Vanishing Spell

From UnknowableWiki

The Vanishing Spell is a Transfiguration-related spell which causes objects to disappear (OP13). The incantation for the spell is Evanesco (OP5). Hogwarts students typically learn Vanishing Spells in their fifth year, in preparation for their OWLs, when their knowledge of the spell is tested. The spell is fairly difficult (OP13).

The difficulty of a Vanishing Spell increases with the complexity of the item being Vanished (OP15). Partial Vanishment is also possible (OP26). Vanished objects go into "non-being, which is to say, everything" (DH30), and presumably form the matter from which objects can be Conjured.

The opposite of the Vanishing Spell are Conjuring Spells, which are more difficult (OP13).

Mentions of the Vanishing Spell in the series include:

• Bill Weasley Vanishes several scrolls that were used at an Order of the Phoenix meeting after the meeting's conclusion (OP5).
• Severus Snape Vanishes Harry Potter's failed Draught of Peace in the latter's first Potions class of his fifth year, giving Harry a zero for the day (OP12). He continues to do so with Harry's failed potions for the rest of the year, though he does not Vanish any other students' potions, even those which are far worse than Harry's (OP17).
• Fifth-year Hogwarts students start to learn Vanishing Spells in their Transfiguration class, starting with Vanishing snails and progressing to Vanishing mice and kittens (OP13, OP15, OP16).
• While Fred and George Weasley demonstrate their perfected Puking Pastilles to the Gryffindors, Lee Jordan Vanishes their vomit (OP17).
• Vanishing Spells cause Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs to multiply by ten (OP28).
• Fifth-year Hogwarts students have to Vanish a complex vertebrate as part of their Transfiguration O.W.L. (OP31).
• Wilkie Twycross, the Ministry official who teaches Hogwarts students how to Apparate, Vanishes the wooden hoops into which the students are supposed to try Apparating (HBP18).
• The potion in the basin holding Voldemort's locket Horcrux is resistant to Vanishing Spells (HBP26).