Expecto Patronum! Now that you can discover your Patronus here at Wizarding World (previously on Pottermore) we bring you our handy guide to everybody’s favourite defensive charm.

The Patronus is a form of advanced magic which even the most qualified wizards can struggle with. Harry Potter was one of the youngest wizards to cast a corporeal Patronus, having been taught by Professor Lupin at the tender age of 13.

As Professor Lupin told Harry in Prisoner of Azkaban, the Patronus is ‘a kind of Anti-Dementor – a guardian which acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.’ It’s also ‘a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon – hope, happiness, the desire to survive – but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can’t hurt it.’

The Patronus has two forms, non-corporeal and corporeal. A non-corporeal Patronus can appear as ‘a thin wisp of silver’ that hovers ‘like mist’. Whereas a corporeal Patronus has a form that is clearly defined and is more than vapour or smoke.

The ability to cast a corporeal or non-corporeal Patronus is down to the skill of the witch or wizard. Each Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it, and it’s possible, in some cases, for a Patronus to change.

Here are the witches and wizards who accomplished it, with some significant Patronus moments from across the stories.

Originally posted by "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban":

Harry flung himself out from behind the bush and pulled out his wand.

‘EXPECTO PATRONUM!’

he yelled. And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a horse.

Harry’s Patronus took the same shape as his father’s. He saw it for the first time during a Dementor attack with Hermione and Sirius at the Great Lake, and at first glance it looked like a horse. Coincidentally, the Patronus of Harry’s future wife, Ginny, was a horse.




James Potter’s Patronus was the same form as his Animagus.


The female form of her husband’s Patronus. We later learn that Severus Snape, in love with Lily for nearly his whole life, also had a doe for his Patronus.

Originally posted by "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire":

‘Should I go and get someone?’ said Harry. ‘Madam Pomfrey?’ ‘No,’ said Dumbledore swiftly. ‘Stay here.’ He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid’s cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird.

Dumbledore’s Patronus was a phoenix, which was revealed to us when he wanted to summon Hagrid after Viktor Krum was Stunned. It can be no surprise that Dumbledore had an affinity with this particular creature, given that his own animal companion was an enigmatic and loyal phoenix, Fawkes.


Remus Lupin often disguised his Patronus so as not to reveal the fact that he was a werewolf.

Originally posted by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince":

‘Tonks’s Patronus has changed its form,’ he told him. ‘Snape said so, anyway. I didn’t know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?’ Lupin took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, ‘Sometimes … a great shock … an emotional upheaval …’ ‘It looked big, and it had four legs,’ said Harry, struck by a sudden thought and lowering his voice. ‘Hey … it couldn’t be –?’

Yes, Harry, it could. Tonks’s Patronus changed into a wolf after she fell in love with Lupin, a sure sign of true love if ever there was one.

Originally posted by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

‘Come. We must alert the other Heads of House. You’d better put that Cloak back on.’
She marched towards the door, and as she did so she raised her wand. From the tip burst three silver cats with spectacle markings around their eyes. The Patronuses ran sleekly ahead, filling the spiral staircase with silvery lights, as Professor McGonagall, Harry and Luna hurried back down.

Well of course Professor McGonagall could cast a Patronus. It being a spell of advanced magic, and she being Professor Minerva McGonagall, she could also cast three at once. Here, McGonagall used her Patronuses for communication – to alert the Heads of House that Hogwarts would soon be under attack from Voldemort, before the Battle of Hogwarts began.

Originally posted by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

‘For him?’ shouted Snape.

‘Expecto patronum!’

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: she landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. ‘After all this time?’ ‘Always,’ said Snape.

It still gets us after all this time. We also see Snape’s Patronus when it guides Harry to Godric Gryffindor’s sword in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.




From one of our very favourite professors to our very least: Dolores Umbridge’s Patronus was also a cat, just like the ones on those tasteless decorative plates she hung from her walls.


Meanwhile, Aberforth’s Patronus was a goat, which he summoned outside the Hog’s Head in an attempt to trick the Death Eaters that they’d seen a goat, rather than Harry’s stag.

Originally posted by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows":

Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze, absurdly, in mid-dance. Then the Patronus’s mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. ‘The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.’

An example of a member of the Order of the Phoenix using their Patronus as a communication device, Shacklebolt’s lynx landed on the dancefloor at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Originally posted by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows":

Harry drew his wand again and spun round to see a silver Patronus soar through the drawing-room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron’s father.

How brilliant that Mr Weasley’s Patronus was a weasel!

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry taught his friends and fellow members of Dumbledore’s Army how to cast their Patronuses, with some having more luck than others:


They were later cast, with varying success and in support of Harry, during the Battle of Hogwarts:

Originally posted by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

He saw Ron’s silver terrier burst into the air, flicker feebly and expire; he saw Hermione’s otter twist in mid-air and fade, and his own wand trembled in his hand, and he almost welcomed the oncoming oblivion, the promise of nothing, of no feeling… And then a silver hare, a boar and a fox soared past Harry, Ron and Hermione’s heads: the Dementors fell back before the creatures’ approach. Three more people had arrived out of the darkness to stand beside them, their wands outstretched, continuing to cast their Patronuses: Luna, Ernie and Seamus.

