Petrification

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in:Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery &Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Petrification was a malignmagical state in which a livingcreature was rendered immobile and unresponsive, as if they had been turned to stone.^[1] It was a phenomenon of the most advancedDark Magic that nosecond year student would be able to perform,^[1] affectingbeasts,beings and evenspirits such asghosts.^[2] Petrification could be inflicted by thestatue curse,^[3] along with the gazes of theGorgon^[4] and theBasilisk.^[5][6] In the case of the Basilisk, its gaze ordinarilykilled living creatures,^[5] but when seen indirectly, or by aghost (who was already dead and couldn't die again),^[2][5] it caused Petrification instead.^[5]

History[]

During the history ofHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, theChamber of Secrets was opened twice, and in both cases theSerpent of Slytherin was released and attacked theMuggle-born student body. The first opening in1943 resulted in the Petrification of several Muggle-born students, and thedeath of one,Myrtle Warren.^[7][5] The second opening in1992 led to the Petrification of studentsColin Creevey,^[8]Justin Finch-Fletchley,^[2]Hermione Granger andPenelope Clearwater,^[9] along with thecatMrs Norris^[1] and theghostSir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.^[2]

Effects[]

Victims of Petrification were completely paralysed and unresponsive. It may have taken careful examination to discern if a victim was Petrified.^[1] A Petrifiedghost would turn a dark smoky grey and could only be moved using air currents.^[2] The only knownantidote to Petrification was either theMandrake Restorative Draught, a highly potenthealingpotion made fromStewed Mandrakes (in the case of a Basilisk)^[1], or by breaking the associated curse (in the case of the statue curse).^[3] Not even theElder Wand was capable of undoing the malign effects of this dread condition, as was demonstrated in1992 whenAlbus Dumbledore proved unable to undo the effects of Mrs. Norris' Petrification even with the wand.^[1]

Petrification should not be confused with theFull Body-Bind Curse or theHardening Charm. The Full Body-Bind Curse was only temporary and could be lifted easily, while the Hardening Charmturned an object to literal stone.^[4]Gilderoy Lockhart once confused the effects of Petrification with those of theTransmogrifian Torture;^[1] however, the truth of his claims were extremely dubious.^[5]

Known victims[]

Basilisk attacks[]

Victim	Circumstances
Mrs Norris	Saw the Basilisk's reflection in thewater on the floor.[1]
Colin Creevey	Saw the Basilisk through his camera; the Basilisk's gaze also burned his camera's film to a crisp.[8]
Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington	Saw the Basilisk directly, but as a ghost he could not die again, so thus was only Petrified.[2]
Justin Finch-Fletchley	Saw the Basilisk through the ghost of Sir Nicholas, who was transparent, did not see the Basilisk directly.[2]
Hermione Granger	Saw the Basilisk in Penelope'smirror, while near theHogwarts Library.[5]
Penelope Clearwater	Saw the Basilisk in her mirror, along with Hermione Granger.[5]
Muggle-born students of Hogwarts (1943)	During the incident of the first unleashing of the beast in 1943, unnamed Muggle-bornHogwarts students were Petrified.[7]

Statue curse[]

Victim	Circumstances
Unidentified student	Was found Petrified in theClock Tower Courtyard in1989.[3]
Unidentified petrified Gryffindor girl	Was found Petrified in1989.[10]
Poppy Pomfrey	Was found Petrified in theHospital Wing in the1989–1990 school year.[11]
Unidentified girl	Was found Petrified in the1989–1990 school year.[12]
Unidentified boy	Was found Petrified in the1989–1990 school year.[12]
Unidentified girl	Was found Petrified in theHogwarts Library in1989–1990 school year.[13]

Etymology[]

The Latin verbpetrificare means 'to make into stone', from the Latin word for 'rock',petra.

Behind the scenes[]

• It is unknown howNearly Headless Nick was revived from being Petrified, because, as aghost, he presumably would not have been able to consume theantidote. However, as Petrifiedhumans couldn't consumepotions either, it is possible that the potion may have been administered in a form that could affect ghosts such as via a spray bottle.
• In mythology, petrification is associated withMedusa theGorgon and thecockatrice as well as the basilisk. In Cornish folklore, petrification legends explain the origin of prehistoric megalithic monuments, such as the Merry Maidens stone circle.^[14]

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book(Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened

Notes and references[]