Harry Potter is one of the best book series for all age groups, and it weaves a world full of magic and hope for all its readers. Emphasizing the power of love and friendship, the book series and movies have received unanimous praise and respect from all.
Patronuses have been one of the most important elements of the Harry Potter lore. Powered by the strength of the caster’s happy memories and their talents of the caster, the potent of a Patronus need not depend on the witch or wizard’s talents in other fields.
So it is not surprising that Patronuses have often been associated with the most emotional scenes of Harry Potter. One of the most moving moments from the series was the reveal of Snape’s Patronus ‘after all this time.’ A doe and signifying his love for Lily Potter that would ‘always’ remain, reading or witnessing that scene brings tears to my eyes even now. Harry’s struggle to produce a corporeal Patronus to save his godfather and himself as Dementors bore down upon them is also another such scene.
Harry Potter featured powerful wizards and witches, and several of their Patronuses were powerful too. From Snape’s doe to Harry’s stag, these Patronuses often had profound messages for the audience. Here’s a list of the top ten strongest Patronuses in the Harry Potter lore.
10Dolores Umbridge’s Persian Cat
Dolores Umbridge’s Patronus is a cat, and though she is one of the evilest characters in the series, she is a powerful witch. She was able to manage three Patronuses at once, and this is undoubtedly proof of her power.
Umbridge shockingly made us despise her more than Lord Voldemort himself, and several consider her the series’s most evil character. It is a miracle how J K Rowling was able to weave out such a character in a story that already had such a hated villain. However, she is undoubtedly a powerful witch, with the power she had in the Ministry of Magic and at Hogwarts during her tenure.
Her Patronus being a cat is a given due to her obsession with cats, as evidenced by the portraits in her office and her pets. The Patronus efficiently kept away the Dementors while she judged the Muggle-Born Registration Commission trials in the last parts of Harry Potter.
9Hermione Granger’s Otter
Hermione Granger, ‘the smartest witch of her age,’ is one of the Harry Potter series’s most powerful and confident witches. Her Patronus was an otter, a clever, curious, and independent creature like her.
No one was surprised when Hermione was able to master the Patronus Charm during Dumbledore’s Army’s practice sessions. She is one of the most lovable and knowledgeable characters in the series. We love how she never shied away from her natural inclination to absorb everything and used it to her advantage.
Her Patronus took a fully-fledged stable form early, showing the power of the Charm and the caster. In Deathly Hallows, she could not cast a corporeal Patronus while trying to help the Muggle-borns escape from the Muggle-born Registration Commission at the Ministry of Magic due to the sudden unexpected need for it and the stress of the situation. However, her Patronus was one of the Patronuses that kept the Dementors away during the Battle of Hogwarts in its fully-fledged otter form.
8Luna Lovegood’s Hare
Luna Lovegood is unlike anyone else in the magical world, and this trait makes her very powerful. Her Patronus is a hare, and she was one of the few in Dumbledore’s Army who was able to master the Patronus Charm quite quickly.
Luna is one of the most lovable characters from Harry Potter and has a unique perspective on life. Her eccentric nature makes her special and strong, unlike what most believe of her. She proved everyone wrong as the series advanced, and the audience realized the depth of her knowledge and spiritual balance.
During Dumbledore’s Army sessions, she produced a corporeal Patronus, highly advanced magic, as a fifth-year. Her Patronus is a hare, a swift, aware, free-spirited animal that helped ward off the Dementors during the Battle of Hogwarts.
7Aberforth Dumbledore’s Goat
Aberforth Dumbledore’s Patronus was powerful and helped the Trio escape from the Death Eaters when they reappeared in Hogsmeade right before the Battle of Hogwarts.
Since his introduction in Harry Potter as Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth has been one of our favorite characters. He was powerful, a supporter of the good, as evidenced by his unexpected substantial help during the battle against the Dark Order.
His Patronus is a goat due to his love for animals, and it was crucial in helping Harry, Hermione, and Ron escape from the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. This enabled the Trio to continue their fight against Voldemort’s rule.
The books also said that he has been fending off Dementors with his Patronus for quite some time since the Dark Side took over, showing his talent to cast a perfect Patronus Charm at will anytime. In the Battle of Hogwarts, he warded off hundreds of Dementors, thereby protecting several students.
6Minerva McGonagall’s Cat
Minerva McGonagall’s Patronus is a cat and is one of the most potent Patronuses in the series, given how capable of a witch she is. Her Patronus is the same as her Animagus form; thus, it has a deep connection to herself, signaling its strength.
Professor McGonagall’s Patronus being a cat is not surprising as it is also who she transforms into as an Animagi. We saw her as a cat at Privet Drive when The Boy Who Lived was brought to The Dursleys after Lily and James’s death. And also during her introduction at Harry’s first Transfiguration class at Hogwarts.
