Carpe Retractum

• Incantation: Carpe Retractum
• Pronunciation: CAR-pay re-TRACK-tum
• Wand Movement: Unknown.
• Light: A rope of purple or bluish-white light (video game).
• Effect: Produces a magical, retractable tether of light that can seize and pull a target object toward the caster. Alternatively, if the target is heavy or fixed, it can pull the caster toward the target.
• Type: Charm

The Seize and Pull Charm, Carpe Retractum, does not appear in the seven original Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. Its existence and use are exclusive to the video game adaptations. In the world of the video games, this spell is a versatile and common tool used by students. It is prominently featured in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game). Students like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger learn and use the spell to solve various puzzles and navigate their environment. Common uses within the games include:

• Pulling out-of-reach objects, such as potion ingredients or collector's cards, toward the caster.
• Activating switches and levers from a distance.
• Pulling on tapestries or platforms to reveal hidden passages or items.
• Latching onto fixed anchor points to pull the caster across gaps or up to higher ledges, functioning like a magical grappling hook.
• In combat, it can be used to pull shields away from enemies like Erklings, leaving them vulnerable to other spells (video game).

Within the video game continuity, Carpe Retractum is typically taught to students as part of their magical education, presumably in Charms or as a practical spell for exploration. The difficulty is presented as relatively low, making it a standard spell for young witches and wizards to master. As the spell does not exist within the primary canon of the novels, there are no officially documented counter-spells. Logically, a Shield Charm (Protego) might be effective at blocking it, or the spell could simply be dodged. The effects might also be broken by a Severing Charm (Diffindo) if the magical tether can be cut.

The incantation is derived from Latin.

• Carpe is the second-person singular present active imperative of carpō, meaning “to seize,” “to grasp,” or “to pluck.” It is most famous from the phrase Carpe diem (“Seize the day”).
• Retractum is a form of the Latin verb retrahō, meaning “to draw back” or “to withdraw.”

The combination can be translated literally as “Seize and pull back,” a precise description of the spell's effect.

Carpe Retractum is a spell created specifically for the EA/Warner Bros. series of Harry Potter video games and has no basis in the books, films, or other canonical material from J.K. Rowling. The spell was introduced as a core gameplay mechanic, providing the player with a “grappling hook” ability common in many action-adventure games. This allowed game designers to create environmental puzzles and traversal challenges that required more interaction than simply casting combat or utility spells like Alohomora or Lumos. The visual effect of the spell in the games is a distinct, tangible rope of magical energy connecting the caster's wand to the target.