Levitation Charm

Levitation Charm
Name	Levitation Charm
Incantation	Wingardium Levisoa (Pronounced: wing-GAR-dee-um levi-O-sa)
Type of spell	Charm
Inventor	Jarleth Hobart (1544)
Book information
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Last appearance	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Levitation Charm (incantation: Wingardium Levisoa) is a powerful charm that lifts objects off the ground in the Harry Potter book series.

Effect

This spell defies gravity and lifts the target object up into the air as high as the witch or wizard wants. They can magically move it, despite how heavy it might be, depending on their skill level. The spell is also capable of lifting a person up, but only when the charm is put on the object they are holding or wearing. However, they can only be leviatated a few feet high and are unable to move,

The Levitation Charm is one of the first spells that first-years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry learn during Charms lessons.

History

Invention

The inventor of the spell was said to be Jarleth Hobart. It was created by 16 July 1544 when he invited a number of witches and wizards, one of them being the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, to witness the "maiden flight". He climbed to the roof of a building, made several speeches and then leapt off while singing the national anthem. After pronouncing the incantation, Hobart hovered in the mid-air for three minutes. The crowd became very impatient because he was yet to actually move and technically fly.

They began booing Hobart who then tried to move mid-air and failed, so he decided the clothing he was wearing was weighing him down. He took off his clothes off but the Levitation Charm had been put on them so he fell from the sky naked while the clothes kept levitating. He broke sixteen bones and was fined by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot for "outrageous silliness".

Now knowing the spell cold only levitate objects for varying lengths of time depending on the skill of the witch or wizard and weight of the object, Hobart realised that would only work on people if they were holding or wearing an object that was charmed, and concluded that it might be possible for small animals to be levitated.

Hobart invited the crowd to watch his second demonstration. The large crowd showed up hoping to watch him act like a fool for the second time but it was very successful. Hobart proved he could easily levitate objects and move them around at the same time. For the finale, Hobart decided to levitate the Chief Warlock's hat, except the hat ended up being a wig and when he levitated it, the Chief Warlock's bald head was shown to crowd. The Chief was very upset and challenged Hobart to a duel who used the charm to lift robes cover the Chief's head before legging it.

Later history

Beedle the Bard included the spell in one of his stories. During a magic show in Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump, the King levitates a horse, unaware that the title character is secretly producing the spell for him.

At the start of her first year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger was the first person in her class to levitate a feather. She was quite patronising toward her friend Ron, who was struggling when she told him how he was incorrectly pronouncing the incantation. That evening when they were being attacked by a troll, Ron levitated its club and used it to knock the troll out by dropping it on its head.

During an attack on campsites by Death Eaters after the 422nd Quidditch World Cup final, the Robertses were levitated and tortured in the air with this charm.

A few years later, Lee Jordan levitated two Nifflers into Professor Umbridge's office which they promptly destroyed, but Umbridge blamed Rubeus Hagrid for it. In a fifth-year Charms Ordinary Wizarding Level examination, students had to produce the Levitation Charm and were grwded according to their ability to produce the right incantation and wand movement.

During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Harry Potter levitated brains in order to save Ron who was being attacked by them.

During the Battle of the Seven Potters, the side-car that Harry was sitting in on a motorbike separated from it. Harry had to levitate the side-car so that he didn't crash. A few months later, Hermione saved Ron from the collapse of Lovegood family's house with the Levitation Charm when it fell.

Trivia

• The word wingardium is based on the English word "wing", meaning to "fly", and "arduus" meaning "high, tall, elevated". It ends with - ium, often placed at the end of Latin words.
• The word leviosa is derived from Latin "levo" meaning to "raise, lift up" and "levis" meaning "light of weight".