Mending Charm

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

The Mending Charm,^[1] also known as the Repairing Charm^[2] (Reparo), is a charm that can be used to seamlessly repair a broken object and works on most materials. This incredibly useful and practical charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, in or before 1754.

History

The charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office in the British Ministry of Magic, in or before 1754. She used her charm to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed. Thereafter, it became famous; this instance was recorded in Book of Spells, by Miranda Goshawk.^[2]

There are various textbooks containing instructions for this spell, including The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1^[1], although there is still a spellbook designated entirely to the teaching of this charm^[3]. Due to its being a level one spell, it is likely taught in the first year.

Effects

The Mending Charm is effective at repairing most materials.^[2] However, damage caused by certain rare, powerful curses such as Fiendfyre are impossible to undo.^[2]

The charm was suitable for use only on inanimate objects.^[2] Use on living beings was entirely proscribed.^[2] Serious scarring could result if it were cast on a person or animal in an attempt to heal wounds.^[2]

While a properly cast Mending Charm was generally enough to fix an object, it seems less experienced casters might not succeed in returning liquids to broken containers.^[4]

This charm does not seem to work on objects of powerful and complex magic, such as Vanishing Cabinets and wands. Draco Malfoy proved the former by having spent almost an entire school year to repair the damaged cabinet through other means, due to the complexity of the magical passage. For snapped wands, although this charm can repair the physical form, the magical capacity would be damaged beyond repair, causing the wand in question to fall apart again upon attempted use; the sole exception goes to the Elder Wand which repaired Harry's wand, due to the strength and magnitude of the Elder Wand.

Known uses

Successful

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Orabella Nuttley	1754	Nuttley invented this spell and in or around 1754 she stepped forward and fixed several columns with the Mending Charm she had invented. Preventing a breach of the Statute of Secrecy.
Bob Ogden	1925	Used it to repair a pot that Merope Gaunt had broken.
Newt Scamander	6 December 1926	Used it nonverbally to repair Jacob Kowalski's apartment after several beasts escaped from his magical suitcase and broke up his belongings and blasted through a wall.
MACUSA Aurors	7 December, 1926	Used it nonverbally to repair buildings after an Obscurial went on a path of destruction through New York City.
Bill Weasley	August, 1994	Used it to repair the table leg a couple days before the 422nd Quidditch World Cup.
Percy Weasley	25 August, 1994	Used it nonverbally to repair his glasses when he bowed just a little bit too low when greeting Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
Hermione Granger	1 September, 1994	Used it to repair the broken glass in the door to a railway carriage compartment.
	30 May, 1996	Used it to repair a teacup that Ron Weasley had broken during a Transfiguration class.
	10 March, 1997	Used it to repair a set of scales broken in the corridor outside the Room of Requirement.
Harry Potter	10 September, 1995	Used it to repair the china bowl of Murtlap Essence he'd knocked to the floor. The spell couldn't put the liquid back in the repaired bowl.
	14 September, 1996	After cutting the covers off the old and new Potions textbooks in his possession and swapping them, Harry 'repaired' the two swapped covers simultaneously by tapping each.
	Fall 1996	Used it to repair a bowl he had broken in Herbology class.
	1 August, 1997	Used it to repair Luchino Caffe after duel.
	2 May, 1998	Used it with the Elder Wand to repair his own broken one, which worked due to the power the Elder Wand possesses.
Minerva McGonagall	May, 1993	Used it nonverbally to repair the leg of Neville Longbottom's desk, which he had accidentally vanished.
Severus Snape	March, 1996	Used it to repair a shattered jar in his office during Occlumency lessons.
Ron Weasley	1 August, 1997	Used it to repair Luchino Caffe after duel.
Horace Slughorn	12 July, 1996	Used it nonverbally (and in a masterly way) to undo the damage Slughorn had inflicted upon his borrowed living quarters in Budleigh Babberton.
Albus Dumbledore
Mathilda Grimblehawk's partner	Unknown	This spell was used many times to repair various clues found during investigations

