Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

"These straightforward but surprisingly dangerous charms cause certain things to swell or shrink. You will be learning both charms together, so that you can always undo an over-enthusiastic cast. There is thus no excuse for having accidentally shrunk your homework down to microscopic size or for allowing a giant toad to rampage through your school’s flower gardens."
Miranda Goshawk[src]

The Engorgement Charm[2] (Engorgio)[1], also known as Growing Charm,[3] was a charm that caused the target to swell immensely. It was the counter-charm for the Shrinking Charm, causing shrunken objects to return to their original size.[1]

If the caster attempted to engorge the target beyond a certain point, it would violently explode. Although this spell was safe to use on animals, its use was not recommended until the counter-charm had been perfected.[1]

A variation of this spell was Engorgio Skullus, which made the head of a person bigger.[4]

History[]

EngorgioHM

An apple being enlarged with this charm

Miranda Goshawk included this charm in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2, the third spell in the book.[2] She also wrote about it in Book of Spells alongside the Shrinking Charm, which could be used to counteract this charm.[1]

The Sunday edition of The New York Ghost published on 28 November 1926 had an article about regulators examining the use of this charm for home improvement.[5]

This spell was covered in second-year Charms class during the 1985–1986 school year.[3]

Ron Weasley suggested that Rubeus Hagrid might have gotten in the way of a bad Engorgement Charm when he was young, before learning that he was half-giant.[6]

Effect[]

It appeared as a circle of icy blue light emanating from the tip of the wand, much like a torch.[1] Anything within this circle would grow exponentially, bouncing and shivering.[1]

Known uses[]

"'Engorgio!' The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula."
— Barty Crouch Junior's use of this charm on a spider[src]
Caster(s) Date Notes
Silvanus Kettleburn Unknown Used this charm to enlarge an Ashwinder snake for use in a theatrical performance of The Fountain of Fair Fortune at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[7]
Jacob's sibling 1985–1986 school year Jacob's sibling used an Engorgement Charm alongside the Shrinking Charm to sneak into another House common room.[8]
1986–1987 school year Used the charm to enlarge themselves to full size after shrinking themselves in Argus Filch's office.[9]
1987–1988 school year Used the charm to enlarge Bill Weasley's and Tulip Karasu's Butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks Inn.[10]
Used it to enlarge their's and Bill Weasley Butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks Inn.[11]
Used it to enlarge the Butterbeers belonging to their friends in the Three Broomsticks Inn.[12]
1989–1990 school year Used it to enlarge the tribute items for the Merpeople in the Great Lake.[13]
Merula Snyde 1987–1988 school year Merula used an Engorgement Charm to enlarge a niffler to a gigantic size, increasing the damage it could do, hoping to get Jacob's sibling and their friends in trouble.[14]
Rubeus Hagrid 1992–1993 school year Hermione suspected that Hagrid has used an Engorgement Charm on his pumpkins.[15][16]

Pumpkin hp3

Fred and George Weasley August, 1994 The twins placed an Engorgement Charm on the Ton-Tongue Toffee that they "accidentally" dropped in front of Dudley Dursley.[17]
Kevin The little wizard boy in the World Cup was casting an Engorgement Spell (or something very similar) on a slug.[18]
Barty Crouch Jnr Autumn, 1994 He used an Engorgement Charm a spider he had bought to his fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts class, in order to demonstrate the Cruciatus Curse on it.[19]

Engorgio

Harry Potter December, 1997 Harry cast this on a spider to practise with the blackthorn wand.[20]
Robyn Thistlethwaite September, 2008 Robyn used this spell on a copy of The Monster Book of Monsters to get a better look at it.[21]
Albus Potter September, 2020 In an alternate reality, these two boys cast this spell on Cedric Diggory in an attempt to humiliate him so that he would lose the Triwizard Tournament, and be saved from death.[22]
Scorpius Malfoy

Known practitioners[]

Etymology[]

The word engorge means "to fill to excess".

Behind the scenes[]

  • Given that every potion's brewing process can only be completed by casting a spell, and that it can vary for each potion, the most likely spell used to complete the Swelling Solution is the Engorgement Charm.
  • In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, instead of testing his newly gained Blackthorn wand on a spider, Harry used the Engorgement Charm on a candleflame, which caused it to burst into an uncontrollable column of flame before he swiftly used the countercharm.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Wonderbook: Book of Spells (see this)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pottermore - The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 2, Chapter 1 (Year Two Begins) - Charms Lesson "Engorgio"
  4. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
  5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (see this image)
  6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Tales of Beedle the Bard, "The Fountain of Fair Fortune"
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 2, Chapter 2 (Growing and Shrinking)
  9. 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Chapter 4 (Filching from Filch)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 4 (Curse-Breakers)
  11. 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 7 (Beast, Beings, and Creatures)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 13 (The Centaur's Arrow)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 42 (The Final Vault)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, "Magical Creatures Everywhere" Achievement - Part 3, Side Quest "Creature Problems"
  15. 15.0 15.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
  16. 16.0 16.1 Harry Potter Trading Card Game
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 4 (Back to The Burrow)
  18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 7 (Bagman and Crouch)
  19. 19.0 19.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14 (The Unforgivable Curses)
  20. 20.0 20.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 20 (Xenophilius Lovegood)
  21. 21.0 21.1 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Two, Scene Twenty
Charms (class)
PS Wingardium Leviosa feather
Charm-book writers and developers
Blagdon Blay · Daisy Pennifold · Delfina Crimp · Miranda Goshawk · Jarleth Hobart · Basil Horton · Helixa Hyslop · Syna Hyslop · Randolph Keitch · Levina Monkstanley · Orabella Nuttley · Mnemone Radford · Scarpin · Elliot Smethwyck · Felix Summerbee · Violeta Stitch
Professors Fortinbras · Filius Flitwick · Abraham Ronen · Unidentified male professor · Unidentified medieval professor
Textbooks Achievements in Charming · Extreme Incantations · Quintessence: A Quest · The Standard Book of Spells
Charms studied at Hogwarts
Anti-Alohomora Charm · Ascension Charm (Ascendio) · Banishing Charm (Depulso) · Blackboard Writing Spell · Blue sparks · Bombardment Spell (Bombarda) · Box Blasting Charm (Cistem Aperio) · Bubble-Head Charm · Cheering Charm · Cleaning Charm · Colour Change Charm (Colovaria) · Confundus Charm (Confundo) · Counter-charm for hiccoughs · Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Descendo · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Disillusionment Charm · Drought Charm · Entrancing Enchantments (theoretically) · Eradication Spell (Deletrius) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Extinguishing Spell · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Gouging Spell (Defodio) · Growth Charm · Ice Jinx · Impervius Charm (Impervius) · Knitting Charm · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Leg-Locker Curse (Locomotor Mortis) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Locomotion Charm (Locomotor) · Lumos Solem Spell (Lumos Solem) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Muffliato Charm (Muffliato) · Nonverbal spells · Pack Charm (Pack) · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Scouring Charm (Scourgify) · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Shrinking Charm (Reducio) · Silencing Charm (Silencio) · Slowing Charm (Arresto Momentum) · Skurge Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Spell for growing legs · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Vinegar to wine spell · Wand-Extinguishing Charm (Nox) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos) · Lumos Maxima · Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)
The Standard Book of Spells
Book of Spells 1
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)
Advertisement