Disarming Charm

"The Disarming Charm lies at the heart of a good dueling technique. It allows the duelist to rebound an opponent's spell in the hope that the rebounded spell will strike the opponent and leave him or her vulnerable to further attack."

- Miranda Goshawk

The Disarming Charm, also known as the Expelliarmus Spell or Disarming Spell (Expelliarmus) was a defensive charm which forced the victim to release whatever they were holding at the time. It is common to see this spell used in duels, to make an opponent release their wand. It can also be used to rebound an wizard's spell in the hopes of striking the opponent with said rebounded spell.

History
It is not known precisely who created the Disarming Charm. Some wizarding historians claim that it may have been invented by Merlin himself, others claim that its first widespread use was in Madagascar in the 11th century. Even if any of this is true, the fact remains that it was not very popular until 1379, when Elizabeth Smudgling — the most likely inventor in the opinion of Miranda Goshawk — used it in a duelling contest in Dartmoor. It became Harry Potter's signature spell and he notably used it to kill Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts by rebounding his Killing Curse.

Effects
The Disarming Charm causes whatever an opponent is holding at the time - usually a wand - to fly high out of their reach; and can also be used to block and rebound spells, however, more enthusiastic casts can result in the victim of the charm being knocked unconscious in a similar manner to the Stunning Spell. If done too weakly, however, it will merely blow them back a few paces, or make their hair stand on end. On account of this one could describe it as among the most versatile of spells as Remus Lupin was able to disarm multiple opponents with a single spell whilst Cedric Diggory was able to knock Krum unconscious.

If one mispronounces the spell's incantation, dependent on how it was mispronounced, another effect may take place. When Cho first mispronounced it as Expelliarmious, seemingly nothing happened; when she uttered Expellimellius, she set her friend Marietta Edgecombe's sleeves aflame.

Appearance


The Disarming Charm always appears as a jet of red light; indeed, this is one of the things that makes it recognisable before the effects of the charm are seen. However the intensity of the light appears to correspond to the strength of the spell as a weak/moderate one creates a small flash of white light whereas a more powerful version manifests as a bright jet of scarlet light.

Known uses and practitioners
"They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays...and practised disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it."

- Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and Ron's last few hours before they return home for the holidays


 * Albus Dumbledore used this spell to disarm Severus Snape.
 * Draco Malfoy used this spell in 1997 to disarm Albus Dumbledore during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower before fleeing with Snape and the other Death Eaters.
 * Elizabeth Smudgling in 1379 used it in a duelling contest in Dartmoor.
 * Fred Weasley at the end of his fourth year in 1993 practiced this spell along with; George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron before the start of summer holiday.
 * George Weasley at the end of his fourth year in 1993 practiced this spell along with; Fred, Harry, Hermione, and Ron before the start of summer holiday.
 * Ginny Weasley used this spell at the end of her first year in 1993.




 * In 1992 Severus Snape taught this spell to the Duelling Club on 17 December in the Great Hall.
 * Harry Potter used this spell on many different occasions. He used it twice during his second year first; to get Tom Riddle's Diary back from Malfoy who mistook it for Harry's own diary and at the end of the year before summer holiday. In his third year he used it aginst Snape inside the Shrieking Shake. In 1995 he used this spell while duelling Voldemort in Little Hangleton, which resulted in Priori Incantatem. In his fifth year this is one of the spells Harry taught Dumbledore's Army he had them practice it in pairs. He also used this spell during the 1997-1998 school year; he disarmed Stan Shunpike during the Battle of the Seven Potters, used it against Goyle during the Skirmish in the room of requirement, and to kill Voldemort by rebounding his Killing Curse.
 * Hermione Granger used this spell at the end of her second year along with; Fred, George, Harry, and Ron before summer holiday. In her third year she used this spell against Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shake along with Harry and Ron. She also used this spell to disarm Mundungus Fletcher in 1998 during the hunt for Horcruxs.
 * Ron Weasley practiced this spell at the end of his second year and used it during his third to disarm Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack.
 * Neville Longbottom uses this spell during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries to disarm a Death Eater and accidentally disarms both the Death Eater and Harry.
 * Dumbledore's Army (possibly)

Other practitioners

 * Many other duelists

Priori Incantatem
If two wands with the same core are forced to do battle with each other, the effect is a magical connection called Priori Incantatem. When Priori Incantatem occurred between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, the latter was using the Disarming Charm.

Etymology
English expel, meaning "remove" and Latin arma, meaning "weapon" or "the weapon".

Behind the scenes
"Then a blinding, jagged jet of white light flew through the air: Harry thought of lightning, but Snape had dropped to his knees and his wand had flown out of his hand"

- Dumbledore's use on Snape


 * This is the signature spell of Harry Potter.
 * In the films only when a witch or wizard is locked in the Priori Incantatem is the spell scarlet. When not locked in combat it's always just a blue or white flash that will either connect with the target's hand and force the wand out of their hand or will blast them off their feet, sometimes unconcious.
 * When Dumbledore used this on Snape, it appeared as white lightning, and hence was probably a variation of it rather than the spell itself, or else an entirely different disarming spell.
 * The charm is described in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2, and has a spellbook purely for itself.
 * In the second film, it appears as a golden ring; from the fifth film onward it was a ball of blue light.
 * In the video games, the Disarming Charm worked rather like a Shield Charm, rebounding an opponent's spells upon them. This is actually also the describing of the spell in the The Standard Book of Spells series.
 * The Disarming Charm is referenced on Doctor Who, when Shakespeare uses it to conclude a formula used to banish the villains from earth.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * 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 (film)
 * 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 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Pottermore
 * Wonderbook: Book of Spells
 * Harry Potter for Kinect

Notes and references
Encantamiento desarmador Expelliarmus Sortilège de Désarmement Aseistariisuntaloitsu Incantesimo di Disarmo Expelliarmus Экспеллиармус