======Memory Charm======
=====Spell Information=====
  * **Incantation:** [[Obliviate]]
  * **Pronunciation:** //oh-BLI-vee-ate//
  * **Wand Movement:** Unknown
  * **Light:** None consistently described in the books, though a "faint shimmer" was observed when [[Gilderoy Lockhart]] attempted to cast it.
  * **Effect:** Erases, modifies, or blocks specific memories from an individual's mind. The charm can be used to remove the memory of a single event or to perform a complete mind-wipe, causing amnesia. Incorrectly performed charms can lead to severe and permanent confusion or brain damage.
  * **Type:** [[Charm]]
=====History and Known Uses=====
The [[Memory Charm]] is a fundamental spell used by the [[Ministry of Magic]] to uphold the [[International Statute of Secrecy]]. It is routinely cast on [[Muggle]]s who witness magic to erase their recollection of the event. The [[Ministry of Magic]] employs a squad of specialists, known as [[Obliviator]]s, for this specific purpose.
Key instances of the [[Memory Charm]]'s use include:
  * **Gilderoy Lockhart:** [[Lockhart]] built his entire famous career by using the [[Memory Charm]] on other witches and wizards, stealing the credit for their heroic deeds. His expertise with the charm ended when he attempted to cast it on [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] using Ron's broken [[wand]]. The spell backfired, wiping [[Lockhart]]'s own memory completely and causing permanent damage.
  * **Bartemius Crouch Sr.:** To conceal the survival of his son, [[Barty Crouch Jr.]], [[Mr. Crouch]] placed a powerful [[Memory Charm]] on the [[Ministry of Magic]] witch [[Bertha Jorkins]] after she accidentally discovered the secret. The charm was so potent that it permanently damaged her memory. [[Lord Voldemort]] later broke this charm through magical torture, destroying [[Jorkins]]'s mind in the process but gaining crucial information that set in motion his return to power.
  * **Ministry Obliviators:** [[Obliviator]]s were dispatched to the [[Quidditch World Cup]] campsite to modify the memories of [[Muggle]]s like [[Mr. Roberts]] and his family after the [[Death Eater]] riot.
  * **Hermione Granger:** In a profound act of love and protection, [[Hermione Granger]] modified her parents' memories to make them forget they ever had a daughter. She gave them new identities as [[Wendell]] and [[Monica Wilkins]] and a new ambition to move to Australia, thereby saving them from the [[Death Eater]]s during the [[Second Wizarding War]]. She performed this complex magic with the intention of finding them later and lifting the enchantment.
  * **Harry Potter and Hermione Granger:** After being ambushed by [[Death Eater]]s ([[Antonin Dolohov]] and [[Thorfinn Rowle]]) in a [[Tottenham Court Road]] café, [[Hermione]] successfully used the [[Memory Charm]] to wipe their memories of the encounter, allowing the trio to escape without being tracked.
  * **Kingsley Shacklebolt:** During an interrogation by [[Pius Thicknesse]], [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]] discreetly cast a [[Memory Charm]] on [[Marietta Edgecombe]] to prevent her from revealing the location of [[Dumbledore's Army]]'s reconstituted meetings.
=====Learning and Counter-Spells=====
While the [[Memory Charm]] is standard practice for [[Ministry of Magic]] employees in certain departments, performing it correctly and precisely requires a high degree of magical skill. As demonstrated by the cases of [[Lockhart]] and [[Jorkins]], a poorly cast or overly powerful charm can have disastrous and irreversible consequences. Conversely, [[Hermione Granger]]'s successful use of complex memory modification showcases her exceptional magical talent.
There is no known simple counter-spell for the [[Memory Charm]]. The effects are generally considered permanent. However, the books suggest two potential ways to overcome it:
  * **Lifting the Charm:** A skilled witch or wizard, particularly the original caster, may be able to reverse the effects. [[Hermione Granger]] was confident she could restore her parents' memories after the war.
  * **Brute Magical Force:** An exceptionally powerful wizard can break through a [[Memory Charm]] by force, though this process is violent and can destroy the victim's mind, as seen when [[Voldemort]] tortured [[Bertha Jorkins]].
=====Etymology=====
The incantation //Obliviate// is derived from the Late Latin ''oblivisci'', meaning "to forget." It is the root of the English word "oblivion," which means the state of being forgotten or a lack of awareness.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * Mnemone Radford (15th century) was the witch who developed the [[Memory Charm]] and became the first-ever [[Obliviator]] at the [[Ministry of Magic]] (Pottermore).
  * In an interview, J.K. Rowling confirmed that after the [[Second Wizarding War]], [[Hermione Granger]] did find her parents in Australia and successfully lifted the [[Memory Charm]] she had placed on them (J.K. Rowling interview).
  * In the film adaptations, the [[Memory Charm]] is often depicted as a jet or beam of light (variously green, blue, or white) that visually appears to extract memories from the victim's head, often showing them as ethereal, dissolving images (film).