- " [...] each of the guards gave a little start as the spells hit them. The guard was confused. He stared down at the thin, golden Probe and then at his companion, who said in a slightly dazed voice, 'Yeah, you've just checked them, Marius."
- — The Gringotts guards, confunded by Harry Potter[src]
The Confundus Charm[2] (Confundo[1]) is a charm which causes confusion in a person[1] or bewitches an object.[2] It appears that there are varying degrees of confusion caused by the spell, from simply tricking a person or thing about a specific incident[3] to confusing a person to the point at which they endanger themselves.[4]
Casting and effects
The spell seems to be rather difficult to cast, as Severus Snape, a very powerful wizard who could flawlessly perform Nonverbal spellcasting and Wandless spells, had such trouble with it that he had to "frown in concentration". To cast it, one must point their wand directly at the person or thing that must be confused and incant, "Confundo". If one is casting the charm on multiple targets, they must point their wand at each individual target in turn and incant once for every individual target.
Although the spell carries no light or sound, one can detect if another person has been Confunded (someone who has had this spell cast on them has been "Confunded") only immediately after the spell has been cast; the person will shudder when the spell hits them. It will cause any of varying degrees of confusion, from a simple trick[3] to making a person believe that they have come up with a complex plan when said plan was given to them by the caster.[5] It can also be used on inanimate objects that have a level of sentience, as Barty Crouch Jr. did with the Goblet of Fire, though this was noted to be a difficult task, as the Goblet itself was a powerful magical artefact.[2]
Practitioners
Etymology
Confundus, as well as the incantation Confundo, are derived from the Latin verb confundo (confundo-confudi-confusum-confundere), meaning "to confuse, to perplex."
Behind the scenes
- In the films and video games, the incantation for this charm is Confundus, and not Confundo as it should be.
- Professor Severus Snape repeatedly insisted that Sirius Black had cursed Harry Potter and Hermione Granger with this spell; however, this was false, as Black was actually telling the truth. This, however, could merely have been a cover-up to attempt to protect Harry due to his lasting love for his mother, and the reason he did the same for Hermione and Ron may have been would seem odd if only Harry was supposedly confunded when all three of them attacked him.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (GBA and DS versions)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Harry Potter: Spells
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Pottermore (Book Herding on PlayStation Home)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 26 (Gringotts)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 17 (The Four Champions)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 11 (Hermione's Helping Hand)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Epilogue (Nineteen Years Later)