With the incantation We don’t mean to shout, but really you have to say it like you mean it. Off you go now, it’s time for you to discover yours.

Discover your Patronus.[my.wizardingworld.com]

Originally posted by Prof. Remus Lupin:

Think of your happiest memory

Pottermore is extremely proud to reveal the new Patronus experience. From today, registered users can discover their own unique Patronus for the first time. Yes, really! And it’s right here.[my.wizardingworld.com]



The Patronus Charm, introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is a defensive spell which produces a silver, animal guardian, used to protect a witch or wizard against Dementors. You can find out more about what a Patronus can do here.

Each Patronus takes the form of a different animal that has a special affinity with the caster – in Harry’s case, his Patronus is a stag. Hermione’s Patronus is an Otter, while Ron’s is a Jack Russell Terrier.

Now it’s time to discover yours. Summon up your happiest memory, and the Patronus experience will take you through a beautiful forest where you’ll be asked to make a series of choices, based on a set of cryptic prompts written by J.K. Rowling. Your answers will be timed and you can only discover your Patronus once.



There are many forms that your Patronus could take; it could be a familiar animal or, in rarer cases, a magical creature. Answer the mysterious questions, and navigate your way through the forest to cast your new Patronus friend.

Pretty good, right? So, go forth and cast your Patronus. We hope you love the animal you discover.

The exact form of the Patronus will not be apparent until the spell has been successfully cast. One of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind, the Patronus can also be used as a messenger between wizards. As a pure, protective magical concentration of happiness and hope (the recollection of a single talisman memory is essential in its creation) it is the only spell effective against Dementors. The majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce Patronuses and to do so is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability.

Some witches and wizards may manage an incorporeal Patronus, which resembles a mass or wisp of silvery vapour or smoke. In some cases a witch or wizard may choose to produce an incorporeal Patronus deliberately, if he or she wishes to disguise the form it generally takes (Remus Lupin, for instance, is afraid that his corporeal Patronus gives too much away). The incorporeal Patronus is not a true Patronus and while it will give limited protection, it cannot provide the defensive power of the corporeal Patronus, which has the form and substance of an animal.

The Patronus Charm is one of the most ancient of charms and appears in many accounts of early magic. In spite of a long association with those fighting for lofty or noble causes (those able to produce corporeal Patronuses were often elected to high office within the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic), the Patronus is not unknown among Dark wizards. While there is a widespread and justified belief that a wizard who is not pure of heart cannot produce a successful Patronus (the most famous example of the spell backfiring is that of the Dark wizard Raczidian, who was devoured by maggots), a rare few witches and wizards of questionable morals have succeeded in producing the Charm (Dolores Umbridge, for example, is able to conjure a cat Patronus to protect herself from Dementors). It may be that a true and confident belief in the rightness of one’s actions can supply the necessary happiness. However, most such men and women, who become desensitised to the effects of the Dark creatures with whom they may ally themselves, regard the Patronus as an unnecessary spell to have in their arsenal.

No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual’s Patronus has ever been found, although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle, set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true.

The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality.

‘For it is evident,’ he writes, in his masterwork ‘Charms of Defence and Deterrence’, ‘… that a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor, must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed, and the Patronus is the awakened secret self that lies dormant until needed, but which must now be brought to light...’

Here, says Spangle, is the explanation for the appearance of Patronuses in forms that their casters might not expect, for which they have never felt a particular affinity, or (in rare cases) even recognise. Spangle is interesting on the subject of those unusual witches and wizards who produce a Patronus that takes the form of their favourite animal.

‘It is my firm belief that such a Patronus is an indicator of obsession or eccentricity. Here is a wizard who may not be able to hide their essential self in common life, who may, indeed, parade tendencies that others might prefer to conceal. Whatever the form of their Patronus, you would be well-advised to show respect, and occasionally caution, towards a witch or wizard who produces the Patronus of their choice.’

The form of a Patronus may change during the course of a witch or wizard’s life. Instances have been known of the form of the Patronus transforming due to bereavement, falling in love or profound shifts in a person’s character. Thus Nymphadora Tonks’s Patronus changes from a jack rabbit to a wolf (not a werewolf) when she falls in love with Remus Lupin. Some witches and wizards may be unable to produce a Patronus at all until they have undergone some kind of psychic shock.

It is usual, but not inevitable, for a Patronus to take the form of an animal commonly found in the caster’s native country. Given their long affinity with humans it is perhaps unsurprising that among the most common Patronuses (although it must be remembered that any corporeal Patronus is highly unusual) are dogs, cats and horses. However, every Patronus is as unique as its creator and even identical twins have been known to produce very different Patronuses.

Extinct Patronuses are very rare but not unknown. Strangely, given their long connection with wizardkind, owl Patronuses are unusual. Most uncommon of all possible Patronuses are magical creatures such as dragons, Thestrals and phoenixes. Never forget, though, that one of the most famous Patronuses of all time was a lowly mouse, which belonged to a legendary young wizard called Illyius, who used it to hold off an attack from an army of Dementors single-handedly. While a rare and magical Patronus undoubtedly reflects an unusual personality, it does not follow that it is more powerful, or will enjoy greater success at defending its caster.

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