Unsuccessful

Known practitioners

Albus Dumbledore^[5]

Harry Potter^[6]

Hermione Granger^[7]

Orabella Nuttley (Invented the spell)^[2]

Rubeus Hagrid (Failed)^[6]

Minerva McGonagall

Seamus Finnigan^[4]

Newt Scamander^[8]

Bill Weasley

Percy Weasley

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• Bob Ogden^[9]
• Associate of Garrick Ollivander

Variations

Two similar spells exist: Oculus Reparo, which is used to repair eyeglasses, and Papyrus Reparo, which can be used to restore torn pieces of paper.^[10][11] Their history and relationship to the original Mending Charm - apart from the etymology and effects - are unknown.

It is also possible that these incantations are just the Mending Charm with the appropriate spell modifier added.

Etymology

From Latin reparo, meaning "to renew" or "repair".^[12]

Behind the scenes

• A variation of this spell is the first verbal spell cast in the film series (Oculus Reparo) while the Mending Charm itself was the last spell cast in the book series.^[6]
• In the video games, this spell is either blue, violet or pink depending on the game.
• In many portrayals, the spell can cause entire areas of broken objects to be restored, reverse any damage and displacement, even levitating fallen objects back into their original place (such as books being put back in their shelves). It is similar to reversing time on broken objects to undo the damage.
• The spell is used repeatedly in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, first with Newt reversing the massive wreckage in and around Jacob Kowalski's two story apartment to make the apartment's broken wall and even a damaged lamppost outside come back into place. He attempted to use the spell again at the Central Park Zoo to reverse the damage done by his Erumpent, though his wand was briefly taken by an escaped baboon. In the aftermath of Credence Barebone's rampage on New York, several Aurors are shown around the city reversing the destruction as the Thunderbird, Frank, flew around the city with a vial of Swooping Evil venom, which was diluted through a storm he conjured to wipe all No-Majs of the memories of the devastation.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• 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 (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Nintendo DS version only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: Spells
• Pottermore (First identified as Mending Charm)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: The Wand Collection (mentioned only)

Notes and references

Charms (class)
Charmbook writers and developers
Delfina Crimp · Miranda Goshawk · Jarleth Hobart · Basil Horton · Randolph Keitch · Levina Monkstanley · Orabella Nuttley · Mnemone Radford · Scarpin · Elliot Smethwyck · Felix Summerbee · Fred Weasley · George Weasley
Professors	Fortinbras · Filius Flitwick
Textbooks	The Standard Book of Spells · Achievements in Charming · Quintessence: A Quest
Charms studied at Hogwarts
Banishing Charm (Depulso) · Cheering Charm · Cistem Aperio · Colour Change Charm (Colovaria) · Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Engorgement Charm (Engorgio) · Exploding Charm (Bombarda) · Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Freezing Charm (Immobulus) · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · General Counter-Spell (Finite Incantatem) · Growth Charm · Hardening Charm (Duro) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo)· Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locomotion Charm (Locomotor) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Nonverbal spell · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Seize and Pull Charm (Carpe Retractum) · Severing Charm (Diffindo) · Shrinking Charm (Reducio) · Silencing Charm (Silencio) · Slowing Charm (Arresto Momentum) · Skurge Scouring Charm (Skurge) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Spell for growing legs · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm (Accio) · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Unlocking Charm (Alohomora) · Vinegar into Wine · Wand-Extinguishing Charm (Nox) · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos) · Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)

The Standard Book of Spells
Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 · Grade 5 · Grade 6 · Grade 7
Charms included in the series: Fire-Making Spell · Levitation Charm · Locking Spell · Mending Charm · Softening Charm · Severing Charm · Unlocking Charm · Dancing Feet Spell · Disarming Charm · Engorgement Charm · Freezing Charm · General Counter-Spell · Memory Charm · Tickling Charm · Summoning Charm · Banishing Charm · Substantive Charm