Alarte Ascendare

"He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack."

- Lockhart casts this nonverbally.

Alarte Ascendare is the incantation of a spell used to launch an object up into the air.

History
Gilderoy Lockhart used this spell in an attempt to dispose of the snake which Draco Malfoy had conjured during the first Duelling Club meeting in 1992. However, his efforts proved to be futile, as the spell merely caused the serpent to fly upwards, which only aggravated it further.

Hermione Granger used this spell again five years later to prevent the serpent Nagini from attacking Harry Potter at Bathilda Bagshot's home in Godric's Hollow.

Known Practitioners

 * Gilderoy Lockhart
 * Hermione Granger

Etymology
Alate is Latin for 'winged' and Ascendare is a Latin verb meaning 'to climb' or 'to ascend'. Therefore, the whole incantation may be translated roughly as "winged ascent".

Behind the scenes

 * Bartemius Crouch Jr. may have used a variation of this spell to bounce a transfigured Draco Malfoy in the air several times as punishment in 1994. However, Gilderoy's spell lost contact with the wand and target immediately after usage, while Barty's spell kept the contact with wand and the target all the time.
 * Alarte Ascendare may be closely related to the spell Ascendio which was used in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Both spells lift their targets high up into the air, with main difference being the target - Ascendio launches the caster into the air while Alarte Ascendare launches a target directed at by the wand.
 * This may be the incantation for the Rocket Charm, a spell that also causes the targeted object to shoot upwards with great velocity and force.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows