Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Vanishing Spells====== =====Spell Information===== * **Incantation:** [[Evanesco]] (The general incantation for the Vanishing Spell) * **Pronunciation:** //eh-vuh-NES-koh// (for Evanesco) * **Wand Movement:** Unknown * **Light:** None described * **Effect:** Causes an object to vanish, sending it "into non-being." It does not merely become invisible or get transported elsewhere. * **Type:** [[Transfiguration]] =====History and Known Uses===== Vanishing Spells are a form of advanced [[Transfiguration]] that cause targeted objects to cease to exist. They are considered difficult magic and are a key part of the [[Ordinary Wizarding Level]] curriculum. * In August 1995, [[Bill Weasley]] used a Vanishing Spell to clear a pile of scrolls from the kitchen table at [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]]. His brother [[Fred Weasley]] later vanished his empty stew plate in a similar manner. * During the 1995-1996 school year, [[Professor Severus Snape]] non-verbally vanished a Potion made by [[Harry Potter]] that did not meet his standards. * [[Professor Minerva McGonagall]] taught Vanishing Spells to her fifth-year [[Transfiguration]] students. She demonstrated by vanishing a student's inkpot and set the class to practice on snails, and later, mice. * [[Hermione Granger]] was the first student in her class to successfully vanish her snail completely. * [[Harry Potter]] initially struggled with the spell, only managing to make his snail fade slightly. He later became proficient enough to vanish a mouse. * In a memory viewed by [[Albus Dumbledore]], a young [[Tom Riddle]] told Dumbledore he could "make things disappear," suggesting an early, untrained ability to perform vanishing magic. =====Learning and Counter-Spells===== Vanishing is considered a significant challenge for student [[wizards]]. It is taught in the fifth year at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in preparation for [[O.W.L.]] examinations. * **Difficulty:** According to [[Professor McGonagall]], the spell's difficulty is directly related to the biological complexity of the target. Vanishing an invertebrate like a snail is far easier than vanishing a vertebrate like a mouse. Vanishing objects that are not alive is seemingly the easiest form of the spell. * **Counter-Spells:** There is no known direct counter-spell to retrieve a vanished object. The magical discipline that opposes vanishing is [[Conjuring Spells]], which bring objects into being from non-being. It is implied that once an object is properly vanished, it is gone permanently or is, at the very least, extremely difficult to recover. =====Etymology===== The primary incantation, //Evanesco//, is derived directly from the Latin verb //evanescere//, which means "to disappear," "to fade away," or "to vanish." This is a participle form, //evanescens//, meaning "vanishing." =====Behind the Scenes===== * The relationship between Vanishing Spells and [[Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration]] is complex. While [[Gamp's Law]] states that [[Food]] is one of the five Principal Exceptions and cannot be created from nothing, it can evidently be vanished. This suggests that "non-being" is a state that does not violate this fundamental magical law. * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, [[Professor Snape]] vanishes Harry's [[potion]] with a silent, sharp flick of his [[wand]], causing the contents of the [[cauldron]] to disappear instantly. (film)
