Dementor's Kiss

The Dementor's Kiss is the most terrifying and final act a Dementor can perform. It is not a spell cast by a witch or wizard, but rather an innate and horrific ability of the Dementor creature itself. The Kiss is considered by the Wizarding World to be a fate worse than death.

• Type: Magical Creature ability; Dark Magic
• Performed by: Dementor
• Effect: The complete and irreversible extraction of a person's soul.
• Process: To perform the Kiss, a Dementor lowers its hood, revealing a gaping, formless mouth-like opening. It then fastens this opening onto the victim's mouth and sucks out their soul.
• Result: The victim is left as an empty shell. Their body remains alive and functional—the heart continues to beat and the lungs to breathe—but they have no memory, personality, or consciousness. They exist in a permanent, mindless vegetative state from which there is no recovery.

The Dementor's Kiss was employed by the Ministry of Magic as the ultimate punishment for the most heinous criminals, typically those imprisoned in Azkaban. Its use was heavily controlled, though instances of unsanctioned use have occurred.

• In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge threatens to have the Kiss performed on Sirius Black upon his capture. Later, by the Great Lake at Hogwarts, a Dementor comes dangerously close to performing the Kiss on both Sirius and Harry Potter before being driven away by Harry's future self casting a corporeal Patronus.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. is subjected to the Kiss after his identity is revealed. Cornelius Fudge, in a state of panic, brought a Dementor with him as a guard, which performed the Kiss on Crouch before he could provide a full testimony. This act destroyed any chance of proving Lord Voldemort's return to the wider wizarding community.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and his cousin, Dudley Dursley, are attacked by two Dementors in Little Whinging under the orders of Dolores Umbridge. One of the Dementors corners Harry and attempts to perform the Kiss before he successfully repels it with the Patronus Charm.

There is only one known method of defense against a Dementor advanced enough to perform the Kiss.

• Patronus Charm: The spell `Expecto Patronum` is the sole defense. A fully-formed, corporeal Patronus is required to drive away a Dementor intent on performing the Kiss. A non-corporeal Patronus may only slow it down but will not be sufficient to repel it completely.
• Chocolate: While chocolate is an effective remedy for the minor effects of being in a Dementor's presence (such as cold and despair), it provides no defense whatsoever against the Kiss itself.

The term “Dementor's Kiss” is a grim euphemism.

• Dementor: This name is derived from the word dement, meaning “to make insane or mad,” which reflects the creature's effect on a person's mind and emotions.
• Kiss: Using the word “Kiss,” which typically connotes affection or love, is deeply ironic. It creates a horrifying contrast between the gentle term and the soul-destroying reality of the act.

• J.K. Rowling has stated that Dementors are a physical representation of depression. The Dementor's Kiss can therefore be seen as a metaphor for the ultimate end-point of severe, untreated depression: the complete loss of hope, happiness, and the very essence of one's self. (J.K. Rowling interview).
• In the film adaptations, the Kiss is depicted visually as the Dementor creating a swirling vortex at its mouth and drawing a silvery, ethereal light—the soul—from the victim's mouth. (film).