What!? You didn’t know that it was Harry Potter Book Night last night? You didn’t make it to one of the 10,500+ parties scattered across the UK? Missed out on the Butterbeer, cake and various wizarding activities?
Well, as part of the celebrations, Bloomsbury Books invited readers to use Social Media to vote on their favourite spell from the Harry Potter books. Thousands upon thousands of votes were cast, but as, perhaps, we could have guessed: Expecto patronum took first place followed
closely by Accioin second place and
Wingardium Leviosa in third.
As any Potter fan will know, Expecto Patronum is one of the most powerful spells in the entire Potter Universe and was first taught to Harry in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Professor Lupin.
Professor Lupin continued, ‘The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon – hope, happiness, the desire to survive – but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can’t hurt it.
But I must warn you, Harry, that the Charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.’
For those keen to know how the other spells did, the top ten favourite spells as voted for by Potter-fans are below:
- Expecto patronum– to summon up a Patronus
- Accio– to call an object to you
- Wingardium Leviosa– to levitate objects
- Expelliarmus–to disarm your opponent
- Lumos– to ignite one’s wand-tip to provide light
- Alohomora– to open locked windows and doors
- Avada Kedavra– to bring about instant death
- Sectumsempra– the incantation for one of the Half-Blood Prince’s spells
- Obliviate – to make the subject forget
- Riddikulus– to make a Boggart take on a comical appearance and eventually explode
Bloomsbury have granted us permission to use this awesome picture by Jonny Duddle to celebrate (it is the artwork used for the new Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban paperback editions):
You can find out more about Harry Potter Book Night here: http://www.harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/harry-potter-book-night/
Jennie Ivins