The Department of Mysteries)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 23 (Christmas on the Closed Ward)
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 16 (Through the Trapdoor) - "They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn’t budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm."
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 7 (The Slug Club)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 32 (Out of the Fire)
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- ↑ Rowling, J. K. (2008-04-14). Statement of J.K. Rowling in testimony during the WB and JKR vs. RDR Books. Archived on 2008-04-16 from http://web.archive.org/web/20080423072217/www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2008/4/15/first-day-of-jkr-wb-vs-rdr-books-trial
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 1 (The Worst Birthday) - Harry considers the possibility of unlocking Hedwig's cage using magic.
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| Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 · Grade 5 · Grade 6 · Grade 7 | |||||
| Charms included in the series: Banishing Charm · Dancing Feet Spell · Disarming Charm · Engorgement Charm · Fire-Making Spell · Freezing Charm · General Counter-Spell · Levitation Charm · Locking Spell · Memory Charm · Mending Charm · Severing Charm · Softening Charm · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm · Tickling Charm · Unlocking Charm | |||||
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