Confundus Charm

Confundus Charm
Incantation	Confundo (con-FUN-doe)
Type	Charm
Hand movement
Light	None
Effect	Produces confusion

" [...] 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

The Confundus Charm (Confundo) is a charm which causes confusion in a person or bewitches an object. It appears that there are varying degrees of confusion caused by the spell, from simply tricking a person or thing about a specific incident to confusing a person to the point at which they endanger themselves.

Casting

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.

Effects

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 to making a person believe that they have come up with a complex plan when said plan was given to them by the caster. 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.

Known uses

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Barty Crouch Jr	October 1995	The fake Moody used this charm to fool the Goblet of Fire into accepting Harry's name under a fourth school.
Hermione Granger	1996	Hermione used a Confundus Charm on McLaggen during Keeper tryouts in her sixth year.
Harry Potter	1 May, 1998	Cast by Harry on each of the two wizards outside the main entrance of Gringotts.
Severus Snape	July 1997	Snape used this charm on Mundungus Fletcher, suggested by Albus Dumbledore.
Unknown	1998	It was speculated that a Confundus Charm had been placed on Dawlish, who was known to be susceptible.
Ronald Weasley	2017	Admitted to using the charm on a Muggle driving instructor so that he would pass his driving test.
Delphini	2020	Used the Confundus Charm on Amos Diggory while impersonating his niece and carer.

Known practitioners

Hermione casting the Confundus Charm

• Barty Crouch Jr
• Hermione Granger
• Ronald Weasley
• Severus Snape
• Harry Potter
• Albus Dumbledore
• Delphini

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.
• Ronald Weasley used this spell to trick his Driving Examiner into letting him pass his driving test. This clearly constitutes a breach of the International Statute of Secrecy, but it is unknown if Ron faced any repercussions about it

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)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: Spells
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Pottermore (Book Herding on PlayStation Home)