Disarming Charm

Disarming Charm
Incantation	Expelliarmus (ex-PEL-lee-ar-muss)
Type	Charm
Hand movement
Light	Scarlet
Effect	Disarms an opponent
Creator	Elizabeth Smudgling or Merlin (possibly)

"A handy (even life-saving) spell for removing an object from an enemy's grasp."

— Description of the charm

The Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) was a charm that forced whatever an opponent was holding to fly out of their hand. It was common to see this spell used in duels to make an opponent lose their wand.

History

Remus Lupin: "Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!"

Harry Potter: "I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there ... That's Voldemort's job."

— Harry Potter standing by his decision to use the Disarming Charm

An individual being deprived of their wand with this charm

It is not known precisely who created the Disarming Charm. Some wizarding historians claimed that it may have been invented by Merlin himself, while others claimed 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.

The Disarming Charm became Harry Potter's signature spell, and it notably caused the death of Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts by rebounding his Killing Curse because the Elder Wand recognised Harry as its master through the spell connection, and thus strengthened the Disarming Charm to the point that Voldemort's Killing Curse backfired on himself.

Effects

"Snape cried: 'Expelliarmus!' There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor."

— The effects of a powerful Disarming Charm

Harry casting a powerful disarming charm indicated by the scarlet jet of light

The Disarming Charm caused whatever an opponent was holding at the time, usually a wand, to fly high out of their hand.

A single Disarming Charm could disarm multiple opponents if they were all in close proximity to one another. Multiple or exceptionally powerful Disarming Charms were even able to send a target flying, sometimes to the extent of knocking them unconscious.

Known uses

Successful

"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, and the trio's last few hours before they return home for the holidays

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Elizabeth Smudgling	1379	Used it in a duelling contest in Dartmoor.
Filius Flitwick	Pre-teaching career	Professor Flitwick informs one of his students in the 1984–1985 school year that the Disarming Charm was of great help to him on his path to become a Duelling Champion while preparing the young pupil for learning it themselves, emphasising its importance.
Yusuf Kama	September, 1927	Used it to disarm Newt Scamander and to get his wand, while incarcerating Magizoologist in the one of Paris' sewers.
James Potter	June, 1976	"Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him." — James disarms Snape Used it to disarm Severus Snape while bullying him after an O.W.L. exam.
Albus Dumbledore	1981	"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 Used it to disarm Severus Snape and make him fall to his knees.
Jacob's sibling	1984–1985 school year	Used it the first time to disarm Professor Flitwick at the behest of the Charms Master while learning to master it. They later used it to great effect to defeat Merula Snyde in a duel.
	1989–1990 school year	Used this spell to disarm and finally defeat Patricia Rakepick in the Sunken Vault.
	1990–1991 school year	Used it to disarm Patricia Rakepick of their wand in Azkaban with wandless magic, after she refused to hand it back to them and wanted to escape.
Corrine Cribb	1986–1987 school year	Used this spell to disarm Jacob's sibling and Tulip Karasu during an altercation in Knockturn Alley.
Draco Malfoy	30 June, 1997	Used it to disarm Albus Dumbledore during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower before fleeing with Snape and the other Death Eaters.
	September, 2020	Used it to duel Harry Potter.
Fred Weasley	June, 1993	At the end of his fourth year practised this spell along with George, Harry, Hermione, and Ron before the start of summer holiday.
George Weasley		At the end of his fourth year practised this spell along with Fred, Harry, Hermione, and Ron before the start of summer holiday.
Ginny Weasley		Used it at the end of her first year in 1993.
Sirius Black	6 June, 1994	Used it to disarm Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the Shrieking Shack.
Remus Lupin		Used it to disarm Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the Shrieking Shack.
Severus Snape	17 December, 1992	Used to disarm Gilderoy Lockhart during teaching students at the Duelling Club in the Great Hall.
	30 June, 1997	Used it to disarm Harry Potter when Harry tried to attack him after he killed Albus Dumbledore at command of Albus himself.
Harry Potter	14 February, 1993	Used it to get Tom Riddle's Diary back from Draco Malfoy who mistook it for Harry's own diary.
	29 May, 1993	Used it to disarm Gilderoy Lockhart in his office.
	June, 1993	Used it again at the end of the year before summer holiday.
	6 June, 1994	Used it to disarm Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack.
		Used to disarm Peter Pettigrew near the Whomping Willow.
	24 June, 1995	Used it on an Acromantula which was holding him in the maze, during Third Task of Triwizard Tournament.
		Used it to duel Lord Voldemort in Little Hangleton, as he used the Killing Curse, which resulted in Priori Incantatem.
	October, 1995	Used it to teach Dumbledore's Army members.
	18 June, 1996	Used it to disarm Lucius Malfoy in their duel in the Death Chamber during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
	27 July, 1997	Used it to disarm Stan Shunpike during the Battle of the Seven Potters.
	2 May, 1998	Used it to disarm Gregory Goyle during the Skirmish in the Room of Requirement.
		Used it to kill Lord Voldemort by rebounding his Killing Curse.
	September, 2020	Used it during a duel with Draco Malfoy, while in his home.
Hermione Granger	June, 1993	Used this spell at the end of her second year along with; Fred, George, Harry, and Ron before summer holiday.
	6 June, 1994	Used it to disarm Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack.
	August, 1997	Used it to disarm Mundungus Fletcher in the 12 Grimmauld Place during the hunt for Horcruxes.
Ron Weasley	June, 1993	Used this spell at the end of his second year along with; Fred, George, Harry, and Hermione before summer holiday.
	6 June, 1994	Used it to disarm Severus Snape in the Shrieking Shack.
	October, 1997	Used it to disarm Snatcher, who was holding his wand, when he disapparated from Harry and Hermione and he came across them.
	March, 1998	Used it to disarm Bellatrix Lestrange during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor.
Cedric Diggory	24 June, 1995 (alternate timeline)	Used it on Delphini while participating in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Neville Longbottom	1995	Used it to successfully disarm Hermione Granger during a Dumbledore's Army's meeting.
	18 June, 1996	"Both Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands and soared back towards the entrance to the Hall." — Neville disarms Harry and a Death Eater Used it to disarm a Death Eater, during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, accidentally also disarming Harry Potter.
Lord Voldemort	2 May, 1998	Used it to disarm Neville Longbottom during Battle of Hogwarts.
Ivy Warrington	2008–2009 school year	Used it to show Daniel Page how to properly cast this spell.
Albus Potter	September, 2020	Used it twice on Delphini to practise disarming before travelling back in time.

