List of spells in Harry Potter Spells in Harry Potter occur in the fictional wizarding world of the series of books by author J. K. Rowling. Magic spells are used by many of thecharacters to achieve useful effects without the benefit of modern technology. The main depiction of a "spell" in the Harry Potter books consists of a gesture made with the character's wand, combined with a spoken or mental incantation. In the books and the associated film series, the names of the majority of these spells or the incantations used to effect them are derived from the classical languages, particularly Latin.[1] These names are not grammatically correct in any language; most spoken phrases resemble Latin words of appropriate meaning but are not proper Latinthemselves.