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Revision as of 17:51, 18 May 2009

Remus: "Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!"
Harry: "I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there. That's Voldemort's job."
Remus Lupin and Harry Potter in 1997[src]

The Disarming Charm is a defensive spell that aims to disarm an opponent, causing the individual's weapon, usually a wand, to fly out of his or her hand. It has been known to knock an opponent backwards in some cases. The charm's incantation is Expelliarmus.

Appearance and Effect

The Disarming Charm can vary in colour and in its precise effects. Sometimes, it manifests as a "jet of red light", and knocks the victim backwards as well as disarms him or her. This is what happened to Viktor Krum in 1995. On other occasions, the charm does not have a colour, and instead simply makes a wand fly from the victim's hand. When Severus Snape cast the spell on Gilderoy Lockhart, it was shown as a scarlet ring surrounding the wand, with a streak of scarlet light heading towards Lockhart.

Harry Potter's Signature Spell

Expelliarmus.

Snape casting Expelliarmus.

Harry: "Expelliarmus saved me from Voldemort two years ago."
Remus: "Yes, Harry, and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening! Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under the imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Death Eaters who either witnessed or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal!"
Remus Lupin discussing the Death Eaters' knowledge of Harry Potter's signature spell[src]

Many people considered the Disarming Charm to be the signature spell of Harry Potter. Despite being taught it by the teacher he despised the most (Severus Snape, until recently), Harry found it quite useful and used it plenty of times. He became highly proficient with it in 1994 when practising for the Triwizard Tournament. At the end of the tournament, after he and Cedric Diggory were transported to the graveyard in Little Hangleton and Cedric was murdered, Harry faced the newly-restored Lord Voldemort in a duel. Voldemort used the Killing Curse and Harry used the Disarming Charm. Because Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand were "brothers", having a core from the same source, they clashed in Priori Incantatem, which allowed Harry to escape.[1]

Many Death Eaters witnessed this, and took to believing that it was Harry's signature move. In the Battle over Little Whinging, they identified him as the real Harry out of the "seven Potters" because he used the Disarming Charm against Stan Shunpike. Remus Lupin later chided Harry for using Expelliarmus in battle conditions, but Harry continued to value it. In his final duel with Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry again used a Disarming Charm while Voldemort used the Killing Curse. Because the Elder Wand recognised Harry as its true master, the spell backfired, killing Voldemort once and for all.[2]

Known Uses

Caster(s) Victim(s) Notes
Severus Snape Gilderoy Lockhart Dueling Club demonstration in 1992.[3]
Harry Potter Draco Malfoy Took Tom Riddle´s Diary back. This was the first time Harry ever used the spell.[3]
Harry Potter Gilderoy Lockhart In 1993 in self-defence.[3]
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fred and George Weasley, Ginny Weasley Each other In 1993, on the Hogwarts Express.[3]
Sirius Black Harry Potter and Hermione Granger In the Shrieking Shack in 1994.[4]
Remus Lupin Harry Potter and Hermione Granger In the Shrieking Shack in 1994.[4]
Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley Severus Snape In the Shrieking Shack in 1994; knocked unconscious.[4]
Harry Potter Peter Pettigrew In 1994.[4]
Harry Potter An Acromantula During the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.[1]
Harry Potter Lord Voldemort Resulted into Priori Incantatem.[1]
James Potter Severus Snape During their Hogwarts years.[5]
Neville Longbottom Harry Potter During a meeting of Dumbledore's Army; the first time Neville cast the spell successfully.[5]
Neville Longbottom Hermione Granger During a later D.A. meeting.[5]
Fred and George Weasley Zacharias Smith May have been a nonverbal use.[5]
Zacharias Smith Anthony Goldstein Attempted in D.A. meeting, but failed.[5]
Ginny Weasley Michael Corner In a D.A. meeting; Harry Potter was not sure if this was because Michael was incompetent or because he did not want to hex his girlfriend.[5]
Ernie Macmillan Unknown Unsuccessful attempt during first D.A. meeting.[5]
Colin and Dennis Creevey Each other Unsuccessful attempt during first D.A. meeting.[5]
Luna Lovegood Justin Finch-Fletchley During a D.A. meeting; sometimes successful, sometimes not.[5]
Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, and Luna Lovegood Inquisitorial Squad members Managed to escape them.[5]
Neville Longbottom A Death Eater and Harry Potter During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.[5]
Draco Malfoy Albus Dumbledore On top of the Astronomy Tower in 1997; Draco thus became the unwitting master of the Elder Wand.[6]
Harry Potter Stan Shunpike During the Battle over Little Whinging.[2]
Hermione Granger Mundungus Fletcher Before the Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic.[2]
Ron Weasley A Snatcher Later passed the Snatcher's blackthorn wand to Harry Potter.[2]
Harry Potter Hermione Granger Practising with the Snatcher's wand; unsuccessful.[2]
Ron Weasley Bellatrix Lestrange During the Battle of Malfoy Manor.[2]
Harry Potter Gregory Goyle In the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts.[2]
Harry Potter Lord Voldemort During the Battle of Hogwarts; because of Harry's mastery of the Elder Wand, Voldemort's Killing Curse backfired and killed him.[2]

Behind the scenes

  • In the Doctor Who episode 'The Shakespeare Code', the spell is mentioned in connection to the Harry Potter books, with the Doctor stating "good old JK" after Shakespeare says Expelliarmus and the Carrionites are vanquished from Earth.
  • In some video games Expelliarmus is a shield (used to Backfire the opponent's attacks), until Order of the Phoenix, were the Disarming Charm was used to finish (disarm) opponents (it doesn't appear in Philosopher's Stone and in Goblet of Fire it's only seen in a cutscene and as part of Priori Incantatem)

Notes and references

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