Unlocking Charm

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

The Unlocking Charm (Alohomora), also known as the Thief's Friend is a charm that unlocks the target, including doors, windows or other objects.^[2][3] It is also able to open doors locked by the Locking Spell (Colloportus), and as such, is its Counter-charm. There also exists a spell to prevent this charm from being used on a locked target.

History

The earliest person known to master the charm was an Ancient African sorcerer, who taught it to thief Eldon Elsrickle during the latter's trip to Africa in the 17th century. After returning to his native Britain, Elsrickle used it to terrorise London, stealing from homes of Muggles and wizards alike, until Blagdon Blay invented the Anti-Alohomora Charm.^[4]

Before Alohomora, the most popular unlocking spell was Portaberto (used to splinter a lock from a door; though known to occasionally leave a smoking hole where the key should have gone) and, before that, Open Sesame (which ripped doors from their hinges and tore them into firewood). All of these were more rudimentary and by far less subtle than Alohomora.

Descriptions of this spell are written in numerous books, including the first volume of the Standard Book of Spells series, where it is described in chapter seven.^[5] and a spellbook that can be found in the Hogwarts Library.^[6] This spell is also taught in Charms class in the first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is one of the first spells students learn.^[7]

Counter-charm

There is a spell called the Anti-Alohomora Charm which is used to counteract this spell. Magical locks also existed and were placed on several doors, but could be unlocked with this charm.

Known uses

Successful

Caster(s)	Date	Notes
Eldon Elsrickle	1600s	The first wizard to use it in the western world. Elsrickle had learnt the spell from an Ancient African sorcerer and used it to ransack the houses of London, Muggle, and wizarding alike.[4]
Newt Scamander	6 December 1926	Used it to open a safe at Steen National Bank to retrieve his escaped Niffler.[8]
Lord Voldemort	31 October, 1981	Used it to break into the Potters' house, before murdering James and Lily Potter and trying to murder their son Harry Potter.[5]
Albus Potter		Used it after time-travelling to the day his grandparents were killed to unlock the doors of St Jerome's Church in order to let Harry Potter's friends come and help him to duel Delphini.[9]
Jacob's sibling	1984–1985 school year	Jacob's sibling and Rowan Khanna used this charm to unlock the door of the room that contains the Cursed ice.[7]
Hermione Granger	1991	Used it to open a forbidden entrance on the Third-floor corridor of Hogwarts Castle.[10]
	6 June, 1994	Used it to open the window to Professor Filius Flitwick's office to rescue Sirius Black.[11]
	2 August, 1997	Used it to open Regulus Black's bedroom in 12 Grimmauld Place.[12]
Death Eaters	18 June, 1996	One of the Death Eaters used it to open doors to Time Room shut by the Hermione Granger.[13]
St Mungo's staff	Unknown	The Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries can only be entered by using this spell. Healers and visitors may enter, but patients are unable to get out.[14]
Scorpius Malfoy	1 September, 2020	Used it to open the Minister for Magic's office at the Ministry of Magic. He want to get into with Albus Potter and Delphini under the disguise of the trio.

Unsuccessful

Known practitioners

Eldon Elsrickle^[4]

Newton Scamander^[8]

Queenie Goldstein^[8]

Filius Flitwick^[18]

Hermione Granger^{[10][15][11][13]}

Ron Weasley^[19]

Harry Potter^{[6][20][19][16]}

Scorpius Malfoy

Albus Potter^[9]

Tom Riddle^[5]

Miriam Strout^[14]

Jacob's sibling^[18]

Add a photo to this gallery

• Rowan Khanna^[18]

See also

• Annihilare
• Aberto
• Dunamis
• Liberare
• Emancipare
• Open Sesame
• Portaberto

Etymology

J. K. Rowling stated that the word was from the West African Sikidy figures used in geomancy and has the literal meaning "Friendly to thieves".^[21]

Behind the scenes

• Alohomora Duo is a stronger version of this spell.
• Although Dolores Umbridge's office at Hogwarts was (assumed) impervious to this spell in the novel, Harry Potter uses this spell to open it before attempting to use the Floo Network in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• As it was described in a textbook, this may be learned in Hogwarts Charms classes in the first year.
• This may be the spell that Remus Lupin used to open a wardrobe containing a Boggart and the spell that Harry Potter used wandlessly to open his cupboard to retrieve his school supplies.

  

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, instead of using the Unlocking Charm to help Sirius Black escape, Hermione used Bombarda to blast open his cell door.
• In the Chamber of Secrets video game for GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 it's specified that the Unlocking Charm is for use on mechanical locks. In most other sources, it's used on magical locks and the Locking Spell as well.
  • Also in the manuals for the video games, it lampshades the fact that not everything can be unlocked with the charm (such as certain doors and inaccessible areas), and thus tells the player to not get frustrated over this fact.
    • It is only in Chamber of Secrets, that only chests can be opened with the charm, while in the previous game, almost anything can be unlocked as long as it had to symbol for the charm's use. This was mainly that in the second game, the charm was to be optionally brought at Fred and George Weasley's Shop in the video games, and thus it would have little impact on locations that involve the story of the game outside of sidequests and hidden locations.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Years 5-7, the Reductor Curse is used to blast open most locks, instead of the Unlocking Charm.
• According to Book of Spells, the spell Portaberto was the most popular unlocking spell before this, and prior to that Open Sesame was.
• While the spell usually just unlocks, Newt Scamander was showing using it to both unlock and open a safe in the film adaption of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)^[22]
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Possible appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• 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 (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (DS/PSP versions only)
• Harry Potter: Spells
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Pottermore
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Notes and references

Charms (class)
Charmbook writers and developers
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) · 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 · 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) · Wand-Lighting Charm Duo · Lumos Maxima · 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