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Severing Charm

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At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

"With the Severing Charm, cutting or tearing objects is a simple matter of wand control. The spell can be quite precise in skilled hands, and the Severing Charm is widely used in a variety of wizarding trades. Useful as it is, this charm should be practised with caution, as a careless swipe of the wand can cause injury."
—Miranda Goshawk[src]

The Severing Charm (Diffindo) is a charm used to precisely and accurately cut something.[1] It is taught in second year charms classes[4] and Fourth year classes,[5] and if used inappropriately can cause death or injury.[1]

A spellbook for this charm can be found in one of the Herbology greenhouses;[2] this is also detailed in both Book of Spells[1] and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.[6]

History

"The Severing Charm was created in the fifteenth century by wizarding seamstress Delfina Crimp who created it as an easy and convenient way of cutting cloth and thread."
—Book of Spells
This spell was invented in the fifteenth century by seamstress and witch Delfina Crimp. She made the spell because prior to her discovery, cutting spells were apt to burn or shred things. However, a fellow seamster Snickerton, nearly killed her after he raided her shop, having realised that she could do magic, and held her tied up. Nonetheless, upon being released to scratch a wart on her chin the wart brought her wand forth and she disapparated with a sack of gold.[1]

Known uses

Successful

Caster(s) Date Notes
Delfina Crimp 1400s The charm was invented in this time by Delfina Crimp and used by her to make and tailor clothing.[1]
Filius Flitwick & Jacob's sibling 1987–1988 school year Professor Filius Flitwick taught this spell to his Fourth year charms students.[5]
Harry Potter 23 November, 1994 Used it to cut Cedric Diggory's bookbag to delay him from class so that he could warn Cedric privately about the First Task of Triwizard Tournament.[7]
14 September, 1996 Used it to detach the front cover of his shop-bought potions textbook to replace it with a vandalised version using the Mending Charm.[8]
28 December, 1997 Used it to break the ice from the frozen pool in the Forest of Dean, where Severus Snape had hidden the Sword of Gryffindor.[9]
Diffindo
Ron Weasley 25 December, 1994 Used it to sever the lace sleeves of his dress robes before the Yule Ball.[10]
Hermione Granger 1 August, 1997 Used it to remove the bindings on Ron Weasley conjured by Antonin Dolohov after a fight in a cafe; she trembled so much that she cut Ron with it.[11]
25 December, 1997 Used it to remove the Salazar Slytherin's locket from Harry Potter's chest shortly after they were attacked by Nagini in Bathilda Bagshot's home in Godric's Hollow.[12]
Peter Pettigrew (possibly) 24 June, 1995 Used it nonverbally to break Tom Riddle's Gravestone.[13]
Lord Voldemort (possibly) March, 1998 Used it nonverbally to break Albus Dumbledore's tomb.[13]

Unsuccessful

Caster(s) Date Notes
Harry Potter 18 June, 1996 Used it to sever the tentacles of brain, which attacked Ron Weasley after he summoned it in the Brain Room during the battle in Department of Mysteries, but unsuccessful.[14]
2 September, 1997 Used it to break Mary Cattermole free of a chained chair, but unsuccessful.[15]
3 September, 1997 Used it to destroy the Salazar Slytherin's locket in Dartmoor, but unsuccessful.[16]
Dissend

Known practitioners

Etymology

The incantation is the Latin first person active indicative for "to split, cleave or open".

See also

Behind the scenes


Appearances

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Wonderbook: Book of Spells
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
  4. ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 12 (Working with Snape)
  6. ↑ Pottermore
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 20 (The First Task)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 11 (Hermione's Helping Hand)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 19 (The Silver Doe)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 18 (The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 24 (The Wandmaker)
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
  15. ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 13 (The Muggle-Born Registration Commission)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  17. ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)


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: Banishing Charm · Dancing Feet Spell · Disarming Charm · Engorgement Charm · Fire-Making Spell · Freezing Charm · General Counter-Spell · Levitation Charm · Locking Spell · Memory Charm · Mending Charm · Severing Charm · Softening Charm · Substantive Charm · Summoning Charm · Tickling Charm · Unlocking Charm


Charms (class)
PS Wingardium Leviosa feather
Charmbook writers and developers
Blagdon Blay · Daisy Pennifold · 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 · Violeta Stitch
Professors Fortinbras · Filius Flitwick
Textbooks Achievements in Charming · Extreme Incantations · Quintessence: A Quest · The Standard Book of Spells
Charms studied at Hogwarts
Banishing Charm (Depulso) · Cheering Charm · Cistem Aperio · Colour Change Charm (Colovaria) · Confundus Charm (Confundo) · Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) · Descendo · Disillusionment Charm · Drought Charm · Eradication Spell (Deletrius) · 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 · Knitting Charm · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Leg-Locker Curse (Locomotor Mortis) · Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) · Locking Spell (Colloportus) · Locomotion Charm (Locomotor) · Mending Charm (Reparo) · Memory Charm (Obliviate) · Muffliato Charm (Muffliato) · Nonverbal spell · 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 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) · Lumos Maxima · Water-Making Spell (Aguamenti)
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