Post by Prof. Destiny Smith on Apr 25, 2009 19:45:04 GMT -6
Daydream Charm
This gives the spell caster a highly-realistic 30 minute daydream, according to its inventors Fred and George Weasley. It can have side-effects of minor drooling and a vacant expression, but this aside it is virtually undetectable. Daydream Charms can be found for sale in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes [HBP6].
Defodio
The Latin word for "I excavate" (although conversely, it also means "I bury").
This is a gouging spell. It was used by Harry, Ron and Hermione whilst riding a dragon through the underground tunnels of Gringotts Bank during their getaway after taking Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault. The effect was to carve chunks out of the ceiling of the tunnels, enlarging them enough for the dragon to pass through.
Deletrius
"Delete", meaning, "to erase", comes from the Latin "deleo", also meaning "to erase".
This charm is used to erase spell images conjured by Priori Incantem. Amos Diggory used it after the Dark Mark had been cast by Barty Crouch Jnr, with Harry's wand, after the Quidditch World Cup. He first used Priori Incantatem to create the ghost of the Morsmordre spell, and then used Deletrius to make it vanish in a wisp of smoke [GOF9].
Densaugeo
From the Latin "dens", meaning "tooth", and "augeo," meaning "to increase, enlarge".
This hex enlarges the teeth of the victim. Draco Malfoy cast it at Harry when they were fighting outside the Potions classroom in their fourth year. The spell deflected off Harry's own curse and hit Hermione, causing her teeth to grow past her collar, although Professor Snape cruelly retorted that he could see no difference from normal [GOF18]. Hermione got her teeth fixed by Madam Pomrey, and took the opportunity to let them reduce slightly further than their starting point, so that her front teeth are now no longer oversized [GOF23].
Deprimo
The Latin word for "I press down", or "I dig down".
Hermione used this spell during the escape from Xenophilius Lovegood's house. The effect it had on this occasion was the blast a hole in the floor of first-floor room they were in [DH21]. The name of the spell suggests that rather than simply blasting holes in things or making them explode, the spell specifically digs downwards, making holes in the floor or the ground where the spellcaster directs it.
Descendo
"descendo" is Latin for "I come down".
This spell causes an item to descend. Ron used it to make the attic hatch and ladder come down so that Harry could go to see the Ghoul that had been disguised as Ron with spattergroit [DH6].
Diffindo
Latin for "I split".
Diffindo is a spell that rips an object in half or causes things to separate. Harry has used it to good effect on two occasions to date. The first of these came when he wanted to talk to Cedric Diggory alone so that he could tell him that the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament involved Dragons. Harry cast Diffindo on Cedric's bag, causing it to split and spill its contents onto the floor. Cedric stayed behind to clear up the mess whilst his friends went on, and Harry successfully spoke to him about the task [GOF20]. In his 6th year, Harry wanted to keep his modified copy of "Advanced Potion Making" but make it look like it was actually his new one from Flourish and Blotts. He therefore used Diffindo to cut the cover from both books and swapped the insides [HBP11]. Diffindo is likely to be the same spell as the Severing Charm, which Ron once used to cut the lace from his dress robes [GOF23], and is also used by Crup owners to remove the animal's forked tail [FB].
Disapparate
From the Latin "disparitio" meaning "disappearance", or "dispareo" meaning "I vanish."
This spell allows the caster to disappear instantly from any given place with a soft popping sound, or alternatively a loud cracking noise, which appears to occur at both ends of the journey taken. The spell is used in conjunction with Apparate, in that the caster must Disapparate from one location before he or she can Apparate in another.
The sound made seems to be different from one spell caster to the next: when Mundungus Fletcher Disapparated from Privet Drive when he was meant to be guarding Harry, he made a cracking sound as he disappeared [OOTP1], but when Ministry officials were flocking to the scene of the Dark Mark at the World Cup, they made popping sounds as they appeared [GOF9]. When Harry visits the Ministry for his hearing, the Apparating Ministry personnel they pass make a mixture of pops and cracks [OOTP7].
Disillusionment Charm
Literal meaning of "disillusion" is to remove an illusion. Generally used to indicate unhappiness with a situation.
This spell is used to hide something, and is typically used to conceal magical objects and occurrences from Muggles, making them blend into the background like a chameleon. Alastor Moody cast this spell on Harry when he and his Advance Guard had to fly to Grimmauld Place from Privet Drive. When Moody cast the spell it felt to Harry as if cold trickles were running down his body from his head, where Moody had hit him with his wand. Once the spell had been cast, his body immediately blended in with the background [OOTP3]. Moody lifted the spell when they reached their destination, and hit Harry's head with his wand again: this time, the trickles felt hot [OOTP4].
Dissendium
This may be a path-revealing spell. Harry learnt it when he used the Marauder's Map to take a secret passage to Hogsmeade, when he was banned from the trip due to his lack of a permission form and the proximity of Sirius Black to Hogwarts. Harry used it to open the secret passage that lay behind the statue of the hump-backed one-eyed witch on the third floor. The Map itself showed him what to do, by creating a speech bubble next to the depiction of him. The incantation given may be a spell, or it may just be a password for this particular passage [POA10].
Drought Charm
This spell dries up a limited amount of water. Harry researched this in preparation for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, but as it is designed only to dry up puddles and ponds, he decided he probably wouldn't be able to remove the entire Hogwarts lake with it [GOF26].
Duro
The Latin word for "I make hard".
Duro turns the target object into stone. Hermione cast it on a tapestry during the Battle of Hogwarts. The tapestry in question was at the bottom of a flight of stairs that she had just turned into a slide with Glisseo: she, Ron and Harry burst through it, and when some Death Eaters followed them down she turned it into stone, as evidenced by the painful crunch behind them [DH32].
This gives the spell caster a highly-realistic 30 minute daydream, according to its inventors Fred and George Weasley. It can have side-effects of minor drooling and a vacant expression, but this aside it is virtually undetectable. Daydream Charms can be found for sale in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes [HBP6].
Defodio
The Latin word for "I excavate" (although conversely, it also means "I bury").
This is a gouging spell. It was used by Harry, Ron and Hermione whilst riding a dragon through the underground tunnels of Gringotts Bank during their getaway after taking Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestrange vault. The effect was to carve chunks out of the ceiling of the tunnels, enlarging them enough for the dragon to pass through.
Deletrius
"Delete", meaning, "to erase", comes from the Latin "deleo", also meaning "to erase".
This charm is used to erase spell images conjured by Priori Incantem. Amos Diggory used it after the Dark Mark had been cast by Barty Crouch Jnr, with Harry's wand, after the Quidditch World Cup. He first used Priori Incantatem to create the ghost of the Morsmordre spell, and then used Deletrius to make it vanish in a wisp of smoke [GOF9].
Densaugeo
From the Latin "dens", meaning "tooth", and "augeo," meaning "to increase, enlarge".
This hex enlarges the teeth of the victim. Draco Malfoy cast it at Harry when they were fighting outside the Potions classroom in their fourth year. The spell deflected off Harry's own curse and hit Hermione, causing her teeth to grow past her collar, although Professor Snape cruelly retorted that he could see no difference from normal [GOF18]. Hermione got her teeth fixed by Madam Pomrey, and took the opportunity to let them reduce slightly further than their starting point, so that her front teeth are now no longer oversized [GOF23].
Deprimo
The Latin word for "I press down", or "I dig down".
Hermione used this spell during the escape from Xenophilius Lovegood's house. The effect it had on this occasion was the blast a hole in the floor of first-floor room they were in [DH21]. The name of the spell suggests that rather than simply blasting holes in things or making them explode, the spell specifically digs downwards, making holes in the floor or the ground where the spellcaster directs it.
Descendo
"descendo" is Latin for "I come down".
This spell causes an item to descend. Ron used it to make the attic hatch and ladder come down so that Harry could go to see the Ghoul that had been disguised as Ron with spattergroit [DH6].
Diffindo
Latin for "I split".
Diffindo is a spell that rips an object in half or causes things to separate. Harry has used it to good effect on two occasions to date. The first of these came when he wanted to talk to Cedric Diggory alone so that he could tell him that the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament involved Dragons. Harry cast Diffindo on Cedric's bag, causing it to split and spill its contents onto the floor. Cedric stayed behind to clear up the mess whilst his friends went on, and Harry successfully spoke to him about the task [GOF20]. In his 6th year, Harry wanted to keep his modified copy of "Advanced Potion Making" but make it look like it was actually his new one from Flourish and Blotts. He therefore used Diffindo to cut the cover from both books and swapped the insides [HBP11]. Diffindo is likely to be the same spell as the Severing Charm, which Ron once used to cut the lace from his dress robes [GOF23], and is also used by Crup owners to remove the animal's forked tail [FB].
Disapparate
From the Latin "disparitio" meaning "disappearance", or "dispareo" meaning "I vanish."
This spell allows the caster to disappear instantly from any given place with a soft popping sound, or alternatively a loud cracking noise, which appears to occur at both ends of the journey taken. The spell is used in conjunction with Apparate, in that the caster must Disapparate from one location before he or she can Apparate in another.
The sound made seems to be different from one spell caster to the next: when Mundungus Fletcher Disapparated from Privet Drive when he was meant to be guarding Harry, he made a cracking sound as he disappeared [OOTP1], but when Ministry officials were flocking to the scene of the Dark Mark at the World Cup, they made popping sounds as they appeared [GOF9]. When Harry visits the Ministry for his hearing, the Apparating Ministry personnel they pass make a mixture of pops and cracks [OOTP7].
Disillusionment Charm
Literal meaning of "disillusion" is to remove an illusion. Generally used to indicate unhappiness with a situation.
This spell is used to hide something, and is typically used to conceal magical objects and occurrences from Muggles, making them blend into the background like a chameleon. Alastor Moody cast this spell on Harry when he and his Advance Guard had to fly to Grimmauld Place from Privet Drive. When Moody cast the spell it felt to Harry as if cold trickles were running down his body from his head, where Moody had hit him with his wand. Once the spell had been cast, his body immediately blended in with the background [OOTP3]. Moody lifted the spell when they reached their destination, and hit Harry's head with his wand again: this time, the trickles felt hot [OOTP4].
Dissendium
This may be a path-revealing spell. Harry learnt it when he used the Marauder's Map to take a secret passage to Hogsmeade, when he was banned from the trip due to his lack of a permission form and the proximity of Sirius Black to Hogwarts. Harry used it to open the secret passage that lay behind the statue of the hump-backed one-eyed witch on the third floor. The Map itself showed him what to do, by creating a speech bubble next to the depiction of him. The incantation given may be a spell, or it may just be a password for this particular passage [POA10].
Drought Charm
This spell dries up a limited amount of water. Harry researched this in preparation for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, but as it is designed only to dry up puddles and ponds, he decided he probably wouldn't be able to remove the entire Hogwarts lake with it [GOF26].
Duro
The Latin word for "I make hard".
Duro turns the target object into stone. Hermione cast it on a tapestry during the Battle of Hogwarts. The tapestry in question was at the bottom of a flight of stairs that she had just turned into a slide with Glisseo: she, Ron and Harry burst through it, and when some Death Eaters followed them down she turned it into stone, as evidenced by the painful crunch behind them [DH32].