The Expelliarmus spell is a commonly used Harry Potter Spell in duelling. Harry always advocated for a fair duel. So, he used this “Expelliarmus spell”. His goal was to simply his opponents. He never wanted to harm or attack them.
– Harry Potter and Zacharias Smith, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Best Wands To Duel With and Cast the Expelliarmus Spell
When it comes to duelling, the ideal Harry Potter wand to fight with is the Aspen wands. They also fully project the power of the expelliarmus spell. The Duelling Club called Silver Spears in the 18th C. used aspen wands exclusively.
Red oak and rowan wands are also considered ideal for duelling. Sorcerers feared yew wands in duels, as they got associated with curses and evil magic.
Dumbledore v/s Voldemort and the Expelliarmus Spell
Albus Dumbledore was considered by many ‘the greatest wizard of modern times’. Not only did he defeat Gellert Grindelwald in an epic duel, but Dumbledore was the only one that Voldemort found frightening.
In Order of the Phoenix, we see a duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. It is one of the most spectacular showcasing of magic across the whole of the Harry Potter series.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Voldemort raised his wand, another jet of green light came out and streaked towards Professor Dumbledore. However, Professor Dumbledore was quick enough to disappear from his spot and then reappear behind Voldemort.
Dumbledore waved his wand towards the fountain as he rejected the Killing Curse with an “Expelliarmus!” and then the other statues came to life.
The Poetic Case of the Expelliarmus Spell
It is interesting that the Expelliarmus spell would defeat the most feared Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. That too, just six years after the Duelling Club.
The colours of the spells in the final duel were red and green.
You see, Harry’s eyes are green. While Voldemort’s eyes have the colour red (in the books). These colours are the house colours of each other. Stunning spells have red colour, while the Killing Curse emits a green light. Therefore, when Harry’s and Voldemort’s spells meet, it creates golden flames.
Harry challenged Voldemort not to kill anyone else on the 2nd of May 1998. He stared into the Dark Lord’s eyes, green into the red- justice, challenging the evil to end it for once and for all.
A green glow burst from Voldemort’s wand, indicating he had chanted the Killing Curse. As it headed towards Harry at lightning speed, Harry, too, cast his spell. “Expelliarmus”, he said. A red light emitted from Harry’s wand.
“Avada Kedavra!”
“Expelliarmus!”
Voldemort died as his Death curse rebounded on him. The Elder wand did not agree to obey him. For he was not the real owner of the wand. It was Draco Malfoy’s wand. So, when he uttered the Killing Curse, it killed him instantly instead of Harry. Harry always stood by his signature spell, the Expelliarmus spell. He maintained a fair and dignified duel.
Standing Against the Dark Arts with the Expelliarmus Spell
Harry Potter may have been ridiculed regarding his over usage of the Expelliarmus spell. Even Lupin warned him about it, saying that the Death Eaters knew it was his signature move and, therefore, it could leave him exposed in front of them. Some may see this as being naive and a sense of security that one feels doing something that they are used to and confident in.
Harry was very confident about casting this spell because he had mastered it. However, there is a moral issue that actually drives Harry to stick to the Expelliarmus spell.
Whenever Harry confronts a challenge, he trusts the Expelliarmus spell. Even in the face of death in the final showdown against Lord Voldemort in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, Harry trusted this spell blindly. This simple spell defeated the Dark Lord. It ended the Second Wizarding War.
When Voldemort charged at Harry with the Elder wand and yelled the Killing Curse, Harry at the same time cast the Expelliarmus spell, and Voldemort’s curse rebounded and hit him. He fell dead on the floor. The Elder wand refused to obey him, as the true master was Draco Malfoy. Interestingly, Draco had used the Expelliarmus spell to disarm Professor Dumbledore, who won the allegiance of the wand after defeating Grindelwald at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.
Expelliarmus at The Duelling Club
The then Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor started a Duelling Club at Hogwarts with the permission of Headmaster Dumbledore. He did it, assessing that dark times would befall Hogwarts eventually. Professor Lockhart taught the students the formalities of duelling like bowing, holding the wand in a certain way and wielding it in the attack.
When Harry found himself in front of Voldemort in the graveyard, he got attacked by him. Voldemort used the Imperius Curse on him to force him to bow. Harry later used the Expelliarmus spell to distract Voldemort. The Expelliarmus spell always saved Harry every time he was in a near-death situation.
Expelliarmus Spell: The Simpler, the Better
Not all spells in the magical world are as grand or, in some cases, horrifying as the Unforgivable Curses or as mystic as the Patronus Charm. Something as simple as the Expelliarmus spell is equally exhilarating and quite powerful.
The Winner of Duelling Competition Who Used the Expelliarmus Spell
Alberta Toothill was the winner of the All-England Wizarding Duelling Competition of 1430. She disarmed Samson Wiblin with a Blasting Charm. Elizabeth Smudgling won the title of Supreme Dueller in a famous Dartmoor contest in 1379. She used a spell that she made. Some speculate it was the Expelliarmus spell. Some say she invented it.