Vera Verto

Vera Verto
Incantation	Vera Verto (vair-uh VAIR-toh)
Type	Transfiguration
Hand movement
Light	Crystal clear
Effect	Transformed animals into water goblets

"Could I have your attention please? Right, now, today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so. One, two, three. Vera Verto."

— Professor McGonagall to her second-year students

Vera Verto was the incantation of a Transfiguration spell used to transform an animal into a water goblet. Animals susceptible to this spell were specifically aves, rats, and felines.

Casting

Blackboard instructions to casting this spell

This spell appeared moderately difficult to perform and could be disastrous if done wrong. Side effects include the goblet becoming furry or having a tail. Wand movement and posture were both very important for this spell, as Professor McGonagall noted when teaching her second-year class in September of 1992.

To perform the spell, one must tap the targeted animal three times sharply with their wand and then point their wand directly at the animal, incanting Vera Verto.

Effects

An animal having been turned into a water goblet with this spell

Once performed, a jet of nearly indiscernible, crystal-clear mist, almost like a spray, would shoot from the caster's wand, engulfing the animal and quickly morphing it into a goblet with a quiet whooshing noise.

If performed incorrectly, a spasm of greenish light may have shot from the wand with a crackling, whining noise and the target would be transfigured incompletely. It may still have been furry, or possessed a tail (or a combination of the two), and in some cases it may have even still emitted vocal sounds. However, given that the only known case originated from Ronald Weasley's broken wand and it was on Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus rat form, it is unknown if it was an isolated occurrence.

History

During the 1890–1891 school year, Professor Weasley kept the product of a failed Vera Verto attempt in her classroom as a warning to her students who did not take the subject of Transfiguration seriously.

During the 1987–1988 school year, this spell was taught to fourth-year students with rats as their targets. Professor McGonagall told the class one famous wizard used it to toast to the health of his beloved cat.

A failed attempt of this spell by Ron Weasley on his rat Scabbers

During the 1992–1993 school year, this spell was taught to second-year students in lesson seven, as noted on her blackboard. Ronald Weasley was asked to try on his pet rat Scabbers, but the transformation was incomplete, most likely caused by his damaged wand, or possibly the fact that Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus rat form.

Known practitioners

Minerva McGonagall

Jacob's sibling

• Rowan Khanna

Media

Vera Verto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfuWtfPtk3c

Etymology

Vera is taken from the Latin noun Fera meaning "beast" or "wild animal". Verto, also Latin, is a verb that can mean "I turn" or "I exchange". Collectively, Fera Verto is a Latin phrase that can be taken to mean "I exchange the beast".

Behind the scenes

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the writing on Minerva McGonagall's blackboard was written backwards.
• Despite the subtitles giving the incantation as Vera Verto, there is a distinct possibility that the subtitles were inaccurately transcribed, with many viewers debating that the characters were instead saying "Fera" instead of "Vera". An incantation "Fera Verto" also makes particular sense, since fera is Latin for "wild animal". This is fitting considering that the subject of the spell is an animal, where "Fera Verto" could be taken to mean "I turn or change the animal".
  • In later versions of the film, when Lucius Malfoy attempts to curse Harry in retaliation for the latter tricking him into freeing Dobby the house-elf, the subtitles indicate that he was going to use Vera Verto on Harry, even though he was audibly heard saying "Avada-".
• Since the etymology of this spell is rather general and does not specify either the target subject or the intended transformation, it is possible that Vera Verto, in the film adaptations, is an incantation of a general transfiguration or transforming spell, where its effect is largely dependent on the caster's intentions.
  • However, in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, the spell is stated to have a particular transformation.
• In Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, despite the in class snippet clearly stating animals other than rats are used for this spell, with Minerva referring the spell as "Animal into Water Goblet," on the chapter progress indicator, the lesson is labelled as "Rat into Water Goblet."
  • It however, could be merely reflecting the fact that students in that particular class were all giving rats to work on, and not a labelling mistake.
• Also in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, this spell and Mice to Snuffboxes have identical wand movements in their Transfiguration lessons, however, the game files identify only the movement given for the latter as correct, whereas this spell has an entirely different movement.
• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, during the O.W.L.s, one of the tests is to transform an animal into a water goblet; it is more than likely this was meant to be "Vera Verto".

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Possible appearance)
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells (Seen in image)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Appears in the spell book)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Possible appearance)