Though her Patronus hasn’t been in the limelight much, given her abilities and confidence, it was indeed a strong Patronus. She used it to send messages and call all the Heads of the Houses to help Harry defeat Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.
5Kingsley Shacklebolt’s Lynx
Kingsley Shacklebolt’s lynx was crucial in saving people during Bill and Fleur’s wedding. It acted as a message carrier, allowed people to escape, and alerted them about the Death Eaters’ arrival.
During Bill and Fleur’s wedding, the sudden arrival of the Death Eaters was forewarned only by Kingsley’s Patronus. It was sent over a long distance to the Burrow and was able to speak out to the wedding attendees about the falling of the Ministry of Magic to Lord Voldemort. It alerted them about the Death Eaters coming to capture Harry and the others.
Thus, several people escaped without detection, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who Disapparated to Tottenham Court Road in central London. The rest of the witches and wizards were prepared to face the Death Eaters when they came due to Kingsley’s warning.
4Nymphadora Tonk’s Wolf
Nymphadora Tonks’ Patronus changed from a Jack Rabbit to a werewolf, representing her love for Lupin. Her Patronus helped guard Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year and also helped send messages to the wizarding school.
Tonks is one of the characters very close to our hearts, and she is one of the rare magic wielders whose Patronus has changed throughout her life. It transformed into Lupin’s werewolf form, the same as Lupin’s Patronus, and manifested her intense love for Lupin and heartbreak over his rejection.
In the Order of Phoenix, Tonks was one of the Aurors guarding Hogwarts against Dementors, evidence that she could cast a mean Patronus Charm. In the Half-Blood Prince, Tonks used her Patronus to alert Hogwarts that Harry was coming after he was stuck on the Hogwarts Express from Malfoy’s attack. Thus, her Patronus was capable of traveling distances and sending messages too.
3Severus Snape’s Doe
Proof of his intense and unending love for Lily Potter, Severus Snape’s Patronus is a doe, the same as hers, and remained unchanged until his death. With such a powerful love fueling it, his Patronus is mighty.
No character in Harry Potter has gone through a more dramatic change in the eyes of the audience than Severus. His love for Lily, even after all the changes his relationship with her has undergone and even after her death, remained eternal. The reason behind his Patronus being a doe is the most emotional reveal of the series. I bet we all will still shed tears rereading ‘The Prince’s Tale’ chapter of Deathly Hallows.
His Patronus was also crucial for leading Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor, hidden in a lake in the forest in Deathly Hallows. Snape was beyond sight throughout, but he was able to direct the Patronus rightly up to the lake. This shows how powerful his Patronus Charm was and was crucial in the plan to defeat Voldemort.
2Albus Dumbledore’s Phoenix
Albus Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards of all time, and his Patronus is a phoenix, a magical creature unlike the other witches and wizards we know. It can ward off several Dementors at once and is among the most potent Patronuses in the series.
Dumbledore’s Patronus is the majestic and immortal phoenix due to his deep connection with Fawkes, the only phoenix we are acquainted with and love in the series. Albus’ Patronus reflects his advanced magical abilities as it fought off dozens of Dementors to help Sirius escape in the Prisoner of Azkaban and protect Harry during Quidditch in the same year.
1Harry Potter’s Stag
Harry Potter’s Patronus is one of the most potent Patronuses ever. Taking the form of a stag, his dad’s Animagus form, Harry cast a perfect Patronus to save Sirius and himself in his third year.
Harry produced not just a corporeal Patronus but one that could fight off hundreds of Dementors at thirteen to save his godfather and himself. This shows Harry’s skill and talent. He even mastered the Charm under tremendous pressure, digging deep to anchor onto his parents’ few faint but precious memories and create a powerful Patronus.
Though Harry initially believes that it is his dad who has cast the Patronus, later in the Prisoner of Azkaban, we realize that Harry himself has cast the Charm after going back in time using a Time Turner. He casts a perfect Patronus to save Dudley from Dementors in Privet Drive in the Order of Phoenix and is able to teach everyone the Charm during Dumbledore’s Army sessions.
His Patronus takes up the limelight in the series and is featured several times in the books and movies. He used the Charm to escape from Dementors in Deathly Hallows in Hogsmeade before the Battle of Hogwarts. He also used it earlier to help Mary Cattermole and the others run from the Muggle-born Registration Commission.
About Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a film series based on the eponymous novel series by J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The film series follows Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and his journey to take down the evil wizard Lord Voldemort and save Hogwarts, the Wizarding School he attended, with his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
The series was mainly produced by David Heyman, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
[Series Description: Harry Potter]
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