Flagrante Curse

Flagrante is a variant of the Flagrate spell. It is a curse used on objects so that they burn when touched. An object enchanted with this will burn not only flesh, but material as well. Protecting against this curse is difficult, as there are no outward signs of its use.

This spell can be used to protect valuables, as witnessed during Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger's break-in of the Lestrange vault in Gringotts in the spring of 1998. Flagrante and Geminio curses were placed on the treasure inside so that everything touched would "burn and multiply" until the would-be thief was "crushed to death by the weight of burning and expanding gold".

Etymology

 * Possibly derived from the Portuguese expression "Apanhado em Flagrante!" (in English: Caught you red-handed!)