Summary
Daily chores can be exhausting; even wizards and witches use spells to get them done. Almost everyone in theHarry Potterfandom wishes that they could use magic, not even for Horcrux hunting or battles against dark wizards, but just for daily chores.
In theHarry Potterfranchise, almost all rich families can afford a house elf to help them with chores, but what about regular working-class families like the Weasleys? How can one manage a household by themselves? Fortunately, almost all sorts of spells are available to alleviate these daily life problems, which in turn enables the witch or wizard relying on them to use their time more effectively.
5Workaday Or Household Magic
A Convenient Magic For A Wizard’s Household
When a muggle sees a pile of dishes in the sink, more often than not they will think, “I wish the dishes could wash themselves.” Little do they know it is possible in the magical world ofHarry Potter. InThe Chamber of Secrets, at the beginning of the movie as well as in the book, it is described that the spell is used by Molly to enchant dirty dishes fromher children’s dinnertimeto wash themselves.
It is said, “She flicked her wand casually at the washing-up in the sink, which began to clean itself, clinking gently in the background.” This spell is particularly useful for Molly, as she must be very busy taking care of the Burrow and her kids. Household magic truly is an underrated form of magic.
4Tergeo
The Scrub Daddy Of The Magical World Of Harry Potter
Nothing is more annoying than cleaning grease, dust, or even blood off of the floor. Fortunately, Tergeo comes in handy for any clumsy witches or wizards who happen to be dealing with such messes. The verb itself is derived from the Latin,tergere, which means “to rub off, wipe off, wipe dry, wipe clean, cleanse.”
This wiping spell can be seen when Hermione wipes dried blood from Harry’s face inHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It is also used by Ron to remove grease from a handkerchief thathe gives to Hermione. Harry takes advantage of this spell inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsto remove dust from photographs in Bathilda Bagshot’s home.
3Scourgify
No More Bundimun Infestations
In the muggle’s world, mold and fungus infestations are one heck of a headache. A literal headache, as mold can affect one’s health via asthma, lung disease, and irritations around the eyes, skin, nose, and throat. Similarly,a magical living funguscalled bundimun can also be a nuisance.
The Scourgify spell can be used to deal with this, as shown by Nymphadora Tonks as she cleans Hedwig’s cage in Privet Drive, 1995, although she claims she is not very familiar with household charms. However, this spell can also be used to punish people who like to swear, as well as to bully people, as it can make soap appear in one’s mouth. James Potter used this spell to bully Snape.
2Wingardium Leviosa
A Multi-Purpose Levitation Charm For Daily Life
As Hermione said, it’s “LeviOsa, not LevioSA.” Not only is the spell iconic, but it’s also useful for daily chores. This charm is taught tofirst-year students at Hogwartsto allow them to levitate things for a period of time, depending on one’s skills and the weight of the object. The spell was invented by Jarleth Hobart, who was a big believer in what wizardkind had failed at previously: the ability to fly on their own. However, this charm actually is not very successful in granting the caster the ability to fly, as it only affects objects, or in this case, one’s clothes. Yes, the wizards appear to be able to fly after the spell is cast at them; however, it is actually the clothes that are levitating in the air, not the person.
As quoted from Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk, “This charm ought not to be seen as a joke spell. It can be most useful in duels and can lift physical obstacles and can even levitate small creatures (though this is likely to confuse any poor animal and is certainly not to be encouraged).” However, for daily chores, this charm is very useful for organizing and storing objects in high places. If a wizard isvery skilled with this charm, they can even move heavy objects, such as pieces of luggage, chandeliers, heavy decorations, and so on, and put them neatly and easily into their proper places.
1Reparo
Mending Charm For Clumsy Witches And Wizards
Invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the British Ministry of Magic, this spell was used to repair the Colosseum after an accident. This spell is used only for items andcan be dangerousif used improperly on humans, as it does not work for that specific purpose. It also does not work for powerful curses, such as Fiendfyre. In another example, this spell also does not work to fix wands. If attempted, the wand may appear fixed on the surface, but the damage remains and affects its magical capabilities. However, if done properly, this spell can be a real lifesaver, especially for clumsy witches and wizards who break things all the time.
This spell appears very often in the wizarding world ofHarry Potter, but the caster must cast the spell in an accurate manner for it to actually work. Hermione uses a version of the spell, Oculus Reparo, to repair Harry’s glasses inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry also uses this spell to repair a bowl inHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is described as “Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it. ‘Reparo,’ he said hastily, poking the pieces with his wand, and the bowl sprang back together again.” One can onlyimagine the amount of moneythat could be saved if the caster uses this spell to fix any broken household items, such as ceramic bowls, wine cups, mirrors, and other valuable things.
