Disillusionment Charm

Disillusionment Charm
Type	Charm
Hand movement	Flick wand at target
Light	White
Effect	Disguises target as surroundings

"Harry looked down at his body, or rather, what had been his body, for it didn't look anything like his anymore. It was not invisible; it had simply taken on the exact colour and texture of the kitchen unit behind him. He seemed to have become a human chameleon."

— Description

The Disillusionment Charm (incantation unknown) is a charm that disguises a target as its surroundings, not by making it invisible, but by making it take on the exact colour and texture of its environment, effectively turning it into a chameleon.

History

Hippogriffs and Winged horses may be kept by wizards as long as they perform a Disillusionment Charm on them daily (as their effects are apt to wear off) so that Muggles will not notice anything strange about them. It is also noted that one of the ways to create an Invisibility cloak is to imbue a travelling cloak with a Disillusionment Charm, the charms on these cloaks wear off with time.

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, fifth year Charms class students were taught about this charm by Professor Filius Flitwick for the Ordinary Wizarding Levels in the subject.

In December 1997, Hermione Granger suggested using a Disillusionment Charm when she and Harry Potter were planning the visit to Godric's Hollow.

Casting

It is presumed that there are two methods of casting. It seems that if one is using the charm on themselves, they must twirl their wand around themselves as though they were wrapping themselves in rope. If, however, they are using it on an external target, they must merely tap on the target with their wand. This then produces a sensation that a raw egg has been cracked onto the person's head as the charm travels down them, granting them invisibility.

Known uses

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible."

— Albus Dumbledore

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Merula Snyde (possibly)	1986-1987	Used it on herself to spy on Jacob's sibling and Talbott Winger.
Albus Dumbledore	1991	Did not need an Invisibility Cloak because he could perform a Disillusionment Charm that was powerful enough to make him effectively invisible without one.
Alastor Moody	5 August, 1995	Used it on Harry Potter to protect him during the trip from 4 Privet Drive to 12 Grimmauld Place.
Hermione Granger	1997-1998	Used it as part of the protective enchantments used to hide the camp she shared with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley during the hunt for the Horcruxes.
Harry Potter		Would occasionally cast the protective enchantments (which included Disillusionment Charms) used to hide the camp he shared with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley during the hunt for the Horcruxes.
Lord Voldemort	Spring 1998	Used it to conceal himself from anyone watching from Hogwarts Castle when he arrived to rob Albus Dumbledore's tomb; the Disillusionment Charm worked so well that even he could not see himself.
Vincent Crabbe	2 May, 1998	Used it on himself to hide in the corridor outside the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, which is how he happened to sneak in when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived to search for Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.
Gregory Goyle
Draco Malfoy

• Magizoologists
• Aurors (possibly)

Known practitioners

Alastor Moody

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy

Gregory Goyle

Vincent Crabbe

Tom Riddle

Albus Dumbledore

Filius Flitwick

Merula Snyde

Jacob's sibling

See also

• Bedazzling Hex
• Invisibility

Behind the scenes

• There are numerous portrayals of things being invisible, or else of people appearing noiselessly in the air; both of these may be various instances of this spell being cast.
• While Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix claims that this does not induce invisibility but merely camouflages the target, Wonderbook: Book of Spells later states that it does, in fact, cause complete invisibility. This might be a contradiction between two canon sources, or merely a semantic divergence. It's also possible that the charm hides the target as well as the caster intends to, or that only the most powerful wizards and witches can achieve full invisibility.
• As Dumbledore once mentioned that Gellert Grindelwald was able to turn himself invisible without an Invisibility cloak, it is possible that the latter did so through this charm.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Mentioned only)
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery