(Incantesimo) Incanto Patronus

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Expecto Patronum – a spell that conjures a guardian to protect us

We all know that Expecto Patronum is the spell that helps banish Dementors – the dark, joy-devouring, will-to-live-sucking creatures that guard Azkaban. Although we don’t come across these creatures ourselves very much, having a silver guardian which basically takes on the animal image of our soul would still be really cool. Yep, that’s our entire argument on this one.

Edited by Ida59 - 21/9/2016, 11:44

Nel messaggio successivo c'è la traduzione in italiano.


The Patronus is the most famous (and famously difficult) defensive charm. The aim is to produce a silvery-white guardian or protector, which takes the form of an animal. The exact form of the Patronus will not be apparent until the spell has been successfully cast. One of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind, the Patronus can also be used as a messenger between wizards. As a pure, protective magical concentration of happiness and hope (the recollection of a single talisman memory is essential in its creation) it is the only spell effective against Dementors. The majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce Patronuses and to do so is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability.

Some witches and wizards may manage an incorporeal Patronus, which resembles a mass or wisp of silvery vapour or smoke. In some cases a witch or wizard may choose to produce an incorporeal Patronus deliberately, if he or she wishes to disguise the form it generally takes (Remus Lupin, for instance, is afraid that his corporeal Patronus gives too much away). The incorporeal Patronus is not a true Patronus and while it will give limited protection, it cannot provide the defensive power of the corporeal Patronus, which has the form and substance of an animal.

The Patronus Charm is one of the most ancient of charms and appears in many accounts of early magic. In spite of a long association with those fighting for lofty or noble causes (those able to produce corporeal Patronuses were often elected to high office within the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic), the Patronus is not unknown among Dark wizards. While there is a widespread and justified belief that a wizard who is not pure of heart cannot produce a successful Patronus (the most famous example of the spell backfiring is that of the Dark wizard Raczidian, who was devoured by maggots), a rare few witches and wizards of questionable morals have succeeded in producing the Charm (Dolores Umbridge, for example, is able to conjure a cat Patronus to protect herself from Dementors). It may be that a true and confident belief in the rightness of one’s actions can supply the necessary happiness. However, most such men and women, who become desensitised to the effects of the Dark creatures with whom they may ally themselves, regard the Patronus as an unnecessary spell to have in their arsenal.

No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual’s Patronus has ever been found, although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle, set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true.

The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality.

‘For it is evident,’ he writes, in his masterwork ‘Charms of Defence and Deterrence‘… that a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor, must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed, and the Patronus is the awakened secret self that lies dormant until needed, but which must now be brought to light...’

Here, says Spangle, is the explanation for the appearance of Patronuses in forms that their casters might not expect, for which they have never felt a particular affinity, or (in rare cases) even recognise. Spangle is interesting on the subject of those unusual witches and wizards who produce a Patronus that takes the form of their favourite animal.

‘It is my firm belief that such a Patronus is an indicator of obsession or eccentricity. Here is a wizard who may not be able to hide their essential self in common life, who may, indeed, parade tendencies that others might prefer to conceal. Whatever the form of their Patronus, you would be well-advised to show respect, and occasionally caution, towards a witch or wizard who produces the Patronus of their choice.’

The form of a Patronus may change during the course of a witch or wizard’s life. Instances have been known of the form of the Patronus transforming due to bereavement, falling in love or profound shifts in a person’s character. Thus Nymphadora Tonks’s Patronus changes from a jack rabbit to a wolf (not a werewolf) when she falls in love with Remus Lupin. Some witches and wizards may be unable to produce a Patronus at all until they have undergone some kind of psychic shock.

It is usual, but not inevitable, for a Patronus to take the form of an animal commonly found in the caster’s native country. Given their long affinity with humans it is perhaps unsurprising that among the most common Patronuses (although it must be remembered that any corporeal Patronus is highly unusual) are dogs, cats and horses. However, every Patronus is as unique as its creator and even identical twins have been known to produce very different Patronuses.

Extinct Patronuses are very rare but not unknown. Strangely, given their long connection with wizardkind, owl Patronuses are unusual. Most uncommon of all possibly Patronuses are magical creatures such as dragons, Thestrals and phoenixes. Never forget, though, that one of the most famous Patronuses of all time was a lowly mouse, which belonged to a legendary young wizard called Illyius, who used it to hold off an attack from an army of Dementors single-handedly. While a rare and magical Patronus undoubtedly reflects an unusual personality, it does not follow that it is more powerful, or will enjoy greater success at defending its caster.

Edited by Ida59 - 23/9/2016, 11:28

www.pottermore.com/features/what-is-a-patronus

Who can cast this rather remarkable spell?

