NonVerbal Real-Magic Spell

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A **nonverbal spell** was a spell which was performed without the casting wizard or witch speaking the incantation aloud. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry began teaching nonverbal magic to students in their sixth year in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration; the students were expected to use spells nonverbally from then on.

## Performance

Performing spells non-verbally was very difficult and required a good deal of practice, as it required concentration and mental discipline alone. Harry Potter noted that several students in his class looked "*like they had received an overdose in U-No-Poo*", (a product of *Weasley's Wizard Wheezes* that caused constipation), while attempting nonverbal spells.

Different wand-woods might also affect the performance of casting non-verbal magic. Many wands made from Dogwood were rather noisy, and refused to perform non-verbal magic, whereas wands of Pine were some of the most sensitive to non-verbal magic. Willow wands possessed a well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic, but of all woods, Alder was known as being the best suited for non-verbal magic.

### Effectiveness

Some spells, such as *Levicorpus*, were easier to perform nonverbally than others. Most spells, however, seemed to be less effective than normal when the incantation was not said. For example, according to Hogwarts nurse Poppy Pomfrey, the unnamed curse that critically injured Hermione Granger during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries might have been fatal had Antonin Dolohov not been silenced when he used it.

## Known practitioners

The following is a list of wizards and witches known to have nonverbally performed spells that are usually performed with an incantation.

* Arthur Weasley
* Cornelius Fudge
* Draco Malfoy
* Filius Flitwick
* Gilderoy Lockhart
* Harry Potter
* Hermione Granger
* Lord Voldemort
* Lucius Malfoy
* Minerva McGonagall
* Molly Weasley
* Quirinus Quirrell
* Rubeus Hagrid
* Severus Snape

## Behind the scenes

* In many of the Harry Potter films, especially in the later ones, combat and duels are portrayed as being conducted almost entirely nonverbally, such as the Duel in the Ministry Atrium and Harry's final duel with Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts. This is probably done to keep the duels fast-paced and dramatic. It may also be that gestures or wand movements translate into the spell that the user desires to cast, making it not always necessary to speak it.
* In the Harry Potter video games, non-verbal magic is commonly used, as pronouncing every spell could have been annoying.
* In addition, in Template:LEGO and its sequel, nonverbal magic is almost always used as there is absolutely no dialogue.
* In Template:PS, Quirrell used a non-verbal wandless spell to start up some fire in order to stop Harry Potter from running.
* Hermione Granger may have used *Wingardium Leviosa* or *Descendo* in Template:OOTP to levitate the prophecies to smash one of the Death Eaters chasing them.

## Appearances

* Template:PS Template:1st
* Template:COS
* Template:POA
* Template:GOF
* Template:OOTP
* Template:HBP Template:1st ID
* Template:DH
* Template:DH
* Template:DH
* Template:FB
* Template:FB
* Template:COG
* Template:COG
* Template:SOD
* Template:SOD
* Template:PM Template:Mention
* Template:WW Template:Mention
* Template:DH
* Template:WWHP
* Template:LEGO
* Template:LEGO
* Template:LEGO
* Template:LEGO
* Template:HM
* Template:MA
* Template:HL

## Notes and references

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Template:Defence Against the Dark Arts

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Template:HBP
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:WW
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:OOTP
4. ↑ Template:POA
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Template:PS
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Template:COS
7. ↑ Given the fact Riddle was not technically alive at this point, only a sentient memory, is can be argued that he wasn't actually casting a spell.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:POA
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Template:GOF
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Template:DH
11. ↑ Template:COS
12. ↑ Template:CC