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There are a number of Harry Potter spells Hogwarts Legacy likely won't be able to use since they would not have been invented yet. The history of magic in the Wizarding World is long, harkening back to ancient times, but its uses are constantly evolving. Including Harry Potter himself, the late 1990s saw the confluence of many great witches and wizards, with Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort perhaps the most notable two. Both pushed the boundaries of what is possible with magic, but there were a number of other figures who invented spells throughout the 20th century.
With notable wizarding families like the Weasleys being included in Hogwarts Legacy, the state of the game's magic itself will likely be contextualized within known timeline events. While the Harry Potter books frequently get into the finer points of spell casting, the movies are notorious for being unspecific when it comes to magic duels. Hogwarts Legacy appears to take a similar approach, as shown in the official launch trailer below, but the game's adaption of Harry Potter canon is still likely to delve into the minutiae of different magics.
Both the mainline Harry Potter books and subsequent reference materials offer insight on the creation of spells in the Wizarding World. There are a number that are canonically invented after Hogwarts Legacy takes place, meaning they probably won't appear in the game.
Hogwarts Legacy Won't Use Spells Voldemort Invented
Tom Riddle, who would later come to be known as Lord Voldemort, is one of the most prolific inventors of new spells in the modern age. He is most closely associated with the abhorrent practice of Horcrux-making, but such Dark Arts were actually invented in Ancient Greece. Voldemort was, however, most likely the creator of the spell used to disseminate his feared symbol, the Dark Mark.
Hogwarts Legacy's villain is a Death Eater ancestor, but the Morsmordre spell was likely created sometime before the First Wizarding War, when Voldemort and his dedicated followers began their numerous murders. Similarly, a spell which allowed Voldemort to fly unaided was ed down to only one follower, Severus Snape. While the Levitation spell was invented in Ancient England, proof of unaided magical flight was first demonstrated in 1997 during the Battle of the Seven Potters, when Voldemort appeared in the sky without the use of a broomstick.
Voldemort also claimed and is presumed to be the creator of a few unspecified spells. Before Voldemort returned to his full stature with the help of Wormtail at the end of Goblet of Fire, he occupied a very small, physically weak body. This body, which wasn't much larger than a baby's, was formed through various unknown spells of Voldemort's own creation.
Hogwarts Legacy's map looks absolutely massive, but it probably won't let players languish in a repulsive, unnatural form when they fall in combat. It won't be surprising if the game includes cursed artifacts, but the spell placed on Marvolo Gaunt's ring - one of Voldemort's Horcruxes - is likely an invention of the Dark Lord's. When Albus Dumbledore attempted to destroy the ring, a curse began to spread from his hand, which began to appear as though it was dead.
Even Dumbledore was only able to slow the curse, and would've succumbed to it if he hadn't been killed by Snape first.
Hogwarts Legacy Won't Use Spells Severus Snape Invented
Much like his former master, Snape was exceptionally gifted in the creation of new spells, even at a young age when he recorded them in his copy of Advanced Potion Making under the pseudonym the Half-Blood Prince. Hogwarts Legacy is confirmed to feature Unforgivable Curses, but won't have Snape's most violent invention, Sectumsempra.
The Half-Blood Prince noted it was "for enemies," and Harry Potter used it on Draco Malfoy, causing multiple gashes to appear and bleed heavily. Potter later attempted to cast it on Snape himself, after which the Potions Master revealed that he had invented it. A number of other spells were found in the textbook and used by Potter - so many that Snape is perhaps the most prolific spell creator known to fans of the Wizarding World.
All of Snape's inventions are presumed to have been created while he was a student at Hogwarts during the 1970s, meaning none of them should appear during Hogwarts Legacy's timeline. Spells Snape invented include Langlock, which affixes the target's tongue to the roof of their mouth, and the Muffliato Charm, a spell that causes everyone in the vicinity to hear an unidentifiable buzzing noise.
Snape also created the spells Levicorpus and its counter-jinx, Liberacorpus, which are used to suspend someone in the air by their ankles and release them respectively. He also was the creator of the unnamed toenail-growing hex which Harry Potter used on Vincent Crabbe in The Half-Blood Prince.
Hogwarts Legacy Won't Use Spells Dumbledore Invented
As one of the most gifted wizards to ever live, it's possible Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore created many unspecified forms of magic, just like how Tom Riddle may have invented many of the sinister wards designed to hide his Horcruxes. Of Dumbledore's many accomplishments, one new spell usage is explicitly attributed to him - voiced communication through the Patronus Charm.
Although Dumbledore could be a student in Hogwarts Legacy, his iteration on the Patronus Charm came near the end of his life in the 1990s. The Patronus is typically used to repel Dementors, but the Order of the Phoenix used the advanced spell to send tamper-proof messages to one another.
Other Invented Spells Hogwarts Legacy Won't Use
Other recognizable spell inventors whose accomplishments won't be seen in Hogwarts Legacy include Gilderoy Lockhart and Bill Weasley. Lockhart created a spell with an unknown name that allowed him to shoot a holographic projection of his own face into the sky, not unlike the Morsmordre spell and the Dark Mark. Bill's invention is a modification of the Death Eaters' cursed barrier that prevents anyone with a Dark Mark from ing through it.
The Horton-Keitch Braking Charm was invented circa 1929, but players may assist with leading to its creation through Hogwarts Legacy's broomstick side quests. A witch named Miranda Goshawk came up with the Bat-Bogey Hex, which turns the targets nasal mucus into slimy bats, sometime in the 1930s. Ginny Weasley was especially deft in the use of the Bat-Bogey Hex, but as amusing at it would be to cast, it is among the list of spells invented after the 1890s, and will probably not be featured in Hogwarts Legacy.
Looking for what spells Hogwarts Legacy WILL have? Check out the breakdown from Radthar on YouTube below, which displays all 31 spells Hogwarts Legacy included in its preview!
Video Sources: Hogwarts Legacy/YouTube, Fenicksss/YouTube, Radthar/YouTube
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
In the USA:
- Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
- The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
In Canada:
- Trans Lifeline: (877) 330-6366
- Youth Line: 1-800-268-9688
In the UK:
- Switchboard: 01273 204050
- Mermaids: 0808 801 0400