Think Lovely Thoughts: The Patronus Charm
written by Mira Wellington
The Patronus Charm; you can learn how it works, how to cast it and what yours means!
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
9
Reads
14,073
The Corporeal Patronus vs The Incorporeal Patronus
Chapter 3
A successfully conjured Patronus can take two forms: incorporeal and corporeal, and both types vary greatly in their appearances and strength.
Incorporeal
An incorporeal Patronus is one which does not resemble any living creature and has few distinguishing features (if any). Incorporeal Patronuses resemble a burst of vapour or smoke without any clearly defined form shooting from the tip of the wand. While they may be partially effective at halting Dementors (but not repelling them) and shielding the caster from them, incorporeal Patronuses are not "fully-fledged" Patronuses, and are regarded as a simpler and weaker version of the Charm.
Corporeal
A corporeal Patronus is one that is fully-formed, taking the shape of a bright-silver, translucent animal. It is the strongest form a Patronus can take, being able to fully drive Dementors away. The specific animal forms that a corporeal Patronus takes will vary from person to person and reflect each individual's innermost personality.
Patronus forms, however, are subject to change if the caster goes through an emotional upheaval of some sort, including falling in eternal, unchanging love.
Based on the fact that Patronuses are conjured by recalling happy memories, it stands to reason that a Patronus might change its form after one falls in love and the memories used to conjure the Patronus largely revolve around the person the caster is in love with. In addition, it seems that some couples have "complementary" Patronuses (male and female forms of the same animal). It is, however, unknown if this is a coincidence or not. If a wizard is an Animagus and can summon a corporeal Patronus, the two may take the same form.
Most Patronuses take the form of an ordinary animal and magical creatures are uncommon. It is extremely rare for Patronuses to take the form of extinct animals. The corporeal Patronus is also better at repelling Dementors than the non-corporeal form.
Incorporeal
An incorporeal Patronus is one which does not resemble any living creature and has few distinguishing features (if any). Incorporeal Patronuses resemble a burst of vapour or smoke without any clearly defined form shooting from the tip of the wand. While they may be partially effective at halting Dementors (but not repelling them) and shielding the caster from them, incorporeal Patronuses are not "fully-fledged" Patronuses, and are regarded as a simpler and weaker version of the Charm.
Corporeal
A corporeal Patronus is one that is fully-formed, taking the shape of a bright-silver, translucent animal. It is the strongest form a Patronus can take, being able to fully drive Dementors away. The specific animal forms that a corporeal Patronus takes will vary from person to person and reflect each individual's innermost personality.
Patronus forms, however, are subject to change if the caster goes through an emotional upheaval of some sort, including falling in eternal, unchanging love.
Based on the fact that Patronuses are conjured by recalling happy memories, it stands to reason that a Patronus might change its form after one falls in love and the memories used to conjure the Patronus largely revolve around the person the caster is in love with. In addition, it seems that some couples have "complementary" Patronuses (male and female forms of the same animal). It is, however, unknown if this is a coincidence or not. If a wizard is an Animagus and can summon a corporeal Patronus, the two may take the same form.
Most Patronuses take the form of an ordinary animal and magical creatures are uncommon. It is extremely rare for Patronuses to take the form of extinct animals. The corporeal Patronus is also better at repelling Dementors than the non-corporeal form.
