Ennervate

• Incantation: Ennervate
• Pronunciation: EN-er-vayt
• Wand Movement: Unknown
• Light: None described in the novels
• Effect: Revives a person who has been rendered unconscious by the Stunning Spell (Stupefy).
• Type: Reviving Spell, Charm

Ennervate is the direct counter-charm to the Stunning Spell and is used multiple times throughout the series to awaken someone who has been magically stunned. The first instance occurs in 1994, when Amos Diggory uses the spell to revive his house-elf, Winky, after she is discovered stunned in the woods following the Death Eater attack at the Quidditch World Cup. Shortly thereafter, Albus Dumbledore uses Ennervate to awaken both Viktor Krum and Barty Crouch Sr. in the Forbidden Forest after they had been stunned. In 1996, Harry Potter mistakenly attempts to use the spell on Albus Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office, believing the headmaster had collapsed when he was merely lost in thought after witnessing Voldemort's possession of Harry. Later that year, Professor McGonagall unsuccessfully tries to use Ennervate on Dolores Umbridge after she is rescued from the centaurs; the spell fails because Umbridge's condition is due to severe shock and injury, not a Stunning Spell. In 1997, Harry Potter successfully casts the spell on Albus Dumbledore to revive him after he collapsed from the effects of the Potion of Despair in the seaside cave where Voldemort had hidden Salazar Slytherin's Locket.

Ennervate is the specific and sole counter-spell to Stupefy. As such, it is an essential piece of magic for anyone engaged in duelling, as it allows a duellist to revive a stunned partner. The spell's difficulty is not stated, but it is likely learned alongside the Stunning Spell as part of a standard defensive curriculum. As a restorative spell, it does not have a counter-spell of its own.

The incantation Ennervate is a deliberate misspelling of the real English word “enervate,” which means “to weaken or drain of vitality.” It is more likely derived from its antonym, “innervate,” which means “to supply with energy.” The spell's function—to restore consciousness and energy to a stunned person—aligns perfectly with the meaning of “innervate.” The unique “Enn-” spelling is likely a J.K. Rowling creation to make it sound more magical.

• In some early U.S. editions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the incantation was misspelled as “Rennervate.”
• In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the incantation is changed to Rennervate. This change was likely made to avoid confusion with the English word “enervate” and to more clearly suggest its restorative function (the prefix “re-” meaning “again”). (film)
• While the spell produces no described light in the novels, in the films it often produces a flash of white or blue light. (film)