Mending Charm

Mending Charm
Incantation	Reparo (reh-PAH-roh)
Type	Charm
Hand movement
Light	None
Effect	Mends broken objects
Creator	Orabella Nuttley (1754)

"The Mending Charm will repair broken objects with a flick of the wand. Accidents do happen, so it is essential to know how to mend our errors."

— Book of Spells

The Mending Charm, also known as the Repairing Charm (Reparo) is a charm that can be used to seamlessly repair a broken object and works on most materials. This useful charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, in or before 1754.

History

This charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office in the British Ministry of Magic, in or before 1754. She used her charm to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed. Thereafter, it became famous; this instance was recorded in Book of Spells, by Miranda Goshawk.

There are various textbooks containing instructions for this spell, including The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, although there is still a spellbook designated entirely to the teaching of this charm. Due to its being a level one spell, it is likely taught in the first year.

Effects

The Mending Charm is effective at repairing most materials. However, damage caused by certain rare, powerful curses such as Fiendfyre are impossible to undo.

The Mending charm's effects

The charm was suitable for use only on inanimate objects. Use on living beings was entirely proscribed. Serious scarring could result if it were cast on a person or animal in an attempt to heal wounds.

While a properly cast Mending Charm was generally enough to fix an object, it seems less experienced casters might not succeed in returning liquids to broken containers.

This charm does not seem to work on objects of powerful and complex magic, such as Vanishing Cabinets and wands. Draco Malfoy proved the former by having spent almost an entire school year to repair the damaged cabinet through other means, due to the complexity of the magical passage. For snapped wands, although this charm can repair the physical form, the magical capacity would be damaged beyond repair, causing the wand in question to fall apart again upon attempted use; the sole exception goes to the Elder Wand which repaired Harry's wand, due to the strength of the Elder Wand.

Known uses

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Orabella Nuttley	1754	Nuttley invented this spell and in or around 1754 she stepped forward and fixed several columns with the Mending Charm she had invented. Preventing a breach of the Statute of Secrecy.
Bill Weasley	August, 1994	Bill used to repair the table leg a couple days before the World Cup.
Percy Weasley	25 August, 1994	Percy used to repair his glasses when he bowed just a little bit too low, when greeting the Minister for Magic
Hermione Granger	1 September, 1994	Hermione cast this spell to repair the broken glass in the door to a railway carriage compartment.
	30 May, 1996	Hermione used this to repair a teacup that Ronald Weasley had broken in Transfiguration.
	25 December, 1997	The spell didn't work using Hermione's wand to repair Harry's broken wand.
	10 March, 1997	Hermione repaired a set of scales broken in the corridor outside the Room of Requirement.
Harry Potter	10 September, 1995	Harry used this to fix the china bowl of Murtlap Essence he'd knocked to the floor. The spell couldn't put the liquid back in the repaired bowl, however
	14 September, 1996	After cutting the covers off the old and new Potions textbooks in his possession and swapping them, Harry "repaired" the two swapped covers simultaneously by tapping each, then giving the incantation once
	Fall 1996	Harry used this to repair a bowl he had broken in Herbology.
	2 May, 1998	Harry cast this spell with the Elder Wand to repair his own broken one, which worked due to the power the Elder Wand possesses.
Minerva McGonagall	May, 1993	McGonagall used what is very likely this spell to restore the leg of Neville's desk, which he had accidentally vanished.
Severus Snape	Winter 1996	Snape used this spell to repair a shattered jar in his office during Occlumency lessons.
Horace Slughorn & Albus Dumbledore	12 July, 1996	Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore seem to have cast this spell nonverbally (and in a masterly way) to undo the damage Slughorn had inflicted upon his borrowed living quarters in Budleigh Babberton.
Bob Ogden	1920s	Tiberius Ogden used the spell to repair a pot that Merope Gaunt had broken. Her father was infuriated that Ogden would interfere.
Rubeus Hagrid	27 July, 1997	Hagrid attempted to use this to keep the sidecar attached to the flying motorbike, but it didn't work.

Known practitioners

Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

OrabellaNuttley.png

Orabella Nuttley (Invented the spell)

Rubeus Hagrid(Failed)

Seamus Finnigan

• Bob Ogden
• Associate of Garrick Ollivander

Variations

There is a similar spell, Oculus Reparo, which is used to repair eyeglasses; its history and relation to this spell apart from the etymology and effects are unknown.

Etymology

Latin reparo meaning "to renew" or "repair".

Behind the scenes

• This is the first spell cast in the film series (Oculus Reparo) and last spell cast in the book series.
• In the video games, this spell is either blue, violet or pink depending on the game.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Nintendo DS version only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: Spells
• Pottermore (First identified as Mending Charm)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells

Notes and references

The Standard Book of Spells
Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 · Grade 5 · Grade 6 · Grade 7
Charms included in the series: Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Nonverbal spell · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Skurge Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)