======The Locking Spell======
=====Spell Information=====
  * **Incantation:** [[Colloportus]]
  * **Pronunciation:** //kol-oh-POR-tus//
  * **Wand Movement:** Unknown
  * **Light:** None described in the books
  * **Effect:** Magically locks and seals a [[door]]. The [[spell]] often creates an audible "squelching" or "clicking" sound, indicating the [[door]] has been secured. It prevents the [[door]] from being opened by non-magical means.
  * **Type:** [[Charm]]
=====History and Known Uses=====
The [[Locking Spell]] is a practical [[Charm]] used to secure [[doors]]. While the incantation //[[Colloportus]]// is not formally introduced until the fifth book, an unnamed locking [[spell]] with an identical effect is used earlier in the series.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, [[Hermione Granger]] uses a locking [[spell]] taught to her by [[Professor Flitwick]] to lock a [[door]] in the third-floor corridor, temporarily trapping the three-headed dog, [[Fluffy]], behind it.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, the [[spell]] is used extensively. [[Hermione Granger]] teaches the incantation //[[Colloportus]]// to [[Harry Potter]] while they are at [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]]. Later, during the battle in the [[Department of Mysteries]], [[Hermione]] and other members of [[Dumbledore's Army]] cast it repeatedly on [[doors]] to slow down the pursuing [[Death Eater]]s. This event also demonstrated the spell's limitations, as the [[Death Eater]]s were able to blast the magically locked [[doors]] open with more powerful magic.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, [[Harry Potter]] uses //[[Colloportus]]// to lock [[Professor Horace Slughorn]] in his office in an attempt to retrieve a crucial [[memory]]. [[Slughorn]], a highly skilled [[wizard]], effortlessly undoes the [[spell]] with a nonverbal flick of his [[wand]].
  * In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, [[Hermione Granger]] once again uses the [[spell]] to seal the door of a cafe on [[Tottenham Court Road]] after she, [[Harry]], and [[Ron Weasley]] are ambushed by the [[Death Eater]]s [[Antonin Dolohov]] and [[Thorfinn Rowle]].
=====Learning and Counter-Spells=====
The [[Locking Spell]] appears to be a standard [[Charm]] taught in the [[Hogwarts]] curriculum. Given that [[Hermione Granger]] could perform it in her first year, it is likely not an overly difficult [[spell]] to master.
The primary counter-spell is the [[Unlocking Charm]], `[[Alohomora]]`, which is designed specifically to open locked [[doors]] and containers. However, the [[Locking Spell]] can also be overcome by more powerful magic. As demonstrated by the [[Death Eater]]s in the [[Ministry of Magic]] and by [[Professor Slughorn]], a simple locked [[door]] provides little resistance to a powerful or skilled [[wizard]], who can either counter the [[Charm]] directly or simply destroy the [[door]] itself.
=====Etymology=====
The incantation, //[[Colloportus]]//, is derived from Latin.
  * **//Collo-//**: This is likely an assimilated form of the Latin prefix //con-//, meaning "together" or "with."
  * **//Portus//**: This is the Latin word for "door" or "gate."
When combined, //[[Colloportus]]// can be literally translated as "to bind the door together," an accurate description of the spell's function of sealing a doorway.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, when the [[spell]] is used in the [[Department of Mysteries]], it is accompanied by a mechanical clicking sound, and a shimmering, magical lock often materializes on the [[door]] before vanishing. (film)
  * The [[Locking Spell]] appears in numerous [[Harry Potter]] video games, typically as a utility [[spell]] for the player to lock [[doors]], often to impede enemies or solve puzzles. (video game)