The Patronus is a form of advanced magic, which even the most qualified wizards can struggle with. Harry Potter is one of the youngest wizards to cast a corporeal Patronus, having been taught by Professor Lupin at the tender age of thirteen.

And, erm, what exactly is it?

As Professor Lupin tells Harry in Prisoner of Azkaban, the Patronus is ‘a kind of Anti-Dementor – a guardian which acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.’ It’s also ‘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.’
The Patronus has two forms, non-corporeal and corporeal. A non-corporeal Patronus can appear as ‘a thin wisp of silver’ that hovers ‘like mist.’ Whereas a corporeal Patronus has a form that is clearly defined and is more than vapour or smoke.
The ability to cast a corporeal or non-corporeal Patronus is down to the skill of the witch or wizard. Each Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it, and it’s possible, in some cases, for a Patronus to change.
Here are the witches and wizards who accomplished it, with some significant Patronus moments from across the stories.

Harry Potter – Stag


Harry’s Patronus takes the same shape as his father’s. He conjures it for the first time during a Dementor attack with Hermione and Sirius at the Great Lake, and at first glance it looks like a horse. Coincidentally, Harry’s future wife, Ginny Weasley’s Patronus is a horse.

James Potter – Stag

James Potter’s Patronus is the same form as his Animagus.

Lily Potter – Doe

The female form of her husband’s Patronus. We later learn that Severus Snape, in love with Lily for nearly his whole life, also had a doe for his Patronus.

Albus Dumbledore – Phoenix


Dumbledore’s Patronus is a phoenix, which is revealed to us when he wants to summon Hagrid after Viktor Krum is Stunned. It can be no surprise that Dumbledore has an affinity with this particular creature, given that his own animal companion is an enigmatic and loyal phoenix, Fawkes.

Remus Lupin – Wolf

Remus Lupin often disguised his Patronus so as not to reveal the fact that he’s a werewolf.

Nymphadora Tonks – Wolf


Yes, Harry, it could. Tonks’ Patronus changed into a wolf after she fell in love with Lupin, a sure sign of true love if ever there was one.

Minerva McGonagall – Cat


Well of course Professor McGonagall can cast a Patronus, and it being a spell of advanced magic, and she being Professor Minerva McGonagall, she can cast three at once. Here, McGonagall uses her Patronuses for communication – to alert the Heads of House that Hogwarts will soon be under attack from Voldemort, before the Battle of Hogwarts begins.

Severus Snape – Doe


It still gets us after all this time. We also see Snape’s Patronus when it guides Harry to Godric Gryffindor’s sword in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Dolores Umbridge – Cat

From one of our very favourite professors to our very least, Dolores Umbridge’s Patronus is also a cat, just like the ones on those tasteless decorative plates she hangs from her walls.

Aberforth Dumbledore – Goat

Meanwhile, Aberforth’s Patronus is a goat, which he summons outside the Hog's Head in an attempt to trick the Death Eaters that they’d seen a goat, rather than Harry's stag.

Kingsley Shacklebolt – Lynx


An example of a member of the Order of the Phoenix using their Patronus as a communication device, Shacklebolt’s lynx lands on the dancefloor at Bill and Fleur’s wedding.

Arthur Weasley – Weasel


How brilliant that Mr Weasley’s Patronus is a weasel.


Dumbledore’s Army

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry teaches his friends and fellow members of Dumbledore’s Army how to cast their Patronuses, with some having more luck than others:
Cho Chang – Swan
Seamus Finnigan – Fox
Hermione Granger – Otter
Luna Lovegood – Hare
Ernie Macmillan – Boar
Ginny Weasley – Horse
Ron Weasley – Jack Russell Terrier

They are later cast, with varying success and in support of Harry, during the Battle of Hogwarts:

Lastly, how is a Patronus conjured?

With the incantation ‘EXPECTO PATRONUM.’ We don’t mean to shout, but really you have to say it like you mean it.

Patronus Charm

To cast the Patronus Charm successfully, the wizard casting it must concentrate, with all their might, on the happiest memory they have: it’s fuel for the Patronus, which is a projection of positive energy. They must then draw circles with their wand, and say the incantation ‘Expecto Patronum'. If it works, then there are two forms of Patronus that can be cast. A non-corporeal one, which is just a burst of silver light from the wand; or a fully formed corporeal guardian, taking the shape of the animal that best reflects the caster’s personality.
To cast either is an achievement, although the latter is so difficult as to be considered unusual. This is because very few wizards possess the skill to concentrate on both the spell and their emotions. Even so, Harry Potter was able to master the spell in his own time at Hogwarts – making him one of the youngest wizards to do so – and he even taught it to members of Dumbledore’s Army, way beyond their years.