Summoning Charm

"Accio!"

- Casting a Summoning Charm

The Summoning Charm is a charm that causes an object at a distance from the caster to fly into his or her arms. The caster must know the general area of the object in order to summon it, and the farther away it is, the harder it is to summon. However there is some controversy on this claim as Hermione Granger clearly stated that it does not matter how far the object is, as long as you have it clearly in your mind, you should be able to summon it with ease. There can be spells placed to prevent certain objects from being summoned. The spell's incantation is Accio.

Etymology
The Latin word accio means "I call" or "I summon". In the Hungarian translation, the spell is called "Invito", possibly from the word "to invite".

Behind the scenes

 * In the 2006 short film The Queen's Handbag, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley both use the charm in an attempt to retrieve Queen Elizabeth II's handbag, which has been lost. They are unsuccessful and Hermione suggests they're too far away from it, suggesting the charm may have a maximum range. However, in Goblet of Fire, Hermione stated that distance didn't matter, as long as the caster was concentrating hard enough. Also, the short film's canonicity is uncertain, so it is unlikely this applies to mainstream continuity.
 * In Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, it can be bought at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment in Diagon Alley.
 * When Hermione summoned the Secrets of the Darkest Art from Dumbledore's office, she simply said "Accio Horcrux books", instead of the specific book name, meaning that this spell can function even when the item's description is not detailed.

Appearances

 * 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 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * The Queen's Handbag
 * Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

Notes and references
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