Charm
Anapneo
ah-NAP-nee-oh
Clears the target's throat instantly when something has gone down the wrong way — food, drink, or any small obstruction. Designed for choking emergencies; not a general healing charm.
- Type
- Charm
- Category
- Healing
- First appearance
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Pronunciation
- ah-NAP-nee-oh
Anapneo is the wizarding world's Heimlich maneuver. Cast at a person who is choking, it clears the obstruction from their airway immediately, restoring normal breathing and, often, dignity. The cast is small and quick, the effect is instant, and the charm is one of those small pieces of practical magic that most adult wizards know but rarely think about until they suddenly need it.
The most famous on-page Anapneo comes from Horace Slughorn at the inaugural meeting of the Slug Club aboard the Hogwarts Express. Marcus Belby — invited primarily because his uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion — chokes on a pheasant pie while trying to talk through a mouthful of it. Slughorn delivers the Anapneo with the casual grace of a host who has cleared more than one student's throat in his time, and the scene barely pauses on the way to its real subject (the rest of the Slug Club's pedigree).
The charm is specifically for blocked airways. It does not heal poisoning, does not counter respiratory dark magic, and does not do anything for normal coughing. Most witches and wizards who learn it pick it up from a parent or healer rather than from formal Hogwarts curriculum, and it is the kind of spell that only ever feels useful in retrospect — until the moment it isn't.
Notable uses
- Slughorn casting it on Marcus Belby during the inaugural Slug Club gathering aboard the Hogwarts Express (Half-Blood Prince).
- General everyday family use — choking children, choking grandparents, choking dinner-party guests.
Anapneo FAQ
What does Anapneo mean?+
From Greek anapnein — "to breathe again, draw breath." Like Episkey, it's a relatively rare Greek-rooted incantation in a curriculum that leans heavily Latin.
Can Anapneo heal other respiratory problems?+
No. The charm is specifically for blocked airways — food going down the wrong way, small obstructions, sudden choking. Asthma, poisoning, dark-magic respiratory effects, and similar conditions require dedicated healing.
Where is Anapneo taught?+
It isn't a standard Hogwarts curriculum spell. Most witches and wizards pick it up from family members, healers, or basic emergency-response training — the magical equivalent of a first-aid course.
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