Magical Creation

• Incantation: Varies; this is a category of magic, not a single spell. Specific incantations include Avis (birds), Serpensortia (snake), and Aguamenti (water).
• Pronunciation: Not applicable as a general category.
• Wand Movement: Varies depending on the specific spell.
• Light: Varies depending on the specific spell.
• Effect: To conjure, or bring into existence, an object or creature seemingly from nothing. This branch of magic is formally known as Conjuration.
• Type: Transfiguration (Conjuration)

Magical Creation, specifically Conjuration, is a form of advanced Transfiguration that allows a witch or wizard to create something from thin air. It is considered difficult magic, generally taught to students at the N.E.W.T. level. Throughout the series, it is used for a variety of purposes, from the mundane to the combative. Known instances of magical creation include:

• Mr. Ollivander conjured rings of smoke from his wand when first meeting Harry Potter.
• Professor Flitwick used Conjuration to create non-sentient decorations for the Great Hall at Christmastime.
• During a Dueling Club meeting, Draco Malfoy used the spell Serpensortia to conjure a large black snake to attack Harry.
• Albus Dumbledore demonstrated immense skill in this area, such as when he conjured comfortable chintz armchairs for the Dursleys or conjured golden goblets for the Hogwarts governors. He also conjured thick, black ropes to bind Barty Crouch Jr. after his exposure.
• In their sixth year, Hermione Granger successfully used the Avis spell to conjure a flock of canaries, which she then directed to attack Ron Weasley.
• The Aguamenti spell, which conjures a jet of pure, drinkable water from the caster's wand tip, is a common and useful form of elemental Conjuration. Harry Potter used it to try and give Dumbledore a drink in the Horcrux cave.
• In Godric's Hollow, Hermione conjured a wreath of Christmas roses to lay on the graves of James and Lily Potter.
• The Room of Requirement was capable of conjuring a vast array of items to suit a seeker's needs, though it was unable to conjure food.

Conjuration is taught as part of the N.E.W.T.-level Transfiguration curriculum at Hogwarts. Its difficulty lies in forming a specific, complex, and often animate object from nothing. The most significant limitation on this type of magic is Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. This fundamental law of magic specifies five Principal Exceptions of things that cannot be created from nothing. The only exception explicitly named in the novels is food. Food can be summoned if one knows its location, it can be multiplied if one already has some, or it can be transformed (e.g., increasing its size), but it cannot be created ex nihilo. This is why the House-Elves at Hogwarts cook meals in the kitchens and send them magically upstairs, rather than creating the food directly in the Great Hall. The direct counter to Conjuration is Banishment, the magical art of sending an object away. For specific conjured items, a targeted Vanishing Spell often serves as the most effective counter. For example, Severus Snape used Vipera Evanesca to make the snake Malfoy conjured disappear in a puff of black smoke. The general-purpose Vanishing Spell, Evanesco, also serves as an opposite to creation.

While “Magical Creation” is a descriptive English term, the formal branch of magic, Conjuration, derives from the Latin coniurare, meaning “to swear an oath together” or “to conspire.” In later Latin, this evolved to mean the summoning of spirits or demons through incantations. In the context of the Harry Potter universe, the term has been adapted to mean the magical summoning or creation of objects and creatures.

• J.K. Rowling has never revealed the other four Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration (Pottermore).
• In the film adaptations, conjured objects often appear with a distinct visual effect, such as swirling into existence from particles of light or smoke, to visually represent the magical process.