Unsuccessful

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Daniel Page	2008–2009 school year	Used it to practise the spell, but failed.

Known practitioners

Elizabeth Smudgling

Yusuf Kama

Filius Flitwick

James Potter I

Albus Dumbledore

Minerva McGonagall

Pomona Sprout

Cedric Diggory

Severus Snape

Tom Riddle

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Ronald Weasley

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Ginevra Weasley

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Draco Malfoy

Lucius Malfoy

Neville Longbottom

Albus Potter

Diego Caplan

Jacob's sibling

Corrine Cribb

Ivy Warrington

Etymology

Latin expellere (ex = out, pellere = to drive), meaning "to drive out" and "arma" meaning "weapon". Expelliarmus actually means "to drive out the weapon".

Behind the scenes

This charm's icon in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

• In the later films, it is only when a witch or wizard is defending themselves from the Killing Curse When the spell appears scarlet. When not locked in combat, it manifests as a bluish- white ball or flash of light, while in the second film, it appears as a golden fiery ring. The spell will either connect with the target's hand and force the wand out of their hand or will blast them off their feet, sometimes unconscious.
• When Dumbledore used this on Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale), it appeared as white light similar to lightning, and hence was probably a variation of it rather than the spell itself, or else an entirely different disarming spell.
• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Disarming Charm works instead as the 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. This was mainly due to the lack of being able to disarm in past video games, although this cannot be considered canon as the spell does not work this way in the Harry Potter universe.
  • However, the spell is depicted correctly in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game), though the GBC version of the Chamber of Secrets game also follows this scheme.
  • Also in the console version of the second game, it's possible to catch and deflect spells not only cast by prefects in the PS2 version, but it's also possible to do so on one's own backfired spell. This only works on Flipendo and Incendio however, as the other projectile spells will pass through. In the case of the former, it moves rather fast so tight timing to activate the charm is needed.
• The Disarming Charm is referenced on Doctor Who, when William Shakespeare uses it to conclude a formula used to banish the villains from Earth at the suggestion of protagonist Martha Jones. The Doctor, played by David Tennant who also portrayed Bartemius Crouch Junior in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, commented "good old J.K." with a smile. Earlier in the same episode, the Doctor had commented that he'd loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which had not yet come out when the episode first aired.
• As seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, it is possible to disarm and take ownership of one's wand without using the spell, as demonstrated by Harry, who forcefully disarmed Malfoy with his bare hands to take the latter's wand.
• In the film versions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione Granger used the spell to make Mundungus Fletcher's wand fly over to her for her to catch it, which also happened when Harry Potter defeated Tom Riddle during Voldemort's Last Stand, in a similar way to the Summoning Charm.
• The Disarming Charm is used, apart from depriving opponents of their wands, to intercept or rebound offensive spells. Usually, this only works with minor to moderate Dark charms, similar to the Shield Charm. The Elder Wand recognised Harry as its true master through the spell connection, and thus strengthened Harry's spell to the point that even Voldemort's Killing Curse got rebounded upon himself.
• Outside of cases of Priori Incantatem, the Disarming Charm is able to intercept major Dark spells like the Killing Curse, similar to the golden flame spell.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• 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)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World (Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter: The Wand Collection (Mentioned only)
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy

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)