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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Hogwarts Legacy & Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells & Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. |
- "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) was a charm used to precisely and accurately cut something.[1] If used inappropriately, it could cause death or injury.[1]
It was taught in first-year,[4] fourth-year[5] and fifth-year[3] Charms classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was also covered in first-year[6] and second-year[2] Herbology classes at Hogwarts.
A spellbook for this charm could be found in one of the Herbology greenhouses;[2] the charm was also detailed in both Book of Spells[1] and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.[4]
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[src]
Delfina Crimp using this charm to shorten a dress
This spell was invented in the fifteenth century by seamstress and witch Delfina Crimp. She made the spell because prior to her discovery, most spells used to cut things (such as the fabric she wanted to cut magically) were apt to burn or shred things. However, a rival Muggle clothes maker, Snickerton, realised that she could do magic and raided her shop with friends. They held her tied up and nearly killed her. However, she convinced them to release her to scratch a wart on her chin. When allowed to do so, she drew it out, revealing the wart to be her hidden wand. She then Disapparated with a sack of gold.[1]
It is implied that Crimp may have continued to use it, or cast a curse on Snickerton with similar effects, as all of his subsequent creations were found sliced up.[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 | 1987–1988 school year | Professor Filius Flitwick taught this spell to his fourth-year charms students.[5] |
| Jacob's sibling | ||
| Used it to sever the Acromantula web that stuck Charlie Weasley to the ground.[7] | ||
| 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.[8] |
| 14 September, 1996 | Used it to detach the front cover of his shop-bought potions textbook to replace it with an annotated version using the Mending Charm.[9] | |
| 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.[10]
  | |
| Ron Weasley | 25 December, 1994 | Used it to sever the lace sleeves of his dress robes before the Yule Ball.[11] |
| 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.[12] |
| 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.[13] | |
| Peter Pettigrew (possibly) | 24 June, 1995 | Possibly used it nonverbally to break Tom Riddle's Gravestone.[14] |
| Lord Voldemort (possibly) | March, 1998 | Possibly used it nonverbally to break Albus Dumbledore's tomb.[15] |
Unsuccessful
- "“Diffindo!” yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds."
- — Harry Potter failing to sever brain tentacles attached to Ron Weasley's head[src]
| Caster(s) | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | 18 June, 1996 | Attempted 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.[16] |
| 2 September, 1997 | Attempted to break Mary Cattermole free of the Accusation chair, but unsuccessful.[17] | |
| 3 September, 1997 | Attempted to destroy Salazar Slytherin's Locket in Dartmoor, but unsuccessful.[18]
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Known practitioners
Etymology
The incantation is the Latin first person active indicative for "to split, cleave or open".
See also
Behind the scenes
Diffindo as seen in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
- In the Harry Potter Trading Card Game, Diffindo is incorrectly labelled as a Transfiguration spell.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 and LEGO Dimensions, it allows the player to cut through red LEGO walls.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Console versions only)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Not in PS1 version)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Not in PC or console versions)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- LEGO Dimensions
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Pottermore
- Wizarding World (Mentioned only)
- Wonderbook: Book of Spells
- Wonderbook: Book of Potions
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
- Hogwarts Legacy
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Wonderbook: Book of Spells
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pottermore - The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 12 (Working with Snape) - Charms Lesson "Diffindo"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) - Console versions
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, "TORVUS AND THE TROUBLED FOREST" Achievement
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 20 (The First Task)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 11 (Hermione's Helping Hand)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 19 (The Silver Doe)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 23 (The Yule Ball)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 18 (The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 32 (Flesh, Blood and Bone)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 24 (The Wandmaker)
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 13 (The Muggle-Born Registration Commission)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
| The Standard Book of Spells | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| 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) | |||||
