- "'Flagrate!' She drew with her wand in midair and a fiery 'X' appeared on the door."
- — Hermione's use in the Entrance Room of the Department of Mysteries[src]
Flagrate is the incantation for the spell that, when cast, causes a red and orange trail to emanate from the caster's wand, which remains in the air and fades with time.
Effects
The fiery product of this Charm can be manipulated by the movements of the wand that created it, in an action similar to writing. The blaze can also be controlled or rearranged by a flick of the caster's wand, according to his/her intentions. As such, Flagrate can be used to form fiery messages or marks.
Known uses and practitioners
- In 1993, the portion Tom Riddle's soul contained in his diary used this spell non-verbally in the Chamber of Secrets manipulating the trail to spell out his name-"Tom Marvolo Riddle", and rearranged the fiery letters with a flick of his wand into the message "I Am Lord Voldemort", thus revealing to Harry Potter his true identity as the infamous Dark Lord
- Hermione Granger used this spell to mark the repeatedly changing doors that she, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had entered with a fiery "X" in the Entrance Room of the Department of Mysteries, in 1996. The usage of the spell allowed the group to continuously know which doors they had entered, and which ones they had not
Etymology
The word Flagrate comes from the Latin words "flagro", meaning "glowing", or "blaze".
Behind the Scenes
Flagrate may be related to the Flagrante Curse due to the similarity of their etymologies and their burning effects. It is debatable if they are variations of each other, or the same spell, as Flagrate and the Flagrante Curse are associated with different spell effects: Flagrate produces a burning trail, and Flagrante causes the target object to burn a person upon contact). However, it is still possible that they are the same curse, and that these different effects may be created based on the caster's intention, similar to the relationship between Geminio and the Gemino Curse.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First identified as Flagrate)