Top 10 Harry Potter Spells We Wish We Could Use

One of the best features of magic is that it essentially eliminates all manual labor. There is perhaps no better example of that than the Accio charm, which allows the user to call for an object which is immediately sent to them. Of course, this charm doesn’t work for absolutely everything, as Hermione discovers when trying to summon one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. The object also needs to be within reasonable distance of the caster and needs to be a material object. Still, this would be an incredibly useful spell to have at our disposal.

Protego creates a barrier that protects or shields an area or person from harmful spells, and can even rebound curses back against their caster. The Shield charm is one of the more useful spells in a duel, as only a handful of curses can penetrate it. The spell is notably used by teachers and students to protect Hogwarts from Voldemort and his Death Eaters during the final instalment of the series.

One of the spells all wizards and witches learn at a young age, this levitation charm was made famous by Ron’s horrific pronunciation of the name in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. Unfortunately, this spell does not work on humans, but it does allow users to lift and carry heavy objects without any physical strain. This spell would sure come in handy when moving furniture around a house!

Stupefy is one of the best attacking spells and is frequently used in a battle or duel. Its intent is to stun your opponent as opposed to harming them, and often leaves the victim unconscious. Because it does not cause injury or death, it is not commonly used by Death Eaters, but was a staple of Harry’s arsenal, and was one of the spells he taught to the members of Dumbledore’s Army in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”.

One of the attacking curses used by young witches and wizards who are just learning how to duel, this spell leaves your opponent in a full body-bind. It was used by Hermione on Neville Longbottom in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” to prevent him from interfering with the trio as they attempted to retrieve the stone at the end of the film. The effects of the curse can be lifted with a simple counter-curse - unlike petrification, which requires a special draught made of Mandrake roots.

This nasty curse was first discovered by Harry in the potions textbook belonging to the self-proclaimed “Half-Blood Prince”. Without knowing what it does, Harry uses it on Draco Malfoy, and we soon discover how brutal the curse is, as Draco begins to bleed profusely from his chest. Draco is saved at the last minute by Snape, who we later discover was actually the creator of the curse. George Weasley would later lose his left ear to the curse, and due to the spell’s severely dark nature his injury could not be repaired.

They don’t call Crucio an Unforgivable Curse for nothing. While we considered Imperio, another Unforgivable Curse, for this list, we decided to go with the spell that causes excruciating pain instead. The Cruciatus Curse is commonly used by Death Eaters, and while it doesn’t physically harm its opponent, it significantly stimulates the person’s pain receptors to the point of extreme agony. It was famously used by Bellatrix Lestrange and three other Death Eaters on Neville Longbottom’s parents, who were tortured to the point of insanity.

We know what you’re thinking – the spell used by Harry to kill Lord Voldemort is only #3?! Technically, it was Voldemort’s own curse that killed him when the Elder Wand backfired on him. Expelliarmus was used by Harry throughout the series and is without a doubt his signature spell. This spell either disarms your opponent or sends them flying backwards, incapacitating them. It is used by wizards and witches just learning to duel and by highly trained magic users alike, and is one of the most useful and popular spells in the wizarding world.

This charm is incredibly difficult to master but extremely powerful and is most commonly used to fight off Dementors, although the Order of the Phoenix has been known to use them as a form of communication. The caster is required to think of their happiest memory before casting the charm, which creates an energy force that takes the form of a spirit guardian. It played a central role in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, as Harry attempted to overcome his fear of the Dementors. In one of the more iconic scenes of the franchise, Harry casts an enormous Patronus charm which fights off dozens of Dementors who were attempting to perform the Dementor’s Kiss on Sirius Black. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Lumos Wand-Lighting Charm - Reducto Reductor Curse - Incendio Fire-Making Spell

The last of the three Unforgivable Curses, this spell shoots a flash of green light and causes instantaneous death…unless your name is Harry Potter. Considered to be Lord Voldemort’s signature spell, it requires exceptional skill to be performed correctly. It is used several times throughout the series, including by Severus Snape on Albus Dumbledore. It takes the top spot on our list not only because of how powerful it is, but also because Harry’s survival of the curse set in motion the events of the entire series. Do you agree with our list? What is your favourite Harry Potter spell? For more terrifying Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.