Red Sparks

Vermillious
Incantation	Vermillious (vur-MILL-ee-us)
Type	Charm
Hand movement
Light	Vermilion
Effect	Jet of red sparks

"Vermillious, otherwise known as Red Sparks, is an excellent spell for emergencies. If you're ever in danger, fire Red Sparks into the air to call for help."

— Filius Flitwick

Red Sparks (Vermillious) is a Charm that precipitates a jet of vermilion sparks from the tip of the wand, something that may be useful to signal an emergency and call for help.

Vermillious is also part of the fourth-year Charms curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is also covered in the book The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, as it can be used offensively, if directed towards an opponent, in duelling for example.

It is the lesser variant of Vermillious Duo and Vermillious Tria, and is probably related to Green Sparks.

Known uses

A Hogwarts student casting Red Sparks

• In 1992, while searching for an injured unicorn, Rubeus Hagrid instructed Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy to send red sparks in the air if they were trouble, and Neville Longbottom did use it later that night.
• In 1995, champions who were lost in the Third Task Maze would send up red sparks, and when Viktor Krum got knocked out, Harry used the Red Sparks to signal that he was down.
• It's possible that the Order of the Phoenix might have used the spell in 1995 as the signal for the Advance Guard escorting Harry Potter to 12 Grimmauld Place.
• Following the American National Quidditch team's win at the semi-finals of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup against Liechtenstein, red, white and blue sparks filled the air so thickly it was difficult to see or breathe.

Etymology

• Vermillious derives from the English word vermilion, a term for a shade of brilliant red. Interestingly, the incantation has two letter "L"s, but the proper spelling of vermilion has only one "L".

See also

• Periculum
• Green Sparks
• Verdimillious
• Verdillious

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (GBC version)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (GBC version)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Possible appearance)
• Pottermore (First identified as Red Sparks) (Spells/Duels)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4